Appendix, Appendicitis, Gallbladder Disease Forum - Abdominal Pain, Shortness of Breath, Fatigue, No Appetite

Hopefully someone can help me. It's a long story. Please bear with me, I want to give you as much info as possible. I am a 30 year old female. I was never super thin, always dieted, seemed to go up and down in weight. Before being pregnant, the most I gained and lost at one time was 30lbs. I had my daugher in may of 2004 by c-section. It was not planned to have a c-section, we wanted to have an all natural/drug free birth but I wouldn't dilate enough well over 24 hours after my water broke with merconium. After giving birth, I realized that I tore the ligaments in the arches of my feet from wearing flip-flops and being so heavy. Also, I got a numb spot occasionaly on the palm of my right hand. It seemed to get worse at night, I was told this was carpel tunnel. Anyway, back in the beginning of july I started to feel like I was getting sick- then a few days later I had flu-like symptoms. I felt so sick and the pain was too distracting I had to leave work early. As I drove home, what I thought was nausua turned into stomach pains (almost like labor pains). I vomited when I got home and had diarriha. I thought I had the flu but as the hours went on the intense pain in my stomach started to get unbearable (i was moaning) and I decided to go to the er since it was after my doctor's office hours. Waiting in waiting room, the pains got so intense it felt like someone was stabbing me with shards of glass. I had a fever and dehydrated (according to hospital). They gave me a cat scan/blood and urine tests. The cat scan showed that my appendix was slightly inflamed and I had a cyst on my ovary (which I wasn't aware of) and some fluid in my abdomin. They kept me overnight to see if it was my appendix. My white blood count never elevated so they assumed it was a cyst that burst. For two weeks later I still felt very ill. Nasuea, no appetite, tired and a dull ache in my right side (aside from the ache on side it felt like morning sickness but I wasn't pregnant.) I was told that if a cyst did burst the estrogen that was released could cause morning sickness type symtoms. Exactly two weeks (to the day) later, I woke up feeling the same way. When I started getting the awful excrutiating pains again, I took myself again to the er. Again I vomited (at the same time of day I did two weeks earlier - but this time already in hospital) and had diarreha. A million tests done again and all came back normal. (also, the second 'attack' occured a day before my period came) again, felt sick and achy for a long period afterwards. No energy, appetite, tired, dull ache on side, nausea. Then my dad died of a sudden heart attack (he had highblood pressure and heart disease). Afterwards I wasn't sure if I was still sick or if the remaining symptoms were caused from heartache/stress etc. My husband and I had a trip to ireland to visit family planned. We decided to go, it would be a nice distraction. Before leaving the country, I visited a gi doctor to just make sure. He sent me for an ultrasound (for gallbladder/appendix etc) that came back normal. He thought it may just be a virus or stress. After one week into my two week vacation my symptoms finally seemed to go away (a month after second attack). Then I went thru an uneventful fall except that I was extremely tired all of the time. I just chalked it up to running after my daughter who was 18mos old at the time, I was not happy at work and we were having some financial difficulties. In the middle of november, I saw a doctor for weight loss. After having my daughter in may of 2004, I hadn't really lost the baby weight and I think I even gained some. I was at my heaviest in my life and had a hard time taking it off. I never had any health problems like this before. (also in the beginning of 2005, I had some heart palpitations on and off for a few months- again tests showed nothing, they thought it was stress-which was very possible at the time. Also, developed a strange, incredibly itchy rash on my shins during this time. It went away and occured again right before my july 'attack'. It also showed up again in january right before my most previous attack. I was given many things for it: topical ointment etc but nothing seemed effective. This last time I didn't shave my legs because my husband thought that maybe my razor needed to be changed and it never flared up like before) the doctor gave me a weight loss medication called phentermine and lexapro (for obsessive compulsive behavior - ie eating when not hungry). The lexapro helped me greatly. In addition to my weightloss, I always felt like I had add and the lexapro really gave me clarity, my mind felt less scattered and overwhelmed. One of the two medicines gave me energy. I was more active than before and coming home after work I could cook, clean and play with my daughter and didn't feel like sleeping. I don't think this could be from taking these since I was not on them in july when it happened initially. Anyway, things were going real well until the middle of january. I started to not feel well and my daughter was sick as well. I started to feel congested in my head and chest. My chest congestion felt like someone was standing on my chest. A few times at work I had to step outside for air because it felt like I couldn't breath. I coughed a little but it seemed like only to breath properly. My daughter's pediatrician said she had bronchitis. My doctor told me my lungs were clear but gave me an antibiotic anyway to make sure I don't get it as well. A day later I started to feel a little worse. A little nausea and some burning pains that seemed like what I had in the summer but not as bad. The next night I woke up at 4am feeling really bad. I went to the bathroom because I thought I would be sick. I then got an excruciating 'attack', similar to what I described above. It was so bad this time, I was moaning in agony and felt like I was going to vomit and faint, all at the same time. It was an awful feeling. I ended up splashing water on my face and then had violent diarreha along with breaking out into a cold sweat. My clothes were literally soaking wet and I had to change. I would have taken a shower but I felt so sick, I was afraid to do it alone and it was the middle of the night. Afterwards I went back to bed and called my doctor in the morning. She told me to go to the er. When I got there they did every test again (catscan, blood and urine) everything came back normal. I called my pcp and she told me to go to a gi doctor. At that time I also started having soreness