I had my GI appointment today.
He doesn’t think the throbbing aching chest/upper abdominal pain that flares up with activity is GI related. Neither do I but doctors love to make gastroparesis the scapegoat.
He also doesn’t think my nausea is GI related which really surprised me. He said you would expect GI related nausea to be more episodic and flare up with food related events. Not the constant state of nausea that I’m in that flares up with even the slightest movement or activity. He wasn’t willing to say what could be causing it if not GI but there are plenty of things like severe pain, cardiac problems, dysautonomia, medication side effects etc that could cause nausea. So idk but it’s new info to work with so that’s good.
He thinks my handfuls of ibuprofen three times a day is probably causing my stomach aches. Which…like…duh. I already know that but that’s why we’re going the methotrexate route instead. I’m scheduled for an endoscopy to check for ulcers the day after I’m scheduled for my chest CT + calcium score. If there’s damage he’s going to give me a Rx that’s supposed to help protect against the damage associated with NSAIDs
TMI warning. He thinks my lack of appetite is being exacerbated by my chronic pain and constipation but he agrees that most laxatives would make me more sick. He wants me to try a specific OTC medication called Docusate.
He was kind and understanding. He accepted that I have bad brain fog and gave me as much time as I needed to work through the conversation. He acknowledged that I probably knew a lot of this stuff already and that my medical issues are complicated. He understood how frustrating it was that everyone keeps pushing the GI route when it’s so obviously not the cause. He answered all my questions, sometimes multiple times and never labeled me as an anxious patient for being concerned about my health. I really appreciated having a good experience with a doctor. It’s been a while.