Question:
Can anyone else make suggestions????
I went to the hospital about a month ago and they kept me for five days and ran all sorts of tests without much of a real result. They said it was an inflammation inside my pouch and put me on lots of pills that have only helped with being able to keep stuff down. (Which I was not able to do at the time.) Tests ran: Blood, urine, abdominal x-ray, ultrasound, catscan, and the probe through both ends. Results: Hemorrhoids, low potassium, and an inflammation inside the pouch. My symptoms are: aching, cramping, pain in abdominal and lower back region, burning and pain in all of my bowel area especially around the opening and I usually have really bad pain right before a bowel movement. Lack of hunger and thirst. Everything I eat goes right through me or comes up. My stool is yellow and very soft to runny and has a jellied texture sometimes. Sometimes it almost looks like one of those sticky hands you buy in a gumball machine. I am weak a lot too. I had been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis before I had WLS, but had not had symptoms in a long time. When they did the probe in the hospital they said it did not appear to be related to Ulcerative Colitis. I have been out of work for three weeks and this has really had a financial hardship on my family, so speaking with my surgeon about this is not really an option because I can NOT afford to be readmitted to a hospital. I would just like to know if there are others out there with these same symptoms and has anyone found relief somehow? Could this all just be the hemorrhoids? I kind of find it hard to believe that ALL this pain and discomfort could be due to hemorrhoids. I have bought cream and it doesn't seem to be helping, especially with the abdominal cramping. — Patricia H. (posted on August 2, 2002)
August 2, 2002
I hate to say this but I think a visit to your surgeon may be necessary, or
at the very least your PCP. All of your pain and discomfort is not likely
to be from your hemorrhoids, it sounds to me like have some other problems
going on. the doctor(s) should be able to do more testing if needed in the
outpatient setting. Can you apply for a medical leave with your company
until your systems are figured out? I wish I had something more to tell
you. I have not been though this personally. Good luck and I hope that
you find the answers soon.
— Lynn L.
August 2, 2002
Have you seen an actual gastroenterologist or internal medicine specialist?
I have had diarrhea/mucousy stools before and it seemed to be related to
some kind of intestinal bug (bacterial or viral I don't know) and went away
after a few days. Have they done cultures to see if there is anything there
that shouldn't be? Or maybe the stuff that ought to be there isn't . . . If
your good bacteria is killed or removed you don't digest properly. Eating
yogurt and other things with active cultures can help with that. I would
say make sure that the dr you see is a SPECIALIST in that field because
they are more likely to be familiar with more obscure causes of intestinal
problems than a PCP or general practicioner. Hope you get better soon. Call
a specialist today!
— ctyst
August 2, 2002
My first question is..... do you have your gallbladder. The yellow runny
stools could be a symptom of diseased gallbladder. Before surgery I had one
horrible gallbladder attack that I thought was a heart attack. They did a
ultrasound which didn't show anything (because of my weight I think). Then
they did a catscan and the cat scan said to do an ultrasound because it
didn't show conclusively there were problems. Well when I had my RNY
surgery my surgeon told me I had one of the worst gallbladders he had seen.
When I was being worked up my endocrinologist told me that yellow jelly
stools can also be a sign of pancreatitis, but hopefully you had blood work
that would have picked that up. Good luck and I hope you feel better.
— Joanie J.
August 2, 2002
Patricia, I have been trying to find your symptoms in some of my
textbooks, but I'm afraid I'm kinda limited. I too was wondering about
your gallbladder and pancreas, but also your liver. I assume they have
done all of the liver function analyses? Yellow stools would seemingly
come from bile pigments produced in the liver. Does the jelly like
secretion look like mucus or fat? Possibly not metabolizing fat properly
would cause this. It is just my opinion that you SHOULD NOT still be
suffering from your symptons, and you should immediately make an
appointment with a Gastroenterologist. In the mean time, take the yogurt
suggestion to get that good bacteria built back up in your intestines. It
can't hurt, and that may be part or even all of the problem. I also
recommend a bland diet of rice cereal and bananas for a day or two. Keep
your liquids up too. I really hope this is resolved soon, and you are on
your way to recovery. God Bless!
— Tina B.
August 2, 2002
Patricia, I asked my sister who is an R.N., and who has also had several
gastrointestinal problems, including gall stones. She immediately said,
"gallbladder disease," when I told her your symptoms. If the
bile duct becomes blocked it can cause intense pain and nausea. If bile is
going through you too fast, you can have the yellow jelly- like stools.
She had her gallbladder removed several years ago (before lap was used).
From time to time, she still has attacks and has the same symptoms as you.
I have heard that the best time to do an ultrasound on the gallbladder is
during an attack. Best wishes.
— Tina B.
August 2, 2002
Hi...I'm fairly new here and this post caught my eye, because it sounds
JUST like me. I am pre-op...so I don't have any input as far as your
surgery related issues go. However...I have had my gall bladder removed
after it ruptured. Not long after, I developed this WIERD (and totally
evil) digestive "thing". Some days, I couldn't even eat, get out
of bed, or function. It seemed like water was even starting to make me
sick. It started with me eating just about anything (they tried cutting
out foods to fix it...it didn't work)...and immediately, my stomach would
burn. If I didn't throw it right back up. It wreaked havoch on its way
out. After eating, I felt honestly like my intestines were being shot full
of air. I would have violent cramping to the point my friends could HEAR
my guts moving inside. I would rush to the bathroom countless times in the
following hours, to the point I would have spasms. I basically felt like
they were dry heaves...just at the other end. My stool wasn't even stool,
because my food didn't even look digested. There was one very noticable
factor...the mucous. A lot of it. Even when I felt empty, there was
always mucous. So then came the tests. Barium up and down, x-rays,
ultrasounds, MRI's, scopes up, scopes down. They thought I had Chrone's
Disease, Diverticulitis, Diverticulosis, Ulcerative Colitis...you name it.
Turns out I have Irritible Bowel Disease. I can go MONTHS with no
symptoms...then spend a month REALLY hating life. The reason I ramble, is
because its one of my yuck-months, and I went to the doc today. he treats
me with Zantac, Immodium, and Bentyl (anti-spasmotic). I take my
drugs...go on the B.R.A.T. diet(bananas, rice, apple sauce toast), and in a
few weeks...I'm okay. I know this isn't a cure-all. BUT...it may be
something very treatable. Good luck.....hope everything works out. =o)
— missfranca
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