Tested

As you know, last month I decided I was obsessing too much over my intake and health and didn't have enough information, so I scheduled a follow up with my general family doctor to see if there was any medical reason anyone could give me as to why I still had bloating and abdominal pain, didn't seem to be able to absorb my food, and had lost so much weight despite the fact that I eat a very healthy diet very regularly.  My doctor was concerned enough to order four tests, a blood draw, a stool sample, a stomach scope, and and MRI of my abdomen. After 40 day I got the results of all these tests. This is what resulted:

Blood Test
Pancreatic enzymes (lipase) still elevated but not to alarming levels. Double the normal range.

A lipase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of fats (lipids).Lipases are a subclass of the esterases.Lipases perform essential roles in the digestion, transport and processing of dietary lipids (e.g. triglycerides, fats, oils) in most, if not all, living organisms. Genes encoding lipases are even present in certain viruses. Most lipases act at a specific position on the glycerol backbone of lipid substrate (small intestine). For example, human pancreatic lipase (HPL),which is the main enzyme that breaks down dietary fats in the human digestive system, converts triglyceride substrates found in ingested oils to monoglycerides and two fatty acids. Several other types of lipase activities exist in nature, such as phospholipases and sphingomyelinases however these are usually treated separately from "conventional" lipases.


Stool Test
No harmful bacteria detected.

Stomach Scope
Scope showed everal small ulcers in the lining of my stomach. Some inflammation in the duodenum. No cancer detected, no sprue (celiac) detected, no H-Pylori detected. My doctor said that the celiac test could be a false positive because I haven't been eating wheat and he suggested I eat wheat for 3 weeks and do another blood test, which I have not done.

A peptic ulcer is a distinct breach in the mucosal lining of the stomach (gastric ulcer) or the first part of the small intestine (duodenal ulcer) a result of caustic effects of acid and pepsin in the lumen. Histologically, peptic ulcer is identified as necrosis of the mucosa which produces lesions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm (1/5"). It is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common causes of peptic ulcer. Ulcers can also be caused or worsened by drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and other NSAIDs.

MRI of Abdomen
This was the most expensive test and the most frustratingly inconclusive result. I called my doctors office because no one called me about it for 4 days, and all the nurse said was, "The MRI shows Abnormal amounts of food in the lower intestines and colon. (She asked if I am constipated, which I am not, and in fact usually have the opposite problem, which suggests as I already suspected, I'm not properly absorbing my food, the question is why I have abnormal motility in my intestinal track.) So she said, "If abdominal pain still persists, see your general practitioner for further testing."

That's it!  Thank you for your prayers while I tried to figure this out, but I am still a bit confused. I am grateful that this time the doctor didn't tell me "You seem to be fine physically, maybe its just anxiety" like they did 3 years ago. And this time the doctor and the nurses were very validating, Dr. Curtis said "Sometimes there is no test for certain problems, doesn't mean there isn't a problem." Dr. Smith said, "It really sounds like celiac or gluten intolerance."  The nurse said, "You're not a hypochondriac, your a mother, the caretakers don't want to make a big deal about their health problems because they are taking care of everyone else, but you need to take care of you and figure this out."  And this time, there is at least some evidence that something is off. However, in order to find out what that is I would most likely have to spend exorbitant amounts of money on a specialist and be "further tested," so for now, I will keep being grateful for the functionality I still have and try to take as good care of myself as I know how. And yes, I still believe my theory that I have hereditary pancreatitis.