abdominal pain

Migraines don’t always affect the head

November 22, 2012 By Dr. Gott

Q: I am a marriage and family therapist and was just contacted by a client’s mother that her 17-year-old daughter has had severe abdominal pains for nine months. One of her doctors has mentioned her problems as migraines. Please send me any information you may have regarding abdominal migraines.

A: An abdominal migraine is a variant of a migraine headache that presents in the abdomen with nausea, vomiting and pain in varying degrees of intensity. Strangely, they are most prevalent in individuals between the ages of 5 and 9 but can appear at any age. According to a study published in Pediatric Neurology, approximately one in five children diagnosed with migraines suffer from abdominal migraines.
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Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: abdominal migraines, abdominal pain

Is iridology a scam?

September 24, 2012 By Dr. Gott

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 78-year-female, 4′ 10” and 102 pounds. About three summers ago I had a CT scan and colonoscopy for lower abdominal pain and bouts of constipation and diarrhea. Both were negative. I was told it was probably irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and to take fiber pills and milk of magnesia when needed. I also take Losartan-HCTZ, Ambien, and am on a Fenanyl patch for arthritis pain.

I heard about an herb, L. acidophilus, which I tried without any relief. When I called the herb shop, they wanted me to come in for iridology. I was told they could look into my eyes and see what was going on in there. Is this just another scam? I don’t see how looking into the eyes could tell you what is going on in the colon. The man who does this has an ND after his name but I don’t know what that means.
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Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, iridology

Gallbladder may be source of abdominal pain

August 11, 2012 By Dr. Gott

DEAR DR. GOTT: Two months ago I started having stomach cramps. My general practitioner gave me some antibiotics which didn’t work so he suggested I see a gastroenterologist who did biopsies of my stomach, blood tests and a gallbladder ultrasound.

The biopsies of my stomach and upper small small bowel showed evidence of active inflammation called gastritis. There were no signs of H. pylori bacterial infection. The upper small bowel did not show evidence of celiac disease changes.

The blood test showed that my white blood cell count was slightly low at 3.22. My liver and pancreas enzymes were normal. The gallbladder ultrasound was also normal.
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Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: abdominal pain, gallbladder disease

Adhesions cause discomfort

April 16, 2012 By Dr. Gott

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am in my 40s and have had two c-sections. When I had my tubes tied, I was found to have a cyst the size of a grapefruit attached to my right ovary. I then had surgery (because a large incision was needed) to remove the cyst and the ovary. I also have had the Novasure procedure because of severe cramping during menstruation.

I continue to have cramping and have had abdominal ultrasounds, vaginal ultrasounds, a CT scan, and multiple trips to the emergency room. The final diagnosis was scar tissue. The ER doctor told me that he believes that the scar tissue has wrapped itself around my female organs and when I ovulate, it pulls and causes the pain. He said without doing exploratory surgery, he can’t be sure but surgery hasn’t been recommended because apparently, I produce scar tissue really well.
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Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: abdominal pain, adhesions

Teen experiences persistent pain and vomiting

January 1, 2011 By Dr. Gott

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been ill for quite some time, and no one seems able to help me. It’s frustrating that I go to all these specialists and they will give me answers like “I couldn’t find anything, therefore you’re fine and should go to school.” I am 18 now, but when I was 13, I had my gallbladder removed because it was functioning at 13 percent. I have been ill ever since. Also, when I was 5, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I have a chromic problem of vomiting almost daily and, on bad days, several times a day. As of last spring, I have had a terrible pain that accompanies the illness and is enough to cripple me.

My doctors are at a loss and are now guessing at what it is. One doctor diagnosed me with GERD, another with IBS, and a third told me there was nothing wrong me with. I have been put on all sorts of medications, and nothing works or even helps with the symptoms.
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Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: abdominal pain, gallbladder disease, sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, sphinter of Oddi, vomiting

PADS may be cause of chronic abdominal pain

December 28, 2010 By Dr. Gott

DEAR DR. GOTT: Like the 15-year-old described in the letter you published, my 14-year-old daughter suffered with chronic abdominal pain and nausea for nearly a year. We took her to three gastroenterologists, subjected her to every test known to man, and ended up having her gallbladder removed — an unnecessary surgery, as it turned out. The doctors speculated that she had one of the many gastro disorders you mentioned, but when none was identified and none of the dozen or so drugs they tried worked, they basically gave up on us.

Finally, one wonderful doctor referred us to a specialist at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, La. He is a pioneer and specialist in pain-associated disability syndrome, or PADS. It is essentially a disability in which the brain creates a mountain out of a molehill, making a little pain or digestive distress into something much worse.
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Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: abdominal pain, chronic abdominal pain, PADS, pain associated disabiity syndrome

Chronic abdominal pain revisited

December 22, 2010 By Dr. Gott

DEAR DR. GOTT: In your article about abdominal pain, I think you might have missed a likely possibility: gallbladder disease.

I suffered from this for years, and no doctor took me seriously because I didn’t have gallstones. When I finally had my gallbladder removed, I didn’t have any more pain. Estrogen is known to irritate the gallbladder, and a 15-year-old has considerable estrogen in her body.

DEAR READER: Gallbladder disease is another cause of abdominal pain. The pain is typically on the upper right side of the abdomen and may worsen after eating, especially fatty foods. Nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite may also be present.
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Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: abdominal pain, chronic abdominal pain, gallbladder disease

Food allergies linked to abdominal pain

December 22, 2010 By Dr. Gott

DEAR DR. GOTT: Your article about the undiagnosed stomach problems sounded exactly like my niece. She suffered for several years until she saw an allergist, who found that she had many food allergies. As long as she avoids those foods, she is pain-free.

DEAR READER: I received three other letters similar to yours. Two of those also mentioned H. Pylori, along with the food allergies and sensitivities.

H. Pylori is a common type of bacteria thought to be present in about half of the world’s population. Most people do not exhibit symptoms, nor do they experience any complications; however, for others, it can lead to potentially serious problems.
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Filed Under: Daily Column Tagged With: abdominal pain, chronic abdominal pain, food allergies, h. pylori

Celiac disease may cause abdominal pain

December 14, 2010 By Dr. Gott

DEAR DR. GOTT: This is in regard to your article about the 15-year-old with chronic abdominal pain. Why didn’t you think of celiac disease? My granddaughter was diagnosed at age 6 after developing severe abdominal pain. She managed her celiac and is doing very well on a gluten-free diet.

DEAR READER: Your letter is just one of many I have received about this young girl’s problem.

Celiac disease (also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue and gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is a digestive disorder. These people cannot tolerate the protein gluten, which is found in wheat, rye and barley. These grains are present in many foods, even some nonfood items, such as vitamins and medications.
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Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: abdominal cramping, abdominal pain, celiac, celiac disease, constipation, cramping, diarrhea, gluten allergy, gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity, stomach pain