People of Reddit,

I am looking for people who have experienced similar and what the next steps were OR from physicians who would like to chime in.

After a good while of having lower right abdominal pain (mostly at night but occasionally during day hours) along with mild back pain. As well as some mild bowel changes, my NP ordered an abdominal CT scan which identified a 2.3 x 2.3x 2.2 cm mass within the large bowel by the ileocecal valve. I was then sent for a colonoscopy - the surgeon said he found nothing - therefore no biopsies were sent.

What next?! One of them were likely wrong. Do I ask for an MRI to better analyze soft tissue mass? Do I ask for a 2nd opinion for either another colonoscopy or radiologist read?

Obviously I am left feeling rather unsettled.

Thanks folks.

Does anyone deal with pain around chest, stomach immediately as you eat and also feeling like their food or drink is going down ?

I tested negative for celiac blood test, but my endoscopy showed damage to my duodenal bulb consistent with celiac (visually and on biopsy, although intraepithelial lymphocytosis was not seen). What else could be causing this injury to the duodenum (blunted villus architecture, and overlapping peptic injury) if not celiac? I think the peptic injury is the real clue here but I’m not sure what would cause peptic injury in the duodenum only but not in the esophagus or stomach. Thanks!

Thickening of esophagus
32 m I had a ct with contrast of the chest and it showed Small hiatal hernia with mild distal esophageal wall thickening. I went to the Gastro yesterday and he said could be caused by reflux or inflammation or cancer. He was listing all the things but it made me nervous him even saying that. I am getting an upper endoscopy in August to investigate further but I've been anxious ever since I went to the doctor. I have had a ENT scope down my throat and it showed signs of reflux. How likely could it be do be cancer if the ct report

45 year old male, had a colonoscopy 3 days ago. What would you make of this?

Diagnosis
A. Colon, cecum, biopsy:
- Active colitis (see comment).
B. Colon, ascending, biopsy:
- Active colitis (see comment).
Frankie K Smith, MD
(Electronic Signature)
Verified: 07/03/26 09:23
The Pathology Center 8303 Dodge Street Omaha NE 68114-4108
Comment
Sections of both biopsies are similar showing cryptitis and rare crypt abscesses. Definite features of chronicity
are not identified. The differential includes infection, medication effect, bowel preparation artifact, and early
inflammatory bowel disease.
Clinical History
Screening.
Specimen
A Cecal biopsy
B Ascending Colon inflammation bx
Gross Description
case order.
Received in formalin are 2 specimen containers both labeled with the patient's name matching the assigned
Part A is labeled "cecal biopsy" and consists of a 0.2 cm fragment of tan mucosa which is filtered and
submitted in A1.
Part B is labeled "ascending colon inflammation biopsy" and consists of four 0.1 to 0.2 cm fragments of tan
mucosa which are filtered and submitted in B1.

Since December 2025, I've been to the ER 10+ times because of severe chest burning and nausea, vomiting with bile, after eating especially spicy or hard-to-digest foods. My main symptom was intense chest burning—not the typical right upper abdominal gallbladder pain. Over the past several months, I was given several possible diagnoses, including GERD, hiatal hernia, gastroparesis, functional dyspepsia, and gallbladder disease.

Last week, I went to the ER again because the same burning and nausea symptoms. They found I had acute gallstone pancreatitis. The doctors said gallstones and sludge had moved into my common bile duct and caused a blockage. I underwent an ERCP with a sphincterotomy, and a bile duct stent was placed.

The surgeons told me my pancreas is still too inflamed to remove my gallbladder right now, but they strongly recommended having it removed within the next 2–4 weeks to prevent another attack.

Has anyone had a similar experience, especially with severe chest burning instead of the typical gallbladder pain? If you had your gallbladder removed, did those symptoms improve?

I also see many educational videos from people saying the gallbladder is an important organ that should be preserved, including Dr Bergs videos. But there doesn't seem to be any clear direction on what the alternatives.

