Still having digestion issues

[irish]

Let me tell you what I have just gone though with my colon. I have been having issues for over 3 years and have done all that I could think of. I did ask my internist for an antibiotic that is for anerobic bacteria in the colon--several years ago I did this. It did help, but she ordered it for 7 days and I could only take it for about 5 days as I got such a gut ache from it. But I was a lot better--for a while.

Well it has gotten worse and the past year or so it has been bad. Interfered with my life also, shopping, etc. Finally got a referral to a new GI who is really good. She questioned me up and down and asked the questions that needed to be asked. She also calls poop---poop. I got a kick out of her.

She decided that it sounded like a had an infection in my small bowel and treated me with this same antibiotic I had years ago only for 10 days and for 2 times a day instead of 3 times a day. This hasw knocked the problem down about 9 % but I still feel like there is something going on only at a smaller level.

Then she also had be do the stool testing that checks for pancreatic enzyme insufficiency. This results in colon issues related to lack of pancreatic enzymes. These enzymes help in absorption of nutrients in the bowel. Without enough of these enzymes one has malabsorption of our food with resultant health issues. I had negative tests but I don't see her until the 1st of May and I will see how things go. I sometimes wonder if a small dose of enzymes would help me some.

The sjogrens affects secreting glands and the pancreas secretes these enzymes. Soooo, it is entirely possible that a lot of us with these issues could have a low grade malabsorption issue. At least with all the research I have done this does seem like a possible scenario. Good luck and hope you can get this figured out. Irish

[engy]

I had my endoscopy this week.  Doctor said everything in my stomach looked good.  I do have a mild hiatal hernia and he thinks some stomach acid is coming up to my esophagus.  He suggested I take Gaviscon and see if it helps my symptoms.  I have been taking Pepcid and it seems my symptoms are 40% better but I still have discomfort. 

I'm not sure if my upper back pain is from my stomach now or not.  I may head to my chiropractor on Monday to see if he can help me some. 

I am going to look into enzymes when I eat and I'm still trying to determine if I am reacting to certain foods or not.

Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas, I am reading them thoroughly!
Engy

[araminta]

I have recently bought slippery elm powder, which can be made into a drink.   It's an old remedy meant to be good for digestive issues - though of course I'm not suggesting you shouldn't talk to your doctor about symptoms.   However I have to say it is delicious.   

PS.    What was the endoscopy like - I dread ever having to have one, having read some lurid account online.

[irish]

The endoscopies are not bad at all. IV drugs are used to cause one to be in a light state of anesthesia and it seems like you get into the room for the scoping and before you know it you are waking uphan back in the recovery area.

The worst part is the not being able to eat the night before and having to have the colon cleansed. I must say the newer products used to cleanse the bowel are much less traumatic as they don't make one nearly as nauseated as the old drugs. These tests are the necessary evils that need to be done to make sure we don't have cancer in our colon. Also, the scoping of the esophagus and stomach are necessary at times. It is amazing but we can have these precancerous polyps in our GI tract that need to be removed before they do cause us cancer. Some people make more polyps than others. Irish

[engy]

The endoscopy went well, painless & simple. No need to worry at all!

I will look into slippery elm, thank you.

I feel like my entire digestive tract is inflamed & dry.  I need to create some moisture in there!

I am seeing a functional doctor in June and I am very interested to see what he says.  He sees my niece and sister-in-law and comes highly recommended.  For me, the combination of traditional and functional medicine has helped me get my life back and I am willing to seek further to heal my gut!

Irish, all the tests for infections and bacteria have come back negative but I am interested in pancreatic enzyme insufficiency. 

[irish]

I am interesting in pancreatic enzyme insufficiency also. I have been having some issues for over 15 years and they have gotten worse. Antibiotic for my colon helped a lot in some things but there are still things going on that make me very suspicious about malabsorption issues. Will discuss this with my GI in a few weeks.

Seems like every time I have an issue it ends up adding a diagnosis and another medication. The meds are starting to add up so will have to go through them again and try to get rid of one or two. Irish

[cccourt1942]

Earlier in replies, probiotics were suggested.  I started taking probiotics 6 or 8 years ago.  I still had "the" problems...but much less severe---and much shorter.  The occurrences would happen perhaps twice yearly.  I stopped taking them within the last 6 to 8 months.  I had yet another colonoscopy (NEVER reveal a thing) and so that was it.  I did take them during a recent round of antibiotics...which is how many people use them.  I didn't check your age, but bottom line is: there are no answers to many things in the day of modern medicine. 

I hope you are feeling better. Nothing stopped me dead in my tracks like the gastro ordeals. 

ccc

[engy]

ccc, I do take probiotics.  They have helped some but I have been taking them for years.

I have had a colonoscopy and that was fine too.

Thanks! Engy

[Nymph]

I think that I have EPI. Apparently it can be triggered by celiac. I have never had a definitive dx of celiac because seronegative. But Sjogren's can obviously also cause it. I believe that this is the cause of my frequent diarrhea and low weight. When I take OTC pancreatin, I notice a positive difference. I guess that I should take it all the time but it's a pain to do. Probably worth it, though.

[irish]

I would think that one should take that med as much as possible because it is literally keeping you from starving to death. With malabsorption a person is losing nutrients and can end up having issues because of lack of the vitamins and minerals.

People with celiac disease general have a certain amount of malabsorption
that generally improves once they go on the gluten free diet. The amount of malabsorption after that depends a lot on the amount of damage to the villa in the small intestine before the gluten was withheld from the diet. The problem is that when a person gets low on a mineral like calcium celiacs do have problems building this back up. Good luck. Irish

[Nymph]

True, thanks.

[Nymph]

Okay, so I have been taking pancreatic enzymes at least twice a day for the last couple of weeks. My diarrhea has almost completely cleared up! I think I've had it once in that time, down from 4-5 times per week. I will be very interested to see if there is any positive change in my weight on my next doctor's visit. I feel like I am putting on weight.   

I guess that I have EPI. I can't think of any other explanation.

 

[irish]

If you can get by with taking the pill 2 times a day and are gaining weight I would consider yourself lucky. You now know what the problem is and you are not having to take all that many pills to get some relief. I do think that this is more of an issue with sjogrens patients than we previously were aware of. Good luck. Irish

[Nymph]

Yes, the only other issue would be if this is progressive. The only treatment for autoimmune pancreatitis I have seen mentioned are steroids. Still learning. For now I am happy with what seems to be an easy solution. I should probably take the enzymes with every meal and snack to get the maximum benefit.

[irish]

Pancreatic insufficiency is not caused by pancreatitis but by the insufficient amount of pancreatic enzymes that are being excreted by the pancreas. The pancreas is a secreting organ and these enzymes are the ones that help digest food and allow the nurtients to be absorbed through the small intestine into the blood stream. This helps to provide the vitamins and minerals that help our body function. Sjogrens is a disease that affects secreting organs, ie, the salivary glands, sweat glands, liver secretions, thyroid, pituitary, adrenal glands, etc.

This condition is something that I think has been missed a lot with autoimmune patients with sjogrens. It is just recently that sjogrens patients have been diagnosed in such a large number and also lived to such a ripe old age. Therefore, the pancreatic insufficiency is now becoming a much larger issue. I think the Gastrointestinal doctors had better get updated on their autoimmune information.

I am also wondering if out of this newer digestion problem the doctors will learn more and be able to find better treatment for the reflux and GERD.

Also, I did not know that there was an OTC pancreatic enzyme medication. Who makes it and where do you buy it?? Thanks Irish