So frustrated- diagnose my DD *update*

A friend of mine was diagnosed with abdominal migraines. Her symptoms were very similar to your dd's. She spent over a year sick. I think she now follows a very strict diet. She's also celiac, so her diet is crazy. It's basically very little dairy, no processed foods at all, no citrus, no chocolate and no caffeine. Good luck. It seems that GI issues are some of the hardest to diagnose.

Ruling out gall stones does not rule out gallbladder disease. I had a normal ultrasound but when I had a HIDA scan my gallbladder was only functioning at 7 percent of normal, and they scheduled me for surgery right away. My primary symptom was severe nausea and vomiting, with pain going into my back. I never had pain the typical location for gallbladder issues.

Hoping your daughter finds relief soon. If she hasn't had a consult with a GI doctor I would ask for one.

I don't know maybe try different doctors? (since some doctors have an issue with admitting they were wrong )
 I have a hard time thinking that a doctor thinks it's ok to have ovulatory pain for a whole week and not keep food down. I get pretty bad ovulatory pain that can keep me double over for nearly an hour but there is a huge difference between an hour, or even a few days and a whole week or more. 

I have had experience in my family with exactly 2 abdominal issues
1 appendicitis but not enflamed or enlarged - hard to find - treated with drugs not operated on. Which had symptoms similar to what you describe. 
2 a unexplained hole in the intestines nearly diagnosed too late because the stubborn male patient refused to go to the ER for a 'stomach ache' emergency surgery saved his life, it was not hard to diagnose once the patient was in the ER. 


I sure  hope your DD feels better soon and the doctors can figure out what is causing her so much pain. 

My daughter had flare ups for several years exactly as you are describing. It was a mucus seal on her appendix. Thy had to remove her appendix and a section of her colon. She has been fine ever since.

Sounds like appendix to me.

Diverticulitis and/ or perforated bowel.

Ectopic pregnancy.

Bowel obstruction.

Longshot--some sort of stomach or other cancer

I vote for appendix. It presents itself differently for some people. Mine pain was not typical, however, I was throwing up and going to the bathroom every 20 minutes on the mark for about 3 hours. My blood pressure was dropping to a dangerous level by the time I went to ER. I had just been to the doctor that day and we thought maybe it was a cyst or diverticulitis acting up. Before I was able to get home and get the meds the "fun" started.

We had a student become gravely ill due to his appendix rupturing. The ER sent him home because everyone in the house had the stomach virus.

Maybe diverticulitis ?

I was thinking diverticulitis also as this sounds exactly like what my mother suffered with for years. Ectopic pregnancy can be extremely painful and will prove fatal if not caught and excised in time, and true that a absence of gall stones does not automatically rule out gall bladder disease.

I think it's important to get a second opinion too if you feel the docs aren't being thorough or are thinking she's faking for attention.

Good luck I hope she feels better, please update when you know something.

That poor girl. And I'm sure you are beside yourself. I'm the mom to a 22 year old with chronic health problems, and it is the single biggest worry in my life.

I call BS on the ovulation pain; for a day or two, maybe. Not for over a week.

I second the idea that it could be gallbladder disease without stones. Has she had a HIDA scan? 
Sphincter of Oddi disorder (spasm of the biliary duct)
Atypical appendicitis (is she on any drugs that act as anti-inflammatories? They can make a diseased appendix look normal)
Partial bowel obstruction
Stomach or duodenal ulcer
Abdominal migraine. This needs to be considered and ruled out if possible, because it is a frequently missed cause of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
Gastroparesis (slowing down of the GI tract)
Urinary tract infection or kidney infection

Why was she discharged if she couldn't keep anything down? That is ridiculous! You may need to just make yourself a total pain in the ass to the drs 
there, and demand tests, demand answers, and refuse to take her home until she is better.

She should be getting anti-emetics either rectally or (preferably) via IV. You can take 3 or 4 different meds at once to control nausea and vomiting.
After surgery, I've had zofran IV, phenergan oral and the scopalamine patch behind the ear all at the same time. This vomiting can and should be treated very aggressively.


Was your daughter on IV hydration the whole time she was in the hospital? 

I'll see if i can think of anything else, and I'll check in. I'm so sorry.

Take her to a different hospital. I was so sick that I had to go to my local one. I only had 20 minutes of all clear to make it somewhere. Thankfully, they figured it out, but I still hesitated about surgery there. Going to a different one if that is choice may help if they don't recognize her.

I haven't got a clue, but it sounds serious. I hope they find a cause really soon. Please come back and update us.

Am thinking about your dd and wondering if there is an update of how she is doing?

I agree it could still be gallbladder without having gallstones. My HIDA scan diagnosed my nasty gallbladder which needed removal.

The other thing I immediately thought of is gastroparesis. It is an uncommon disease and often misdiagnosed for years in some people. A gastric emptying study is the best diagnostic tool for that. I've been in your daughter's shoes before, and even though I'm now diagnosed and have a treatment plan, I still have episodes like you're describing.

You're both in my thoughts.

My daughter had kidney stones. She had severe pain and vomiting (on a cross-country road trip with a friend .) it would come and go over the span of a few days. It lasted a month before she finally passed them.

I hope your daughter feels better soon.