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What Causes, Bloating, Gas, Belching, Abdominal Pain And Nausea?
Question: I've been having digestive issues ever since I got sick when I went out of the country. I experience yellow stools, bloating, gas, belching, pain (but normally not too bad), and nausea. I never really have diarrhea.. I'll have soft formed stools, or hard pellet like stools, sometimes I'll have mucus, or pencil thin very small stools. I do have frequency at times. ..I'll go 1-6 times a day with an average of 3-4 times. ..(Basically ALL kinds of shapes and consistency) Lately, not everyday but I have pain (not severe) like an inch left of my belly button.... I've had basically every test imaginable (CT scans, barium xray,endoscopy with biopsy of duodenal, HIDA scan, ultrasound, pelvic exams, stool tests, blood work, SIBO breath test) EVERYTHING except a colonoscopy which I plan on having soon...but every test comes back normal with an exception of some gastritis and a small hiatal hernia and a vitamin D deficiency. My gastro says it's most likely just post infectious IBS...but the pain to the left of my belly button seems like it's more on my small intestine than my colon. ..or can IBS cause pain only an inch to the left of the belly button? Thanks! ! (Just one las thing. ..I do have a history of a lotttt of antibiotic use...and I'm thinking that my gut flora is pretty ruined..could that be the reason for my yellow stools?)
Brief Answer:
Rifaximine treatment should be tried.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
You havent mentioned how old are you. If you are over 50, colonoscopy is a test which you should start with as the risk of colon cancer significantly rises over 50. Such symptoms can be caused by colon cancer.
But more possible is that you have chronic bacterial infection caused by travel and/or antibiotics intake. Lack of good intestinal bacteria (which have been destroyed by antibiotics) and exposition to different types of bacteria (during outside country journey) are enough to cause such chronic infection. Stool culture tests can be negative.
In such cases, very helpful is Rifaximine treatment. You can have it before colonoscopy. It should be taken 3x 400 mgs for 7 days. You should also start probiotic intake.
If you are over 50, colonoscopy should be done even if Rifaximine will help. If you are younger, it can wait.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Rifaximine treatment should be tried.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
You havent mentioned how old are you. If you are over 50, colonoscopy is a test which you should start with as the risk of colon cancer significantly rises over 50. Such symptoms can be caused by colon cancer.
But more possible is that you have chronic bacterial infection caused by travel and/or antibiotics intake. Lack of good intestinal bacteria (which have been destroyed by antibiotics) and exposition to different types of bacteria (during outside country journey) are enough to cause such chronic infection. Stool culture tests can be negative.
In such cases, very helpful is Rifaximine treatment. You can have it before colonoscopy. It should be taken 3x 400 mgs for 7 days. You should also start probiotic intake.
If you are over 50, colonoscopy should be done even if Rifaximine will help. If you are younger, it can wait.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Well, I'm 26 and I was very healthy before I got sick out of the country. After i came back I guess my immune system suffered and I had numerous infections that I had NEVER had before (strep, tonsillitis, UTIs, was tested and treated for H.Pylori.. and that's why I've taken so many antibiotics in the past 2years.) i I've always been thin but not overly thin (100-107... 5'2). Now I've tried several diets to see if they would work (low carb...went badly... I lost weight and made me feel extremely sick ) I'm now at 96lbs... since then I've had 2 flare ups..... one caused by pineapple juice (I was doing a parasite cleanse...and that caused me excruciating pain I had NEVER had before) and I had a UTI and was given antibiotics for and that caused me extreme diarrhea. .. which stopped after I stopped the antibiotic. So now it's been 2week since the antibiotics and that's when the left sided belly button pain started. Now when I eat something I shouldn't (just had pancakes with maple syrup) I get pretty bad pain. Sorry for rambling. ..I'm just trying to give you as much info as I can... I'm so scared of having Crohns... this anxiety worsens my symptoms. I guess the reason why I think Crohns is this pain that feels like it's in my small intestine and the fact that I don't have watery diarrhea but I feel like I do poop a lot.... sometimes more than others but for example yesterday I went twice (abt 7 pieces that were abt 2-3 inches long and then in the afternoon 2 pieces which were hard and about 2 inches long)...then today in the morning same thing abt 7 pieces that were 2-3 inches long and then again in the afternoon abt the same 7 pieces.... which seems like a lot to me. I do have a good appetite and don't have fevers ever or blood in my stools. Idk what's wrong with me. ...
