Sudden bloating
July 21, 2017 9:18 AM Subscribe
One of my very best friends suddenly looks pregnant.
One of my housemates came into my room last night and asked me to put my hands on her tummy which is a very nice tummy but we are not like that so I immediately understood the gravity of the request. Turned on the light and holy shit batman. It felt like something was kicking in there. She was passing lots of gas at both ends. She'd been to a doctor earlier at the hospital she works at and doc said she had an ulcer. I got my son up and we went to a closer different hospital. They said it was just gas. She argued with them. Just gas.
So we had the "I know it's not gas. Gas doesn't do that. We all ate the same thing" discussion. Our doctors suck. She's hot and cold and spewing my patented keep-it-down broth. Temp hasn't breached 101 F but it gets there really fast when it starts rising and goes back down quickly. I'm keeping the kids away and trying to educate myself and I need some help. Her daughter is really upset. We have a third adult if I go down.
No way an ulcer could cause this, right? She's 28 and very healthy and likes to hit dandelions and mushrooms and these bizarre orange brain-like things that come up after a rain and turn to powder with a golf club so I'm looking that way now but I can't find anything about what that is or what breathing those spores can cause and maybe I'm on the wrong track altogether. It's the only thing she did that the rest of us didn't do yesterday.
I have called a doctor I trust who will come here but it will be a day.
One of my housemates came into my room last night and asked me to put my hands on her tummy which is a very nice tummy but we are not like that so I immediately understood the gravity of the request. Turned on the light and holy shit batman. It felt like something was kicking in there. She was passing lots of gas at both ends. She'd been to a doctor earlier at the hospital she works at and doc said she had an ulcer. I got my son up and we went to a closer different hospital. They said it was just gas. She argued with them. Just gas.
So we had the "I know it's not gas. Gas doesn't do that. We all ate the same thing" discussion. Our doctors suck. She's hot and cold and spewing my patented keep-it-down broth. Temp hasn't breached 101 F but it gets there really fast when it starts rising and goes back down quickly. I'm keeping the kids away and trying to educate myself and I need some help. Her daughter is really upset. We have a third adult if I go down.
No way an ulcer could cause this, right? She's 28 and very healthy and likes to hit dandelions and mushrooms and these bizarre orange brain-like things that come up after a rain and turn to powder with a golf club so I'm looking that way now but I can't find anything about what that is or what breathing those spores can cause and maybe I'm on the wrong track altogether. It's the only thing she did that the rest of us didn't do yesterday.
I have called a doctor I trust who will come here but it will be a day.
You seem to think that because she ate the same food as you this cannot be gas. I have no idea what her ailment is but that logic is not sound, not at all. People are different. The same people react differently at different times. Dandlions and wild mushroom spores do not cause acute bloating and gastrointestinal pain when inhaled in trace quantities.
I once went to the ER thinking my appendix was going to explode. They did all kinds of diagnostics and determined it was gas. I have never had gas like that before, or since, and I ate nothing unusual that day.
Sure, get a third opinion, but don't be surprised if they also say ulcer or gas. Ulcer is something that can be treated with antibiotics now, and gas is also treatable and may simply go away with time. I'd tell her to take an OTC Gas-X in the mean time if she is in pain, it may help a lot and it certainly can't hurt. If it helps, you've learned something. If the problem persists, yes, OB/GYN might be the doc to try next.
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:26 AM on July 21, 2017 [11 favorites]
I once went to the ER thinking my appendix was going to explode. They did all kinds of diagnostics and determined it was gas. I have never had gas like that before, or since, and I ate nothing unusual that day.
Sure, get a third opinion, but don't be surprised if they also say ulcer or gas. Ulcer is something that can be treated with antibiotics now, and gas is also treatable and may simply go away with time. I'd tell her to take an OTC Gas-X in the mean time if she is in pain, it may help a lot and it certainly can't hurt. If it helps, you've learned something. If the problem persists, yes, OB/GYN might be the doc to try next.
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:26 AM on July 21, 2017 [11 favorites]
She's hot and cold and spewing my patented keep-it-down broth.
To be clear, this means that aside from being bloated she's having intermittent fever, chills, and is vomiting?
posted by wondermouse at 9:42 AM on July 21, 2017 [16 favorites]
To be clear, this means that aside from being bloated she's having intermittent fever, chills, and is vomiting?
posted by wondermouse at 9:42 AM on July 21, 2017 [16 favorites]
Is her abdomen simply gurgling a lot or is it rigid?
