[sunflower55]

I've had this pain in my side and my stomach for a month.
My doc sent me to the hospital after he examined me last month.
He's known me for over 15-20 years or so.
He's no fool; he's an excellent doctor who's been voted by other doc's "Best Doctor of the Year" TWICE!
And I couldn't hold him in higher esteem.
So, when he said I had to go to the hospital for test, and a possible gall bladder surgery, I didn't argue; I went.
I was in pain, and I knew something was wrong, and I trust him completely.

Well, a CAT scan, ultra sound, ex ray, blood test, urinalysis, and hida scan later, nothing can be found, but, the pain is still there. Not as severe, but, there.

My doc sent me to a gasterologist today. He examined me after taking a history. He, too, discovered my areas of pain by poking and prodding. (why do they all have to find it themselves, I wonder? Can't they believe me or all the *other* docs who've already poked and prodded? LOL!)

Anyway, he too, can't figure anything out. So, he gave me two prescriptions. One for IBS. No, I don't *have* IBS, and I told him so. He told me to "just try it and if it doesn't work, stop taking it."

The other one is for an ANTI DEPRESSANT!
Furthermore, it's an older, tricyclic antidepressant, hardly used anymore because of the side effects!

Well, I've got a problem here!
First, I'm *not* depressed.
Is he thinking this very real pain I'm experincing is in my head?
My doc who *knows* me knows it's not!
And that's nothing short of insulting, if this is his way of treating me!

And again, he told me to try it and if it doesn't work, to stop taking it.
Well, I told him, I don't want to take a pill for the sake of taking a pill! That's absurd! And, it's known for increasing blood sugar. Those of you who know me, know I've been fighting this issue, (successfully thus far), for years. Why would I willingly take a pill I don't need for depression I don't have that is known to cause diabetes that I'm already prone to?

I also asked him if he were *me* would *he* take these pills.
The delay in his response was quite telling. He said yes, but, there was a very real delay before he responded. :>(

I talked to my pharmacist. He saw *no* reason for the anti depressant for my stomach pain! I asked him to hold the prescriptions on file until I spoke to my regular doctor. I am in *no* hurry to take this garbage!

I don't want to pit one doc against another, mind you. I'm concerned about *my health. Has anyone ever done this before? Asked one doc to make a judgement about another's prescribing? And what type of response did you get?

Peace!

[bebop]

is the other med by chance amytriptiline? sorry about that spelling. if it is they have found it to be a pretty good pain med as well.

[notz]

All I want to say is I'm proud of you for not having a "ring through your nose".

[January]

I have IBS & Ulcerative Colitis. The Drs often prescribe an antidepressant to keep the colon from cramping so badly. They become smooth muscle relaxers and the colon is one huge smooth muscle. When the colon cramps up, it will literally fold you over double. The pain can go from mild to excruciating. Try the IBS meds and see if they don't help. Being in pain is just not worth it.

I hope you feel better very soon.

[sunflower55]

Bebop,
It is amitriptyline, yes. Thanks for your infomation!

Thanks, notz!

I haven't been diagnosed with IBS or anything, Jan. That's why I think it odd to be told to "just try it and if it doesn't work, stop taking it."

I don't like taking drugs to begin with, and I certainly don't like taking psychotropic drugs for no cause. I've had some bad experiences with them, and do not want that repeated because of an "experiment." That's why I've learned to question, honestly and openly. But, I just didn't like this doctor's answers.

Thank you again. I appreciate your help!

Peace!

[anna342]

I guess what they have done is rule out anything serious that could be causing the pain, it sounds like of all the tests they've done they would pick something serious up if it was there. If there is no disease or physical problem then they will look to just ease the pain.

How can you be certain you don't have IBS? I was sure I didnt and something else must be wrong, but turns out I do have it, even though the medications don't really work for me. I figure they must be right as the symptoms have carried on for years and I am not unwell in hospital or any worse off. IBS pain can be severe, I have been known to faint several times from it and be sick. I don't have the other symptoms most of the time either, just the pain.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, how about try the pills, if that's the only suggestion the dr has got then you might as well try it? Even if it's not IBS, the anti depressant may help with your pain anyway. Then again, if you're not happy doing this, go back to the Dr and ask for a full explaination as to what's going on and ask for any other treatment that is possible.

[leahcim]

Exact same thing happened to a very good friend and an ex g.f.'s mother. Pain in side, nothing found! I don't know the details, but in both cases the symptoms went away (in one case it was a month, in the other about 3 months). Doc's of both, after tests revealed nothing. said it was either a muscle or bowel issue that resolved on it's own.

