Answer may be common disorder

Dear Dr. Gott: I’ve been nauseated off and on for the past six months, belch excessively, my stomach gurgles and I have irregular bowel movements. An EGD and flexible sigmoidoscopy were negative. Pelvic ultrasound was normal, as was a gallbladder/liver/pancreas ultrasound. Blood work was negative. What, if any, tests remain that might help me?

Dear Reader: You certainly have had your share of tests: EGD (esophagogastroduodenoscopy, to examine your upper digestive tract), sigmoidoscopy (to examine your lower colon), blood tests and various ultrasound examinations to investigate your innards. Despite all this testing, nothing showed up. How frustrating.

Maybe there’s some hope. As with many medical conditions, the answer to your problem is more likely to be a common disorder than an exotic one.

For example, I wonder if your specialists checked you for lactose intolerance. Some people cannot digest milk sugar; when they consume milk products, they experience symptoms similar to yours.

Lactose intolerance is diagnosed by a special breath test – or, if you are fed up with testing, you can experiment by avoiding all milk products unless they have been pretreated, such as Lactaid. If lactose intolerance is your problem, your symptoms should disappear in days.

Also, you should have a stool analysis for parasites, such as giardia, and for excess fat, which might indicate an absorption problem. The stool tests are easy to perform.

After your doctors have finished with you, they may conclude that you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, a common condition marked by digestive disturbances that are not caused by any physical abnormality. This syndrome may be worsened by stress and anxiety and is often helped by the daily use of a stool-bulking agent such as Metamucil.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: My wife is hooked on onions. She eats them raw, cooked, on sandwiches, on salads, on everything. Are three to five large onions consumed every day bad for her health? Oddly enough, she doesn’t have bad breath or gas.

Dear Reader: Onions are safe, even when eaten in quantity. Don’t bug your wife about her dietary preference.