If you've been through this, I'd really appreciate hearing what your doctors recommended and how you decided what to do.

Tenho dois exames para fazer que é colonoscopia e endoscopia, faz alguns meses que estou tendo alterações no meu intestino, fezes amolecidas que variam de cor entre marrom, amarelo e as vezes meio alaranjado, isso tem me preocupado muito, mas o meu medo de fazer esse exame está sendo muito maior, medo do preparo, do exame e principalmente de descobrir algo ruim, eu tenho 29 anos, e tenho histórico de câncer de intestino na família tive uma tia e um primo que faleceram para esta doença, e fico com muito medo de isso acontecer comigo, queria mensagens de pessoas que já fizeram esse exame e como foi? Preciso me tranquilizar e criar coragem para fazer porque eu sei que seria a solução principalmente para a minha ansiedade.

or are we all raw dogging it out there no protection

My first ever endoscopy showed mild chronic gastritis, esophageal changes consistent with reflux and all my digestive enzymes were low. Symptoms are- chest pain, burning in chest and upper stomach, bloating, burping, regurgitation, early fullness, pale stools. The lab said low enzymes in all were rare, I’m wondering if this is a false positive or somethjng? My dr doesn’t seem to think so and wants to follow up on treatment. Can anyone give advice?

I'm 29F and looking for thoughts from anyone who's had a similar experience (I know Reddit isn't a substitute for medical advice).

A few weeks ago I had a strange episode. On Sunday I felt "off," then that night I vomited twice (normal stomach contents, no blood or bile). The next day I developed pain directly under my breastbone that radiated to my back. The pain lasted about 2 hours and then completely resolved. It has never come back. My bowel movements have always been regular and even were regular on this day.

For context, I'm a triathlete. Since then I've returned to intense training, long hikes, swimming, biking, running, a normal diet, and even alcohol without any recurrence of symptoms. The only thing I wonder about is that I barely ate for about 3 days because I felt sick before the pain started, but none of the doctors thought that was significant. Of note I do not have an obstruction.

My first CT no contrast showed:

"Grossly unremarkable appearance of the stomach. There appears to be congenital intestinal malrotation, with the colon located predominantly on the left side of the abdomen and the small bowel predominantly on the right side. There are clustered small bowel loops in the left upper quadrant with adjacent "whirlpool sign" of swirling mesenteric vessels concerning for internal hernia. No evidence of associated bowel obstruction or inflammation. Appendix is not clearly seen."

A repeat CT w/contrast a few hours later showed:

"Unremarkable appearance of the stomach. No evidence of mechanical bowel obstruction or significant ileus. Clustered small bowel loops previously seen lateral to the colon in the left abdomen are no longer seen. There is a subtle "whirlpool sign" of swirling mesenteric vessels in the central abdomen, similar to that seen previously in the left upper quadrant, with mild surrounding mesenteric edema. No small or large bowel wall thickening appreciated. Appendix not clearly seen."

The radiologist favored malrotation, but the surgeon disagreed and felt my colon crossed the midline, making true malrotation less likely. He cleared me for unrestricted activity, travel, and a regular diet.

The current plan is an upper GI study, and they said an EGD only if symptoms return. They also suggested a barium enema (I will not be doing this) to better define my anatomy, but after everything I went through (including a rectal exam) and because I'm feeling completely normal, I don't really want to pursue more testing.

I've also had CT scans in the past, and no one has ever mentioned malrotation or abnormal anatomy.

After reading about the Ladd procedure, I'm honestly reluctant to pursue surgery. I do not have an obstruction and have never had any digestive/stomach issues previously. Given my activity level and plans for pregnancy in the future, I'm worried about the risk of adhesions, bowel obstruction, or other complications from an operation if this ends up being an incidental finding.

Has anyone had an isolated episode like this with a possible whirlpool sign or suspected malrotation that ultimately turned out to be nothing? Or did you continue with additional testing even after your symptoms completely resolved? I'd love to hear others' experiences.

