I could use some help

Those symptoms can come from many problems. Diet can be partially involved, but it could be some sort of infection, stress, or just some chemistry bugging your liver or kidneys. There are age related changes to our metabolism, that age varies widely among people too. I had metabolic changes at around sixteen, thirty, and around fifty five, having to modify my diet to accommodate the change. I monitor things but I still cannot identify exactly what is doing it, but know highly prepared foods make it worse. If my iodine level drops, I start to retain water and get sore, I recently discovered I go deficient since the multimineral pill I used to take was discontinued and the new one did not have iodine. That causes muscles to get sore more easily, something I have not experienced before. I guess I could just start using iodized salt, but the sea salt tastes much better. Also, I do eat a lot of cabbage, that blocks iodine, but I need the cabbage in soups to control my seizures.

Some meds cause bloating, pain pills can do that in some people. You might need to consume a diuretic like coffee or tea to keep the kidneys flushing out toxins. Do you take any supplements? Q10 makes me bloat, so does taking a multivitamin every day, I can take a multimineral but not a multivitamin. I have been searching for one I can take regularly but so far have not found one.

You can also have injested some bad microbes and your body now has a reaction when it senses one of the chemicals emitted by the microbe. That can even make you bloat quickly if you drink alcohol, after all alcohol is pee from microbes. So is vinegar, some people cannot consume much vinegar, the result is often asthma like symptoms and occasionally edema if they consume vinegar.

Like I said, there are many different things that can cause this, some being metabolic changes created by just jumping into another metabolic cycle of life. I cannot eat like I did when I was younger, enzymes go down as you get older.

I know this is gonna sound off the rocker, but try inversion therapy. You know, hanging upside down. Been known to cause a blockage or twist in intestines to correct itself. Are you allergic to nuts or seeds of any type? Certain allergies of nuts & seeds can cause severe reactions that worsen over time.

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

I fell off a roof as well...fractured cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine in '83.

Developed diverticulitis that gathered food in a pocket...felt full fast...still that way now. GERT-reflux developed, still wake nauseated to this day.

After bouncing around one day in my ambulance (EMT) in 2016...pocket emptied into toilet...black blood from the stomach..6-7 bowls worth of dead old blood and food particles.

Aortic artery ulcerated thru abdominal wall...mixed with food, gained weight. Hospitaled 6 days until count got back up.

You could ask if spinal, healed nerves from fractures could've caused a mis-direction-digestion of food.

Good luck to you. P.M. me anytime/questions*

*angiodemia and diverticulitis from a high near fatal fall with spinal fractures

MS
EMT

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask
sounds like a hernia

mine makes me feel full like that - to the point of being hard to breathe

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Have you had any prolonged use of antibiotics? Have you had any illnesses that may have interacted with you gut flora?

Maybe try and go on a probiotic regiment.

As for the upset stomach, ginger always helps me. One drink that really helps is the following.

Half ginger ale, half club soda (cuts the sugar), and lots of freshly sliced ginger root.

Or, mint tea.

Best of luck man!

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Let's begin here:
"About October of 2017 i fell off a roof and got hairline fractures in my back"

First off- where in your back? Upper or lower- tho I'd guess lower. I have back problems, and they seem to contribute to various digestive issues. I also have what the physical therapist calls the largest lump of back muscle he has ever seen on my lower right back. It's something like 3 inches around. it *also* connects to my colon and I have had digestive issues for a long time in that area. Age and mileage have made it worse. I'd have a GOOD doctor check for similar on your back. I stress good- I have had my share of complete and total quacks.

Second- and this is just where my mileage varies- lay off the gluten for about a month. This is going to be THE most frustrating exercise EVER, as everything has gluten in it, to the point I was cracking dumb jokes about checking the water for it. A gluten intolerance- brought on by whatever reason (back injury+ nerve damage= intestines deciding to go on strike is my reasoning here), will bloat you, screw up your digestion, give you acid like no one's business, utterly blow your bloodsugar to hell and back, and make you extremely windy.

