I’m Definitely Falling Apart.!

[Mobi]

There are paper files and x-ray films etc at Bumrungrad - I know because I have been there when the computer system was down for a short time. Also I have taken copies out of the hospital to give to another doctor at another hospital for a second opinion.

And I have found that my doctors at Bumrungrad have been interested to know why I have been to see other doctors.

I feel sure that your 6 month check up appointment will be made and the nurse will phone to remind you but sensible of the doctor to ask you to also put it on your calendar just in case ---.

If you do consider changing hospitals just ask Bumrungrad to give you your file and all xrays and scans. All you have to do is sign a form.

But I feel that you are now en route to getting all your problems sorted.

Well that's reassuring

I know they can print stuff from the files as they have printers all over the place.

Can I ask how long it took to get your records copied? I once requested them some years back at Samitivej, and it took them a couple of weeks to respond and deliver.

If things don't start to go well so I'm seriously thinking about getting a second opinion on my stomach problems. I'm 3 days into all this medication, and today my diarrhoea is worse than ever I'll give it a week or so, but this starting to get ridiculous.

[Mobi]

. . . the breathing mask . . . I will have to wear it for the rest of my life

It's downright fashionable nowadays among the older crowd in the States, esp if they're fat. Should a burglar ever happen to climb into my old friends' bedrooms at night, he would find them like aliens hooked up to their machines.

And they actually like their machines. Yet at least two admit also to taking sleeping meds to help them fall asleep while hooked up.

I'd wish they'd hurry up and deliver one to me. It's probably psychological, but I hardly get any sleep at all now - just wake up all the time, coughing and spluttering, but I'm scared to take sedatives in case I don't wake up at all

[Dave the Dude]

Mobi

Im just one of the many readers&invisible friends on this inter-knitting web who wants to wish you well.

I have in the past, had problems where sleep is vertualy non-existant and know how that alone, can get you down.

Keep smilling, we are 'pulling on your side' mate

Dave

[taxexile]

the colitis may take a few weeks to settle down , and you may want to consider discussing with the doctor the possibility of having the medication delivered in a more intimate manner.

ive had colitis and went through all the options with my doc , the tablets worked for me , but it took a few weeks for things to settle , and i dont think i had it nearly as severely as you seem to have , mine also started after a course of antibiotics.

my doc said that if the tablets didnt work , then mesalazine ( salofalk) suppositories or enemas might be needed , but that all depends as to where in the colon your colitis actually is. mine was close to the exit and therefore more readily accessible , so to speak.

btw , you can buy mesalazine from some outside pharmacies for about half the cost of the bumrungrad pharmacy.

i always asked bumrungrad to e- mail me copies of any tests they did and they were very efficient.

the diarrhoea will settle down , but it might take 2 or 3 weeks.

as always , there is light at the end of the tunnel !!

[Mobi]

the diarrhoea will settle down , but it might take 2 or 3 weeks.

as always , there is light at the end of the tunnel !!

Thanks Tax

It's just that today I feel worse than ever, but I'll try to be patient and wait and see if the medication works.

I need to be in reasonable shape in time for my stent(s) in 3 weeks time.

[huggybear]

Well ever since I was discharged from hospital more than 3 weeks ago I have been suffering from severe diarrhoea – like at least 6 times a day, and very watery – in fact after the food is gone, it is all water.

After 8 days the hospital took a sample, and reported nothing wrong.

I consulted 2 doctors in Pattaya and they both prescribed antibiotics.

So as there was no improvement I consulted a doctor at Phya Thai Hospital in Sri Racha this morning. He said that the antibiotics would have cured me by now if it had been 'microbes' or whatever. He has booked me in for a colonoscopy and said it might be cancer.

I have been Googling the symptoms on various websites and only the Mayo clinic mentions diarrhoea as a symptom. All the other sites don't mention it - just constipation or a change in the stool size, and frequency of passing etc.

There are a number of other symptoms, but the only ones I have are diarrhoea, a gassy stomach, and general fatigue. There has been no weight loss, and I can't detect any blood in my 'water', and I still have a reasonable appetite.

Anyone else out there had colon cancer who may be able to reassure me?

And if I have got it - assuming I've caught it early - what is the survival rate?

