Suggest Treatment For Constipation, Occasional Diarrhea, Heartburn And Bloating

Posted on Sat, 28 Nov 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 28 Nov 2015 Answered on

Fri, 18 Dec 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Hey there,
I have had some pretty serious stomach issues for the past 3-4 months and have found minimal relief...I had an endoscopy done and they found nothing from a biopsy of my stomach but I have had stomach pain, constipation(with occasional diarrhea), heartburn,&bad bloating(my worst symptom) and protonix hasnt helped much. I feel like it varies with what I eat&drink and my first thought was gluten sensitivity but now I'm leaning towards diverticulitis. I'm a 35 yr old male and have a history of acid reflux, and I spent 2 months in Europe from XXXXXXX to April. I'm wondering if I ate something weird there and/or possibly introduced some bad bacteria to my stomach. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Klerida Shehu (12 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Please follow

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you for asking!
I read carefully all your concerns and I can say as follows :
1. You are reporting to have constipation and occasional diarrhea, heartburn and stomach pain.
These findings may be related with:
- IBS /dispeptic syndrome
- acid reflux
- SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)

2. With regards to diverticulitis , your symptoms are not typical for it.
Usually diverticulitis is associated with diarrhea, fever and fatigue.

3. Since you have done upper endoscopy than I suggest to do:
- breath Hydrogen test to rule out/confirm SIBO
- colonoscopy
Meantime I would suggest to :
- use probiotics
- avoid spicy, chilly and fatty foods
- use PPI like prilosec
- use olive oil to avoid constipation
- take plenty of water
- avoid unnecessary stress

wish you all the best.
Dr.Klerida

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar