What could cause abdominal bloating, diarrhea and vomiting in a 36-year-old schizophrenic patient?
Patient: My 36 year old son has constant diahhrea vomits daily, his stomach is hugh. his doctor office called and said his alkaline, neutrophils, are high. My son has schizophrenia and takes 4 medications. We can t get into the doctor for 2 more weeks, should we wait that long? He only eats once a day and its a very small amount he gets full fast so I can t see how his belly got so big??? Doctor: Hello,  This enlarged belly seems to be something quite new and abnormal in terms of USUAL body shape and size.  It sounds like he is producing an awful lot of gas resulting in ABDOMINAL DISTENTION.    One reason could be the presence of H.Pylori which is a common infection in the stomach and is easily tested for and treated with certain antibiotics.    The elevated neutrophil count may be signaling some type of infection.  The elevated ALP (alkaline phosphatase) levels could indicate some type of liver or gall bladder issue and this could also account for the increased amount of gas being produced in the GI tract.    If he has diarrhea and vomits daily and doesn't eat very well then, my concern is for dehydration that can set in quickly.    If the doctor's office is not willing to some how get an appointment for him then, I would recommend 2 choices.   An URGENT CARE CENTER which may be able to at least make sure he's well hydrated and stays that way until the doctor's appointment OR ER where again they can make a decision whether he needs some immediate treatment with antibiotics, IV's, or some other diagnostic testing to tell what's going on with the liver and gall bladder to start with.  Is your son by any chance having trouble with excessive use of alcohol because some of these symptoms could also suggest a form of hepatitis-related to alcohol use?  Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.  Take care  Regards, Dr Dariush Saghafi, Neurologist