Unless you are passing blood, I would not panic about colon cancer.

I'm not a doctor, but my Dad had colon cancer (and subsequent surgery) and when he was in the hospital I used to talk to the doctor pretty frequently. Blood in the stools generally is a huge clue, bleeding from the rectum too.

That was 5 years ago, Dad just turned 70 and is A-O.K.

I guess I would question the water you are drinking, and the water you are using to clean dishes, brush teeth, etc.

[Sheryl]

[

I didn't ask about tropical Sprue or heliobacter infection because I assume she is the expert in all these matters.

Mobi,

Always ask, never assume. Even the best of doctors may overlook things. Nobody has more at stake in your health than you do. And your doctor(s) has hundreds if nor thousands of patients, you have only one. The need for this has increased in this day and age of specialists because no one person is looking at the whole picture.

Heliobacter is an infection and 2 weeks of the combo of cipro+ulsanic+flagyl would probably eradicate it. However, while heliobacter could certainly explain the gastric inflammation it does not usually cause marked diarrhea. Ciprio and flagyl will also treat a number of other bugs but none that would not likely have already been knocked out by your prior courses of these drugs.

Tropical Sprue, on the other hand, does. It is also thought to be due an infection but the treatment is a long course of tetracycline, which you are not on. Ut will not usually resolve on its own. The main diagnostic indication for tropical sprue is (1) history of living in place where it is endemic, which you dom and (2) an absence or decrease (atrophy) in the villi in the small intestine, these are the part of the lining of the small intestine which absorb food. Less absorption = diarrhea and weight loss. Another cause with the same result is gluten intolerance, either generic or acquired. You mentioned decreased villi from your "virtual colonoscopy"but not fromn the actual one.

I suggest you get a copy of the actual report and see what it says. If it notes decreased or atrophied villi then both tropical Sprue and gluten intolerance need to be seriously considered. Specifically ask -- either your current doc or another as you prefer -- about tropical sprue and whether or not a course of tetracycline might be indicated.

You might also wish to try a low gluten diet to see if it makes a difference, that you can do on your own. it means no bread, oats or cereal containing wheat or oats, or anything made with wheat (e.g. gravies or other things where flour may have been used as a thickener). Rice is fine, so are potatoes and corn and all other veggies, all fruits, meats and fish. So altho low gluten diets (people say "gluten free"but it is almost impossible to be 100% gluten free) can be hard, SE Asia is a comparatively easy place for them.

Now on to 2 other pointsL:

1) Your GERD, altho troublesome, has nothing at all to do with your other problems. It is an annoying and common condition and what the Motiliumn is for. However the Motilium might make the diarrhea force as it increases tyhe speed of food passing from stomach to intestines. Also, there are a number of measures you can take instread of drugs whihc will greatly relieve the GERD:

- Do not eat (or eat only a very small amount since as an insulin-dependent diabetic you may have to eat at certain intervals) for 2 hours before going to bed, taking a naop or lying down for whatever reason. If you have to eat a very small amount that's OK, the point is not to have much in your stomach when lying down because that is when the reflux is most likely to occur due to gravity.

- Eleveate your head as much as is comofrtable for you when sleeping or lying down for any reason, i.e. an extra pillow or 2. Same reasoning - to avoid gravity working against you.

- Reduce caffiene and alcohol intake, if any, these seem to further weaken the sphincter between esophagus and stomach which is what the underlying cause of GERD is (also in some people, hiatus herbnia/.

Weight loss also helps but soundfs like your other problems are taking care of that one for you!

2) Re the stent placement: the worry is the Salofalk (mesazaline) which most definitely DOES delay blood clotting and should be discontinued beforehand, the question is how long beforehand. You need to contact your cardiologist and tell him/her that the GI specialist has put you on messazaline X mg for colitis and that it is an anti-inflammatory which affects blood coagulation and therefore you would like to know how many days before the angiogram/stent placement you should stop taking it. Yes, I know that is spoon-feeding them info they should know or look up themselves, but sometimes that's what you have to do.

Hang in there and do look at the bright side. If it were not for this miserable diarrhea you would probably have put off your trip to Bangkok and might well have learned you needed stents the hard way via a heart attack.