Either way, with the fever, chills, and vomiting it sounds like you're describing, I'd go back to the ER. Could be diverticulitis. Could be appendicitis. Could be other things that require prompt care.
posted by praemunire at 9:48 AM on July 21, 2017 [8 favorites]
Either way, with the fever, chills, and vomiting it sounds like you're describing, I'd go back to the ER. Could be diverticulitis. Could be appendicitis. Could be other things that require prompt care.
posted by praemunire at 9:48 AM on July 21, 2017 [8 favorites]
Check your memail
posted by pintapicasso at 9:55 AM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by pintapicasso at 9:55 AM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Something like this turned out to be a weird, but intense, stomach infection that required hospitalization. Very painful.
posted by amtho at 10:19 AM on July 21, 2017
posted by amtho at 10:19 AM on July 21, 2017
Seconding that she should be checked for ovarian cysts, seconding it extremely strongly, like, I'm pounding on my keyboard. These exact symptoms - bloating, fever, gas, vomiting - happened to me and an ultrasound revealed it was a ruptured ovarian cyst. I would go back to the ER.
posted by superfluousm at 12:42 PM on July 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by superfluousm at 12:42 PM on July 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'd also have them check for C diff (Clostridium difficile). My uncle had it and had severe bloating as well. The hallmark of C diff is diarrhea/loose stools that have a very distinct funky smell to them.
I concur on having her ovaries checked as well. Anything wrong with them can cause bloating and pain/vomiting as well.
posted by MultiFaceted at 1:14 PM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
I concur on having her ovaries checked as well. Anything wrong with them can cause bloating and pain/vomiting as well.
posted by MultiFaceted at 1:14 PM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Or torsion of an ovarian cyst can cause similar issues, I think.
posted by praemunire at 1:41 PM on July 21, 2017
posted by praemunire at 1:41 PM on July 21, 2017
I am not a doctor, but this sounds really scary to me, and this is a momma, and one of your best friends, and her daughter is upset. You guys need to go back to the ER and refuse to leave, cry, whatever it takes - until they do some imaging.
posted by kitcat at 1:57 PM on July 21, 2017
posted by kitcat at 1:57 PM on July 21, 2017
Stomach bugs can do this -- I had a crazy 24 hour bout of gastroenteritis earlier this year with similar symptoms. Even if everyone ate the same thing, they didn't all necessarily touch the same doorknob. Giardia, for instance, can cause pretty spectacular quantities of gas-out-both-ends (and bloating). I'd definitely keep an eye on that fever though.
Question: is there a lot of pain with this, or just bloating?
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 2:07 PM on July 21, 2017
Question: is there a lot of pain with this, or just bloating?
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 2:07 PM on July 21, 2017
Response by poster: Whole body aches like flu. Her abdomen is rigid. Pulse is exactly 60 but I have nothing to compare that to.
My sister had an ovarian cyst rupture and she went so stiff I had to carry her out the door sideways. Her fingers were bending backwards. This is not like that but who knows?
She wants to wait for the doctor we know will actually listen to her. Other adult wants her to go back to the hospital now and is working on her.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:47 PM on July 21, 2017
My sister had an ovarian cyst rupture and she went so stiff I had to carry her out the door sideways. Her fingers were bending backwards. This is not like that but who knows?
She wants to wait for the doctor we know will actually listen to her. Other adult wants her to go back to the hospital now and is working on her.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:47 PM on July 21, 2017
Her abdomen is rigid? She needs to go to the ER. Now.
posted by delight at 3:15 PM on July 21, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by delight at 3:15 PM on July 21, 2017 [14 favorites]
Go to a small ER, one without a long wait, so whichever doctor she gets will take the time to listen and keep looking for evidence. Ulcer or gas is not a diagnosis; the diagnosis isn't done until it's just one thing and a treatment plan has been put in place.
