need some help..please!! I'm at the end of my luck here with only prayer - Digestive Disorders Message Board

ALL4LAY · 12-01-2004, 03:28 PM

Hello everyone, I'm a 29 male who has had two years of quality life taken from him.. This all started the beginning of 2003 with lots of constipation and a period of stress b/c my GI told me I had a low white blood cell count.. I got very worried and panicked b/c I had just got out of a relationship b/c my girlfriend had cheated on me..The doctorf told me it was really nothing to worry about b/c it's pretty common with african americans

..Anyway the first thing that came to mind was HIV.. I went to my GP and told her I was constantly congested with mucus in my nose and throat and didn't feel too well.. She gave me cephalaxin an antibiotic. while taking that I started having lots of diarrhea and running fevers and felt worse..I felt like i was dying and I didn't finish the cycle of antibiotics.. Well the diarrhea never went away and persisted for 6 months straight along with unexplained weight loss.. The diarrhea was explosive and undigested food was there also.. Well i'm still losing weight/muscle mass w/out a clue why..I use to weight train and had a lot of muscle but now all i've worked for has now almost gone completely b/c of this monster
I've been to just about every doctor/specialist imaginable here in Atlanta. No luck.. GI docs ran colonoscopys/endoscopyies, abdomenal/pelvic/back/head CT scans, abdomenal ultrasounds, HIV test neg, MRI chest/neck, chest Xrays, TB test (pos but not active), Lymph node biopsies neg, diabetes test neg, CBC for thyroid etc normal, and all other Blood test are normal but low WBC still remain even today..
Symptoms are:
unexplained weight loss
fatigue, stomach rumbling, chest tightness,short of breath,muscle/joint soreness, neck/back stiffness/soreness, redened eyes, congested nasal sinus/throat, post nasal drip, toenail fungus, muscle twitching and headaches, nausea,abdomenal pain, mushy stools, sometimes diarreah, stool has an ammonnia odor and (sorry to be gross) when I wipe theres always a mustard colored substance along with the stool that has a stong chemical odor...The only thing that seriously comes to mind is some form of cancer that has not been found yet.. My doctors don't take it serious is b/c my weight looks normal to most compared to how big I use to be.. Went from 245lbs of solid muscle to 225lb with a very thinner frame

I"m tired of wondering whats wrong with me guys.. I don't want to live like this wondering whats taking me down.. If someone has any kind of experience with this or can at least give me some other options to try..Please do

...I really need help...
THanks!

imvic46 · 12-01-2004, 10:52 PM

Wow!!! Lots of symptoms. I certainly would not attempt to even guess your problem, but I can help with a few things. First of all..your white blood count could have initially started from fighting infection. There are medications out there to raise that count back up if your own bone marrow is not doing the job. I believe it is called Interferon (sp) I had the same problem you did while on antibiotics with the yellow stool and undigested food. (lasted two months) I got rid of it by taking Metamucil every day. The stool returned to normal after three days. Taking antibiotics gets rid of bad bacteria, but also good bacteria, which in turn can cause the problem you described. Metamucil is a laxative, but can also be used to absorb liquid in your colon. It worked! I also have the constant nasal congestion and tightness in the chest, reflux,bla bla bla. I have GERD though. I should think if you had that it would have been detected on an upper GI. I too have had the noisy stomach and constipation, especially under stress. However, I have also been diagnosed with IBS. I lost 22 pound in 6 weeks before I was diagnosed with these two conditions. I am basically a poster child for digestive disorders. Metamucil cant hurt you and might be a place to start. Prilosec OTC, if you have silent reflux, could help with the chest tightness. If any of this works for you.....then you need to go back and talk to your GI doc. I hope this helps some. Most important....If your WBC is that low...why do they not have you on something to bring it up. You need a good WBC to battle infections. Sorry for the long post, but you have a lot of similar symtoms as mine and at least for me, it was not just one problem.
Vickey

ALL4LAY · 12-02-2004, 07:28 AM

Well for about 2 years i've had a ton of CBC panels. Most were done in ER's and every time my WBC has stayed around the same.. Doctors feel that this may be the norm for me and also stated that african americans typically have a lower WBC count..I thought infections can be detected in blood work? And if so wouldn't that make you WBC higher?

Harry · 12-02-2004, 08:30 AM

I agree the first thing you got to do is slow down your BMs and psyllium in Metamucil is a bulking agent will help-- it use to say on the container Bowel Regulator but it now says natrual laxative. The worse person I ever knew with explosive diarrhea was cured with Metamucil. I use Equate from Wal Mart.

With diarrhea you lose alot of vital nutrients that are just flat not absorbed. And we all need them to be healthy.

Antibiotic affect people differently but they do kill off the good intestinal bacteria along with the bad. So,along with the nail fungus/yeast infection -- you have the same thing going on in your Gastro tract and the friendly bacteria needs to re-balanced and re-colnized.
It sounds like you have a full blown yeast/ candida infection.

You can start by eating a good brand of yogurt that has a lot of different active cultures in it and taking a probiotic supplement twice daily to help replace and re-colonize your intestines bacteria. You can get these from a health food store. I like and use Stonyfield Farm yogurt. It can be bought here at some grocery stores also.
You may probably need to be treated medically for the yeast/candida problem with anti yeast drugs like Diflucan, Sporanox, Nystain that are prescription drugs. But,there are alot of OT remedies available at healthfood stores.

The only problem is many Doctors don't believe that people have GI type of candida or yeast infections. But they do and you have to find one that does. There is no medical test for gastro yeast/candida overgrowth because we all have and need them but in a balanced form. When doctors can't find a problem like you're having then it is usually Yeast/candida related. I think this because that is what happens to me.

All type of yeast thrive on sugary type food so you may also have to go on an Anti-Candida Diet. It is basically a diet w/o sugar and simple carbs --- you can do a search on Google about it. There is alot to read about it!!
It is a good method because you cut off the yeast food supply.

I wish you well---God Bless--Harry

imvic46 · 12-02-2004, 10:29 AM

Harry,
I have read several of your posts and think you are very helpful to many people. How did you become so knowledgeable about the digestive system? Thanks for the help you give to others
Vickey