BTW like I said my doctor did do a breath test but it wasn't hydrogen it was another kind... to test for small intestinal bacteria overgrowth so i doubt he'll be willing to give me the Rifaximine since I tested negative. .. but I suppose I can still ask. I do think there's an imbalance of bacteria be because my stools are still yellow! And I don't have diarrhea so I doubt it's fast transit. Also, my stools aren't foul smelling so I don't think it's steatorrhea.
BTW like I said my doctor did do a breath test but it wasn't hydrogen it was another kind... to test for small intestinal bacteria overgrowth so i doubt he'll be willing to give me the Rifaximine since I tested negative. .. but I suppose I can still ask. I do think there's an imbalance of bacteria be because my stools are still yellow! And I don't have diarrhea so I doubt it's fast transit. Also, my stools aren't foul smelling so I don't think it's steatorrhea.
Brief Answer:
Yellow stool means not enough good bacteria.
Detailed Answer:
Actually stool should be brown not yellow. Yellow stool indicates lack of intestinal bacteria. Here is how it works:
1.Bile from bile ducts is secreted to duodenum. Bile is yellow.
2.Some part of bile is absorbed again in small intestine, but the other part stays with stool.
3. Good intestinal bacteria which are present on intestine surface digest yellow bile to stercobilinogen.
4. Stercobilinogen is brown. It indicates that whole bile has been property digested.
Green stool indicates that only a part of bilirubin has been digested. Yellow means that there was no bile digestion. So in conclusion - yellow stool means not enough good intestinal bacteria.
Crohns gives usually lower right abdominal pain along with blood and mucus in stool, weight loss, anemia, bloating and cramps. Skin changes (eczema) and joints pains can be also present.
Your symptoms do not seem to be caused by Crohns.
So please try to convince your doctor to have Rifaximine treatment. It really can do a lot in this matter. It is safe, does not get to bloodstream and does not give any side effects. Its worth to try.
Colonoscopy is the next step.
Yellow stool means not enough good bacteria.
Detailed Answer:
Actually stool should be brown not yellow. Yellow stool indicates lack of intestinal bacteria. Here is how it works:
1.Bile from bile ducts is secreted to duodenum. Bile is yellow.
2.Some part of bile is absorbed again in small intestine, but the other part stays with stool.
3. Good intestinal bacteria which are present on intestine surface digest yellow bile to stercobilinogen.
4. Stercobilinogen is brown. It indicates that whole bile has been property digested.
Green stool indicates that only a part of bilirubin has been digested. Yellow means that there was no bile digestion. So in conclusion - yellow stool means not enough good intestinal bacteria.
Crohns gives usually lower right abdominal pain along with blood and mucus in stool, weight loss, anemia, bloating and cramps. Skin changes (eczema) and joints pains can be also present.
Your symptoms do not seem to be caused by Crohns.
So please try to convince your doctor to have Rifaximine treatment. It really can do a lot in this matter. It is safe, does not get to bloodstream and does not give any side effects. Its worth to try.
Colonoscopy is the next step.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thanks so much for the quick response. My gastro is pretty understanding so I'll ask him about the antibiotic. He has instructed me to take VSL3 probiotics but I haven't been so consistent. Hopefully he'll give me the Riphaximine. Once again you've calmed me down. (:
Brief Answer:
Try to take probiotic as advised
Detailed Answer:
Probiotic regular intake is also very important. So try to take it as instructed by your gastrologist.
Just one more thing I want you to know. Chronic bowels infection can be also a reason of anxiety which associates symptoms similar to IBS. Rifaximine can fight both issues.
Try to take probiotic as advised
Detailed Answer:
Probiotic regular intake is also very important. So try to take it as instructed by your gastrologist.
Just one more thing I want you to know. Chronic bowels infection can be also a reason of anxiety which associates symptoms similar to IBS. Rifaximine can fight both issues.
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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