Hello.... Possible CP Patient here...

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

I may be posting prematurely, but a diagnosis of CP is looming.

For years I have struggled with severe abdominal bloating and

distension. In my twenties, I have had episodes of severe chest and

back pain which were later attributed to gallstone attacks. My

gallbladder was taken out in 2001. Since then, I've had only one

other " attack " about three years ago where I had uncontrollable

diarrhea, horrible pain and vomiting. I went to the ER for it, but

labs for pancreatitis came back normal and I left several hours

later

with no diagnosis.

In the last three years, the bloating and distension has become the

absolute worst symptom. Not a day goes by without bloating and

pain.

I went through the whole battery of tests with a gastroenterologist

and in the end, he shrugged and decided to call it IBS and told me

to

eat more fibre. This angered me because I consider myself a health

nut and eat very healthy food. I tried eliminating all kinds of

food

from my diet, but it didn't matter what I ate. At the end of the

day,

there was bloating and pain. In the last six months, it's become

nearly unbearable. The afternoon/evening bloating is so bad I can't

sit up straight. I thank my lucky stars that low-cut jeans are in

style, or I'd wear nothing but sweatpants with nice elastic waists.

Notably, in the last three years, reactive hypoglycemia has become a

problem. I'm okay to have sweets after dinner (I invariably crave

sweets at night), but if I eat something starchy or sugary on an

empty

stomach or in the morning, an hour or two later, I " crash " so bad

that

I'm dripping with sweat, shaking so badly I can hardly walk, and my

mouth tingles.

I've learned to stay away from sugar and refined starches until

after

dinner.

Oddly, nausea is not a problem. I've only thrown up maybe 4 or 5

times in my entire life, that night in the ER being one of them --

and

that night, I was in pain, but I was not at all nauseous. The

vomiting came as sort of a surprise.

Since then, stomach pain is a daily part of my life, almost normal

to

me. I've always attributed this pain to the massive distension of

my

stomach (some nights as big as I was at 7 months pregnant), but now

I

wonder... Stomach pain is always worse in the evening, whether I am

hungry or full. I can also be very bloated and very hungry at the

same time, which you can bet puts me in an unhappy conundrum!!!

The pain has ruined many a run. I am a runner but the running has

really gone " downhill " lately due to stomach problems worsening.

I've

had two runs in the last month were my stomach hurt so badly I could

barely walk home (much less run) and another where I lay on the

bathroom floor at work incapacitated by the pain. In both cases,

the

pain passed by just laying still for awhile.

For the last week, I've had intense pain in my left shoulder blade,

the left side of my lowerneck, and down my left arm. The pain is

most

intense in the area at the egdge of my left shoulder blade and it

improves after several hours of lying down. The pain has been

enough

to drive me back to my doctor this week. I've also been having

major

problems with fatigue, a feeling of general weakness and dry skin,

so

I thought my thyroid was to blame (I have thyroid disease too -

diagnosed also in 2001 by the surgeon who took out my gall bladder,

ironically!)... Doc ordered TSH and standard CBC too.

Since he is well-aware of my mysterious stomach problems, on

a " whim "

Doc also decided to order amylase and lipase tests. They came back

high - amylase at 181 (lab range 35-128) and lipase at 66 (lab range

of 22-51). Neutrophils and monocytes also came back high and

potassium came back low (3.4, lab range is 3.5-5), which explains

the

fatigue, weakness and dry skin. Triglycerides and bilirubin were

also

in a healthy range. My doc ordered an X-ray for my neck, believing

the pain was due to a pinched nerve. He wrote up a prescription for

potassium supplements I am still awaiting the results of the X-ray.

When I got the news on the lab results, the nurse told me that I

would

need a CT of my pancreas. I got nervous and so hit the Internet...

the more I read, the more things seem to match up. I have been so

distressed by my stomach troubles and spent countless hours

researching on the Internet, but I've never found anything that made

sense to me with my symptoms.

Anyhow, the more I read, the more it fits... I will be reading up

until my CT and the moment I get the results.

Wish me luck...

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Your in a good place for info, even though I wish you didn't have to

be here. I'm new to this too (2 months)with similar symptoms (people

think I'm pregnant too) but after reading up, see that my symptoms

have been going on for years. I also have been told I have IBS in the

past.

Eileen

[Guest guest]

, I can only tell you that your symptoms are almost identical to

mine. I have CP from cystic fibrosis though. I understand your severe

bloating and pain. I get it every day. Yesterday was the pits. I came

running through the front door, just could not wait to get my clothes

off. The distention was clear up to my throat I swear. In addition, I

also want to eat even when I feel like this. I pray for your diagnosis

and hope that all goes well Deb

[Guest guest]

,

I am also a runner. There were a couple of years that were tough. Now it is

better. Good luck with your diagnosis.

Crystal Galloway