in my back (almost like a very bruised spot or muscle ache when I breathed deeply - directly behind my heart) the gi doctor ordered an ultrasound and again everything was normal. I also had an endoscopy done. They found some inflammation and a nodule. The nodule was biopsied. It was a thursday and that saturday I started to feel like a had shortness of breath everytime I talked. Almost like I was hiking up a mountain and turned to talk to someone. The chest congestion feeling had left by this time and I didn't think it was related. At one point in the day I walked up the stairs and went to my bedroom. I had been feeling dizzy on and off until then but this time seemed different. My heart started racing like a freight train, faster than I ever felt it. I also felt very strange, like I may faint or had low blood sugar but it was very very different this time. At one point I just collapsed. I was conscience but felt like I was doing it involuntarily and had no energy to stop myself. Afterwards my face got bright red/flushed and very hot. I got myself onto my bed (because lying on the floor made my husband very concerned) I lyed motionless to try and calm my racing heart. Eventually I felt better after 10-15 minutes but still felt woozy/dizzy like I had before. The following day I found blood in my stool and called my doctor. He was afraid I was bleeding internally from the scope a few days earlier and told me to meet him at the er. After a few tests (and I told them about the previous day, sob, heart racing etc). They said that I wasn't bleeding internally and the blood could have came from a hemroid or broken blood vessal close to the outside of my body (inside my rectum). My heart and lungs were also listented to and they said it may be anxiety. The only thing I was anxious about was finding out what was wrong with me. I tried to eat a little more food so I didn't feel so woozy but that came with more stomach pain on the right side - but I didn't feel so dizzy or foggy so I continued. I also had the weightloss medication dosage significantly lowered until I feel better. I didn't want to stop taking it completely or I would have a few days of sluggishness (it's happened before when I lost them)
so afterwards, the biopsy results came back and I had an adenoma polyp in my duodenum. My doctor was concerned to find that at my age and thought I might have garnder's syndrome and I had another endoscopy done the following week along with a colonoscopy. The night before the colonoscopy I had to drink the half-lytely and around 3am I woke up again to go to the bathroom. I wasn't that concerned yet because I figured no matter how much stomach cramping I had and how my bm was only liquid - this was what was supposed to happen. But, this time while using the bathroom, an awful feeling came over me like I was going to vomit or faint. I had to stand up and started dry heaving over the sink. I had to use the garbage can because the dryheaving and bm were coming at the same time. Green (bile I guess) stuff started coming up. I was soaking wet again in a cold sweat and felt this squeezing almost like my insides would burst. At one point, I was in so much agony, I collapsed onto the floor. I think I was conscience the whole time but it was like my body was falling over and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I could harly speak because I was in so much agony, if someone told me I would die right then, I would have believed them. My husband went to bring me water and when he saw I collapsed, he put the cold water bottle onto my cheek. I'm not sure what it was (the coldness, the lying down or just time) but it started to pass at that point. When I called the doctor on call and when I told my doctor the next day before the colonoscopy, they both said it was normal. Anyway, he said he found nothing (thankfully) during the colonoscopy and endoscopy the next day and made sure he got all of the polyp last time. So, then I begged the doctor to finally sent me for the cck decida (hida scan) because I really thought it was related to my gb. I just found out that that was normal also. In addition, the pain I feel in my back (or lungs) when I breath in deeply was getting much worse, it now feels like extra weight on that side - like sandbags hanging from some internal organ - almost like the chest congestion feeling like someone is sitting on my chest - but I can breath. This is also combined with the constant ache/dullness on my right side that sometimes turns to pain, back ache, overall achyness and extreme fatigue. Several times different doctors have asked if I had burning during urination. I didn't but more recently my urine was very warm feeling/borderline burning. However, I also had the halflytely in me and some radioactive stuff for the hida scan. Not sure if it was just passing thru me. Also, the pain is pretty much on my upper right side that radiates to my back, but i've also noticed occasional intermittant pain on my left upper, and lower abdominal and occasionally lower right side. Today, I also felt a strange dullness or throb-like feeling down my right thigh (just once that lasted a minute or so) and I some 'twitchyness' in my vagina area. I don't think that they would be related but may be. Oh and I also have a very very tender area on my right side by my very last rib. When I had an ultrasound done is was really really sore there. I can rub my hand over it but it doesn't really hurt unless I press in. The waistline on my pants also cause discomfort around my lower back and right side. I know I gave a lot of info but I am at my wits end. My mother and husband are starting to make stupid suggestions as if this is all in my head. I know that something is wrong with me. Most of these symptoms I wouldn't be concerned about but the fact that it's happened almost three times (sharp pains) followed by the same thing, and this breathing issue, I know my body is telling me something. Oh and the third time this happened, it was also again day before my period came(same as 2nd time). I spoke with my ob-gyn and had an examination along with an ultrasound and again nothing. She also said that she didn't think my period would be related to this since the symptoms didn't go away when my period was done. She thought it was gi related and now my gi is saying he no longer thinks it is because he can't find anything. He suggested I see a rheumatologist (because it could be fibromyalsia or chronic fatigue syndrome but he didn't know if that would cause the stomach pain!) or my pcp. My primary doctor can not see me for another two weeks!

Hopefully someone can help me!