Chronic nausea after eating

[Adam_Sanasac]

For about a year now, every time I eat, I get very nautious for about 30-60 minutes afterwards. There are times where I get so nautious that I have an episode of a couple of very strong gag reflexes (1-2), and after that, gag reflex what I just ate back up. It's not any particular type of food that triggers it, anything that I eat will trigger it. After the gag reflexes, the nausea goes away almost immediately.

It seems that taking a very small sip of water, and just letting it sit in my mouth for a short while (and repeating for as long as the nausea exists) suppresses the gag reflexes, but doesn't always help.

It seems that the more I eat, the worse the symptoms are. Also, after eating a bit, I still feel as if I'm hungry, but I have to *really* force myself to be able to eat any more, it feels like a lump in my throat (metaphorically speaking) that goes all the way down my throat.

I've been to my doctor a couple of times concerning this, and we're yet to come up with a solution/cause. He had me take Nexium for about a month and a half, but that didn't seem to help, so I'm not on it anymore. The next step we're going to take is that he wants to do an upper GI, and that's pretty much where we're at with this.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Hello - I have previously researched a similar question from my private medical information research service.  I will post an abridged answer here.

I will discuss and give you a list of possible reasons of persistent nausea and vomiting.  

Acute gastroenteritis
Acute gastroenteritis is a common cause of acute care seeking and is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost work time. Bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens cause this illness which is characterized by diarrhea and/or vomiting. Vomiting is especially common with infections caused by rotaviruses, enteric adenovirus, Norwalk agent, and calicivirus.

Rumination
The rumination syndrome is increasingly recognized among adults of normal mental capacity. It is included in the differential diagnosis, but differs from vomiting. The behavior consists of daily, effortless regurgitation of undigested food within minutes of starting or completing ingestion of a meal.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease
The most common symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are heartburn (or pyrosis), regurgitation, and dysphagia. Patients typically regurgitate acidic material mixed with small amounts of undigested food.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis
Benign eosinophilic infiltration of the gut is a rare disorder which can occur anywhere from the esophagus to the colon, causing symptoms dependent upon the area and tissue layer of bowel involved. Gastric mucosal disease is typically associated with nausea and vomiting.

Viral gastroparesis
Approximately 50 percent of patients with chronic idiopathic nausea and vomiting evaluated in referral centers have gastroparesis. A viral etiology was suggested in these patients and in other series when there was an acute onset of nausea and vomiting with other features of a viral illness (fever, myalgia, diarrhea, fatigue, or abdominal cramping).

Chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction
This is a syndrome that suggests mechanical bowel obstruction of the small or large bowel in the absence of an anatomic lesion that obstructs the flow of intestinal contents.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome
Cyclic vomiting syndrome is a disorder characterized by repeated episodes of nausea and vomiting that last for hours to days separated by symptom-free periods of variable length. In adults, the disorder has been described as consisting of episodes of nausea and vomiting lasting for three to six days in a patient-specific stereotypic pattern.

There are many other causes of nausea and vomiting including the
following:
- acute non-GI infections (pyelonephritis, pneumonia)
- hepatobiliary disease
- pancreatic disease
- peptic disease of the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum
- gastric or ovarian carcinoma
- CNS diseases - infections, tumors, multiple sclerosis
- metabolic disturbances - diabetes, adrenal insufficiency,
hypercalcemia, pregnancy

A referral to a GI specialist and possible upper endoscopy would be a prudent next step.

I stress that this answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

Links:
Medline PLUS - Nausea and Vomiting
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/nauseaandvomiting.html

Cleveland Clinic - About Nausea and Vomiting
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/1800/1810.asp?index=8106

Family Doctor - Self Care Flowcharts
http://familydoctor.org/flowcharts/529.html

[4gpact]

If you see a GI doctor, ask about the gastric emptying scan, it will tell you if your stomach is emptying properly; it is the diagnosis previously referred to as gastroparesis. Nausea and vomiting are primary symptoms of this disorder, but nausea can exist without the vomiting. Try a diet low in fat and fiber, eat small amounts, and see if that makes a difference. Good luck.

[latebloomer31]

My husband suffers from feeling empty in the stomache even after he ate and he also feels nausea. What could this be? He also gets really bad breathe and alot of burpees. He uses the restroom regularly but it seems to still be there after eating Anyone with this same problem please let me know what it could be.

[casting]

When I eat I feel nauseaus. Sometimes the nausea lasts only a few minutes and sometimes for multiple hours. I had this condition for about 2 months the summer of 2002. My parents thought it could possibly be an ulser. So I went on a cottage cheese diet. It did help. I had a small amount of cottage cheese with all my meals and the live cultures in it help to settle my stomach.
Also, I've realized that if I put off meals because of my nausea, the next time I eat, the nausea is worse.
That's all I know... hope it helps someone.

[clowy]

Every time after I eat, I always begin feeling very nauseous, I dont vomit, but i feel as  if i could. I was wondering what could be causing me to feel sick everytime after eating.

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