Assume I don't need to remind you to be extra careful of your blood sugars since all this diarhhea and possible malabsorption not to mention the stress could cause realpid changes in your insulin needs....

[Mobi]

[

I didn't ask about tropical Sprue or heliobacter infection because I assume she is the expert in all these matters.

Mobi,

Always ask, never assume. Even the best of doctors may overlook things. Nobody has more at stake in your health than you do. And your doctor(s) has hundreds if nor thousands of patients, you have only one. The need for this has increased in this day and age of specialists because no one person is looking at the whole picture.

You are quite right of course, but sometimes it's easier said than done. I find most of my doctors speak the same language as me but the stomach lady seems to speak in a different tongue. It's English, and she has all these diagrams which she shows me to explain what's going on, but she uses so many terms that are alien to me that I just get confused and don't ask the right questions.Must try harder

Heliobacter is an infection and 2 weeks of the combo of cipro+ulsanic+flagyl would probably eradicate it. However, while heliobacter could certainly explain the gastric inflammation it does not usually cause marked diarrhea. Ciprio and flagyl will also treat a number of other bugs but none that would not likely have already been knocked out by your prior courses of these drugs.

Sorry, I now see that they did in fact do a biopsy for helicobacter and it was negative

Tropical Sprue, on the other hand, does. It is also thought to be due an infection but the treatment is a long course of tetracycline, which you are not on. Ut will not usually resolve on its own. The main diagnostic indication for tropical sprue is (1) history of living in place where it is endemic, which you dom and (2) an absence or decrease (atrophy) in the villi in the small intestine, these are the part of the lining of the small intestine which absorb food. Less absorption = diarrhea and weight loss. Another cause with the same result is gluten intolerance, either generic or acquired. You mentioned decreased villi from your "virtual colonoscopy"but not fromn the actual one.

I suggest you get a copy of the actual report and see what it says. If it notes decreased or atrophied villi then both tropical Sprue and gluten intolerance need to be seriously considered. Specifically ask -- either your current doc or another as you prefer -- about tropical sprue and whether or not a course of tetracycline might be indicated.

I have a copy of the reports. My scanner has just crashed but I have taken pics and attached them They should be readable. Note that both biopsies taken came back negative, although one of them had a long report attached, which I was not given.

You might also wish to try a low gluten diet to see if it makes a difference, that you can do on your own. it means no bread, oats or cereal containing wheat or oats, or anything made with wheat (e.g. gravies or other things where flour may have been used as a thickener). Rice is fine, so are potatoes and corn and all other veggies, all fruits, meats and fish. So altho low gluten diets (people say "gluten free"but it is almost impossible to be 100% gluten free) can be hard, SE Asia is a comparatively easy place for them.

Now on to 2 other pointsL:

1) Your GERD, altho troublesome, has nothing at all to do with your other problems. It is an annoying and common condition and what the Motiliumn is for. However the Motilium might make the diarrhea force as it increases tyhe speed of food passing from stomach to intestines. Also, there are a number of measures you can take instread of drugs whihc will greatly relieve the GERD:

- Do not eat (or eat only a very small amount since as an insulin-dependent diabetic you may have to eat at certain intervals) for 2 hours before going to bed, taking a naop or lying down for whatever reason. If you have to eat a very small amount that's OK, the point is not to have much in your stomach when lying down because that is when the reflux is most likely to occur due to gravity.

I'm not eating any dairy products, wheat or cereals, and mainly rice, but a couple of white bread slices in the morning. My last meal is at 6.30 p.m. and I'm not sleeping hardly at all, but never before about 2 a.m.

- Eleveate your head as much as is comofrtable for you when sleeping or lying down for any reason, i.e. an extra pillow or 2. Same reasoning - to avoid gravity working against you.

If I lie on an elevated pillow it aggravates my snoring/apnia and I get terrible pain in my neck, as I still seem to have whip lash from my motor accident. (I'm a right old mess - aren't I? )

- Reduce caffiene and alcohol intake, if any, these seem to further weaken the sphincter between esophagus and stomach which is what the underlying cause of GERD is (also in some people, hiatus herbnia/.

I take two cups of coffee in the morning, but have taken no alcohol since Saturday because of the Flagyl.

Weight loss also helps but soundfs like your other problems are taking care of that one for you!

