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unexplained illness help
I am wondering if anyone can help. For the past 4 years i have experienced attacks every few months of lower back pain and stomach pain vomiting feverish which can last anywhere from a 4 to 6 hours mainly at night.The vomiting lasts until i am puking up bile and i feel exhausted for a couple of days after the attack. Paracetmol and other painkillers hav been unsuccessful. I have been to the emergancy room a couple of times and the only thing they give me is painkillers that dont do anything each time my white blood count has been high indicating an infection. I have had endoscopoly, xrays blood tests and they still cant find whats wrong. I have only been diagnosed with gilberts syndrome as my bilirubin is high. I am wondering if anyone has similar experience or advice.
asides from these attacks i have anxiety and depression however am mainly a healthy 20 year old and have been experiencing these attacks for the past 4 years i am now very desperate for a diagnosis or something i can have to stop these attacks when i feel one coming on i usually have a hot bath to try and kill the infection which can sometimes help as it normally begins with a high temp and back pain that is extremely uncomfortable.
Any answers are welcome. Thank you.
asides from these attacks i have anxiety and depression however am mainly a healthy 20 year old and have been experiencing these attacks for the past 4 years i am now very desperate for a diagnosis or something i can have to stop these attacks when i feel one coming on i usually have a hot bath to try and kill the infection which can sometimes help as it normally begins with a high temp and back pain that is extremely uncomfortable.
Any answers are welcome. Thank you.
Gilbert's Syndrome is a genetic condition. People with Gilbert’s syndrome have a faulty gene that means their liver has problems removing a substance in the blood called bilirubin.
With this condition, you may notice your skin and the whites of your eyes turn slightly yellow.
People with Gilbert’s syndrome often find there are certain triggers that can bring on an episode of jaundice.
Some the symptoms you mention are likely to be linked to possible triggers that are listed below:
1. Being dehydrated - So make sure that you drink plenty of water; 2 litres is usually recommended (about 4 pints), more if you are sweating and working out a lot.
2. Going without food for long periods of time and fasting. So make sure you eat small amounts of food regularly rather than 1 large meal.
3. Being ill with an infection - As you say, having a high white blood count does indicate that your body is fighting something. As you do not mention that you were not given an antibiotic, I presume that the medical profession was of the opinion that an antibiotic would not help.
Have you had a kidney function test done? If you have been dehydrating, you could end up with getting kidney stones. Kidney stones can be as small as a grain of sand, but they can cause a lot of problems with pain and some of the symptoms that you mention when they start to move and aggravate the urinary tract. It is important that you drink your water and avoid getting dehydrated.
4. Stress can trigger off your Gilbert's syndrome symptoms, so try and avoid stressful situations.
5. Doing too much physical exercise can also trigger off your symptoms
6. Not getting enough sleep - Make sure that you get plenty of sleep and have good sleep hygiene. Go to bed at a reasonable time every night.
Other triggers can include having surgery, and monthly menstrual cycles in women.
If possible, avoiding known triggers can help reduce your chance of experiencing episodes of jaundice and the symptoms associated with Gilberts Syndrome.
You may find it useful to avoid known triggers for your condition, such as dehydration and stress to avoid getting the symptoms or at least lessening the severity of them.
Having a hot bath will not kill off any bacterial or viral infections. What it will do is help you to relax.
If you do start to feel unwell, make an appointment to get checked out by your doctor, so that if he suspects you have a bacterial infection, he will prescribe an antibiotic. With viral infections, no antibiotics will help.
Make sure that you have a healthy and well balanced diet, with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables to help boost your I immune system.
If you have not discussed your anxiety and depression with your doctor, then you should. Once the doctor establishes that you are suffering from depression, he can prescribe an appropriate antidepressant (do remind him that you do have Gilbert's Syndrome as you may need to avoid certain medications). If your anxiety issues are bad, then you can also ask the doctor to refer you for counselling. There are different types of counselling available and you will probably be assessed by a specialist nurse to refer you to the right help for you.