I eat a half a can of soup

Check that can of soup's ingredients. They use wheat flour as a thickener. See what happens if you dump the wheat and eat almost straight meat and veggies for a few weeks. I had 4 White Castles- 4 teeny, tiny burgers with barely enough bread to make 2 slices, and was down for the count for *weeks*. Bloated, sick, unable to eat, and causing untold misery to the bathroom.

Either you'll feel better in 2-3 weeks, or your money back!

Oh man, so sorry you're going through this. Miserable! 😰

The stomach issues sound exactly like what I encountered when I was in the last stages of my last active alcoholic phase (over five years ago). I couldn't keep anything down. I could barely keep my liquor down but had to, to keep DT's at bay, so I would be real careful about getting the shots down gradually. But anyway food would definitely come back up, yet I was still bloated and fatty-looking.

However, no mystery with me there. It was ALL due to the alcoholism. And you're not drinking, so I guess it can't ne that, unless you're drinking more than you realize? I know from experience that can happen too.

Did the broken back get fully healed? Sounds like it's time for a new doc maybe...I don't know. Fingers crossed that someone here can help you crack the code. Good luck, brother! Prayers for you.

Milkthistle will get that bile in your liver going again, and clean it.
Black Seed Oil (caps) will straighten out the stool problem.

All that bloating? Get some Beano asap and take as many as it takes. Six or seven until you are comforted.

And check this out: www.mayoclinic.org...

Now. Get your butt to the doctor, a specialist, and let us know what's wrong.

(I really screwed my stomach up once from taking too many vitamins and supplements -- my stomach shut down for about three months. Just so you'll know. It was the worse thing I've ever experienced medically).

Others thoughts: Your stomach is inflamed and irritated. Little sips of only soothing things. It needs to rest.

GO TO A Specialist. Pinky-swear?

eta: when I was going through my stomach hell, I discovered the most soothing thing I could sip on was Ensure. I kept an open bottle in the Frig and swallowed a mouthful throughout the day. It helped to sooth my inflamed stomach.


eta: I was throwing up water, too. And tums. Tums I would throw up within minutes. Anyway, I discovered the only liquid I could hold down was 7-Up. Again, little sips. My meal" at night was a few sips of cream of chicken soup. (But the sodium is enormous, and I don't usually eat canned soups, but I did then.) I could hold down a couple of tablespoons full.

Oh God! It was so awful. Let us know.

Me again.

Just a couple of more things. Like rickymouse said, there are so many different things this could be, and it could be any of the things other members suggested.

The things I have suggested are by no means a cure or an attempt at diagnosis. Just comfort things to help get you through until you get medical treatment. (Remember, you pinky swore? lol.)

I know you probably won't get all the things I suggested. You just won't.

But do get the Beano, which will bring *immediate* relief.
I promise you the Milk thistle will clean your liver up. I promise, and you will see the difference the next day.
And get the Ensure.

Yep. They are all pretty expensive. Beano, the big bottle is almost $20 bucks (you will want the big bottle, 150 tabs) The Milkthistle (I've tried many brands, but with Milkthistle, plain old Sundown works best for me. About $17 a bottle.
And Ensure is around $10 a six pack. These are all just to help calm down symptoms, and make you more comfortable until you find out the problem.

I'm so sorry you have these problems. People don't realize what hell they can bring until they experience it.

OP, I only read thru page 1 so it's possible this has been discussed. Some of those symptoms you have described can be connected with simple acid reflux. Depending on the severity of it the doc can prescribe you a prescription. Otherwise my wife and I take OTC from Walmart. You can get like 130 pills for $10 and you can take it 1-2 times a day and for me it put a halt on it. I typically only get it when I drink soda so I've essentially cut that out of my diet.

I had a friend who went thru this a few years ago. His was so bad at one point he literally thought he was having a heart attack.

EDIT: The name of the stuff is Equate Maximum Strength Acid Reducer Ranitidine Tablets, 150 mg, 220 Ct. If it's really bad at first take 2 right away as it can equal prescription strength.

I really hope this helps! Well wishes!

