Finding doctor for complicated stomach condition and fighting unnecessary surgery

I have had family and friends with many physical issues their doctors could not explain.

UNTIL, having been in Minnesota 20 years, I said go to MAYO.

They have clinics in Florida, Arizona and I don''t know where else. Geniuses. Most intelligent docs and they work as a group of many specialists to get to the truth of all the ignorance or inabilities that most of the docs they had previously spent thousands without anyhelp.

GET TO MAYO.

Ok, so I need to apologize. I was surly before. I went back over your post and I have a few suggestions.

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof


Now I get severe stomach pain at times, at the peak of my diaphram (middle bottom of rib cage), and it comes in "attacks" where I get really hot, sweaty and have the need to vomit (excessively). Vomitting actually greatly reduces the pain/cramping and sometimes it goes away shortly after. These attacks almost always happen either while eating, shortly after or within a couple hours. Out of the near 100 I've had, I've only had a few when I haven't had something to eat within a few hours before it started. These attacks can last from 45mins to 4-5 hours and it is crippling, over-whelming pain where my vision gets distorted (colors seem more blue/purple) and I sometimes start to see stars a little. I get a slight knot at the point of pain (blow rib cage), it just feels like a balled up muscle, like a cramped muscle and pushing on it during attacks hurts a lot, while other times very little. Stretching my arms above my heat and back behind my back (arching backwards with arms in air above head) seems to greatly reduce the pain during attacks, as soon as bring them down, the pain is back at very high levels.

The location, the stretch that eases symptoms, and the timing of onset of symptom doesn't sound like a gall bladder issue. A hiatal hernia is a possibility. Part of the stomach comes up through the diaphragm and it comes and goes in most people. If part of your stomach is shoved through a tiny hole in your diaphragm and you eat something, it has nowhere to go, so vomiting would help to ease symptoms.

I am in no way qualified to diagnose your problem and no one is from an online description Go to a Dr.

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof

I've tried all the heart burn medicines, eating Tums by the handful, drinking magnesia products, drinking milk (that seems to help most, especially if going to vomit - as it is a base), and none helps the pain or eases the attacks. I have taken muscle relaxers and xanax during attacks and that seems to greatly reduce the pain if not start to end the attack. I've also taken narcotic pain medication and it helps stop the attack and at times stops it completely within a few minutes.

I think this may be part of your problem. You've given us a comprehensive list of things you've tried, that haven't worked and end it with "narcotics work". If you go into a Dr. or especially an E.R. with this, they will almost certainly think that you are drug seeking and write you off as an addict. So they may not run appropriate diagnostic tests at all. It's not right. It's ethically reprehensible actually, but it's so, so common. Also, some nebulous, weird abdominal thing is the go-to for many drug seekers. You're ticking off red flags for them big time.

So, my advice is, go to a Dr. A different Dr. One across town if you can and whatever you do DO NOT mention narcotics. At all. Don't talk about it. Also, I don't know if you are doing this, but officially, taking a narcotic, even if it was prescribed to you, for something other than what it was prescribed for is illegal. I know they tell you to be honest with your Dr., but seriously, if you've done that, leave it out.