Undetectable illnesses

[telepathetic]

I really don't think what I'm dealing with is psychosomatic. I am having serious coughing problems mixed with serious stomach issues and diarrhea for like 2 years straight. The combo means I wake up most days with bad stomach pain, cough (probably from cigs tho even most smokers don't cough for no reason until they gag like i do upon waking and thru the nignt) until i vomit. I also have no appetite whatsoever, and have to force myself to eat. I went and got tested, blood work, stool sample, all came back fine. Was referred to a GI but haven't been yet. I feel like I'm dying, or the HIV isn't showing up in blood work yet (did some really stupid extremely risky stuff multiple times over the past year)

 

[Jabberwocky]

Sounds like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which is very difficult to conclusively diagnose through testing.

It’s also exacerbated by stress and anxiety (like whether you have HIV).

Peppermint oil capsules are quite effective at relieving the worst symptoms.

 

[Nurse Ratched]

The cough is what I would be worried about. Especially since it is a chronic cough that makes you cough so hard that you vomit. Does phlegm come up when this happens? Is it a wet or a dry cough? I know your blood work came back okay but how about a lung x-ray?

Are you worried you have HIV ? Not eating, constant diahrreah, coughing until you vomit and generally feeling like you are dying is some symptoms that I would for sure get looked at. If all your tests are coming back fine you either need a second opinion or something else is going on that needs to be explained to you.

Please go see your GI and please get a lung x-ray.

 

[December Flower]

A gastroscopy should reveal the issue.

Your stomach might have motility issues, that can cause a lot lot lot of pain, I speak from experience. Or you might have issues with reflux, or your gastric paries might be damaged - there's a lot of possibilities, so I really advise you to get a gastroscopy. Stomach issues can get very dangerous very fast.

 

[telepathetic]

The cough is what I would be worried about. Especially since it is a chronic cough that makes you cough so hard that you vomit. Does phlegm come up when this happens? Is it a wet or a dry cough? I know your blood work came back okay but how about a lung x-ray?

Are you worried you have HIV ? Not eating, constant diahrreah, coughing until you vomit and generally feeling like you are dying is some symptoms that I would for sure get looked at. If all your tests are coming back fine you either need a second opinion or something else is going on that needs to be explained to you.

Please go see your GI and please get a lung x-ray.

Its a wet cough, stuff comes up. Ive been a heavy tobacco smoker for 15+ years, at least 5 of those years unfiltered tobacco plus smoking and vaping all kinds of crap


I do worry about HIV, hep, etc, I wont be taking risks like that ever again but its going to be a bit before I could call a result accurate at this point, tho I'm in the clear from last year.

 

[Snafu in the Void]

Cigs always made me cough, wet productive cough, especially in the morning and/or when smoking weed. I was about ~15-20 cig/day smoker for about 12-14 years.

All my stomach issues I could blame on alcohol/drugs and go away when I stop, but you don't drink? What's your diet like?

 

[telepathetic]

Sounds like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which is very difficult to conclusively diagnose through testing.

It’s also exacerbated by stress and anxiety (like whether you have HIV).

Peppermint oil capsules are quite effective at relieving the worst symptoms.

This is my bet too, if its not HIV onset. Would make sense after reading with kind of when it started in my life, or got much worse anyway. I'm going to try every treatment possible all at once.

 

[telepathetic]

Cigs always made me cough, wet productive cough, especially in the morning and/or when smoking weed. I was about ~15-20 cig/day smoker for about 12-14 years.

All my stomach issues I could blame on alcohol and go away when I stop, but you don't drink? What's your diet like?

Yeah, it's not only when I smoke but yeab it might be from that. Mine get better if I don't drink, but don't go away completely. Day after drinking is worst. My diet could be better, but isn't horrible.

 

[Snafu in the Void]

Yeah, it's not only when I smoke but yeab it might be from that. Mine get better if I don't drink, but don't go away completely. Day after drinking is worst. My diet could be better, but isn't horrible.

When I quit drinking my stomach issues usually get worse for 24-36 hours then get significantly better. Part of that may be some sort of withdrawal symptom, but I've been a very heavy daily drinker for a decade. One of the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal is stomach issues. Alcohol really fucks up the balance of healthy bacteria in your gut. Alcohol completely ruined my natural appetite over the years. If I'm drinking I never have a healthy stool (tmi?).

 

[telepathetic]

Yeah, I really doubt I have any kind of alcohol dependence, other than one 2-3 week stint, its never more than 2-3 times a week.

Honestly with the fatigue and general malaise I wouldn't be shocked to get some horrible diagnosis.

