Nausea - goes into a remission

[CLAZ28]

Female 32 years old
I have been suffering with sever nausea since 1995. I will get severely nauseous. I feel like I have to throw up or have to make a bowl movement. I can’t have a bowl movement usually due to constipation so I will make my self-throw up. I still feel nauseous after throwing up. This can go on for weeks and all of a sudden just stops. Almost like what ever it is goes into a remission!  It may be a year, two months, a week before it comes back, lasting anywhere from a day, to a couple weeks. My teeth are falling out from the acid when I throw up. I have questioned that maybe I ate too much food and my stomach could not handle the amount of food or due to constipation when I do eat food the food has nowhere to go but to throw it up. I have had a lower and upper GI done. I was told I had a slight spastic colon, nothing to worry about. I’ve had some basic blood test and the only thing wrong was low potassium. Doc said to eat some bananas. I went to an allergist. He said I wasn’t allergic to anything. The nausea tends to come on when I lay down in bed. The Docs can’t seem to figure out what is going on. They have given me two different types of nausea pills. One of the meds they give to chemo patients. One Doc thought it was my gull bladder, had that removed and still have the sever nausea that comes and goes. Know I am constipated half the month and the other half I have the runs. I thought maybe it had something to do with the birth of my son in 95’ since I had toxnimia with him. Then my mom told me that when I was a kid I was throwing up often off and on for no reason. My Son has done this also throw up for no reason. I am also severely tired, feeling week, joints hurt. Recently I have felt faint a few times I loose a lot of hair daily. For the first time in my life this year my head got sunburned! I have always had very thick hair. Urine test have come back with blood in urine? Doc has no answer to that. I crave sweets and have has slightly elevated triglisorites. (Sure I spelled that wrong) I do suffer from anxiety, occasional hot flashes, irritability, and occasional depression. I do get occasional migraines that are not associated with my period. Feel confusion at times. Vision gets blurred sometimes and off and on with insomnia. When it gets so sever that I have to go to the hospital the docs  ask me if I am pregnant. I would tell them no so they diagnosed it as the flu. Hello, its not the flu!!! Every Doc says pregnant or flu!!! Its so aggrevating!!! I figured I would throw it all out their incase its connected in some way. I am currently looking into the possibility that it is a vitamin deficiency. Anyone have any ideas of what this could be? I’m tired of the Docs looking at me like I’m crazy or a hypochondriac! Thanks

[coughting]

Have they tested her for chrons.  
I had CT scans, scopes etc and etc and the only thing they found was a little diverticulis.  My chrons did not show up until I had a blood test for the gene and a barium swallow and they watched it go through my colon.  Also, there is a blood test that would show if she had the gene for chrons.  You will need to get it approved by your insurance as it costs about $400 otherwise.  
I ended up paying for mine and it was worth it.  It did show that I have the gene.  Then we did the barium swallow test and it showed it was bad at the time.
It progressively got worse and I ened up on Remicade.  It made a difference within a month.  I started remicade in Feb of 07 and I truly beleive I would have been in the hospital the next week if I had not.  By March I felt like going places and went on a trip with my friends.  I know some people have a reaction, same with all drugs, to Remicade.  However, I had no reaction except that it made a drastic difference in my quality of life.

Good luck to your daughter..

I will be waiting to

[Matthew007]

well I *hope* it works :) I'm sort of in the same boat as you as doctors really haven't figured out or helped me a whole lot except charge up the credit card (no health insurance).  Food intolerances..there's really no test other than I've heard people swear by entrolabs stool testing for intolerances so if you have some cash you could try that.  Celiac takes sometimes days..weeks..months before you see an improvement.  I know my IBS symptoms have improved and my nausea levels are down but i'm not out of the woods yet.  If you google symptoms of soy intolerance or wheat intolerance or gluten intolerance or even celiac you'll notice it causes everything from brittle hair to anxiety to depression nausea...tons of symptoms.

So it's worth a shot, especially if you've been sick for long time (me too..) so give it a shot..seems like the less I eat the better I feel which is a sign right there..you could ask your doctor to prescripe k-dur (potassium pills) to help you out there too..hypokalemia is caused by either low magnesium levels or can be caused by celiac.  Also i'd maybe stop by celiac d o t c o m and start lingering around there and share your symptoms and thoughts with others.  Some people feel improvement in days like I said..some aren't lucky and it takes weeks or months and you have to be very strict on your diet.  But it's worth a shot.  Good luck! :)

[CLAZ28]

I just got back from the Doc today. My blood test were all normal except for my LDL bad cholesterol and my triglisorites. They were slightly out of range. The doc put me on a pill for anxiety last week at a very low dose. Low dose because she thinks I have a sensativity to meds. She thinks my problems could be related to my anxiety, I dont aggree! Anyway she told me to stay on the anxiety pill for a month to see if problems get better and to come back in a month for a check up and pap. So what do I do know? I think its time to try a different approch and take your advice Matthew007. When I have dieted in the past I have always felt better and one time after going off my diet I got extreamly sick with the nausia. It is hard to stay away from all those yummy food expecially when ya have kids in the house but I want to get better and not feel like im 90yrs old!

