I posted this a while back in the IBS board looking for suggestions. What I did not tell them at the time was that I had been treated for Lyme. These symptoms started within 48hr. after my exposure to ticks, and have been present ever since. What worries me most is the creepy crawly sensations seem to happen once a month and last for two to three days. I feel either I have Lyme in my colon, and lower digestive track, or the tick that infected me with Lyme was also carrying some sort of parasite. I spent a couple of years with two different LLMd's and was on ABX for most of that time, most all my other symptoms have gone or become more manageable except for my GI symptoms. I feel I need to have another GI doctors visit and ask for some specific test, I was wondering if anyone here has had any specific tests done to check for Lyme, or other infections in their GI system?

Hi everyone, hear is my daily GI symptoms in a nut shell ~
Daily soft mushy stool
Nausea after bowel movement
Heavy, numb legs after bowel movement "weird"
Itchy anus
Sensation of pin pricks, pinching, or crawling on anus, and lower GI "weird"
Excessive gas.....especially in the mornings.
Sharp, or dull pains in upper center stomach just below rib cage.
occasional blood in stool "bright red" enough to color the water in toilet bowl red.
Random itchy skin all over body the body stomach, legs, waist, privates, feet, head, neck ect. "weird"
burning, painful bowel movements.

I went to see a GI doctor when these symptoms started. At the time I think he thought I was crazy, but he ran some blood work to test for cancer...negative, had me drink some chalky drink and looked at my upper, & lower GI for blockage I guess....negative, tested me for Crohn's disease....negative, and scoped me both ways, although he did not do a complete colonoscopy, he said he was only doing a partial scope " I forgot what he called it" because of my age. At the time I was 35 and he felt I was still to young to need a full colonoscopy. Anyway after I awoke in the recovery room, he entered to tell me what I was sure would be some very bad news. He said I had a couple of Ulcers, but nothing to be concerned about. As he walked out of the room he starred out the side of his eye's at me with this grin that rubbed me the wrong way. I got the impression he felt I was some nut job wasting his time. This experience has forever changed the way I feel about doctors. Besides the fact I could not afford to see another doctor strait away due to the costs of wasting my time with this doctor, I am just plain afraid to go through another experience again like that again. So I have been dealing with these symptoms ever since. I am at a point now where I am experiencing more & more pain, and feel I need to try and see another doctor but I don't know where to start or what tests I should ask to be given. Should I ask for a stool samples? my last doctor never had me give one?? Should I ask for a full colonoscopy, with tissue samples taken to test for any number of conditions....viruses, bacteria, worms, I don't know what else!!!

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Post Edited (Cheezhead) : 4/27/2011 7:09:31 PM (GMT-6)

Were you tested and/or treated for bartonella? I have read from others that bart can cause GI symptoms.

You have gotten some great suggestions here. In my opinion, since your GI doctor is probably not Lyme Literate, he had no idea what you really wanted him to check for. Doctors are not savvy when it comes to parasites, worms, etc. If you have a LLMD, I would ask them for suggestions at finding a GI doctor that deals with these kinds of things.

Digestive enzymes taken with every meal (some make me feel worse - esp. if they have HCl or animal-derived ingredients such as ox bile).

Gentle exercise.

Fiber sometimes makes me feel worse - it can aggravate the slow stomach emptying, but it is necessary for the rest of my GI tract to function correctly. Flaxseed meal is the best tolerated for me, but I get tired of the flavor quickly.

Gluten-free diet. Has helped some with gut motility, inflammation, and reduced the "heavy" feeling in my stomach.

Avoiding foods I'm allergic to - this is hard for me, because my list is so long, but I do feel better when I don't eat the stuff that comes up on the skin tests, blood RAST and ELISA allergy/sensitivity panels. I also have to avoid other foods I seem to be intolerant to (without test evidence) - especially foods containing sulfur/sulfites (in my case, the sulfur problem is a genetic / metabolic intolerance).

Homeopathy for when my stomach does bother me: Nux V. helps me with general issues such as background nausea, indigestion, acid reflux, nausea caused by medication side-effects, etc. Ipecac. (homeopathy, not the syrup!) helps if the nausea is really intense/severe. Pulsatilla helps with nausea during my monthly cycle.

Vitamin B12 & Molybdenum helps some with sulfur/sulfite intolerance symptoms...if I'm in the midst of a sulfite reaction (I can get anaphylactoid with bigger exposures to sulfites - airway & esophagus spasms, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, skin flushing, etc.), Vitamin B12 and antihistamines (Benadryl, etc.) helps to stop the reaction.

I also find taking a daily nondrowsy antihistamine (I use Claritin, but Allegra and Zyrtec are also options) and Domperidone helps me tolerate my food a little better (less indigestion/discomfort after eating). Domperidone helps increase stomach contractions to encourage my stomach to empty faster, and the antihistamines help with overall food tolerance and nausea. I can't go and eat something on my allergy list, but at least I'm not feeling as sick from everything I put in my mouth...

I do have to be careful of not going after the Lyme too aggressively - I have had my gut shut down (motility stops completely) on several occasions, and some of these were triggered by too aggressive Lyme treatment.

I'll write more later...got to go to an appointment...

Razzle,
Thank you so much for the information. I have scheduled an appointment with a naturopath, that works with my LLMD. I was able to get in this comming Monday May 2nd due to a cancellation. This is my first involvement with a naturopath doctor, although my LLMD is a Holistic doctor he also uses mainstream medicines such as ABX. I am by nature a skeptical person and am wary of the "natural" remedies not sure why, but I hope this will help my healing. On his bio page it states he uses Bio-Resonace (EAV) are you farmilar with this? He also does dental naturopathy, thermography, detoxification, and natural-emotional release.

Prior to your Lyme infection, was there ever a time when you could eat at will and had no GI issues? Since your Lyme infection, and after starting your naturopathic treatment is there a period of time where your GI conditions could, or has returned to your pre-infection state?

Just an update, I followed through on Razzle's advice and went to see a Naturopath who used the Bio-Resonance mothod to determine the problems are concentrated in my small intestines. This was a new, and interesting procedure for me, one you need to keep an open mind with. Anyway I felt very comfortable with him, and he seemed to be very Lyme knowlegable. He started me on Artemesia 2000 mg daily, Artemisinin 500 mg daily, and Colostat 10 droplets daily. This is to clear what he feels is a parasitic infection. I'll keep my fingers, and legs crossed. :)