(i apologize this might be the wrong place.)

I went in to ER with nausea/ vomiting on Thursday after not eating 4-5 days, (maybe a piece of fruit or bread once a day, no hunger)... ER doc ordered CT scan and ultrasound. Today is Sunday.

Result:

No biliary ductal dilatation. Layering hyperdense gallbladder contents. No discrete calculus appreciated.

No pericholecystic fluid/stranding

Layering hyperdense gallbladder contents, possibly sludge

GALLBLADDER: No gallbladder distention,

gallstones, wall thickening, or focal

tenderness. BILE DUCTS: Normal

CBD measurement: 4 mm

*********************

I had very dull pain for almost a week. I was given a GI referral. No counseling... Saturday I ate 3 saltines and slowly monitored my right upper quadrant pain.

later on Saturday I had a small piece of pupusa. And Cabbage. & managed a normal BM. (Sorry yall)

Sunday i had family visiting, i had 1 small plate of cesae salad and 1/2 slice of a deep dish pizza (terrible idea? i didn’t want my 16yo to worry I'm not eating.)​

But I'm SO scared to eat now, but feel pain on empty stomach.

Appointment with GI doctor isn't until Tuesday.😭

Thank you for this community.

Hi all, i am applying to GI this year. I am from community based program. What are the things that are red flag to mention in PS and CV?

I said what I said. IBS is an umbrella term and saying something is wrong with the gut brain axis ( which includes your GI tract + the brain + the nervous system connecting them) is simply stupid. I mean what else is left? Your legs?

The reason I’m ranting is because the existence of such a vague umbrella term is literally counterproductive in diagnosing the problem.

It is a means of medical punting (doing the bare minimum to satisfy guidelines without actually putting in the work cause the practitioners are too busy).

How many people were just a few more tests away from solving their problems but their doctors decided to do the bare minimum and simply put the seal of IBS on them. It would take years for these patients to research and figure out these tests on their own while their doctors could have done it then and there.

Maybe the guidelines and not the doctors are to blame but it is exasperating to deal with.

Hi everyone,
I am 21M, and I am the primary guardian for my father (49M). He has been dealing with severe ulcers and stomach pain every now and then ever since the pandemic started. He has been in and out of the hospital constantly since then. Doctors cannot find what is actually happening because all of his laboratory tests come back completely normal. The only physical findings they ever found are H. pylori bacteria and some "scratches" in his stomach that trigger the ulcers.

Recently, we started looking beyond the standard, default triggers for ulcers to see what else could be causing this constant cycle. We sought out a psychiatrist and found out he is dealing with depression. He is taking antidepressant medications now, but we are still stuck wondering why his stomach issues continue to be triggered anyway.

For full medical context, he also has high blood pressure and diabetes. This has been stressing me out to the absolute limit. I have to hide my emotions completely because I refuse to let my father see me cry, I need to stay strong for him. I just want him back to his old self where he is enjoying the things he wanted to do. He has been enduring this agony for 5 to 6 years now.

Hi everyone what does this blood test mean I don’t have insurance so I had to seek out a blood test on my own. I just want to know if I have inflammation or not ?

Hs-crp was 0.7 it says optimal

Ferritin -16

But then another test came back saying ferritin (adj for inflammation) it shows up to 250 and mine is 16.0

Asking an actual gastro question amidst the sea of laymen neuroses...

Anyone had experience with stepping up to JAKi instead of colectomy for ASUC? Had a young patient, new diagnosis UC. Steroid induction failed, fulfilled oxford criteria, escalated to infliximab induction accelerated regimen. Also failed. Ended up proceeding to colectomy because ultimately guidelines don't suggest JAKi and we didn't want to delay further.

Of course, if he'd declined surgery, we would have offered JAKi. But given the small cases of ASUC to run sufficiently powered studies, there isn't much data.

Anyone had experience escalating to JAKi instead?

