DH is unwell, Again. any ideas?

[AngryWildChild]

DH has been unwell on and off for just over a year. Before last Christmas he had severe campylobacter and his bowel movements never seem to have recovered. Last 6 weeks has had a dull ache lower left abdomen radiating to left side of chest and occasionally towards his groin, Saw doctor who ordered bloods chest X Ray, urine and stool sample urine sample clear still awaiting other tests. Over the weekend pain has turned severe in episodes. Causing DH to double over. Has been prescribed buscopan and codeine. Neither of which are helping, atall. Has anyone's DH or themselves had anything similar and could shed some light to what it could be? What could the doctor be testing for?

This could be any number of things, but gallstones is not at the top of my list. I would be wondering about Diverticular disease. This won't have shown up on any of the tests you mentioned, but would fit with the symptoms. It causes on and off symptoms with bad episodes of diverticulitis.

I have to be honest I've not heard of diverticular disease. What are the normal symptoms!

Renal colic?

Diverticular disease is little pockets in the wall of the lower bowel. Once they are there they don't go away and they are incredibly common. In some people this causes mild longstanding pain/cramp in the bottom left hand corner of the abdomen, or loose stool or bleeding, on and off. Sometimes the pockets get infected and cause severe pain, again usually lower left sided. This can be with fevers, loose stool and feeling generally unwell, lasting a few days.

There's lots of other things to consider though, so have another chat with his doctor.

You could look into the FODMAP diet if reduced fat doesn't help, in case of ibs. Could also be coeliac or bacterial dysbiosis after the campylobacter infection, gastritis caused by h pylori... maybe try fat free first, if it helps, you can mention that to the gp as it will point to gallstones. Best of luck.

Ohhhh lucozade. Caffeine, glucose, and fizzy. That would cause me pain due to ibs.

Sounds like IBS if the pain is in the bowels. The pain can be excruciating at times. As someone said, onions or garlic are often a trigger.

The Doc should at the very least do a stool test, to rule out the inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohns etc, and also Coeliac. If it's IBS then symptoms should improve on the FODMAP diet.

I'd be questioning the codeine. What dosage? Any opioid can cause constipation. I've been on many and codeine was by far the worst and caused severe cramps for me. An NSAID like ibuprofen or Naproxen (prescribed) could be a better option but be very, very careful. Worth asking for a Proton Pump Inhibitor (Omeprazole/Lanzaprazole) with either (prescribed) to reduce stomach acid production.

All NSAIDs are notorious for stomach ulcers but Naproxen (due to its strength) is slightly more prone. Cracking painkiller though.

Has he been scoped? Up or down?

How about trying a plain diet of lean steamed chicken, white rice, carrot, and water for two or three days? If that eases the symptoms, try adding some fat. If that's ok for a dayor two start adding other stuff back until you find trigger foods that provide clues. Leave wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs etc towards the end. If after a few days on a really plain diet he still has bad pain, that will be diagnostically significant to the drs I would think, and help them diagnose more quickly.