Kori's Case History

[Guest]

My adventure with gastrointestenal problems started in February of 2001. I was 23 years old and finishing my last semester of college. Sometimes when I would sit in class my stomach would begin to rumble loudly. So much so that I had to walk out of class. Then I would have a tremendous gas buildup to the point where I could not control excessive flatulence. I thought it could have been something I was eating or the stress of being in school. So I ignored the symptoms. I graduated that June and went on to pursue graduate school in September. However, when school started my gastrointestenal symptoms got worse. I had several loose bowel movements a day, stomach cramps, excessive flatulence and bloating. I went to a gastroenterologist to seek help for these symptoms and was told that I had IBS. I also was diagnosed as having four gastric ulcers. So the doctors thought my problems were do to the ulcers and "stress". So I was given medicine for the ulcers and stomach cramps and was told to change my diet to "safe" foods and learn to de stress. Needless to say my symptoms continued to get worse. My bowel movements increased, the medicine didn't help much and I still had horrible flatulence. I had to drop out of graduate school because I had so many bowel movements and uncontrollable flatulence. When I would go back and tell my doctor my problems, he would make it seem like it was my fault that I continued to have problems. So lucklily I lived at home and was able to take off from school and work. I tried everything from primal defense, to yoga, to special diets, to acupuncture to help heal my IBS. But nothing helped. I finally went to get a second and third and fourth opinion and was told each time that I was too young (24 years old ) to have anything serious and that it was probably IBS. So 2 years later I began to vomit often and have debilitating cramps that would bring me to the floor in pain. I went to a public health center to get medical attention since I had no health insurance . They had since enough to do a stool culture and a sonogram on me and found that I had a raging C-difficile infection as well as gallstones. I was given Vancomycin (liquid form) that I had to have specially made at a pharmacy to clear up the infection. I still felt horrible after the treatment and opted to have my gallbladder removed since I suspected that was the cause of the vommiting. By this time my mom was able to get insurance for me to pay for the surgery. So after the surgery I still had the symptoms of several loose bowel movements a day as well as cramps and flatulence. So I again went to doctor after doctor to see why these symptoms still persisted. I finnaly found a wonderful female doctor named Dr. Louise Walk who had sense enough to do a colonoscopy on me and discovered I had a mild case of ulcerative colitis. She prescribed a daily enema called Rowasa . I also took a stomach muscle relaxer called Levbid. I am currently taking the Rowasa enemas as well as occassionally taking a medicine called Nulev to stop the occasional stomach cramp. I try to eat a balanced diet and stay away from the trouble foods. <BR> <BR>So I would say to one and all, don't be discoraged by dumb doctors who don't know what they are talking about. If you feel that you are not getting better and they keep telling you that the condition is "all in your head" please dump them and find a doctor who cares.