Was I sick or is something wrong?

[Cloudbringer]

Dan, sounds like allergic reaction - could be a drug/food interaction too. I'd ask a doctor about it now that it's happened twice!

Cloudy

As Cloudy said, its best to ask your doctor, thats what he's there for. I had similar reactions and found out that I had suddenly become allergic to Orange Juice...but it only affects me that way if I drink it early in the morning soon after I get uup [img]smile.gif[/img] So food allergies can do weird things to you.

Sounds like it wasn't fatal though [img]smile.gif[/img] You seem pretty spry [img]smile.gif[/img]

[DragonMage]

*hugs* Firstly, I agree that you should still check with your doctor.

It could be anything mentioned here (food allergy, allergy to medicine - even stress).

I've had something similar happen, including the 'dark stool' and found it was severe gas of a sort. It built up in a pocket in my intestines and hurt like everything! Made me sweat, nauseous, etc. Apparently from eating too much broccoli/cauliflower (not sure which one as I eat them together). My body can't handle lots of those (even though I LOVE them), so it built up gases and was so bad, it couldn't 'pass'. A couple days later, there was blood when I went #2. Apparently, the gas pressure had stressed my intestinal lining and torn it a bit.

I hope this helps you figure out what happened to you, too.

*hugs* some more.

[adam warlock]

Ziroc.... you either may have a slight form of allergic reaction OR ulcers (Stress-related)

me thinks that you focused on everything else but forgot to focus on yourself.
My advice? Go to a doctor. Trust me, there's no shame in going to the doctor. Get allergy tests taken. change your diet. cut down on the Mt. Dew drinking because it's high on sugar...

As for smoking, I'm not going to tell you to quit because that's your decision to make. BUT.... if you have an urge to smoke, chew sugarless gum instead. just a suggestion. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Memnoch]

I'm sorry to hear that, mate. Definitely check it out with your GP. I'm no doctor, but I did work for Johnson & Johnson Medical/Janssen-Cilag for four years, so I know a *little* bit about intitutional medicine and pharmacology.

If you don't mind my asking, when did you start taking Vioxx, what are you taking it for and how long is the course for it? It's an anti-arthritis drug, isn't it? Are you taking it as a pain-reliever? It's really more for osteoarthritis. There may be other pharmacological alternatives out there if you are taking it purely for pain relief - but I don't want to say anything until I fully understand your situation.

The pain you described sounds a bit like what's called a duodenal ulcer (that's the first part of the small intestine into which the stomach empties). Duodenal ulcers typically cause a gnawing pain in the stomach, BEFORE meals and in the middle of the night. DON'T WORRY, they're not a major stomach ulcer which causes bleeding or anything, they're quite common and very easily treatable with a wide range of reliable histamine-blockers (about 1 in 5 people will have some form of peptic ulcer in their lifetime). Of course if you don't do anything about them, they have the potential to get worse.

Serious stomach ulcer complications (bleeding etc) are not a known side effect of ranitidine, which is the major ingredient of Vioxx. The likelihood of stomach problems does increase the longer you take it. Medications are always a managed risk you've got to look at your net gain in taking them. However, even short-term treatment is not without risk. These problems can happen without any warning, but in some people may cause symptoms such as gnawing or burning stomach pain, black or tarry stools, or vomiting - which are exactly the symptoms that you mentioned.

Keep in mind that the environment you're in right now is not exactly stress-free and so this can influence your susceptibility to stress-related side-effects like ulcers etc.

Let me know some more details if you can, mate! But DEFINITELY see your GP and get him to check it out. Good luck! [img]smile.gif[/img]

By the way - I smoke too. Not a good thing. [img]redface.gif[/img] You may also need to just have another look at your diet.

[ 01-25-2002: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

[Jorath Calar]

hey a pack a day isn't that bad, I know a guy who smokes 2 lighters a day... through a hole in his neck

Well, I'm no doctor but I've seen one on tv... so my advise is...

No seriously go see a doctor, it should have been the first thing you did... instead of asking us... we are a bunch of roleplaying nerds for crying out loud, what could we know... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Elif Godson]

Talk to a doctor most definetly. Isnt Galadria in the general practice field ? PM here she might be of an immediate service to you.

[Donut]

Dan, you should definitely visit your doctor to have it checked out. I agree with Memnoch (spits) this sounds like an ulcer. You haven't said what you are taking for painkillers (if not Vioxx) but ulcers can be caused by taking Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS).

[Larry_OHF]

I am going to just use my example to illustrate something.
This is not a diagnosis for you.

I have health problems, and have had them since I was in High School.
After seeing the 3rd doctor, he was finally able to conclude that my Stress levels of real life gets so intense, that I make myself have diarrea and nausia. Who would of thought?
As long as I can remain calm in the day, I do not have sickness.
If I do stress out, I seem to follow the same symptoms you described. And I have had blood in my stool, many times.

[ 01-25-2002: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Galadria1]

Hi, Ziroc. Well, I do have an M.D. The questions I would like to ask are: 1. Did you take your temperature? 100 degreees or more would indicate a virus. 2. As I understand you, you did not throw up. Did you have diarrhea? If you did not, that pretty much rules out food poisoning. 3. Did you notice any swelling of your hands, feet, or face? Food allergies often cause these, along with urticaria (hives) and difficulty breathing. If all these were absent, I would tend to discount food allergies, though not completely. Now, we come to the most suspicious part. You say that you smoke, about 1 ppd. You take anti-inflammatory drugs, and you drink high-caffiene beverages. These are all well-known contributers to erosive gastritis, the cause of much gastrointestinal bleeding, and peptic ulcer disease. Moreove, they can cause the food in the stomach to reflux into the lower part of the esophagus, causing severe burning pain and the sensation of unease (that we call malaise). I would be forced to conclude that you are suffering one or both of these. You say you take Zantac. How often, and in what dosage? The over-the -counter dosage of Zantac is 75mg, and this is not enough to treat peptic ulcer disease. You probably need to be on a proton-pump inhibitor like Nexxium, Prevacid, or Prilosec. Failing this, I would raise your dosage of Zantac to 300 mg. twice a day. All this, obviously, is no substitute for a physical examination, and the appropriate x-ray and endoscopic studies. Also, your doctor will probably order a blood test for Helicobacter pylorii, the bacteria that causes some ulcers. Good luck, and e-mail or pm me if I can help anymore: chefdoc106@aol.com