Bowel problems or stomach bugs?
 

I went to the ER shortly after my LP (Jan 15th) with bad diarrhea and than started to throwing up after I got there, they gave me meds and sent me home. Than Jan 21st really bad diarrhea again did throw up once, toke the meds I got from the ER. Than yesterday really bad diarrhea again that has lasted all night, no throwing up this time.

So 3 stomach bugs in 2 weeks or could this be a new bowel problem with just some fluke throwing up because I wasn't eating and had a lot of stomach acid? I do have IBS that goes from one extreme to the other but still hasn't even been like this. I have also lost about 6 pounds in 2 weeks.

I'm going to call the neuro after I hear back from some of you.

I went thru some serious issues with it at the start of my illness. I lost 25 - 30 pounds in less than 2 months, nothing seemed to be reliable help. Constant nausea, just didn`t feel like eating. Later it changed to constipation.

I told my PCP, had a colonoscopey done and no problems there to speak of. I do have spinal lesions, so maybe?

I take generic Metamucil regularly now and not many problems.

Thank you, I also haven't felt much like eating lately. I can go until dinner time with out eating and than only eat a small amount at dinner. :confused:

Mom, I am older, 56, it was my first colonoscopey, like 53 at the time,(piece of cake). Better safe than sorry? I would make a point of telling the doc!

Thank you. I'm going to call in a bit. I don't see how he can balm this one on anxiety. ;)

Don't underestimate the doctors, they can blame ANYTHING on anxiety or stress:rolleyes::rolleyes:! LOL

I did think this as soon as I posted it, :rolleyes: LOL, I'm waiting on a call back now.

I hope you get a call back soon. I know how challenging it is to just survive when your dealing with "exhaust" problems.

My wife and I had a severe case of food poisoning the weekend after Thanksgiving that last a week and a half with me and only four days with my wife. We both were "coming and going" at the same time. I lost 10lbs. that week and tore a hole in my esophagus that bled for about two days.

Yes, this needs to be addressed TODAY and get some answers. It sounds like one continuous event.

Actually when I am under severe stress, my tummy is NOT happy! I get diarrhea, and nausea. The cramps, and the pain can be quite painful.

I am NOT saying that you did or did not have something wrong with YOUR tummy, just wanted to share that when I felt dismissed, stressed, pushed off and ignored, or had a hand full of MDs speak to me like I was drug seeking, it would rock my tummy, and wow! it could be brutal. it took me years to make the connection and once I started to see that it was stress related FOR ME, I was better able to control it.

Did it turn out in later years that I have MS? yep! I accepted their diagnosis of Migraine syndrome and anxiety and moved on with my life. I wasted years of my life telling myself to just calm down, when I could have been on an MS drug. Would I have drop foot now? probably not, but I ran the run of MDs and none offered me answers other than I was "high strung"

hang in there.

Well I just heard back from my neuro. Here's the email.....

I appreciate the letters of information which you have shared about your symptoms. I do wish to reiterate that I do not know the cause of many of your symptoms but that the neurologic testing and exams to date have not revealed any serious neurologic illness. In the absence of a specific diagnosis it is hard to recommend a specific curative treatment plan. Some of the symptoms may be related to fibromyalgia or anxiety but I do not know. I can try to treat some of the symptoms alone if you wish, but I am not sure if this is what you seek. I do not find a pattern among your symptoms to identify a specific neurologic illness, but I will ask Crystal to keep your notes in your chart.

BTW, here are the symptoms the nero is talking about.......


Blurred vision, eye pain - comes and goes
Jerky Eye Movements - comes and goes
Flashing lights in eyes - comes and goes
floaters, spots that move on eyes - all the time
Muscle weakness and numbness - most of the time
Spasms, Cramps, Involuntary contraction of muscles - most of the time
Restless Leg Syndrome - most nights
Shaking - all the times, is worst at times
Partial numbness, tingling, buzzing and vibration sensations - comes and goes
Nerve pain and electrical shock sensations - comes and goes
Odd tingling feeling over body, like when you get chill bumps but I don't get "the bumps"
IBS
Short-term and long-term memory problems, forgetfulness - all the time
Anxiety - comes and goes
Slurred speech and "loss of word" (can't say a word I'm trying to) - comes and goes
Increase in severity of symptoms with heat
Body hurts when cold
Swallowing problems - comes and goes
Not sleeping well - most of the time
Cold hands and feet - most of the time
Fatigue - most of the time
Ears ringing - almost all the time, maybe all the time now
Headaches - most of the time, sometimes migraines
Vertigo - comes and goes
Feeling of floating when laying down - comes and goes
Low body temp
Feeling like I'm dreaming and just can't focus on what's going on - comes and goes
Facial tingling - comes and goes
Feel like I'm not emptying my bladder all the way sometimes
Painful tailbone, can't sit and watch a whole move or drive very long
Burning pain in left hip since Dec. 27th 2007



Numbness started about 4 years ago, don't remember the details but had some numbness that lasted a week around my mid area (had a lot of slurred speech this time and "loss of word") and hands going numb a lot.