The web address below talks about Gilbert's Syndrome in more detail which you may find useful.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gilbertssyndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx
With regard to the tummy pains and the vomiting, although this may be due to the Gilbert's syndrome, if you have not already had it done, ask your doctor if you can have a breath or stool test for Helicobacter Pylori. Blood tests for this bacteria are not reliable.
Best wishes.
With this condition, you may notice your skin and the whites of your eyes turn slightly yellow.
People with Gilbert’s syndrome often find there are certain triggers that can bring on an episode of jaundice.
Some the symptoms you mention are likely to be linked to possible triggers that are listed below:
1. Being dehydrated - So make sure that you drink plenty of water; 2 litres is usually recommended (about 4 pints), more if you are sweating and working out a lot.
2. Going without food for long periods of time and fasting. So make sure you eat small amounts of food regularly rather than 1 large meal.
3. Being ill with an infection - As you say, having a high white blood count does indicate that your body is fighting something. As you do not mention that you were not given an antibiotic, I presume that the medical profession was of the opinion that an antibiotic would not help.
Have you had a kidney function test done? If you have been dehydrating, you could end up with getting kidney stones. Kidney stones can be as small as a grain of sand, but they can cause a lot of problems with pain and some of the symptoms that you mention when they start to move and aggravate the urinary tract. It is important that you drink your water and avoid getting dehydrated.
4. Stress can trigger off your Gilbert's syndrome symptoms, so try and avoid stressful situations.
5. Doing too much physical exercise can also trigger off your symptoms
6. Not getting enough sleep - Make sure that you get plenty of sleep and have good sleep hygiene. Go to bed at a reasonable time every night.
Other triggers can include having surgery, and monthly menstrual cycles in women.
If possible, avoiding known triggers can help reduce your chance of experiencing episodes of jaundice and the symptoms associated with Gilberts Syndrome.
You may find it useful to avoid known triggers for your condition, such as dehydration and stress to avoid getting the symptoms or at least lessening the severity of them.
Having a hot bath will not kill off any bacterial or viral infections. What it will do is help you to relax.
If you do start to feel unwell, make an appointment to get checked out by your doctor, so that if he suspects you have a bacterial infection, he will prescribe an antibiotic. With viral infections, no antibiotics will help.
Make sure that you have a healthy and well balanced diet, with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables to help boost your I immune system.
If you have not discussed your anxiety and depression with your doctor, then you should. Once the doctor establishes that you are suffering from depression, he can prescribe an appropriate antidepressant (do remind him that you do have Gilbert's Syndrome as you may need to avoid certain medications). If your anxiety issues are bad, then you can also ask the doctor to refer you for counselling. There are different types of counselling available and you will probably be assessed by a specialist nurse to refer you to the right help for you.
The web address below talks about Gilbert's Syndrome in more detail which you may find useful.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gilbertssyndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx
With regard to the tummy pains and the vomiting, although this may be due to the Gilbert's syndrome, if you have not already had it done, ask your doctor if you can have a breath or stool test for Helicobacter Pylori. Blood tests for this bacteria are not reliable.
Best wishes.
feel sorry for Mark Smith. My problem is not same as Mark however i have been through anxiety and depression. What saved me was program offered by the Mid West Centre for Anxiety and Depression. Check it out, it will help you better deal with your anxiety/depression and teach you to cope and change your pattern of thinking to keep you as positive as possible.
i pray that someone will be able to diagnose your symptoms and find you a cure. Good luck mark.
i pray that someone will be able to diagnose your symptoms and find you a cure. Good luck mark.
Its a shame in this day and age they cannot do much for Gilberts, at least they could give you an antidepressant.
I have never heard of Gilberts and had to look it up. I'm so sorry you are going thru all of this.
I guess having your gallbladder removed would not help being it stores bile.
Sorry I cannot help much, I feel for you
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gilberts-syndrome/basics/symptoms/con-20024904
I have never heard of Gilberts and had to look it up. I'm so sorry you are going thru all of this.
I guess having your gallbladder removed would not help being it stores bile.
Sorry I cannot help much, I feel for you
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gilberts-syndrome/basics/symptoms/con-20024904
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