I haven't really lost a lot of weight - it went down a bit, but seems to have stabilized now at around 85 kilos. My appetite is not too bad, all things considered. I never feel hungry, but when I get some food I eat most of it.

2) Re the stent placement: the worry is the Salofalk (mesazaline) which most definitely DOES delay blood clotting and should be discontinued beforehand, the question is how long beforehand. You need to contact your cardiologist and tell him/her that the GI specialist has put you on messazaline X mg for colitis and that it is an anti-inflammatory which affects blood coagulation and therefore you would like to know how many days before the angiogram/stent placement you should stop taking it. Yes, I know that is spoon-feeding them info they should know or look up themselves, but sometimes that's what you have to do.

Well I think the original idea was for two week course of meds, but as she was going away, she said carry on with everything until I see her on 31st May, 2 days after my stent placement. So I think I'll email my cardiologist and suggest I stop after 2 weeks , which would be 5 days prior to the stent thing.

Hang in there and do look at the bright side. If it were not for this miserable diarrhea you would probably have put off your trip to Bangkok and might well have learned you needed stents the hard way via a heart attack.

Very true

Assume I don't need to remind you to be extra careful of your blood sugars since all this diarhhea and possible malabsorption not to mention the stress could cause realpid changes in your insulin needs....

I'm keeping a good eye on them - they are a bit erratic. My blood pressure is very high in the mornings now, in spite of all the overnight meds, which I think is due to lack of sleep and apnia incidents

The breathing mask people are coming to see me on Thursday. I asked if they could come earlier, but they didn't understand me.....

Can't wait to have decent night's sleep

I attach my two reports - hope they mean more to you than they do to me

[Tammi]

Mobi,

Please tell us what your meals consist of.

[Mobi]

Mobi,

Please tell us what your meals consist of.

Breakfast is 2 slices of white toast and a small plate of fresh fruit, half a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and 2 cups of coffee.

Lunch and dinner are a small plate of white rice with either beef, pork, chicken, prawns, egg, vegetables etc cooked Thai style, but not spicy since my stomach problems. If I go out for lunch, maybe a plate of fried rice or a sandwich, but since I returned from hospital last week, all my meals are at home. I have no snacks, and nothing after 6 p.m. My only other drink has been water.

(When I was in hospital overnight last week I was given cereal for breakfast which I ate, and it caused my diarrhoea to be much worse, so I have cut out milk completely since then.)

BTW diarrhoea quite bad today.

Edited May 12, 2008 by Mobi

[kat]

"'m not eating any dairy products, wheat or cereals, and mainly rice, but a couple of white bread slices in the morning. My last meal is at 6.30 p.m. and I'm not sleeping hardly at all, but never before about 2 a.m."

White bread is wheat. It is made out of white flour, which is a stripped and processed version of wheat, or "whole wheat". So, in effect, you are still eating wheat.

[Sheryl]

OK Mobi, from the test reports:

1) Your GERD is due to a hiatus hernia. This means that your upper stomach slides up into your chest a bit when you lie down causing some acid reflux into the esophagus (e.g. "heartburn"). It is a common condition and nothing at all to do with your other problems. If you are bothered by heartburn (burning feeling way down i nthe throat and sometimes chest discomfort) take an antacid. If you can cut down the coffee, this will help both the GERD and your BP. A method that I find works well for many people is to start mixing your coffee with decaf, gradually increasing the percentage of decaf. This lets you still have your 2 cups and if you make the change gradually you won't feel the loss of caffeine.

Obviously the head elevation bit will have to waiot at least until you get your CPAP. Actually it is only necesssary igf you are bothered by heartburn during the night, if not, stay as you are.

BUT I do urge you to stop the Motilium becuase it may worsen your diarrhea. Also, it's only purpose is to decrease heartburn from GERD which doesn't seem to be a main complaint anyhow, and if it is there are other things you can do as described above.

2) No mention in the report of villous atrophy, only inflammatory changes. So Tropical Sprue unlikely.

This pretty much leaves inflammatory bowel disease, which can be autoimmune and/or result from food allergies/intolerance (which can be acquired i.e. you can become intolerant of foods you have eaten all your life. Same goes for medications). In tioher words, you may have Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, or simply a food intolerance. The pending biopsy results will shed some light, but since even if it is Crohn's or ulcerative colitis it can be complicated by food intolerance, STOP the bread and any other forms of wheat, stay off the dairy and see if that helps.

