upper abdominal pain, indigestion & reflux, nausea & headaches following virus

[lsakwal1]

Hi,

Sorry about the long post but this is a long story and I'm hoping someone can help.  About 3 months ago I returned from a short holiday in Egypt with what my doctor attributed to a stomach virus.  It lasted for about 2 weeks and obviously I was quite relieved once it subsided but I have not felt right since.  I started to feel like my food wasn't going down properly and it would sit at the top of stomach.  This got worse and was accompanied by a general feeling of malaise - tiredness, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, headaches and an inability to focus.  I would also suffer from the sudden onset of anxiety and panic for no apparent reason and would go extremely tense and be unable to relax for several hours.  It was on one such occassion that I ended up in A&E as I felt so unwell.  I had high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat but once they had ruled out pancreatitis and gallstones as the cause of my abdominal pain they sent me home with "indigestion."  
I saw my doctor afterwards who tested my blood for numerous things including hormones, anaemia, thyroid and H Pylori which all came back negative.  It was then suggested my original virus may have irritated my stomach and i was prescribed omeprazole which helped a little but not entirely.  However, I am still left with pains in my stomach (just below my ribcage) which are there constantly but worsen after eating.  I am constantly bloated, even in the mornings and since finishing the course of omeprazole symptoms have worsened once more and I now have acid reflux and a sensation of something being stuck in my throat all the time.  I have just started with vague nausea and headaches too and am now utterly miserable.  Bowels seem ok, little irregular with quite loose movements (which float but have attributed this to the excess air that is constantly present in my stomach), but no bleeding or anything drastic.  
I do have a tendency towards stress and anxiety and wondered if the orginal stomach issues have set off the other symptoms which seem more unrelated as I am constantly worrying about it - my doctor has prescribed very mild antidepressants which I thought helped a little until I started with this nausea.  I also feel very dehydrated all the time - dry skin and sore throat but I am drinking plenty of water and eating fairly well even though I seem to get full a lot more quickly.  
Either way I am certain of an underlying problem with my stomach as I have never experienced anything like this before - never even had indigestion or panic attacks or anything which would imply some of these symptoms.  I am 23, female and essentially healthy - don't smoke, drink in moderation and am a healthy weight.  
I am due an upper abdominal ultrasound this weekend (which I have waited a month for and my doctor says probably won't show anything anyway) but have no other tests planned at this time.  I just don't know what to do at the moment, I feel like I am back and forth to the doctor constantly which is affecting my studies and my social life.  The only thing which seems to help is omeprazole as I have noticed the symptoms worsening again now I've run out but I am not enjoying the prospect of a lifetime prescription to something like that as it obviously doesn't solve the underlying problem and I am still quite young.
The only other thought I had was having developed an intolerance to some foods but I don't even know where to start testing that theory.  I attmepted giving up dairy for a while but that didn't seem to help.    
Does anyone have any ideas as to what this may be or has experienced anything similar following a virus?  I'm going through cycles of feeling better and then terrible again but the constant factor always seems to be the aches in my upper abdominal region.  Please help!

[ElleBaz]

I'm not sure if anyone is still using this thread - but I had a very similar situation that left me chronically ill after a trip to the Red Sea in Egypt.  I came down with a virus about 12 months after the trip, and about six months after that, I developed really bad gastrointestinal symptoms and like most people was put on omprezole and then nexium.  I would not have even though about the Egypt trip until I realised that my friend started to get ill with chronic colitis about six months after we returned and our reflux/chest pain symptoms are so similar.  He's still not better and neither am I about 2.5 years later.  Recently a stool test demonstrated I had high levels of lysozyme (an inflammation marker), which I already knew purely symptomatic, and the only medicine I've ever responded to have been curam duo antibiotics, which my holistic GP said wouldn't kill parasites, but would kill bacteria.  I'm about to have another extensive stool test, but if this demonstrates nothing useful I think I'll ask the GP to treat me as if I have a bacterial infection.  I'm also constantly swollen on the left side of my body and am beginning to really think that this is all down to a bacterial infection, probably picked up in Egypt, rather than anything else or anxiety related (although anxiety certainly has been a symptom).  If anyone else has identified a bacterial strain in these circumstances please let me know!

[brittanym12]

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP.
im 17 years old, and i have had all these similar problems. in general i have always been somewhat over weight. i was about 152 lbs, went down to under 120 within 3 months. i feel nauseas all the time, upper abdominal pain thats SO SEVERE. when i am in this nauseas stage all smells of food disgust me. i am bipolar, and im on many different medications for it. ever since this stomach problem occured i have been having panic attacks and i dont go anywhere. i droppped out of school because of it. ive got tested for every gastro test, everything back normal. they put me on omperzol.. helped but didnt cure. then i was put on periactnat, which helped SO MUCH. i gained within 1 1/2 months 60 pounds. i am now over 180 lbs. they took me off of it, now im really left with nothing. i recently went to my gyno because ive missed my period for 4 months. i was put on aygestin to get my period, didnt work. i feel disgusted with myself and im ready to give up on everything. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME.

[riverspring]

I have all the same symptoms but add HOT FLASHES to that.  I get a hot flash in the early morning waking up and all that you say begins. If I am lucky it subsides a bit off and on during the day.  Until I eat and then again.

I know that stress can be a factor, however, for all of us that generally comes and goes....but the rest stays because it is now chronic.

I am just joining in this conversation...I have no solutions. Gluten free did not help...YET !  My heart goes out to all,  jc

[Ange1966]

It is comforting to read all your comments.  My dad died in November 09 after 3 weeks in ICU and then my Uncle died on Christmas Day.  I think that the stress of all that (not just the deaths but all the work and arrangements and responsibilities that I took on afterwards) caused my symptoms.

I have chronic indigestion and heartburn, wind, headaches, hot and cold feelings (difficult to control my temperature) bloating like I'm 6 months pregnant (I'm not!) thirst and a bunged-up and unable to breath sensation which means I have to get out of bed earlier than normal.  After 5 months of this I went to the GP and he diagnosed GIRD and prescribed omeprezal (two a day) which was wonderful.  However, I had to come off these after a few weeks and the symptoms all returned.  I went back and begged for more and decided to take just one a day but it isn't enough and now I am almost back to square one.  I will need to double the dose and revisit the doc.

[Kath1983]

You guys should go an see a Naturapathic doctor and he/she will be able to help you. My husband has exact the same problems and doctors always told him that there is nothing wrong , until he saw a Naturapathic doctor......

[miss_linda]

I had very similar symptoms for years and ultrasounds, ER and DR visits couldn't detect until one DR finally tested me for some sort of bacteria and it came back positive.  I don't remember the name, but apparently the bacteria is caused by ingesting anything with any trace of fecal matter (it's not as hard to come across this as you might think, especially if you've been travelling).  The remedy was a supply of a few viles of drops.  I haven't been to the ER for those same pains, since.