Hi, this is going to be a long post, but please read it anyway...
I'm a healthy female teenager with stomach problems. My symptoms are loose stools/diarrhea, gases, and squeaking noises.
I barely ever get sick, but at the end of summer, 2012 my stomach began to behave strangely. At first, it just made these strange sounds. It was later followed up by feeling bloated and having a lot of gas, and then changes in stools. (switching from solid, and loose)
I went to a stomach doctor, and of course, when she was examining me (feeling my stomach and asking me questions), my stomach was as silent as the grave.
She said that it seemed fine, but took some bloodsamples anyway. And as expected, she then called me and said that everything was looking ok.
I've also talked to the nurse and counselor at my school, but they both said the same thing: Stress.
I'm in the last year of high school, and final exams and picking the place I want to study next etc etc are coming up, so I CAN'T exactly do anything about the stress!
I'm a perfectionist, and I want good grades. I never skip class or school, therefore, I can never take a break (especially if we have TONS of homework on top of that)
I've tried changing my diet, seeing what my stomach likes and not, but it's just not giving me the results I want.
My mom just keeps telling me it's ''normal'', but it ain't, I'm sure of it.
It's annoying, it's embarrassing, nothing I do helps, and sometimes it stays ok for a while, but then it kicks in again, making me feel stupid and sad for thinking it was actually gone.
I don't know what it is, and is too embarrassed to go to a real hospital to ask for help, because as I've heard from many with the same problem, they're going to tell me that it's all in my head (kind of)
Everyone keeps on telling me that it'll solve itself, and that it'll be ''gone before you know it'' and that it's ok to have a upset stomach, but it WON'T, IT CAN'T AND IT'S NOT.
I am done. I'm desperate, for someone to give me some advice on this, because I can't take it no more. It's affecting my studies, my health and my self confidence.
I don't know what to do, or what it is that I have.
What I do know though is that I want it to go away.
Have you tried things like taking a probiotic?
Cutting out wheat products for a month- eating just rice and corn for grains? then if that has no change cutting out dairy and drinking like soy or almond milk for a month.
Did your doctor talk to you about GERD? People with GERD can't eat certain things like (tomatoes, oranges, spicy foods).
Gas is caused by stomach acid. Stress can affect you somewhat but it doesn't sound normal at all.
You could have also just thrown off your good flora and be in need of probiotics.
Thanks for your reply.
No I haven't. However, I have begun to try to... Well. ''See through the eyes of the stomach'', as in, not eating what I desire for the moment, but thinking of what my stomach would prefer to digest. It has shown Some promising effects. I've also kind of, tried to visit the toilet at the same times during the days. It's been working too, but my stomach is still very noisy (especially when riding vehicles, like the bus in the morning and when going home...! Isn't that weird?!). It can of course be because of stress (Finals, exams, choosing college etc etc), so I suppose if that is the case, then I can't really do anything about it.
However, the ''GERD'' thing you mentioned caught my attention. I've cut apples out of my diet because my stomach apparently doesn't like it: judging from the way it sounds! Jesus...
I don't usually eat fruits, or spicey foods (I don't like it) though, so I wouldn't really know though.
