Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:59     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP: I'm so invested in your story. If you don't mind, might you say where you are? It sounds like you need a good diagnostic doctor. If you share your general area (if you are in the DMV) we might be able to suggest better doctors.


I'm in MD. All major hospitals in DMV are about an hour away.


Take the time to go to Fairfax Inova. If you need a new GI doc, there are many there. I can recommend Dr. Martin Prosky, he's excellent.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:57     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
I wouldn't wait a week. Might as well go in and get the ball rolling. Does your doctor do bloodwork in-house? If so, get an early morning appt. and go in fasting.

See someone else in the practice this week. That way you can get some bloodwork done, at least, and have those results when you speak with your doctor next week.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:45     Subject: Re:I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
OP, please read up on hemochromatosis. It’s a buildup of excess iron in the blood. Many women don’t discover they have it until menopause because menstrual bleeding keeps the iron levels under control. One of the first organs damaged by hemochromatosis is the pancreas. Diabetes is a very common result. Weight loss and fatigue are associated. Eventually other organs are damaged. Hemochromatosis doesn’t show up on standard blood panels; special orders are required to check for it.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:37     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How old are you? Male or female? With the prediabetes diagnosis I would he concerned about pancreatic cancer. Please push for a scan. I hope it’s IBS op.


This. I’m ChatGPT poster above. I am concerned OP has cancer or diabetes.


Op here. I'm concerned too that it could be cancer but I am being dismissed by these specialists.

Do you have stomach pain and/or stomach bloating/swelling? Are you able to get in to your primary doctor or urgent care today? I would want to confirm or eliminate diabetes, as that seems like something that can be done quickly. Another thing, try to stay away from the cancer boards unless or until you have a diagnosis. That is added stress which will not help you. Please get to a doctor asap and keep us posted.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:17     Subject: Re:I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Anonymous wrote:You might also want to ask new GI doc for a SIBO test. (Small intestine bacterial overgrowth) It might not be the whole picture but could be contributing. Not all GI specialists are good at treating it, but there is both a timed breath test and a blood test from a specialty research lab associated with Cedars Sinai GI center in LA. The test is called IBS Smart.


Thank you. I will ask for this.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:15     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need to get screened for ovarian, uterine, colon and rectal cancer stat

Would the imaging op had reveal cancer(s)?


I had an oophorectomy and hysterectomy. Just recently had EGD and colonoscopy. Posted lab report a few posts above.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:14     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How old are you? Male or female? With the prediabetes diagnosis I would he concerned about pancreatic cancer. Please push for a scan. I hope it’s IBS op.


This. I’m ChatGPT poster above. I am concerned OP has cancer or diabetes.


Op here. I'm concerned too that it could be cancer but I am being dismissed by these specialists.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:12     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Anonymous wrote:How old are you? Male or female? With the prediabetes diagnosis I would he concerned about pancreatic cancer. Please push for a scan. I hope it’s IBS op.


Female over 50.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:11     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Anonymous wrote:My mom had to go back multiple times to her primary care doc with complaints of stomach issues, nausea, low appetite. She had also lost weight. By the time they did the scan months later, it was stage 4 stomach cancer. I wish I had followed my instinct to take her to the ER immediately after I plugged her symptoms into Google.

I’m prediabetic/diabetic (taking metformin) and have lost weight due to some exercise and some diet modifications (mostly portion control). I’ve experienced brain fog and fatigue, but don’t anymore. My weight never dropped that much in a week.


I am so sorry PP. I feel like something is terribly wrong but I don't feel heard by the doctors. Just recently someone on the pancreatic cancer forum posted about their partner's radiology report not being read correctly even though the something unusual was in the first scan, the radiologist didn't catch it, and almost a year later being given the bad news after symptoms became more prominent and a repeat scan.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 09:07     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Anonymous wrote:OP: I'm so invested in your story. If you don't mind, might you say where you are? It sounds like you need a good diagnostic doctor. If you share your general area (if you are in the DMV) we might be able to suggest better doctors.


I'm in MD. All major hospitals in DMV are about an hour away.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 08:44     Subject: Re:I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
You might also want to ask new GI doc for a SIBO test. (Small intestine bacterial overgrowth) It might not be the whole picture but could be contributing. Not all GI specialists are good at treating it, but there is both a timed breath test and a blood test from a specialty research lab associated with Cedars Sinai GI center in LA. The test is called IBS Smart.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 08:30     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Eliminate gluten and dairy while you wait for a Dr appointment. Many of your symptoms sound like celiac or a bad intolerance that’s been ignored.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 08:20     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Anonymous wrote:You need to get screened for ovarian, uterine, colon and rectal cancer stat

Would the imaging op had reveal cancer(s)?
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 08:11     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Poster above— I see your doctor is on vacation this week.

If you can get an appointment with another doctor this week, it might not be a bad idea to go. That way you are getting a fresh perspective from” a new set of eyes” Make sure the doctor is an internist.

Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 08:04     Subject: I'm losing weight unintentionally and am worried
Since you have a doctor’s appointment later in the week, I would only go to an ER for dehydration, severe pain, trouble breathing, inability to eat/drink, chest pain, etc.

ER’s are horrible germ farms and the last thing you need is to pick up the flu or norovirus.

Have you tried messaging your doctor through Mychart or similar?