Eating 20 wings at Wingstop caused chronic GI issues?
Medical History
25 year old male, 5'7 160 lb.
Diagnosed with mild chronic gastritis in 2020. Anxiety since birth. Chronic constipation since 2021. Difficulty with work stress (programming job) and sleep since 2021, but no disorders. Symptoms have mostly been fatigue.
Medical workup has been fairly extensive in the past few years. 2 endoscopies (2020 and 2022) revealed gastritis. Colonoscopy in 2022 yielded no notable results. Everything else normal. January 2024 X-Ray abdomen with decub revealed moderate colonic stool burden, and I was prescribed 10oz magnesium citrate to flush out my system. August 13, 2024 had another X-Ray abdomen with decub which the impression was "Unchanged. Slightly increased amount of stool in the colon. No evidence of small bowel obstruction". Vitals have always been normal.
| Procedure | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Endoscopy | August 2020 | Mild chronic gastritis |
| Endosccopy | August 2022 | Mild chronic gastritis |
| Colonoscopy | August 2022 | Nothing notable |
| X-Ray Abdomen with decub | January 2024 | Moderate colonic fecal retention |
| X-Ray Abdomen with decub | August 2024 | Slightly increased amount of stool in the colon. No evidence of small bowel obstruction |
I was in good shape, athletic growing up, but haven't exercised consistently in the last 3 years. Diet consists of homemade fried rice, spaghetti with frozen vegetables and turkey burger, and chicken and rice for dinner. Occasionally will eat out at fast food places and drink soda.
Medications/Supplements
| Medication/Supplement | Dosage | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Lexapro | 15mg | Daily |
| Benefiber | 3tsp | Daily |
| Miralax | 17g | Daily |
GI has prescribed 290mcg Linzess to help with constipation that I haven't started. I have also taken 20mg omeprazole on and off since 2023, currently not taking any.
Incident and Symptoms
5 weeks ago, I exercised pretty hard in the sun, maybe more than I'm used to, and got a bad sunburn that lasted a week. I was pretty hungry, so went to Wingstop and binged on about what felt like 15-20 wings, closer to 15. That was at lunchtime, I felt so full that I didn't eat anything for the rest of the day and went to bed.
Woke up the next morning with my stomach feeling absolutely clogged up. In the last 5 weeks I've had fairly debilitating symptoms beyond what any normal constipation has felt like:
- My digestive system feels tight/plugged up
- brain fog/dizziness
- bowel movements feel incomplete, as if I'm squeezing a bag of icing and it's coming out of a smaller hole than I'm used to
- belly button area and obliques often feel "full", with cramping
- bloating in the stomach and some difficulty breathing when this occurs
- gas and stool has a foul odor
- pressure at the base of my stomach
- anus feels irritated after bowel movement
These symptoms have been pretty consistent for the last 5 weeks. I noticed some minor improvements with dietary changes but very slow-going compared to what I'm used to when treating my GI issues from the last 4 years.
Questions
- What should I be asking my GI doctor at my appointment this week?
- Did this binge eating session exacerbate my prior stomach issues with new symptoms?
- Any observations or questions are appreciated.