2. Gallstone disease

You have:

A 9 x 8 mm gallstone.

A 4 × 4 mm stone in the cystic duct.

Thick gallbladder sludge.

Acute cholecystitis (inflamed gallbladder).

This is the cause of your gallbladder attacks.

3. Tiny stones in the common bile duct (CBD)

Your MRCP shows tiny CBD stones (microliths).

These can temporarily block bile flow and may need ERCP if they don't pass.

4. Mild enlargement of the spleen

5. Chronic hepatitis B

Hi all,

I’m a new GI fellow starting in July in a new program. My PD has been open in having me go to any endoscopy course/conference for my education. Any folks have recommendations which ones to bring to the attention of my PD? Any folks have any particular recommendations they think helped for their first year?

Hey everyone,

I’m a 44M looking for some insight from those who have prominent GI symptoms or biopsy-confirmed mast cell accumulation in the gut. I just received the updated pathology report from my recent colonoscopy and gastroscopy, and I wanted to share the brief to see if anyone has navigated a similar presentation.

📊 Pathology Brief (Colonoscopy)

• Biopsy Locations: Multiple fragments sampled uniformly from the cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, and rectum.
• General Pathology: Mild chronic colitis.
• Mast Cell Highlighting: The pathologist ran a specific CD117 immunostain to count the mast cell population.
• Mast Cell Density: Revealed a relatively uniform distribution peaking at up to approximately 30 mast cells per HPF (High Power Field) throughout the colonic lamina propria.
• Pathologist Conclusion: Overall findings suggest a mild increase in the mast cell population within the colonic lamina propria.
• Malignancy: Explicitly negative for dysplasia (no pre-cancerous or abnormal structural changes).

(Note: Gastroscopy was performed concurrently, though the specific microscopic findings on this updated report focused entirely on the colonic distribution).

⚡ My Primary Symptoms

• Constant GI Pain: Persistent abdominal pain and cramping, regardless of what I eat.
• Altered Stools: Heavily foul-smelling stools (suspecting potential bile acid malabsorption or fermentation due to the colitis).
• Autonomic/Cardiovascular Flares: Significant postprandial tachycardia. My resting heart rate routinely climbs to 90–95 BPM on the couch, specifically after eating, accompanied by systemic health anxiety.
• The Paradox: Interestingly, my cardiovascular system is highly capable under workload; I regularly complete intense 1.5km pool swims where my active heart rate remains perfectly stable and efficient at 120–130 BPM. The tachycardia seems entirely tethered to my resting/digestive state.

❓ Questions for the Community

For those who have a confirmed "mild increase" of ~30 mast cells/HPF alongside microscopic or chronic colitis:

1. Did your medical team treat this primarily as standard microscopic colitis (e.g., local steroids like Budesonide), or did you find better relief by specifically targeting the mast cells with stabilizers (like Cromolyn Sodium) or an H1/H2 antihistamine protocol?
2. If you experienced post-meal heart rate spikes or vagal nerve irritation, did calming the gut mast cells successfully lower your resting heart rate back to normal?

Appreciate any experiences or insights you can share!

Last July I went to the ER with an immense burning under my left breast. Which caused my heart rate to jump into the 140s anxiety through the roof which made my blood pressure jump etc

The ER Dr said it was anxiety and sent me home. About a week later it came over to the right side.

Fast forward a month my GP didnt know how to help so he over prescribed- resulting to C Diff - did the vanco treatment in October - soon after I have had

Xray

CT w Contrast

Gallbladder Ultrasound

Colonoscopy

Endoscopy

Bloodwork - liver and pancreas enzymes ok

Everything comes out clean - no concerns - abdominal walls look good

I do not burp or pass gas hardly ever.

Sometimes I have to breathe manually.

I have had a few PVCs

I have had acid reflux every night since the Endoscopy.

Im still having this burning sensation/ache from the left to the right

New Dr wants me to take Omeprazole 2x day for 8 weeks (this has been going on for almost a year)