Mystery Illness

For the past year, I have been very sick. Before last Thanksgiving, I started to develop problems. Out of no where, I got sudden severe diarrhea that was explosive and constant. i was on the toilet an average of 7 times a day.

It was painful and unpleasant, but I thought maybe it was a bug. I ate very little on thanksgiving. During this time period, I was eating a very healthy diet. I ate alot of fruits and veggies. I bought damn near all my food at a discount health food store, so alot of it was free from preservatives and such. I ate meat maybe 3 times a week, mostly fish and very lean beef. My diet was great, and I was getting alot of exercise.

After Christmas, the diarrhea was still going strong. I was unemployed and could not see a doctor. I bought over the counter meds, and took them. I had to take 8 a day for the diarrhea to stop. By this time, my diarrhea was accomapanied by excessive cold sweating, chills, shakes, nervousness, dizziness, bloating, anfd fatigue. I thought maybe I had an infection. My body tempature was unstable, and I had a hard time keeping a steady temp.

After six months of this crap, I went to see a doctor. They tested me for infections, bacterial and viral. They did stool samples. They thought it might be Irritable bowel syndrome. They gave me medication, but it didnt do a thing. They sent me to a gastric specialist. He did a colonoscopy on me (its where they sedate you and shove a 10 foot tubal flexicam up your rectum and look around and take pictures.) They did biopsies. Nothing.

So I was negative for any system infections. Thyroid showed to be normal. No diseases. No intestinal parasites. Nothing wrong with my colon. No food allergies or senstivities (the doc suggested I eliminate dairy from my diet. Since I hate dairy products, I explained that I rarely if ever eat dairy, except cheese on pizza. so for a month I went without pizza.) They tested for wheat allergies. Diabetes. Nothing. And My symptoms grew progressively worse.

So here I am, one year later, no progress. Symptoms are worse. I have gained some weight, even though Im craping out everything and barely eat at all. I have been bed ridden alot, when I wasnt sitting on the toilet. The only unexplored suggestion the doctors gave me was possible Gulf War Sickness. I told her I was in the Gulf for 6 months, though it was 4 years after the ceasefire. She said it didnt matter, that things like depleted uranim, chemical agents, and general toxins in the environment there stayed around. I was in the desert alot, and alot of dust and sand I came in cintact with breathing.

But Im not sure. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Do my symptoms sound familiar? I cant really exercise much, because I cannot be far from a toilet. During one bad period, I was on the toilet and had bowel movements 16 times in one single day.

This is a bit embarrassing, given the area of the body, but maybe someone can shed some light on my problems? Natural medicine and modern medicine havent found anything so far. Im very miserable and frustrated.

Hi Skadi

a couple of things. I have Crohns disease caused by environmental factors and a lot to do with heavy fishing (my hobby) in a pulluted river next to port kembla steelworks. (mercury levels at extreme and other toxic metals)

I have the same symptoms you describe yet nothing shows up on colonsocopys and barium enemas because they say it is too high up and also my bowel spasms to the point of them not being able to shove that camera up my *ss so high ..arggh sorry I have to make light of those two proceedures cos i really really really really hate them. I have had so many they are terrible especially that stuff they make you drink and the results of that. Because I am already in a weakened state the loss of those electrolytes can near kill me.

An idea, watch your food you eat. Do peas and corn pass painfully and fast?
Do pizzas make you worse the next day (tomatoes) does fruit and veges make it bad. I can eat bread (white) no problems but grain bread sends my bowel batty.

do cucumbers make it worse? Crohns disease is made worse by acid in certain foods, mainly what I call seed foods, any foods with seeds, for eg if I have a burger with sesame seeds on it ...oh god look out.... Pizzas are bad because of the tomato and cucumbers make me double up in pain a few hours after on multiple loo runs. Peas and corn make me really bad and they do not digest. Take a look to see if "seed foods' do indeed bother you.

Now this is gross but it's important.

Jelly like stools show mainly Inflammatory Bowel Disease but can also show crohns. But with IBD you get a lot of wind all the time, I don't with crohns only occassionally when I am on a toilet run for a few hours. Dark almost black oil looking horrid horrid smelling stools show that you are probably bleeding at some point, mainly an obstruction point. Dark spots in the stool and on the paper show also bleeding. These both happen with crohns and ibd

The weight part is of concern to me because with most bowel diseases you suffer weight loss, due to the body not holding any nutrients, it passes straight through. My skin (rashes on arms and knees) and nails and hair are thin and bad because of my failure to absorb nutrients from food and I weigh less than 100 pounds. This can change my weight goes up and down depending on my diet. I love curries I live on curries. They do burn and bother me a bit but not as bad as some things like fruits and veges.

Experiemtn, live on bacon eggs, meat chicken fish and potatoes for a week, no greens or seeded foods, anything that contains seeds or was grown in a seed out. See if it settles, see if its less intense and less painful. It may not get back to solid state stools or anything but the lower stomach pain that accompanies visits to the toilet may settle. That sudden onset you describe does sound a lot like obstruction caused by a crohns like bit of bowel. It is agony when it pushes on the obstruction and stops, it is agony passing it then a rush of it comes through once its got passed. Then you can go back with the same up to five six times an hour sometimes. doubled over seating and temp raised in pure pain.

But what is of concern to me is that I presume you are a lady elf, forgive me if I am wrong but the symptoms you have described also sit with ovarian cancers. Please go and get that taken out of the equation if you have not already done so. Ovarian cancer can cause bowel disease like symptoms and weight gain.

The reason I say look at crohns is because it is an Immune system disease caused from an over active immune system often triggered and created by exposure to heavy chemicals and environment. If you were exposed to chemicals then its possible this is the result.