Maybe I'll get lucky and im about to have an organ explode and I can fix it with a quick emergency surgery

 

[Snafu in the Void]

as an American I can blame a lot of general fatigue shitty feelings on diet

I notice a huge difference when I eat healthy

not saying you eat mcdonalds, just saying in general

 

[telepathetic]

as an American I can blame a lot of general fatigue shitty feelings on diet

I notice a huge difference when I eat healthy

not saying you eat mcdonalds, just saying in general

No way, fast food makes me vomit to even try, unless I literally haven't eaten in days. Tried to eat some fast food chicken recently someone bought for me, and I couldn't even get down a few. My diet isn't consistent, which sucks, soon I am going to switch to a smoothie diet for a month and see how it goes

 

[Nurse Ratched]

Its a wet cough, stuff comes up. Ive been a heavy tobacco smoker for 15+ years, at least 5 of those years unfiltered tobacco plus smoking and vaping all kinds of crap


I do worry about HIV, hep, etc, I wont be taking risks like that ever again but its going to be a bit before I could call a result accurate at this point, tho I'm in the clear from last year.

What color is the phlegm? Is it clear ( like snot ) or is it green? Only ask cause clear is usually ok. It's your lungs reacting to the cigarette smoke ( I smoke too and sometimes spit up clear phlegm.) Green means infection but it tastes terrible so you would for sure know something was wrong.

Just for your piece of mind I would get the HIV and Hep-c tests done. Once you get that out of the way you will have much less stress worrying about it. I sure hope you can get some of this stuff cleared up soon so that you can enjoy your summer and not be sick the whole time. Good luck.

 

[telepathetic]

What color is the phlegm? Is it clear ( like snot ) or is it green? Only ask cause clear is usually ok. It's your lungs reacting to the cigarette smoke ( I smoke too and sometimes spit up clear phlegm.) Green means infection but it tastes terrible so you would for sure know something was wrong.

Just for your piece of mind I would get the HIV and Hep-c tests done. Once you get that out of the way you will have much less stress worrying about it. I sure hope you can get some of this stuff cleared up soon so that you can enjoy your summer and not be sick the whole time. Good luck.

Its usually brown or clear, had blood work and no indication of an infection or immune issue anywhere . Ive had the tests done,even recently, all negative for full std panel, but after 6 months ill feel better about it, especially because there was some recently not-as-risky-but-still-incredivly-dumb shit a few months ago. I hear it can take a year to seroconvert, and shmpyoms can show before, which is my concern.

 

[Snafu in the Void]

I was a light smoker during the day but would basically chain smoke every night while drinking and had the worst cough every morning. Would hack up a lung with the morning bong hit. It was not uncommon for me to puke every morning simply due to coughing. Fuck cigarettes, so glad I got off them!

Not to mention my poor kitty exposed to all that second hand smoke ;(

I could tell he hated it.

 

[Nurse Ratched]

as an American I can blame a lot of general fatigue shitty feelings on diet

I notice a huge difference when I eat healthy

not saying you eat mcdonalds, just saying in general

Same.

 

[telepathetic]

yeah, I am quitting in about a week, dont have a choice, I'll be locked in a clinic for 25 days. Don't plan to pick it up after that. I smoked from age 14 with only a 1.5 year break at like 20. Well that's all contingent upon my screening results, which includes an HIV test and hep, and full medical workup really, should find that out in 2 days.. i do know on my last blood work my thyroid was ever so slightly lower than their range, but not in the level that is medicated. Never went for a followup. That should be part of the results I get in 2 days

 

[Snafu in the Void]

yeah, I am quitting in about a week, dont have a choice, I'll be locked in a clinic for 25 days. Don't plan to pick it up after that. I smoked from age 14 with only a 1.5 year break at like 20.

you going to inpatient?

yeah I started smoking daily at 14, eventually how I quit was by switching to oral/dip tobacco and then eventually vaping. Completely off tobacco now. That's a big step towards quitting nicotine.

 

[Nurse Ratched]

I was a light smoker during the day but would basically chain smoke every night while drinking and had the worst cough every morning. Would hack up a lung with the morning bong hit. It was not uncommon for me to puke every morning simply due to coughing. Fuck cigarettes, so glad I got off them!

Not to mention my poor kitty exposed to all that second hand smoke ;(

I could tell he hated it.

I am seriously considering quitting smoking for good this time. I keep going back to it. The biggest incentive is that I am NOT going to smoke in my house like I did this past winter. If I want to keep doing it I have to go outside and Michigan winters aren't conducive to that. Especially in the AM in my jammies with my coffee.

Took me the better part of a week to wash that nasty brown slime off of my walls, my curtains, my clothes, the cabinets and the mirrors. With no windows open for 6 months out of the year that shit is just plain nasty. I am not going to go through that again. Lordy, I hope not anyway.

 

[telepathetic]

you going to inpatient?

yeah I started smoking daily at 14, eventually how I quit was by switching to oral/dip tobacco and then eventually vaping. Completely off tobacco now. That's a big step towards quitting nicotine.

More or less..

Very interesting, that's how I quit for the year and a half, and also one time for 3 months, switching to dip. The time I had the most success, I dipped for a few weeks and then took lsd 3 says after quitting that. Actually my method is cigs > dip > snus > nothing > psychedelics. Probably going to cold turkey it tomorrow. I had gone 4 days and then caved and got some cigs yesterday