What Are the Common Acid Reflux Symptoms?
Heartburn, regurgitation, and dyspepsia are a few of the most common acid reflux symptoms.

Heartburn. Also called acid indigestion, heartburn is a burning pain or discomfort that can move up from your stomach to the middle of your abdomen and chest. The pain can also move into your throat. Despite its name, heartburn doesn't affect your heart.

Regurgitation. Another common symptom of acid reflux is regurgitation -- or the sensation of acid backing up into your throat or mouth. Regurgitation can produce a sour or bitter taste, and you may experience a "wet burp" or even vomit some contents of your stomach.

Dyspepsia. Many people with acid reflux disease also have a syndrome called dyspepsia. Dyspepsia is a general term for stomach discomfort. Symptoms of dyspepsia include:

Burping
Nausea after eating
Stomach fullness or bloating
Upper abdominal pain and discomfort

www.webmd.com...

a reply to: HawkeyeNation

Yes One of our mods, Hefficide, recently wrote a thread on this, and what a nightmare he went through before it was diagnosed.

Bear in mind, you can have more than one issue going on.

I think you should get more extensive testing on your liver. That puppy it the heart of damn near everything going on in your body. Your symptoms I've had over the last couple of years and that was the problem. Especially if your weight gain is due to fluid retention.

ETA: Get your doctor to send you for a fibroscan. It'll show if you have any scarring in your liver.

2nd edit: An ultrasound wold also be a good idea.

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Have your doctors check for Gastroparesis.

www.webmd.com...

My mom suffered from many of the same symptoms as you are describing and after 10 years of tests this is what it ended up being.

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Ask your doctor about IBS for the lethargy and bloating. It doesn't have a clear diagnosis and covers a wide variety of symptoms. The digestive tract goes skewiff and moderating what foods you eat can help. A mate has it and still does kickboxing and ground wrestling.

Another idea is a different mate has been getting heartburn for years and used to throw up a lot. He ate a ton of Rennies every week. The doctors speculated on ulcers and acid reflux. One time he couldn't hold it down when I was in the passenger seat next to him. Splosh and spray. In case you're curious...no...it's not a good experience being in the splash zone. I was laughing at the horror of it...jeez it was nasty.

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

MBTM, I am no medical expert but I would try to look at every simple/basic explanation first

For instance, can your symptoms be explained by what you eat or vitamins you do/don't take? Any environmental concerns (black mold, radon, issues like that)?

This may be a bit into the realm of pseudoscience, but how about EMF radiation? I know some folks are fairly sensitive to EMF. You can grab an EMF meter on the Internet fairly cheap (~20$)

Regardless it looks like this all started when you fell from the roof so I have to believe (assume?) it is at the very least related if not directly responsible. Is there any way the fall was a trigger for another illness (perhaps something that was "dormant")? I am only speculating here, and I don't want to lead you down the wrong avenue here but those are a couple thoughts that came to mind

You are in my thoughts buddy, hope you get everything squared away. Accidents like that have a profound impact that is usually not apparent in the immediate aftermath

Giving this a flag so hopefully it gets more people in here Plenty of doctors, nurses and medical professionals here I am sure

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Man, I have no clue but do hope you get it sorted.

Multiple doctors seems to be the correct route.

man

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

Maybe your stomach is producing too much stomach acid? This can cause bloating and fullness (I think). If so, there's a pill for that. Source - Me!

But if it's getting worse and worse, and you can hardly keep down half a can of soup... I don't know it's gotta be something in your gut. Look into natural gut remedies like microbial products and maybe even mushroom extracts?

Man, it sure sounds a lot like gall bladder problems. Have they given you a HIDA scan? My wife had almost the exact symptoms and they couldn't find anything at all. All tests came back normal. Finally the head G.I. doctor gave her the scan and found that her gall bladder, while otherwise healthy, was completely non-functioning. They immediately scheduled removal and she's been much much better ever since. By all means get the test if possible Good luck!

You could try plugging in your symptoms on WEB MD its free.

Sounds like you may have to have your esophagus expanded. I know 3 people with the exact same symptoms who had it done.