Hi, I’m new here!
In fact, I’m new to MAJOR digestive disorders (not that I don’t know all about gas, IBS, flu, hunger, or other every-day things)! Unlike some apparently (waiting for years? No way!
), I was alarmed when I seemed to change suddenly as far as my stomach reactions, etc, and wasted no time going to doctors!
I’m awaiting a bunch of test results now (blood, fecal [yes, my stools have seemed to be greenish for a while – sorry to TMI
], endo, sonogram), and anxiously awaiting my “follow-up” which isn’t for a month! (I suppose doc himself would hurry it up if they were really alarmed, but….)
Bottom line, I believe my massive ibuprofen use has led to something. Either that, or perhaps it was just an aggravating factor that’s really a blessing, in that maybe it’s pointed out something that’s already wrong. I’ve heard sometimes people really aren’t aware things are poor with them.
Last July I started taking 3x/day 800 mg ibu for an excruciating rear-end problem that suddenly turned up for no obvious reason. It was so bad I guess I continued the 3x for up to 3 mos (maybe just 2), then the next refill for a few mos I took just 2x/day, then from Nov on I took just 1x/day – in the morning w/o any food (I generally don’t eat breakfast) until I stopped (essentially, the whole entire prescription – but I stopped 2 pills from the end because it got so bad and I was scared).
I had some strange symptoms in Jan just before I stopped the ibu. Included strangely feeling sickly after eating BBQ meal, I even noted to a co-worker “boy I’ve been hiccupping a lot lately”, and then WHAM, constant, incessant “burping” (not sure, I never really burp – I call it a throat-burp where there’s fibrillation from the stomach up thru my throat) for 2 days straight, and that nasty feeling you get if you’re ever sensitive to aspirin/ibu type of pills. I.e., it “tasted” just like the ibu all over in my gut and esophagus. Then my husband got real sick and I too had it in dribs and drabs – which seemed to erase all those other symptoms. Then as I got all “better”, some of the burping came back and that general yucky feeling again. I went to my regular doc who said I probably had GERD and said I could do a trial on Nexium, but would probably have to go thru a bunch of tests. I took the Nexium (still on it, 1x/day), hoping to avoid tests. But while most of the gastric problems seemed to subside, the main problem became my throat – scratchiness, too much phlegm, sore, warm to burning feeling, “phlegm” in my mouth’s rear especially after sleep, etc. All the while I’m reading stuff about GERD and pretty terrified. In fact, I’m sure I probably have LPRD specifically – at least as far as symptoms! I ended up calling my mom’s GI doc and luckily got a timely appt.
He set me up for several aforementioned tests – also very timely. At the end of the endo last week, he said I have hiatal hernia and maybe too much bile, but told me to continue on 1x/day Nexium for now.
I’m dying to get to the bottom of this. While I told the GI that I highly suspect the ibuprofen has somehow done me wrong, I don’t hear much yet from him about that. (The only real acknowledgement of it was when he told me I was bad for taking it without breakfast/food.)
Does anyone have any idea how ibu (NSAIDs) may lead to either LIVER/GALL problems, and/or GERD?
I don’t know where the hernia may have come from (maybe the abdominal exercises I have been doing since Nov from physical therapy for my rear-end?), but I’m still concerned about BILE. I cannot believe the NSAIDs had nothing to do with this whole horrible thing. Yet I haven’t seen much in all my too-much reading about NSAIDs and liver function or gall function, etc. (I have in the last few days gone to actually feeling rather sickly in my stomach, not just throat problems.)
Another related question is – what would cause EXCESS bile? I still haven’t figured that out. I seem to see things about the gallstones, liver failure, etc, allowing too LITTLE bile.
I know I need to talk to my doc more, but I’m just dying! (Or that’s what I’m afraid I’m doing!) Does anyone have any experience with NSAID use beating up the GI system? Besides ulcers (said nothing about that)?
Sorry this is sort of rambling – there’s so much to say! But if you can help me out with facts or even some opinions, I’d appreciate it!