Tuberculosis of the bowel is another one to maybe look at. Same symptoms but with horrid horrid night sweats. It is possible to get extra pulmonary tb that is to say non affected lungs but other organs infected by the mycobacteria. A simple mantoux test will show if in your travels you were exposed to it.

cold sweating, chills, shakes, nervousness, dizziness, bloating, anfd fatigue. I thought maybe I had an infection. My body tempature was unstable, and I had a hard time keeping a steady temp.

the above sits as far as I am concerned with TB (the sweats and chills) and with theother two I mentioned. Also tb will not show up as it is sparse in samples, even six week cultures do not always show it. You must demand PCR testing of samples. They will be reluctant because it is expensive but it is DNA testing and the best.

I am not a doctor, but then I am glad I am not I hate structured learning but I would look seriously at Crohns caused by exposure to something and damge to the immune system.

*oh and my constant diarhea is as you describe to a tee, complete with the temp and sweats and the almost pass out

[edit on 12-11-2005 by Mayet]

[edit on 12-11-2005 by Mayet]

Thanks so much! You actually have helped. As a matter of fact, alot of what you are saying makes alot of sense. As I said, they only had the camera as far as my colon. They did not look deeper into my large and small intestine, where Crohns disease can lie as well. I guess it was because I have no insurance and am broke and unemployed, so extra testing "is not needed" :bnghd:

The ovarian cancer thing is interesting. You are correct, I am a she elf (youre one of the few people who has figured that out, I get alot of people on here refering to me as a "he"). My monthly cycles have been maddenly normal, since thats the only thing that seems to function normally. But it is worth a shot.

I have been on a pretty vegatable free diet, and really havent eaten much meat. Mostly grains, burgers with onions, fish, ect. Eggs make me very gassy and aggrivate my diarrhea for some reason.

Now to the disgusting part. My um...stools vary in consistancy. they dont stay the same. Alot of times, if they are semi solid, they come out liek spaghetti strings. Other times, like water, sometimes, like muddy water or river silt.

Its interesting you mention Crohns alot. That was what they originally thought, though the weight gain puzzled them. Its puzzling me too. Though I am very inactive now because of this sickness, I barely eat anything. Probably less than 700 calories a day.

The TB thing sounds good too. They certainly didnt check for that, and I had never even heard of it!

Anyway, thanks for the pointers. Im sorry to hear you got Crohns. I know what a bitch that is. Its a pretty embarrassing subject to talk about, as few people want to hear about your bowel problems, and get mad when you are sick and dont wanna do anything.

Its been a real nightmare, and even more so when I think of what I could have been exposed to, either in the army, or anywhere else.

Thanks for the advice!

Yes mine vary in consistency too from the same as you describe to the same as you describe...

If eggs bother you there is one other possibility... called Divmiculitis I think I have spelt that wrong.....

It causes air pockets in the bowel which cause incredible pain. Also much wind but not sure about the weight gain.

and people can be as grossed out as they want..... they don't have to read the thread

I have crohns as well and this fits the bill exactly.

cold sweating, chills, shakes, nervousness, dizziness, bloating, anfd fatigue. I thought maybe I had an infection. My body tempature was unstable, and I had a hard time keeping a steady temp.

I have these symptoms too and I usually chalked them up to dehydration due to the other not so happy problems. You are not alone in this problem. You may want to ask your Doc about a medication called Levsin(I think) it doesn't cure anything, it's an anti-spasmatic(makes your bowell calm down). It's the only thing that I have gotten to help me and I was diagnosed 10 years ago. Doesn't always do the trick but it is helpful.

As for watching what you eat...It could help, but it may not. Didn't help me at all so I finally decided to say "screw it" and I eat what I please and deal with the consequences when they arise.

As I said, check out the levsin and I hoped this post helps!

Originally posted by adamneldon
I have crohns as well and this fits the bill exactly.

As I said, check out the levsin and I hoped this post helps!

I was diagnosed with IBS years ago, but luckily found it was caused by ingesting certain foods. Levsin was a lifesaver for me, as it stops the spasms. Any bowel disfunction needs to have the spasms controlled. Levsin is actually a lesser dosage of a drug called Levsinex. I found the Levsin a better choice because it gave me the ability to vary the dosage by degree of attack.

I highly recommend you request a script to see if this helps.

I am also curious why you don't have Veterans benefits? Have you applied? I know young guys at work who got them after serving.

Originally posted by Relentless

I was diagnosed with IBS years ago, but luckily found it was caused by ingesting certain foods. Levsin was a lifesaver for me, as it stops the spasms. Any bowel disfunction needs to have the spasms controlled. Levsin is actually a lesser dosage of a drug called Levsinex. I found the Levsin a better choice because it gave me the ability to vary the dosage by degree of attack.

I highly recommend you request a script to see if this helps.

I am also curious why you don't have Veterans benefits? Have you applied? I know young guys at work who got them after serving.

I do have veteran benefits. But I am low pririty at the VA hospital, which is the only veteran medical benefit I have that I know of, because when I left the service, as far as I knew back then, I had no service connected disabilities. Generally, and rightly so, dudes missing arms and legs or with metal plates in their eads or shrapnel in their legs have a higher priority.

I just recently moved to the UK now, so I do not have VA hospitals to see here. I am unaware of any other medical benefits available to veterans.

Well, being in the UK now, it probably won't help, but I'm going to check with the guy at work about it anyway. He doesn't seem to have any problems at all but his medical is through the VA. Granted, the level of care/avalibility seems to vary from state to state, but he sees Docs through them for for even when he can't shake a cold/flu to get prescriptions and I know he declines medical through work.