Give it at least 2 weeks. If it doesn't seem to make a difference you can always go back to it, but it sounds like we have already esdtablished a lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance needs also to be assessed. (It is possible to have other food intolerances but dairy and gluten are the most common culprits).

[kat]

I've read in many places during the course of my research on IBDs (including Crohn's and Celiac Disease) that GERD is an associated condition.

http://www.pdrhealth.com/disease/disease-m...mp;contentId=59

Crohn's disease and other medical conditions can contribute to GERD.

Crohn's disease causes inflammation in the small intestine. It usually occurs in the lower part of the small intestine, but it can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. Crohn's disease can cause inflammation of the esophagus and may contribute to the development of GERD.

http://www.iffgd.org/site/gi-disorders/other/celiac

n the Fall 1998 issue of Participate, we published an article by Jarol Knowles, MD that reviewed five diseases that affect the gastrointestinal (GI) system. (IFFGD Fact Sheet No. 148, Dietary Factors in Gastrointestinal Diseases). Symptoms of these diseases--celiac disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), food allergies, lactose intolerance, and eosinophilic gastroenteritis – can sometimes coexist or be confused with a functional GI disorder. Depending upon the history and symptom presentation, these diseases may need to be considered when making a diagnosis.

[Mobi]

"'m not eating any dairy products, wheat or cereals, and mainly rice, but a couple of white bread slices in the morning. My last meal is at 6.30 p.m. and I'm not sleeping hardly at all, but never before about 2 a.m."

White bread is wheat. It is made out of white flour, which is a stripped and processed version of wheat, or "whole wheat". So, in effect, you are still eating wheat.

Yes, you are quite right.

I used to eat a mixture of fruit muesli, wheatabix and all bran with non fat milk for my breakfast, so I was referring to the wheat in those terms. The doctor told me it was in order to eat white bread, hence my erroneous statement.

[kat]

No worries, lots of people confuse the matter, including myself, before I had health concerns with wheat. It is in EVERYTHING, and you have to become an educated label reader. I have already provided ample links here and on the Celiac thread if you need help with this.

I was just concerned that you might still be doing yourself unintentional harm while you were trying to avoid wheat products.

*added: Celiac.com is a treasure trove of helpful information if you need to avoid wheat.

Edited May 13, 2008 by kat

[Mobi]

I've read in many places during the course of my research on IBDs (including Crohn's and Celiac Disease) that GERD is an associated condition.

Thanks for the useful links.

I may well have Crohn's Disease, and reading about it I have probability had it for years. I used to have diarrhoea frequently during my working years and the symptoms described match my own, (e.g. stomach cramps relived by bowel movements etc. )At the time I put it down to stress and lifestyle. Since I have been back in Thailand - 5 years, my bowel movements have been pretty good for most of the time, with just occasional bad episodes, which seemed to have confirmed my diagnosis, but now I am into my 3rd month of chronic diarrhoea, so it seems my condition may have simply been in remission. I will definitely ask my specialist about Crone's disease when I see her at the end of the month.

I also understand why the specialst told me I was particularly vulnerable to stomach canncer and need to be checked regularly. She may have diagnosed Barrett's oesophagus:

Approximately 10% of patients with GERD will eventually develop Barrett's oesophagus, a precancerous condition.

In Barrett's oesophagus, cellular changes occur that can increase the risk of cancer in the inner lining of the oesophagus. The condition is caused by chronic, severe exposure to acid and bile reflux. Patients who develop GERD at an early age and whose symptoms last longer than average are at a higher risk for developing Barrett's oesophagus.

Although cancer due to Barrett's oesophagus is one of the most rapidly increasing types of cancer in North America, it is rare in comparison to other forms of cancer. Patients with Barrett's oesophagus must be monitored periodically with endoscopy and biopsy in order to detect cancer early.