Hope yours does the same. Take care!

[sunflower55]

Well, I don't know for sure that I don't have IBS, but,
No one's said I do have it, and I would think they would have at least suggested it.
No one has even done that yet.
Gall bladder is the best guess yet from three docs. But, tests don't confirm it.

I heard from my regular doc. I told him my fears about taking the antidepressant. I let him know if this other doc thinks I'm just neurotic or something, he can go to h3ll; that I don't want an antidepressant because he can't figure out what's wrong.

My doc explained that amitriptyline, (elavil), does have some properties that relieve pain, especially bowel inflamation type pain. Now, why this other doc didn't just tell me that, (as I gave him plenty of time to explain, as I asked questions about why an antidepressant would be used), is beyond me. That makes sense to me. I'll try it.
If I get any reactions other than relief from pain, well, I'll have to rethink.
But, I'll try it.
But, I still don't like it. LOL!

I can't have grapefruit, but, I don't like grapefruit anyway.
I have to stay out of the sun.
Can't get overheated. Hard to do in a heatwave we're having now.
And *no* alcohol. Hmmm...on vacation and no alcohol at all.
(I'm not a problem drinker, but, I like a drink or two ya know? But, I have to know how it effects me on it's own, and it says that booze will increase the effects of it. So, no drinking.) That will present a problem when I go to the Azores! I intend to try their wines! LOL!
Other than that, no problem, I guess... LOL!

Thanks for your support. I'll let you know how it goes. I just took the NuLev; it tastes bad. Under the tongue dissolve. I'll wait a bit before I take the other.

Seems to me there should be a wait period so we can tell what effect, if any, comes from what, yes?

Peace!

[anna342]

Don't take this as fact, but I've drunk a little alcohol on all my meds, and I was on amitriptyline. Do you know why they say don't drink? Often it just means it increases drowsiness with anti depressants.

Also, with me, IBS wasn't mentioned until they had ruled everything else out, so I was a bit taken back by it.

[sunflower55]

So, IBS is a diagnoses made when they can't find anything else?
I really don't know much about that; I'll have to do some looking into it.
Thanks for the info on that.

Peace!

[wanttoheal]

Since you do not like medications, have you considered going to an herbalist or natural healer? Sometimes they can find things that don't seem apparent to western medicine. Best of luck and please keep us posted.

[anna342]

Originally Posted by sunflower55

So, IBS is a diagnoses made when they can't find anything else?
I really don't know much about that; I'll have to do some looking into it.
Thanks for the info on that.

Peace!

It seems that way to me, if you have symptoms which could be in keeping, which for me has pretty much just been pain, and occasional bloating.

[sunflower55]

Holy Moly!
I slept 10 hours last night!!!

I normally sleep 7 hours. Can set my clock by it.
But, this morning, I woke up at 8 am; and I went to bed at 10 last night.
This is *not* usual at all!
And I'm still a bit groggy after my second cup of coffee!

Does Elavil make you sleep like this?

I have not considered going to a herbalist or natural healer, wanttoheal. I don't have the time to research it properly, and there are too many scam artists out there. I know there are many good ones too, but, without the proper research, I won't trust my health to a guess. Thanks for the input, though.

Anna,
Tthat's interesting about the diagnoses by default.

If anyone knows about the sleep properties of elavil, or NuLev, I'd be interested, though. Thanks!

Peace!

[deliquesce]

elavil is meant to cause insomnia.
nulev typically causes drowsiness.
both are considered 'temporary' side effects, in that your body typically adjusts within 2 weeks.

to be honest, i would not be worried about sleeping in if this is your first day on either drug. your body usually takes time to adjust to anything you try. both only suggest contacting your Dr if your sleep habits are grossly abnormal (e.g., a psychotropic i tried 2 years ago made me sleep 15hrs straight, wake up, have some water, and sleep for a further 9).

if it is just a pain in your stomach, i would look at dietary complications? one Dr intially suggested i might have IBS, but the symptoms developed into something else and i was referred onto a gastroenterologist who thought it was worth doing a day surgery procedure to suss out. during this they found out that the stomach pain was likely due to me developing a lactose intolerance, and the other symptoms were explained away by other stuff. but since i've gone lactose free, i've actually been ok. i spoke to a dietician who said the other big cause of stomach complications is a wheat intolerance. so maybe you could try cutting either out and seeing if that works for you?

