Re: nkm83...Re: Please help with my brother's very complex and chronic gut illness.
He had a colonoscopy in 2003 and it was all clear. Many indicators indicate stomach acid is not a problem (no undigested food in stool, CDSA marker was normal, no B12 deficiency, no reflux or burping etc).
The pain is no localised. We actually did a liver/gall ultrasound this morning and it was clear too.
We put the gnawing hunger/pain down the ulcers but the ensoscopy in March this year was clear. Although his took a proton pump inhibitor for just a couple of weeks but stopped it. He then started the NSAIDs for 6 weeks then stopped and then took betaine HCL for 4 months (the first doctor said it was low stomach acid WITHOUT doing any testing!).
He was on the betaine for about 4 weeks, then started
Iodine and vit.D and about 10 days after these 2 started, the gut went really bad...constipation was horrible and anxiety sky rocketed!
The ability to handle food also took a dive. He was able to handle a full fillet of fish plus vegies and after the above happened, he couldn't even handle half a fillet...nothing can explain what happened in this time after a fairly stable gut for a few years. This continued until 2 months ago he went on anti-biotics which had a huge improvement but a week after the anti-biotics the ability to handle food again started falling and now it is worse than ever! He can't handle even liquids and the Doctors think he may have to go to hospital for IV feeding.
He has taken aloe juice for 3 months and glutamine for 2 months, even lemon juice to stimulate bile production etc but nothing is working.
We are doing a gastric emptying test this week and also the small bowel baterial overgrowth breath test and a 3 day parasitology. Probably another endoscopy after these tests of nothing comes up.
The Doctors are so lost that they have prescribed doxepan, a tricyclic anti-depressent. Apparently a gastroenterologist uses it for people with gut problems where they can't find anything in tests. It is supposed to increase gut seratonin levels and make the gut function better. Don't know how effective it will be.