A very strange kettle of fish!

[af]

Well, here's my saga:

1. acute esophagitis, bad pain, endoscopy showed barrett's esophagus.

2. Saw 2nd opinion doc, he does pH test and manometry, both totally normal...BUT...my blood work shows elevated liver enzymes and kidney function. More blood tests, CT of abdomen.

3. Saw doc again 3/31/03: blood tests all back to normal, he has no explanation. CT normal EXCEPT...they find discrete area of thickening in my small intesting and now I have an endoscopic ultrasound of my small bowel scheduled 4/21/03.

This has been so weird. The GI specialist says forget the PPI meds, my esophagus is normal except for my small sliding hiatal hernia. Says the PPI's *might* have caused the elevation in liver/kidney tests.

The endoscopic ultrasound is same as endoscopy, except they put ultrasound transducer on the end of the scope and check out the layers of the wall of my small intesting from the INSIDE. If they see anything suspicious, they biopsy it. The doc who does this is specialist, all he does is endoscopic ultrasounds. Sounds very technical to me.

At any rate, I have a history of having multiple BM's kind of like IBS when I first get up in the a.m., sometimes 5-6 before I get stopped, so I think it's worthwhile to do this test most definitely. If there's something in there that is "not right", I want to know it and have something done about it.

Bottom line is my Barrett's is not a problem, I will have a yearly endoscopy for that. My liver enzymes/kidney test were up for unknown reasons, the most likely suspect being PPI/H2 medication, and my small bowell is currently on the menu for evaluation.

Ah, the joys of getting old!!

[Rebecca]

Hi af,

So have you stopped taking PPIs/H2s? And if so have your throat & pulmonary symptoms returned? --Rebecca

[af]

Originally posted by Rebecca
Hi af,

So have you stopped taking PPIs/H2s? And if so have your throat & pulmonary symptoms returned? --Rebecca

I have stopped ALL medications, and my symptoms have not worsened, and in fact I feel better. I DID have esophagitis, of that there is no doubt, the endo in November had my esophagus redder than a fire truck. HOwever, I think that has healed. I am doing pretty good, really.

[TomCarv]

Originally posted by af
Well, here's my saga:

1. acute esophagitis, bad pain, endoscopy showed barrett's esophagus.

2. Saw 2nd opinion doc, he does pH test and manometry, both totally normal...BUT...my blood work shows elevated liver enzymes and kidney function. More blood tests, CT of abdomen.

3. Saw doc again 3/31/03: blood tests all back to normal, he has no explanation. CT normal EXCEPT...they find discrete area of thickening in my small intesting and now I have an endoscopic ultrasound of my small bowel scheduled 4/21/03.

This has been so weird. The GI specialist says forget the PPI meds, my esophagus is normal except for my small sliding hiatal hernia. Says the PPI's *might* have caused the elevation in liver/kidney tests.

The endoscopic ultrasound is same as endoscopy, except they put ultrasound transducer on the end of the scope and check out the layers of the wall of my small intesting from the INSIDE. If they see anything suspicious, they biopsy it. The doc who does this is specialist, all he does is endoscopic ultrasounds. Sounds very technical to me.

At any rate, I have a history of having multiple BM's kind of like IBS when I first get up in the a.m., sometimes 5-6 before I get stopped, so I think it's worthwhile to do this test most definitely. If there's something in there that is "not right", I want to know it and have something done about it.

Bottom line is my Barrett's is not a problem, I will have a yearly endoscopy for that. My liver enzymes/kidney test were up for unknown reasons, the most likely suspect being PPI/H2 medication, and my small bowell is currently on the menu for evaluation.

Ah, the joys of getting old!!

Hi AF,

That's Quite the SAGA!!!

So, are they thinking Crohn's Disease?? When I was Dx'ed with Crohn's, one of the first signs or so they told me (I haven't been able to find any Supportive Internet Research to Coroborate) was a "Thickening" of the walls of my Small Bowel!! Hope This isn't the case for you!! Keep us posted!! :)

Prayers,

Tom

p.s. Try to join us in the Chat Room Next Wednesday Night. 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time!!

[af]

Originally posted by TomCarv
So, are they thinking Crohn's Disease?? When I was Dx'ed with Crohn's, one of the first signs or so they told me (I haven't been able to find any Supportive Internet Research to Coroborate) was a "Thickening" of the walls of my Small Bowel!! Hope This isn't the case for you!! Keep us posted!! :)


I don't know. The way they described it to me, it was just one little spot that was thickened...a discrete area, not generalized. Would THAt be consistent with Crohn's?

[TomCarv]

Originally posted by af
I don't know. The way they described it to me, it was just one little spot that was thickened...a discrete area, not generalized. Would THAt be consistent with Crohn's?

Hi af,

Nope!! At least what I've been able to research, and from my Symptoms, Crohn's has mostly Generalized Areas of thickening and Ulcerets ALL Throughout the SB!! Nasty Crap!!

Your's could be nothing more than some type of "Bug"!! Let's hope so!! Keep us posted!! :)

Prayers,

Tom

[The Pard]

Hi AF,

I forget if you said whether you still have your
gall bladder. If not, the caustic bile could be scarring the small intestine causing thickening.
There are meds that you can take to reduce the
chronic diarrhea caused by the constantly flowing bile. Is the thickening close to the duodenum
or near the large intestine?

Another possibility for thickening could be
scleroderma, which looks like infection on biopsy.
(This may be treatable according to a recent study.) Some docs are not aware of the study.

If it is the small intestine the condition may not be crohns but if it is, it will worsen in time.
There are other conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, and celiac. A biopsy should tell the tale. This can get complicated (and especially so), if you don't have all the facts.

Best wishes to you..
The Pard