[Mobi]

OK Mobi, from the test reports:

1) Your GERD is due to a hiatus hernia. This means that your upper stomach slides up into your chest a bit when you lie down causing some acid reflux into the esophagus (e.g. "heartburn"). It is a common condition and nothing at all to do with your other problems. If you are bothered by heartburn (burning feeling way down i nthe throat and sometimes chest discomfort) take an antacid. If you can cut down the coffee, this will help both the GERD and your BP. A method that I find works well for many people is to start mixing your coffee with decaf, gradually increasing the percentage of decaf. This lets you still have your 2 cups and if you make the change gradually you won't feel the loss of caffeine.

Obviously the head elevation bit will have to wait at least until you get your CPAP. Actually it is only necessary if you are bothered by heartburn during the night, if not, stay as you are.

BUT I do urge you to stop the Motilium because it may worsen your diarrhoea. Also, it's only purpose is to decrease heartburn from GERD which doesn't seem to be a main complaint anyhow, and if it is there are other things you can do as described above.

I'm not sure if I have heart burn - I do wake up with sore throats, but I'm pretty sure that's due to snoring. In any event, it seems that Gerd symptoms are not my main concern at the moment, so I will put it on the back burner for now.Thanks for clarifying this. So I will definitely stop the Motilium and see what happens with the diarrhoea. It has changed over the last few days (worse) so maybe that is the reason.

2) No mention in the report of villous atrophy, only inflammatory changes. So Tropical Sprue unlikely.

This pretty much leaves inflammatory bowel disease, which can be autoimmune and/or result from food allergies/intolerance (which can be acquired i.e. you can become intolerant of foods you have eaten all your life. Same goes for medications). In other words, you may have Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, or simply a food intolerance. The pending biopsy results will shed some light, but since even if it is Crohn's or ulcerative colitis it can be complicated by food intolerance, STOP the bread and any other forms of wheat, stay off the dairy and see if that helps.

I did mention that the results of the second biopsy were negative (it was sent to an outside lab), but that there was a long report attached which I haven't seen. I will ask for a copy when I see her.

Give it at least 2 weeks. If it doesn't seem to make a difference you can always go back to it, but it sounds like we have already established a lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance needs also to be assessed. (It is possible to have other food intolerances but dairy and gluten are the most common culprits).

I will switch to rice for breakfast which should pretty much eliminate the wheat.

Thanks Sheryl, (and Kat & others) for your continuing advice, and sorry for making this thread into such a "Mobi saga".

I do find this subject very hard to get my head around, but I am slowly realising that I must do that if I am to find a solution to my problems. I simply can't rely on the "experts" to solve it for me. Much the same as diabetes , I guess.

[kat]

I'm glad you are getting closer to figuring it out.

I have eliminated all gluten for now which is wheat (white flour, too), rye, barely, and oats. Unfortunately, that means no beer, at least for awhile

There are some gluten free beers on the market though, but I haven't tried any. I so hope that in the future I will be able to tolerate Guinness.

But, the health of your intestines is really, really important to a long and quality life.

I did a ton of research, cut out gluten, bought gluten free vitamins by Pioneer (multivitamins and B complex), eat spinach twice a week for iron, and put freshly ground flax seed and walnuts in my breakfast and take a probiotic. The change is like night and day. I went from starting to have mental images of my casket to feeling normal again.

You will feel better too as soon as you figure out what your body needs.

[Crushdepth]

I may well have Crohn's Disease, and reading about it I have probability had it for years. I used to have diarrhoea frequently during my working years and the symptoms described match my own, (e.g. stomach cramps relived by bowel movements etc. )At the time I put it down to stress and lifestyle. Since I have been back in Thailand - 5 years, my bowel movements have been pretty good for most of the time, with just occasional bad episodes, which seemed to have confirmed my diagnosis, but now I am into my 3rd month of chronic diarrhoea, so it seems my condition may have simply been in remission. I will definitely ask my specialist about Crone's disease when I see her at the end of the month.

I'd be quite suprised if you did since it tends to turn up at an early age and rarely affects the stomach. No harm in asking I guess. You might want to ask about ulcerative colitis as well while you are there.

[kat]

Most people are not as technical when they are identifying intestinal pain, and name the stomach as a generic term for GI distress.

