Nausea/No appetite/“food poisoning” type attacks could be Perimenopause symptoms ?

[mechanicalpencil]

Good morning everyone

46 female

I have been on a waiting list for upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy for almost one year after seeing my GP about nausea , diarrhoea and abdominal pain. I have had a duodenal ulcer in the past. My symptoms have got worse in the past 6 months. The GP ran a whole lot of blood tests and FIT tests at the time and all came back fine.

I have finally received an appointment for the endoscopy to take place the week after next. It occurred to me they might be connected to perimenopause as I am constantly surprised with how it affects the body.

• constant nausea, stronger than before
• ”food poisoning “ type symptoms which are not food poisoning… cramps/ diarrhoea
• feeling full very quickly after starting a meal
• much reduced appetite
• weight loss
• abdominal pain

I know fluctuating hormones can be responsible for similar symptoms.
Anyone experienced similar?

It doesn't sound like peri meno to be honest.

I hope they find what's going on. Have you ever been tested for coeliac disease? the prime time for diagnosis is 40s- it's often not diagnosed.
It needs a special test and a gut biopsy.

You appear to have lots of symptoms on this list.
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/get-involved/awareness-month-2024/

Should I be tested for coeliac disease?
The symptoms of coeliac disease are wide ranging, sometimes making it harder to spot. If you’re consistently experiencing any of the symptoms below, then take our online self-assessment and see if you should be tested. The assessment asks a series of questions based on the NICE guidelines for diagnosis of coeliac disease and gives a recommendation of whether you should go to your GP for a simple blood test. When you’ve completed the assessment, if you should be tested it gives you a letter to take to your GP.

• severe or occasional diarrhoea, excessive wind and/or constipation
• persistent or unexplained nausea and vomiting
• recurrent stomach pain, cramping or bloating
• any combination of iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency
• anaemia
• tiredness
• sudden or unexpected weight loss (but not in all cases)
• mouth ulcers
• skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)
• tooth enamel problems
• liver abnormalities
• unexplained subfertility (male and female)
• repeated miscarriages
• osteopenia or osteoporosis
• neurological (nerve) problems such as ataxia (loss of coordination, poor balance) and peripheral neuropathy (numbness and tingling in the hands and feet)

@JinglingSpringbells
I think that coeliac disease was one of the things she tested me for, but I might be wrong. Do you know what the name of the test would be?

@JinglingSpringbells
thank you for the link! Yes, that list looks very familiar. I could tick most of them off! I will do the self-assessment now 👍

Have they looked at gastropareisis?

@UninterestingFirstPost
no, she didn’t mention that. Off to Google.

This sounds worrying Op
Abdo pain, nausea, feeling full, bloating, weight loss are all Ovarian cancer symptoms
Has GP tested CA125??

Sorry if this worries you but get straight back to GP -pain and weight loss is enough for you to ask for tests and an urgent scan

@UninterestingFirstPost
yes to all of those symptoms too.
thanks.

@YesImawitch
thank you 🙏
yes, she tested for CA125 and that came back clear.
She tested pretty much everything and they all came back clear.
I have been back again to say symptoms have worsened but as the tests came back clear she wasn’t too concerned, said I just have to wait for the procedures.
Thankfully, the appointment for upper GI will be on 25 Feb so not much longer to wait.
I was thinking / hoping , as I am experiencing some peri symptoms, it could be that..

GPS tend to put everything down to peri/ Meno once you are a certain age
It's medical gaslighting
I have a chronic illness which my consultant told me takes 5 years on average longer to be diagnosed in women as its " probably your weight, periods, peri, menopause"
It was not

Good luck with the tests

Not sure what yours is. But hypothyroidism is often dismissed as PND or hormonal etc. i was fobbed off for a year with that as it happened after DS1 was born so I got the usual “oh you’re just using muscles you're not used to using” to explain why I couldn’t walk 100 yards without crippling back pain.

@mechanicalpencil The website should tell you which tests they do.
My understanding is that a blood test can be inconclusive and therefore they can do a biopsy of your gut lining. The link here under (2) tells you which blood tests are used.

1. Check for coeliac disease - If you have some of the symptoms listed, take our online assessment which is a short questionnaire on the symptoms and other risk factors. If the test result is positive, you can print it out and take to your GP for further discussion. If you’d rather just discuss your symptoms with your GP, then make sure to book an appointment. Do not remove gluten from your diet at this stage. Take the assessment now.
2. Have a blood test - If your GP thinks you need further testing, they will take a simple blood test to check for antibodies. These can indicate coeliac disease. However, it’s possible to have a negative test and yet still have coeliac disease. Do not remove gluten from your diet at this stage.
3. Referral to a specialist - If the blood test is positive or there is clinical suspicion of coeliac disease your GP will then refer you to a gut specialist (a gastroenterologist). In adults, a gut biopsy is usually carried out to confirm the diagnosis. However, new guidelines published as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic recommend that for some adults who have very high antibody levels, a further blood test can confirm the diagnosis without the need for a biopsy. Do not remove gluten from your diet until all tests are complete or until recommended by your gastroenterologist.

@JinglingSpringbells
that’s very interesting
I just had the blood test, so that definitely sounds like something pursuing as the symptoms are so similar.

thanks everyone, I will update after I've had my procedure.