Chronic nausea

I am 26 years old and for most of my life I have been very healthy, up until a couple of years ago.  My problems first started out when everytime I would run or excersice I would get real sick to my stomach.  I didn't pay any attention to it for a while, because I just figured my stomach was upset.  Months went by and I noticed that this was beginning to be a normal thing.  It's gotten so bad that everyday I am extremely naseous, so finally, I started seeing doctors and they couldn't tell me what was wrong.

All of the doctors that I saw thought that it could be acid reflux.  I went to a Gastroenterologist and he put me on nexium.  So far that has not helped.  Then he did an endoscopy on me.  This test showed that I had non-specific gastritis.  We did all kinds of blood work and everything turned up normal.  Celiac's Disease turned out negative on a test I did.  Now I have another problem and I don't know if they are related.  My throat feels like it is getting very tight and I have this gag feeling near the bottom of my throat constantly.  My problems get particularly worse as soon as I start to take a bite of food...any kind of food, even drink water or liquids.  But no matter what time of the day I feel nauseous.

My everyday quality of life is dimensishing and I'm getting really depressed.  Do you have any answers to what my problem could be?

Thanks,
David

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I agree with the workup thus far, and the endoscopy would exclude many of the upper GI causes.

You can consider more specialized tests, including a 24-hr pH study to quantify the severity of the GERD, or a gastric emptying scan to look for gastroparesis.

If the GI causes have been excluded, looking into other systems, such as the nervous system, can be considered.  There are various neurological issues that can lead to the symptoms you are describing.

These options can be discussed with your personal physician.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin Pho, M.D.

KevinMD.com
Twitter.com/kevinmd