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pinkeddy · 02-02-2008, 05:46 AM

Hello there

I have the following pains and symptoms intermitantly - they can sometimes come in attacks.

Stabbing/burning gnawing pain in right hand side ribs and back.
Burping/belching passing wind
Nausea after eating
queasiness
dizzyness
anxiety which I have suffered from for the past two years but is easing off.
Colic pains
Frequent Hyperglycemic attacks
Symptoms improve if I don't eat or eat really plain foods.
cannot sleep on right hand side - feel best really stretched or curled into a ball.
Frequent Gastric flu which is horrible

Have had lots of blood tests which come back fine
Have had an ultrasound scan which came back fine although my pancreas was obstructed.
Am due an endoscopy soon - perhaps that will come up with something.
I am taking Domperidone for IBs and Omeprazole for acid reflux

Can anyone relate to these symptoms as i am at my wits end and thinking I have something serious! Could a stomach ulcer give these symptoms as I do not get pain in my middle just to the side. I have it at the moment and It wakes me up at night.

Any ideas thanks all

HasLPRD · 02-02-2008, 01:08 PM

It does not sound like an ulcer because that pain usually has a specific locality different from yours. Some of your symptoms are probably side effecs of the Domperidone; the rest could be reflux related. The endoscopy sounds like a good idea. FWIW, I had upper-right quadrant abdominal pain (intermittent, cramp-like) and it turned out to be bacterial overgrowth in my gut. I cured it with acidophilus supplements. Bacterial overgrowth can be a side effect of long-term use of acid reducers such as Omeprazole.

Mark.

Linda_in_NJ · 02-02-2008, 05:40 PM

Didn't they tell you to have your pancreas blockage taken care of? Most likely the sphincter to your pancreas is blocked. It happened to me and I got pancreatitis from it and had to be the hospital until my pancreas calmed down. Then I had an ERCP to cut open the sphincter and had a stent put in. You should see a gastro doc for this. Keep your eye out for any pancreatitis signs like vomiting, fever and intense pain in your gut. Pancreatitis also shows up in your white blood count. Good Luck Linda

pinkeddy · 02-03-2008, 12:56 AM

Thanks for your answers. I was put on the Omeprazole and Domperidone in September to help with all the symptoms which they have helped with some of them but the back and rib pain still persists along with the bouts of gastric flu and giddiness. Frequent Sinisitis too with mouth ulcers. I remember when it all happened back in July whilst on a no fat diet and you had to drink apple cider vinegar and one day it felt like someone had stabbed me in through the ribs right through to my back on the right hand side. Not sure if I did the damage through the many diets I have been on??

I am 34, 5 6" and under 10 stone.

(With my pancreas being obstructed in the scan I mean that they couldn't see it as my stomach was in the way.) sorry didn't explain myself!

HasLPRD · 02-03-2008, 01:26 PM

I have Laryngo-Pharyngeal Reflux Disease, which is acid reflux where the acid comes all the way up into the throat. I have frequent sinus problems and I have had ulcers in the back of my throat too. It really does sound like your problem is primarily acid reflux related. I think that endoscopy sounds like your best diagnostic option right now. The main underlying cause of acid reflux is a weak lower-esophageal sphincter. I think the cause of this is genetic in most people, but it can also be cause (temporarily) by medications. Most people have reflux attacks when they eat something that stimulates acid production (like fats), but laying down or bending over or anything else that encourages acid to spill into the esophagus can exacerbate the problems as well. If you have nighttime symptoms you may consider raising the head of your bed about 6". That, making sure you don't lie down within two to three hours after eating and avoiding foods that stimulate acid production (fats, caffine, spicy foods, etc...) usually help relieve symptoms in most people.

Read up on the side-effects of Domperidone if you haven't already (I assume some literature came with your medication). It definitely can account for some of your symptoms.

Mark.

pinkeddy · 02-04-2008, 12:22 AM

Hi Mark thanks for your help. I suppose I will just have to wait and see what the test comes up with really. Do you find that you cannot eat dairy products or high fat products? I can't seem to be able to eat much at the moment really without it affecting me. All last night I was in agony and just slept curled up with a cushion under my back

Do you take regular medication to keep yours under control?

Thanks much appreciated.

HasLPRD · 02-04-2008, 11:15 AM

Dairy fats cause me less problems than vegetable oils, but each person is different. I can tolerate small amounts of dairy fat (eg. a little bit of butter used in cooking) but cannot tolerate any sorts of vegetable oils. The amount of oil present in one low-fat tortilla will cause me reflux problems

When I grocery shop, I won't buy anything that lists oil as one of the ingredients.

I used to control this largely with diet and lifestyle changes (don't eat before bed, raise head of bed, etc...) and would take only a Zantac 75 whenever I ate something I shouldn't have. But now, it doesn't even respond to Omeprazole or Ranitidine. I have the suspicion that I've got some new factor involved which is complicating the "ordinary" reflux problem I've had for many years (a small hiatal hernia, found during endoscopy). I think maybe my stomach is draining more slowly lately and exacerbating the reflux. I have some anecdotal evidence to suggest that. I see a new gastroenterologist in less than three weeks. Hopefully she can get to the root my recent onset of severe reflux symptoms.

Your endoscopy should be able to confirm or deny irritation/damage due to reflux. It might also identify a cause (like a hital hernia). Also, the most accurate test for H-pylori is a biopsy of stomach tissue, so make sure they add that to the list of things they're testing for. Endoscopy would also rule out ulcer (though what you have doesn't sound like an ulcer to me).

Mark.

pinkeddy · 02-05-2008, 12:41 AM

Yours sounds like you have had this for a very long time. What do you think was the original cause? Do you think it was hereditary? Mine seems to calm down when I just stick to plain rice and fish. It seems to come on in attacks, does yours or is it pretty constant. I have symptoms most of the time but when the back pain kicks in it comes in attacks of about two weeks.

My doc did suggest it could be GERD or Motility Disorder. I get no pain in my esophagus or burning (maybe the omperazole controls that) My pain is more my upper right quadrant and sometimes a line of pain lower down. I just wonder where the back pain comes from as it is so severe, I wonder is it just a referral pain?! It almost feels that I have a hole in my side, does that make sense?

Yesterday my back was hurting so much I wanted to cry so I thought I would try some Gaviscon which suprisingly soothed it slightly, maybe there is a clue - I did drink nearly have a bottle though!

Also do you ever get the vomiting and bad stomach almost like a bug?

Thanks Claire

HasLPRD · 02-05-2008, 02:58 PM

My original symptoms were likely caused by my small hiatal hernia. Whether that was genetic or an injury I cannot guess. Back then I only had this problem whenever I ate something that I shouldn't have. I found that prolonged acid irritation seems to make things hypersensitive. That is, once it gets past a certain point, even minor reflux seems to cause major symptoms and it takes a while on a very bland diet to get things back to normal again. I never get heartburn either -- I get only upper esophageal/throat symptoms. I never got vomiting or stomach pain. Referred back pain seems to be a common symptom of both heartburn and gallstones and probably some other stuff.

Mark.

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