Please help, what do you think of these sympoms? - Bowel Disorders Message Board

Stinker · 03-17-2005, 07:35 AM

Hello, I'm at my wits end trying to figure out what might be wrong with me. I recently found this site and have been searching through past posts, but have yet to find anything definative.

For the past year I have been dealing with painful gas becoming trapped and causing bloating in my large intestine. It causes my stomach to become so extremely distended my clothes won't fit. For the longest time this was the major symptom, but recently others have come to my attention and are progressivly getting worse.
After eating a somewhat large meal I feel like my food just sits in my stomach for long periods of time. I also get indigestion and heartburn very easily if I eat too much (never a problem before).
After eating I become very fatigued and can't help falling asleep.
I also become very cold after eating.
I am unable to lose any weight, infact my body seems to be in weight gain mode despite diet and exercise.
I suffer from mood swings (depression) and more pronounced pms symptoms both when I ovulate and right before my period.
I also recently had a couple anxiety and panic attack episodes. This has never happened to me before.

For a little background, I've been a vegetarian for the last 15+ years. I had gone Vegan cold turkey about 2 months before I noticed my symptoms starting. I also began using birth control pills the same month this all started. The pill I used was Yasmin and I had horrible side effects from it. I stopped using the pill after one month, the side effects ceased as the pill worked its way out of my system, but the gas, painful bloating has stayed.
I've been to a GI and was diagnosed with IBS, but that just does fit. I've never had this problem before and I don't have the big "D" or "C".

I've tried different brands of acidophilus, (Been on Trenev-Trio for the last few months) and usually respond well at first (symptoms go away after a week) but then it always starts back up after a week.

This is really taking a toll on my mental and physical health. Can anyone please point me in some new directions?

Please help.

Thank you so much for any assistance or information.

Sunlover · 03-17-2005, 09:26 AM

Seems like everyone I know who doesn't eat meat has lots of stomach problems - either gas or a tendency to get stomach bugs, a LOT. I don't know if it's connected, sometimes what the medical field SAYS and what you witness happening in reality are 2 different things! I'd say it's your diet. Personally I can't eat fruit because I feel awful from it. Even if I just happen to know a lot of people who fit one criteria, maybe YOU are just "allergic" to vegetables. I doubt it's the birth control.

Also, how old are you?? Sounds like wild hormones too! (if you are 16... or if you are 46... either way, wild hormones, different reasons! LOL!) - if you are like 30 or 35 or something, I'd rule out the hormones, but hey, you never know!

Duh... I guess you can't be 16 if you changed into a vegetarian 15+ years ago!

Stinker · 03-17-2005, 09:51 AM

Thanks for the response.

I'm in my mid 30's which makes me think it isn't my hormones as well.

I don't think its my diet since I've been vegetarian for so long, I thought it perhaps had something to do with going vegan, but i've since gone back to my old diet with no improvement in my symptoms.

I've read that birth control pills can upset the balance of flora in the intestine. Do these symptoms coincide with some form of bacterial overgrowth or infection? Should I talk to my GP about an antibiotic? Flagyl perhaps?

Thank you for your response, any additional infor or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Stinker · 03-17-2005, 12:56 PM

Does anyone have any thoughts? I just can't seem to find any one condition that fits what I have?

spongebobgamma · 03-17-2005, 01:34 PM

Stinker what medical tests have you had done? First thing I thought of reading your post was thyroid.