[Matthew007]

have you tested for celiac?  that's a big one.. I'm in the process of trying to figure it out as well.  Also with all that diareera..i'm not a fan of bannanas or anything but not doubt she's losing electrolytes and potassium.. so she should be eating those.  Also you have to be eating gluten to get a semi-reliable result from celiac blood tests but i've heard if it is celiac it takes sometimes up to a month or 2 before you see some improvement.

also lactose intolerance is a side effect of celiac..and usually you get anemia and B12 defiecient and such.. but yeah test for it and regarldless of the results go try celiac/wheat/gluten free..even soy can cause serious problems.   There is "SIBO" which can cause constant problems like you're saying..also stool studies should be done to check for blood or bugs.. maybe a ct scan to check for chron's or anything like that (if there's any blood in the stool) but yeah try eliminating things and test for celiac that's my advice.

[LadyDi5807]

I'm leaving my office in one hour to visit - yet again! - another Gastro doc with my 15 year old.  She has had all very similar symptoms for that last several years.  At her young age she's had TWO endoscopies, colonoscopies, upper/lower GIs & a gamet of blood tests.  Still no answers.  A very bright girl who does well academically yet had to repeat a grade and attend summer school due to her chronic absence.  She loves school - so there goes the school avoidance theory.  She has nausea and diarreah 24/7 regardless of the foods she eats.  I've eliminated fructose & lactose entirely with no difference. There HAS to be an answer.  She (we) simply cannot go on like this.  At 15 she should be having a blast with her friends, going to school, playing sports... a lot of things other than being curled up in a ball nearly.  Because I've been persistent & determined, doctors view me as the "lunatic mother" who is probably adding to the stress & problem.  

[Matthew007]

ok this is all screaming like my situation.. I had a UTI, got an infection..took antibiotics and I've been left totally messed up since then.  Only constant postive test is white blood cells in stool (which suggests inflammation and since it's negative everytime for culture of bugs..means something is up..could be IBS but I don't think so..and in your case for sure NOT)

I was tested for celiac like 3 times all negative and i'm in the process of going on a celiac (gluten free diet right now)  I've been told I had IBS/Spastic colon..couldn't sleep..super bad anxiety.. i've been sick for 3 years.  Bad constipation sometimes diareera..can't work at all..thinning hair..slight itching..tired all the time but of course can't sleep.  Been taking promethazine which knocks me out, and takes the nausea away but you can't live on that :S

So after all the mass tests and work i've done i've concluded as well as other specialists that' it's some form of malabsorbtion (caused by food allergy) and that's why you're having so many problems because you're not getting any vitamins...   I know I rolled my eyes when I thought about this but I went lactose free for about 4-5 days straight reeeally looking at labels closely and noticed a slight improvement on my nausea (but it's all still there..) so I know i'm on the right track.. and you have to read labels super close too because they sneak in lactose in cereals.  Also lactose intolerance is a side effect of celiac...

So I have a hunch you're allergic to something and you don't know so your options are to either pay money and get tested for celiac (which i'm sure you have already) but be aware that the tests do show false negatives..

Do a upper endoscope biopsies looking for it (usually the gold standard test..expensive)

Or just go gluten free for 60 to 90 and hope to see results.  Some people it's days.. weeks..or months but usually it's weeks until you see some form of improvement...from what i've read from people so i'm on the diet.  It's not fun and not easy but doing eggs..salads..steaks..and avoiding anything slightly remotely a chance related to gluten.  I went to celiac ******* and a BUNCH OF PEOPLE are complaining about the exact same things you are..I would go there as well and listen to their stories.  A bunch of them all thought they were exactly what you said..hypochondriac.

I also went to an allergist as well and he only said I was allergic slightly to oats (another clue) but even if an allergist tells you you're totally clear that doesn't mean you are.  Honestly I would go gluten/lactose free this very second and call your doctor and ask to be tested for celiac.. and regardless of the results just go gluten/dairy free.  It's a rough diet..I hate it but we both have nothing to lose.  Also find some safe gluten free (most are gluten free) vitamins and take them daily..like today.  Your body like mine is deficient in a bunch of things..bannanas for potassium for example is what i'm doing.

It *could* be fructose...it could be others..but I seriously think we both have an intolerance to gluten or...at worse celiac disease but i'd start asap.  Keep a journal and if you have a severe nausea wave after a couple of hours of eating something look reaaaally close at the label and don't eat it again.

Ok that was a book i'm sorry! But good luck ... :)