Egg, diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea

[darryn007]

I see a lot of people have the following symptoms.
-egg smell
-diarrhoea
-vomiting
-nausea

For about two years I went through the same problem, in my case it was a 24hr  attack more than a sickness. My GP sent me to specialist after specialist searching for something, but they all came up with nothing.
In the end it turned out to be simple abdominal migraines!
They gave me a triptane to try when the aura came up, in my case this was the egg/sulphur smell or flavour that I had. And within 20-30 mins it was solved.
Abdominal migraines are more common in children. Check google for more info, or feel free to mail me.
Hope this helps some of you.


This discussion is related to Sulfur / Rotten Egg Burps, followed by throwing up.

[newton62]

did you ever find out what was wrong with you? or a possible cure? I too suffer the same thing. you can email me back at rnrjrhotmailcom

[wkb2texans]

I've have seen postings going back to 2001 with people having these symptoms.  I, too, suffer with the rotten egg burp (truly nauseating) which start off with just a hint of egg taste/smell and work it's way to a full blown, run you out of the room stench.  This is soon followed with stomach nauseousness, then diarrhea and then vomiting.  The vomiting is usually of the projectile type - very violent and ending in dry heaves.  However, when I'm threw with the purge, I feel 100% better as I'm usually have that awful nauseous feel or that gas and bloated feeling.  The diarrhea may continue for a another few hours, but I'm usually over the burping and vomiting during the first 24 hours and the diarrhea within 32 hours.

I suffered my first bout with this mysterious malady back in 1975 and have had it off and on since then.  I moved quite a bit during the 1974 - 2003 time frame (due to military duty) and found myself suffering greater in some locales than in others.  While I was in Europe for 3 years, I didn't have a single bout of this scourge.  But when I moved to San Antonio, TX, I found myself going through a 6-month period where I was having an episode 2-3 times a month.  Awful.

What puzzles me is that NO ONE has said that their gastro expert has a clue.  I haven't even found one who would admit to having even heard of someone belching rotten eggs.  (By the way, my wife, who has also had problems occassionally with this ailment, tells me that my burps don't smell like rotten eggs, but like "poop.")  I never gave that much thought, but then one day something struck me.  When I was in Turkey for 4 months, I got violently ill, stomach wise, when I ate some vegetables (in a salad) that had not been properly cleaned.  The Turks use excrement to fertilize their veges and it is vital to those who haven't grown up in the culture to ensure the vegetables are cleaned with bleach water so as to kill the bacteria that is present from the feces.  After getting violently ill THREE times after eating vegetables that I had been assured were properly clean (I suffered with the burping eggs, diarrhea and vomiting every time), I finally said enough is enough and didn't touch another raw vegetable for the remaining 2 months I was in country.  Not once did I get sick again.

So, I got to thinking .. is is possible that I am contacting feces bacteria, either through a food preparers lack of hygiene or, possibly, my own?  I am very fastidious about washing my hands, but went to even further precautions to ensure that I wasn't the source.  I also begin to map those restaurants that I ate at and those which I later (within 24 hours) became ill with the same symptoms.  I soon learned that it wasn't the restaurants or take out that was causing my issue.  So I then turned my attention to my spouse (she didn't appreciate that much), but found that she was an even more dedicated hand washer than me.

So, that left me with wondering if my problems could be coming from inside my own body.  I read a study where one doctor has found that some of her patients who were suffering recurring gastro problems had a problem with the bacteria from their own feces getting back into the digestive system due to a faulty/weakened valve.  Many of those patients suffered burping rotten eggs, sick stomach/vomiting and diarrhea.  Problem is, I can't find the article!! I've looked and looked, all to no avail.

Has anyone seen/found such a study?  I believe it may hold the key to what seems to ail a large number of we humans, and has been baffling all our doctors.  Any help?

[patient915]

Ah yes, people that have had headache migraines are more likely than others to develop abdominal migraines (and people that have abdominal migraines are more likely to develop headache migraines).

[darryn007]

I did however suffer from traditional migraines when I was going through puberty. That is pain!
If I had to compare them on a pain scale of 1 - 10 -  (1 being light).
Abdominal migraine cramps or soreness would only be a 5, whereas traditional  migraines were a full blown 10 in my case.
But I guess pain is something relevant to each individual based on their own previous experiences.

[patient915]

That's very surprising!  I have never heard of anyone being diagnosed with abdominal migraines without having pain as a main symptom, but if the meds have helped you, that's great!

[darryn007]

No, I wouldn't say pain was really a symptom to be honest. i did experience pain though due to the violent vomiting, but I wouldn't count this as a symptom. Incredible nausea, sometimes causing cramping due to hyperventilation, and not being able to function during an attack were the main symptoms I experienced. Usually for a peak of 24 hrs, then slowly decreasing over the next 12hrs.
Now with the triptane medication, I only get the egg/sulphur symptom/aura, then I just take the pills and problem solved!.
Just as an extra piece of info, I also drink a glass of: 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 squeezed lemon or lime topped up with water twice a day for the rest of the week to settle my stomach down. (Lemon turns alkaline in your body apparently)
For me this combination has worked miracles, and costs basically nothing to try out.

[patient915]

Welcome to the gastroenterology community!   I'm glad you figured out what was wrong with you.  However it is surprising that you have abdominal migraines without listing pain as one of your symptoms.