Stomach Problems / Weight Loss

I've posted about this a few times before, but it's on my mind again, and it would be good to know if anyone else is going through similar problems.

I've always been very thin, around 8-9 stone. I've had a load of tests done, blood tests, ultrasounds, urine tests, etc etc and nothing has ever been found.

Tests for celiac came back negative.

Over the last few months I've been getting lots of stomach / tummy related problems including excess wind, burping, loose stools, occasional floating stools, occasional bad smelling stools.

I had a H Pylori test a few months back which came back negative, although I've previously had it and had antibiotics which cleared it up.

I've been given Omeprazole and Buscopan, and both seem to help, but I'm currently not taking them as I'm awaiting an endoscopy and colonoscopy.

While my GI doc and regular docs think it's IBS, I'm still panicking about cancer and so on.

I'm a 26 year old male, I don't smoke, I drink occasionally, I'm otherwise fairly healthy.

I realise it's unlikely to be anything serious, but while I have these constant abdominal pains and discomfort, I'm sure it's something more sinister.

I lose weight very easily. I'm currently in a very stressful job (I enjoy it, but it's very demanding), and if I miss one meal, or don't have enough to eat for a day or two, the weight just falls off me. If I really push myself to eat lots and regularly, I might put on a few pounds, but as soon as I don't it drops off again.

Sorry for the massive post, but is anyone else in a similar position?

Thanks for reading

Chris x

Hi Chris, I have similar problems with gut problems and maintaining my weight. I have had many tests and they can't find anything wrong, I am just diagnosed with IBS, which seems accurate.

My gut problems are a little different to yours, I simply have diarrhoea. I have medication to keep it under control, but it's difficult to get the levels right, especially when my IBS fluctuates in severity anyway.

I cannot eat fatty foods or large meals as these trigger my IBS, and it all goes through me too fast and my body does not get chance to absorb anything from it, so I maintain more weight by eating small meals and constantly snacking.

Can you maybe set reminders on your phone to remind you to eat? I try to take food with me whenever I go out, so it's easily available and I can snack whenever I need to. If getting a break from work is an issue, then you can prepare something nice at home and eat it at your desk. If appetite is a problem, then making things you like a lot will stimulate your appetite.

Sounds similar to what I've been having. Around the beginning of January, I started having constant bloating when I ate. I mean, even when I drank water I'd get it! Just unbearable. Lots of excess gas, constipation for a week and then loose stools..really annoying. Do you take lots of ibuprofen or aspirin, do you consume lots of caffeine or chocolate? The doctors aren't sure but I had an endoscopy, which looked fine, and biopsies showed some gastritis. Right before all this started, I was under massive stress (boyfriend had undiagnosed mono which was giving him temperatures of 103F every night), I took antibiotics, and I was taking ibuprofen several times a day. Doctor prescribed omeprazole but I can't take it because I have developed a swallowing problem since February and can't do capsules or pills.

Have you tried soothing things like chamomile tea, aloe juice, or coconut water? A liquid, coating antacid like Mylanta?

If it were cancer or something really sinister, it would have shown up in bloodwork. A bleeding ulcer would probably show low hemoglobin or iron, and cancer would have been revealed in several different things that doctors test for routinely in bloodwork. I'm not a doctor, but I've been doing so many tests the past few months so I speak from experience and my constant, obsessive research. (I'm a historian..what do you expect? :) )

One last thing: I lose weight a lot more quickly when I'm anxious. Some people keep the weight on, but when I'm under stress, it's like my whole body is constantly running on high even when I'm not doing anything. Could that be contributing to your weight loss issues?

It's good that you are getting a colonoscopy etc as that will rule out or deal with anything sinister. Try not to worry too much in the meantime. If it's ibs there are lots of things you can do.

Thanks for all the replies!

Edie: I go through periods of eating a lot when I'm not stressing about anything, but when I am stressed / busy / anxious, I tend to have less of an appetite coupled with having nervous energy which also burns off any calories I do get in a day. I'm the same with eating lots of fatty foods, and I tend to not get the chance to have "proper meals" that often, as I'm travelling around all the time.

Bibliophillic: Sorry to hear you're going through it too, but it's a bit reassuring I guess. I don't take Ibuprofen anymore because I know it irritates the stomach / gut. I do drink quite a lot of caffeine, which I'm trying to cut down on. I do have chamomile / peppermint teas which seem to help with any nausea or stomach upset.

Yeah I've had quite a lot of blood tests over the last year and all have been normal, which is reassuring, have had ultrasounds and so on, I'll just be relieved when I know either way what's going on.

I am under a lot of physical and mental stress at the moment, so, I definitely notice that my weight falls when I'm anxious and not eating as much. I guess that means it's "explained weight loss", still makes me worry though!

Thanks Lilharry. Trying to think of all the things I have in my favour of it not being sinister. Always easy to focus on the negatives though!

Cx

I agree--the "not knowing" is the worst, and makes it nearly impossible to not speculate. Even though cancer, ulcers, celiac, etc have been ruled out for me, it's like my anxiety gets worse as each thing is shot down. If we knew what it was, we could get treatment or at least have a NAME for our collective symptoms! Please update us on what your endoscopy and colonoscopy results are. It does sound like IBS or a variant of IBD, which are all quite treatable. I'll be thinking about you and hoping for the best!

Thank you!

I'll keep you updated. Guess it takes a couple of weeks to get the results etc.

Chris x

They'll tell you straight away if they've seen anything during the endoscopy (take a friend to write things down for you, because they give you sedation drugs and they might make you a bit woo-woo). It will obviously take longer to get the results from any biopsies they've taken, but you'll have an early indication anyway.