I don't know what to do anymore.......
May 20, 2011 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ralf Berg
Hello, I have a question because I feel abandoned by the doctors. It all started in March 2010. Suddenly I had diarrhea, my stomach was upset, and my circulation was completely out of whack. Additionally, I would wake up in the morning with heart palpitations and inner restlessness (between 4 and 6!). I was under a lot of stress at the time and was diagnosed with burnout. Since the symptoms did not improve, I had to call an emergency doctor to my house at times. The second doctor prescribed antibiotics and Omep for the acidity. It got better. About 18 days later, the same drama happened again. My then doctor did blood tests, an ultrasound of the stomach. Again antibiotics and acid inhibitors. It got better here too - it can happen sometimes, they told me. On the third attempt, I became suspicious and changed doctors within the practice. He then did an HIV test and thyroid check - everything was fine. By chance, they discovered that Omep was helping. Many people need that, it's not a problem they said. Initially it was 20mg and after almost 3 months I was happy to go back to work. Then it was quiet. In October / November, they increased it to 40mg because the acid taste came back despite Omep. By then, I had gone through almost everything and was happy to be fit again. At 180cm, I weighed only 52kg (instead of 56 - I have always been very slim) and had undergone tests: urine, stool, thyroid, blood (2x), HIV. In February 2011, it all started again. In addition to the usual tests I already knew, I had a gastroscopy because my stomach was also upset. No Helio Bacter in the stomach, but they found esophageal fungus. No one knew if I had it for a long time. I was given Ampho-Moronal. Improvement came after 4-5 days and everything was okay again. I didn't have to take acid blockers anymore. Now it's May and since last Saturday I have been having problems again: loss of appetite, waking up early with heart palpitations and inner restlessness, sometimes circulatory problems, acid taste, and above all, lack of drive. At the moment I am taking Ampho-Moronal again because it is suspected that the fungus has not been completely eliminated. I am really at the end of my rope, not to mention all the costs as a private patient. What else can I do because my trust in doctors is really not the best anymore. Does anyone know these symptoms?
About me: male, 32, 180cm tall, normal weight around 56-58kg.
Dear patient,
Thank you for the detailed description of your symptoms. First of all, it should be noted that your problem has been thoroughly and appropriately investigated. It is also good that neither HIV, esophageal cancer, nor stomach ulcers have been found as the cause. The fact that gastrointestinal complaints tend to recur should not shake your trust in doctors. Since your stomach has to digest food every day, it is impossible to completely stop acid production. You have already noticed that you have lost weight due to these recurring bouts of illness.
In the gastrointestinal area, not all complaints can be traced back to an organic cause. Often, there are also "functional" or psychosomatic complaints. The only organic diseases that come to mind are endocrinological diseases (e.g. Zollinger Ellison syndrome) that could be further investigated. Just talk to your doctors about whether this has already been done. One thing missing from the medical history is: are you a smoker? If not, congratulations, if yes, please start a smoking cessation program immediately. Nicotine is the acid loosener and can be responsible for all these problems and especially for their recurrence in case of sensitivity.
If this does not apply, we are back to square one. Stress/burnout/loss of drive were mentioned. Has anything fundamentally changed here? Or could the (even just latent) remaining tensions explain the return of symptoms? If yes, I recommend starting relaxation training. This can be sports, yoga, but also talk therapy.
What about your diet? Have you been advised on this? If there is a (non-pathological) tendency towards increased acid production, it can be counteracted with appropriate nutrition. Also, you simply have to take this into account and eliminate certain foods from your diet.
In summary, your symptoms are well known. They are irritations of the stomach and esophagus. After all the diagnostics, there seems to be no organic cause present (apart from the current fungal infection). In such cases, the therapy consists of changing dietary habits and/or dealing with stress differently. I believe the initial assessment of the possible cause of your symptoms was not far off. The problem lies less in the "healing" of the symptoms, which has already been successful several times in your case, but rather in the fact that they simply keep coming back. This is where you need to focus, and in my opinion, the paths highlighted above are the ones to take now. Have courage, as you can do much more yourself in this case than you would with a stomach tumor.
Best regards, R. Berg