Dec. 28th 2007 when to the ER for left hand numbness, shortness of breath, major fatigue (I got winded and light headed just from talking.

Jan. 1st 2008 when to the ER for numbness from the lower ribs and down (both legs), still having the above going on. The leg numbness stayed for 2 1/2 days than I was numb just around my mid area and than the next day my left leg was numb for 2 days than just numb on left hip for a day.

Dec. 27th got a burning pain in left hip, hurts to even just touch the skin.
Jan. 9th pain area has gotten bigger.
Jan. 12th pain area is now most of the hip.
Jan. 24th pain area has gotten a little smaller but still hurts the same.
*

Here is where you ask to be referred to an MS specialist. A specialist will be able to tell you more about what's going on. Sorry! I know this is frustrating.

Mx7, are you going in with all of those symptoms listed? That is a huge list to give to a doc. My honest suggestion, is to list the top 3-5 that are bugging you the most. Document your history in as short of an explanation as possible, and let it roll from there. I imagine that would be a lot for a Doc to take in at once. I could be totally off, though.

I also agree that a MS specialist is in order. Have you called your local NMSS yet? That is how I found mine. He is great!

:hug:

Thank you, No I didn't go in with all this. I didn't give this to him until after my last visit when he told me the LP was fine and he didn't see any thing neuralgic wrong with me.

Well, that was his code for "I don't know what is wrong with you, so lets call it nothing" ;) Regular ol neurologists are trained in a little bit of everything. So he just may not recognize everything as a whole and connect the dots. MS specialist would be your best bet at this point.

Julie, Im so sorry you are going thru a tough time. :hug: As I looked thru
your list of symptoms, there are a few that are pretty normal in
the general population(like floaters, my eye doc says most have them
as you get a little older.):)

Quite a few could fall under fibro(I have been diagnosed with fibro by my
neuro) And the others could be something else. I just wonder if
maybe more than one thing is going on.:confused:

I know this limbo thing is hard, sometimes I just needed to take a
step back for a moment. Its difficult when you have seen more than
one neuro, it is very frustrating.:mad:

Im here if you need me and I could be of any help.:)

Good luck,

Sox

OMG,they should do something before it causes serious problems. TO much can lead to dehydration.
Make sure what ever u do drink pleanty,and try to keep jellowater down. DONT drink red tho.

This is a huge laundry list, pointing very clearly to MS. However, the only people who would know that to be true are those that have MS, treat MS, or have researched MS very thoroughly.

I know people who've had those kind of symptoms for many years, some of whom are in wheelchairs now and still don't have an answer. The reason is that the doctors can find no objective evidence that something is amiss, like lesions (of the right shape/location/size), O'bands, and/or other clinical evidence. That is what they want to see, and that's it.

Some people are way more in-tune with their bodies then others, and possibly pick up on the signs quicker too. I was able to tune out much of what my body went through for the first 12+ yrs. And since I knew there was nothing out there to treat MS anyway at the time, I really didn't want to know. I even refused a MRI, which could have told the story.

I don't think you have any hope of getting a dx from anyone, until something shows in your MRI and/or a spinal tap, or if you are taken flat out by paralysis or something. Even then, they want to see those tell-tale lesions. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, pursuing this further (as neurological) is only likely to get you labeled by the doctors . . . which is really not a good thing.

Are you getting symptom mgmt medications in the meantime?

Cherie

OH dear Julie,

I rememnber you from MSW. From what I can read in the letter from this neuro is that he is stumped. Why? I do not know.

Do you pass the neuro evals?

How can he miss/dismiss all this?

OK I agree, its time to see an MS neuro.

Good luck and you know you have our support, love and understanding.
Your children look (tiny) in the avatar but oh so beautiful!!

Warmly Jan

Oh Julie,

I guess you didn't need to hear this sort of stuff from your neuro just now when you're feeling pretty bad anyway. I do hope your tummy settles down real quick, and please try not to get too upset about your neurologist's reply. It's probably better to make an appointment to go see him anyway, as I'm sure the two of you need to talk face to face.

Godd luck Julie, we'll be thinking of you

Thank you everyone.
At my last visit with him he was cold about this whole thing. He told me that he didn't know what was wrong with me and that he could treat some of my SX. He said he would treat the anxiety with Cymbalt and that might help my pain also. I asked about the other SX and he said he didn't know why I was getting them so he didn't know how to treat them.

I have come right out and asked if this didn't sound like MS, I even had the neuro in the ER say he thought it might be. He said it did NOT look like MS to him.

I don't think he has ever done the Evoked Potential tests on me, he tested my reflexes and had me walk a few steps and tap my thumb and index finger together but thats it. He did do the EMG on me and I passed it.

He still will not talk about the LP and the fact that the Myelin Basic Protein was high and shows that I have a brake down of the myelin or that the IgG rate indicates I may have just had a flair (which I did).