A rigid abdomen can be very serious. It could mean internal bleeding. It could be a major infection. Push for evidence for the diagnosis, and treatment, and wait until there is some progress.
posted by Capri at 3:16 PM on July 21, 2017
A rigid abdomen can be very serious. It could mean internal bleeding. It could be a major infection. Push for evidence for the diagnosis, and treatment, and wait until there is some progress.
posted by Capri at 3:16 PM on July 21, 2017
I turned out to be quite-a-ways-along pregnant and in premature labor with very similar symptoms. Please get her to the hospital.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 3:20 PM on July 21, 2017
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 3:20 PM on July 21, 2017
Please read this http://healthtools.aarp.org/health/abdominal-rigidity
posted by kitcat at 4:37 PM on July 21, 2017
posted by kitcat at 4:37 PM on July 21, 2017
Response by poster: She was bitten by a snake we think and didn't know it until she took a shower. That got her to go to the hospital. Everybody wanted to go the hospital then.
It had to have happened while she was asleep which has everyone completely freaked out now. Can you sleep through a snakebite? I guess so. Now I have to find it or nobody will come home. I've never seen a copperhead around this house, just harmless ones. I carefully took the sheets off her futon and there was a little blood right about where that part of her body would touch. Same with her pajamas.
Coincidence?
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:06 PM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
It had to have happened while she was asleep which has everyone completely freaked out now. Can you sleep through a snakebite? I guess so. Now I have to find it or nobody will come home. I've never seen a copperhead around this house, just harmless ones. I carefully took the sheets off her futon and there was a little blood right about where that part of her body would touch. Same with her pajamas.
Coincidence?
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:06 PM on July 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
GO BACK TO THE ER RIGHT NOW. If you need motivation go read Will Wheaton's recent blogs about his wife's ovarian torsion. The first few docs said it was kidney stones and sent her on her way. She could have died. Your housemate has a laundry list of truly scary symptoms and needs to be in the ER ASAP!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 6:50 PM on July 21, 2017
posted by Ursula Hitler at 6:50 PM on July 21, 2017
Copperheads supposedly smell like cucumbers, if that's any help in finding it.
posted by jamjam at 11:48 PM on July 21, 2017
posted by jamjam at 11:48 PM on July 21, 2017
GO BACK TO THE ER RIGHT NOW, this is a truly terrifying array of symptoms that requires emergency medicine to evaluate. GO BACK TO THE ER RIGHT NOW.
posted by Blasdelb at 7:02 AM on July 22, 2017
posted by Blasdelb at 7:02 AM on July 22, 2017
They went back to the ER yesterday guys- read the updates.
I've never seen a snakebite from a north american snake that wasn't painful with lots of localized edema, but definitely spider or scorpion bites can be relatively painless at the time. I guess it's possible your roommate encountered something else venemous or was bitten by something else? I hope they are OK
posted by fshgrl at 11:28 AM on July 22, 2017
I've never seen a snakebite from a north american snake that wasn't painful with lots of localized edema, but definitely spider or scorpion bites can be relatively painless at the time. I guess it's possible your roommate encountered something else venemous or was bitten by something else? I hope they are OK
posted by fshgrl at 11:28 AM on July 22, 2017
I guess I missed the part about her going back to the hospital because there was nothing in there about what the doctors said was happening and it seemed like the follow-up post was more about asking us if snakebites could cause this. That seems like something the doctors would have been able to answer.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:23 PM on July 22, 2017
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:23 PM on July 22, 2017
Response by poster: The only scorpions I've ever seen here came with mulch delivered to their elementary school playground. Oh joyous day that was, all the kids jumping up and down.
The two holes were too far apart to be something other than a snake and I did find a shed skin and golfed one in the basement with a swingblade. She didn't want the 20k treatment and she's home now and the rest of us are sealing up everything. She'd odd about pain for reasons.
It's tourist season and the hospitals are flooded with seniors who fell at their summer home and other people with good insurance and we are just not part of the profit margin.
And being admonished by Hitler is a special thing that I will always treasure.
We're good. Thank you all.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 7:37 AM on July 23, 2017 [3 favorites]
The two holes were too far apart to be something other than a snake and I did find a shed skin and golfed one in the basement with a swingblade. She didn't want the 20k treatment and she's home now and the rest of us are sealing up everything. She'd odd about pain for reasons.
It's tourist season and the hospitals are flooded with seniors who fell at their summer home and other people with good insurance and we are just not part of the profit margin.
And being admonished by Hitler is a special thing that I will always treasure.
We're good. Thank you all.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 7:37 AM on July 23, 2017 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by greta simone at 9:22 AM on July 21, 2017 [8 favorites]