Mobi, I came this piece of information as I was searching the website of a very trusted lab that tests specifically for digestive disorders:

https://www.enterolab.com/Home.htm

EnteroLab:

EnteroLab is a registered and fully accredited* clinical laboratory specializing in the analysis of intestinal specimens for food sensitivities (reactions by the immune system to common proteins in the diet) that cause a variety of symptoms and diseases. One particular area of our focus relates to intestinal conditions caused by immune reactivity to a protein called gluten which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats. Recent research in our laboratory indicates that immune sensitivity to gluten is exceedingly common, present in 30-40% of all Americans. Although these reactions can cause malnutrition, growth failure in children, osteoporosis, many autoimmune diseases (including colitis, diabetes, arthritis, and many others), most of the affected individuals are unaware they have it because there have been no sensitive tests capable of diagnosis.

Similar sensitivity to yeast in the diet has been linked to the development of an inflammatory intestinal disease called Crohn's disease.

[Mobi]

Day 6 of my medication, (minus the Motilium) and no sign of any let up. Diarrhoea still petty bad - 4 - 5 times in the morning, upon waking and after food. Very watery.

A few days ago I developed a very painful chest infection (probably picked it up at the hospital), which made me feel very low, but it is now on the mend , maybe thanks to all those antibiotics I am taking.

I am now on 100% rice, dairy free diet, and and slowly losing my appetite.

I guess I am being impatient, but I just can't see and end to this.

[Who, me ?]

Hold on Mobi.. It's woth the efforts !

Cheers

[kat]

Mobi:

I've been doing well so far on a grain/gluten free diet, but a couple of days ago some old symptoms came back and I am still recovering. I had to retrace my steps back to my food since I have been especially avoiding wheat. I looked at the Chinese Black Bean Sauce that I used to season my stir fry - it has wheat additives in it. Additionally, I had to go out and buy wheat-free soy sauce - that's right, soy sauce!

You really have to take control of what you are eating and not take any ingredient for granted.

[Orangutan]

Kat,

Wheat-free soy sauce in Bangkok..where?

-O

[kat]

I don't know where in Thailand, because I didn't worry about it while there. However, if and when I return, I would probably go to some of the Japanese outlets and ask, like the shop that sells food and ceramics in Tokyu. I think I would also have to learn how to read labels and avoid ingredients in Thai, and learn how to request food without certain ingredients. In Bangkok, I would also go to the health food outlet "Lemongrass Tree". Here is a link to the one that I use:

http://www.san-j.com/product_info.asp?id=4

I'd also try to ask around at health conscious restaurants:

Asoke - Chamlong's Asoke Vegetarian Restaurant

Chatuchak Market (at Kampaeng Phet Rd, near Kamphaeng Phet MRT Station)

Phone number: 02272-4282

Type of Food: Thai, Organic, Buffet

Price Range: Cheap

Large restaurant with 40 table serving simple authentic Thai vegetarian food. Self-serve style buffet. Operated by Santi Asok, a Buddhist sect referring to themselves as The Dharma Practitioneer Association. Location is next to the weekend market, in its own car park among other restaurants, health food shops, and produce shops. Thai laungage only. Open Sat-Sun, and some weekdays.

[geovalin]

Amoebas

How are you going now?

I had the same symptoms than you 18 years ago.

Maybe some one told you already the same story. I did not have the time to read them all.

Different doctors gave me different treatments and I even stayed one week at Bumrumgrad.

All the tests was negative: I had nothing.

Then a French Doctor told me to stop all the treatments because these drugs would certainly conceal the real cause of the diarrhea.

I stop all the treatments. Not worst than before.

Then I went again to Bumrumgrad as outpatient and the Thai Doctor told me: "I do not see anything, it could be cancer (I was too young at that time to have a colon cancer) but it could be amoebas that we do not see. Before to tell you have a cancer, let's take 8 pills of Flagyl (or Flagentyl of Fasigine) in one time then report." I went back home, took the medicine and lie down. IMMEDIATELY, I felt in my guts like the WW2, Vietnam and Irak wars altogether. I nearly heard the amoebas shouting, crying and dying. I felt recovering. It was over.

Now, as soon as the sickness comes back (you cannot avoid it, "they" are still somewhere), I take Fasigyne or Flagentil or Flagyl, 2 or 4 pills and that's it.

Of course, it's better to take a couple of pills during the next 4 days.

[Mobi]

Amoebas

How are you going now?

I had the same symptoms than you 18 years ago.

Maybe some one told you already the same story. I did not have the time to read them all.

Different doctors gave me different treatments and I even stayed one week at Bumrumgrad.

All the tests was negative: I had nothing.

Then a French Doctor told me to stop all the treatments because these drugs would certainly conceal the real cause of the diarrhea.

I stop all the treatments. Not worst than before.

Then I went again to Bumrumgrad as outpatient and the Thai Doctor told me: "I do not see anything, it could be cancer (I was too young at that time to have a colon cancer) but it could be amoebas that we do not see. Before to tell you have a cancer, let's take 8 pills of Flagyl (or Flagentyl of Fasigine) in one time then report." I went back home, took the medicine and lie down. IMMEDIATELY, I felt in my guts like the WW2, Vietnam and Irak wars altogether. I nearly heard the amoebas shouting, crying and dying. I felt recovering. It was over.

Now, as soon as the sickness comes back (you cannot avoid it, "they" are still somewhere), I take Fasigyne or Flagentil or Flagyl, 2 or 4 pills and that's it.

Of course, it's better to take a couple of pills during the next 4 days.

Thanks geovalin, I appreciate your post.

I don't expect you to have read all the posts on this thread, but if you had, you would know that I started off with a course of Flagyl at Phya Thai over a month ago. Then after having all tests known to man at Bumrungrad, including cameras everywhere and biopsies and blood tests and culture tests, I was given yet another course of Flagyl, amongst many other things. In fact i think I have been given medication for every known bacteria , parasite or worm that has been known to invade a human stomach, even though the tests revealed nothing.

And here we are - nearly 3 months in and no let up in the diarrhoea .

[geovalin]

Thanks geovalin, I appreciate your post.

I don't expect you to have read all the posts on this thread, but if you had, you would know that I started off with a course of Flagyl at Phya Thai over a month ago. Then after having all tests known to man at Bumrungrad, including cameras everywhere and biopsies and blood tests and culture tests, I was given yet another course of Flagyl, amongst many other things. In fact i think I have been given medication for every known bacteria , parasite or worm that has been known to invade a human stomach, even though the tests revealed nothing.

And here we are - nearly 3 months in and no let up in the diarrhoea .

The "secret" in my case was to take 8 pills at the same time. 2 to 4 pills is NOTHING.

[Ulysses G.]

And here we are - nearly 3 months in and no let up in the diarrhoea .

I had diarrhoea for my first 5 years in Thailand and so did all my buddies. It just went away on its own eventually.

[Mobi]

And here we are - nearly 3 months in and no let up in the diarrhoea .

I had diarrhoea for my first 5 years in Thailand and so did all my buddies. It just went away on its own eventually.

I first lived in LOS in the 70's and early 80's for 9 years. I've been coming and going ever since, and I've now been back permanently for over five years. I know all about the sort of diarrhoea you are talking about which is generally down to change of diet, spicy food, unclean water etc.,The "secret" in my case was to take 8 pills at the same time. 2 to 4 pills is NOTHING.The "secret" in my case was to take 8 pills at the same time. 2 to 4 pills is NOTHING. and believe you me I've had my fair share of it - including quite a number of times in hospitals and clinics where they have put on drips and pumped me full of meds etc etc.

I have tolerated hot Thai food for decades without any problems, and for the first five years of my return to Thailand my bowel movements were even better than they used to be back in the UK.

But this is different. Anything between 4 -8 times a day (sometimes more) of very unpleasant liquid which is usually accompanied by stomach cramps. Absolutely no let up for well over two months. The myriad tests have revealed that I have GERD (Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease), and it is thought I may have either Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis or a non-specific inflammatory bowel disease, or a combination of all three. My stomach is damaged and is now very prone to cancer. What is not yet established is what has caused my stomach to get like this. I am currently on a dairy free, gluten free diet to try and establish the cause, but as yet no progress.

Thank you for your reassurance, but I don't think that this one is going to go away on it's own somehow.

geovalin The "secret" in my case was to take 8 pills at the same time. 2 to 4 pills is NOTHING.

So you don't think that 4 x 400mg of Flagyl per day for 2 weeks on two separate occasions would do the trick?