[sunflower55]

This is not "just" a pain in my stomach.
It was so bad, it interferred with my breathing.
My doc, after examining me, (he had me come in right away when I called), sent me to the hospital for tests, and possible surgery. He feared gall bladder at the time, and that is still not ruled out according to the last doc I saw.

The ciliac disease is a rare possibility this last doc said. My age rather rules it out. It would be extremely unusual to start having a reaction to it now at 54! LOL! Possible, sure, but, unlikely.

I eat a relatively healthy diet, and it's become more so since this pain began a month ago. I drink plenty of water.

I'm seeing a dietian next week, for other reasons, actually, so, I'll mention this. But, I'd be surprised if it's diet related. Of course, I'm open to healthy ideas, which is why I'm going. I'd hate to develope lactose intolerance. I LOVE dairy -- especially milk!

I've read up on elavil. I never saw it say insomnia. In fact, it said it may cause drowsiness... That's why I asked if anyone knew if it could make me sleep 10 hours.

Thanks for your input.

Peace!

[deliquesce]

sorry when i said "just" - it wasn't to minimise your discomfort, it was meant in terms of - are there any other symptoms as well? i started off having terrible pains in my stomach, but a month or two later i had also lost 10kgs (and had other fairly alarming symptoms also).

if you read up on IBS the pain can be bad enough for people to stop working . it's not a fun syndrome to have. the pain in my stomach broke me out into cold sweats and would make me pass out. and then it just turned out to be a lactose intolerance!! how weird is that? but apparently the older you get, the more likely it is that you will develop a lactose intolerance. it's not too bad, though - i drink lactose-free milk now, and there are these little lactase tablets you can take if you choose to eat something with dairy in it.

also, a wheat intolerance is different from coeliac disease (which is a wheat allergy). coeliac is pretty uncommon but wheat intolerances are pretty prevalent in the community, without too many ppl realising. this is what my dietican said, anyway, and my gastro-doc confirmed it.

i also have other gastrointestinal complications, but i needed surgery to find out what they were. good luck with however you choose to approach/manage this, it sounds like you are fairly certain about how you want to proceed.

[wanttoheal]

Originally Posted by sunflower55

Holy Moly!
I have not considered going to a herbalist or natural healer, wanttoheal. I don't have the time to research it properly, and there are too many scam artists out there. I know there are many good ones too, but, without the proper research, I won't trust my health to a guess. Thanks for the input, though.

It's cool. We all have to do what we are comfortable with. I had ulcerative colitis and the beginning stages of stomach cancer. Herbal medicine literally saved me (and healed me). But ultimately, health choices are in our own hands. Best of luck to you.

[googley]

Sunflower,
Just so you know, (I was just diagnosed with it) celiac disease can be develop at any point in one's life. It is a genetic disease which give one a predisposition and then sometimes stress (physical, emotional, mental) can trigger it. Other wheat intolerance can cause pain also.

From what I have read on IBS it does appear to just be a group of symptoms that doctors diagnose when they can't find anything else wrong. I hope you find something to relieve your pain.

Originally Posted by sunflower55

The ciliac disease is a rare possibility this last doc said. My age rather rules it out. It would be extremely unusual to start having a reaction to it now at 54! LOL! Possible, sure, but, unlikely.

(((((((((((((((((sunflower))))))))))))))))))))

I'm sorry you are in pain!! Severe stomach pain is actually what sent me to T...after a zillion tests and nothing found (except possible IBS!), I started to wonder if it actually *might* be somehow tied to my history and figured I didn't have anything to lose by trying therapy. Therapy has been wonderful for a million reasons, but I still have the pain on and off, so who knows???

ANYHOW, I just wanted to tell you that celiac actually CAN be diagnosed as we get older, and that it really isn't that uncommon for it to be diagnosed later in life, because it is a progressive disease that gets worse over time (it destroys the lining of the small intenstine). So, it might take DECADES for a mild case to get bad enough to start to cause severe pain and eventual diagnosis. I knew a man who was diagnosed in his 70s. It's actually more uncommon for it to be diagnosed at very young ages, because of it's progressive nature. (I have a son who might have celiac, but we can't test because he has been off of gluten for so many years and he'd have to go back on it to do the test, so I've read a lot about it). So, don't rule that out as a possibility.

I hope that whatever it is, you are able to find a cause soon.

[deliquesce]

slightly OT: but for those of you dealing with coeliac, a research team in melbourne have just started trials of a medication (injection) which you can take once a year and not have to be gluten-free . i am keeping my fingers crossed that it will help a lot of people in the future.