Ongoing morning nausea problem

[haco18]

I am 28 year old male, my symptoms are as follows:  I wake up every morning at about 3:00am with a lot of pain in my stomach and upper chest area, most of the time associated with nausea,I also feel as if I have a lot of mucus in my throat as if I am gagging, sometimes I get so worked up that I retch. I have had this problem for 6 months, I have been to a doctor and he has prescribed every gastro test imaginable (endoscopy, upper gi small bowel, two abdominal ultra sounds, one specifically looking at the gallbladder, barium enema, I even had an EKG because I thought I was having a heart attack) and all test have come back normal.  He currently has me on Protonix which I take once daily after dinner.  I generally start to feel better after lunch, I have found that no foods bother me, it doesn’t matter what time I eat, but I still wake up same time every day with the same symptoms.
I occasionally have some gas and bloating after eating and sometimes during day I have a pretty strong pain located in my upper right quadrant of my abdomen. My doctor keeps reassuring me that nothing is wrong with me, but I cannot seem to believe him, why would I feel this way if nothing were wrong?  Could it be anxiety, I try to calm myself down, breath slowly, try not to think about it, but it just seems to consume me!
Do you think I crazy too? What is up with my body ?

[Kevin Pho, MD]

You have had a pretty comprehensive GI workup.  I would consider 2 further tests.  One would be a 24-hr pH study to document any presence of GERD.  If so, then it is refractory to Protonix and you may want to consider surgical options.

Another test to consider would be a gastric emptying scan - looking for gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying).  

If those tests are negative, you may want to consider an ENT referral to further evaluate the mucous in your throat.  A laryngoscopy can be performed to further look at this.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

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.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[yoshi]

have you researched on the difference among protonix,nexxium,prevacid,prilosec,zantac??
did you ask your doc why one and not the other??

[H2GO]

I understand about the stomach problems, seems like I have had stomach problems for the last year 1/2.  I have been going to the doctor every know and then. The doctor gave me Ranitdine 02. The pain stopped but seemed to keep coming back.  I was having 2 problems and the doctors did not know if they are related. I felt dizzy,headaches,Nausea. MY stomach felt like I was bloated,  I was burping, tired.  I can't think of anything else. But I'm sure it's more. I can understand haco18. I have had an unltrasound and xrays done. And they find nothing. They did blood work and find nothing.  When I get up in the morning I am tired, sometimes I feel like I am about to pass out. The doctors from internal medicine, said they have no clue.  I have an appoinment next week at the Gastroenterolgy....I have good days and bad days We will see next week. I also have taken iron pills that have help my dizzness, but I am still time to time tired and I am trying to find out if all these are related to my stomach. Its hard and I am only 34.

[halle]

I can understand your problem as well.  I am a 23 yr old female.  I started having problems in June.  Before this I was active, I went to school full-time, worked full-time, and still made time to go to the track everyday.  My symptoms worsened pretty quick. They were constant, I felt like I was about to pass out all the time, extremely nauseated, and had some stomach pains.  I started going to the doctor, I had blood work done everytime (over 28 tubes), a pelvic exam, a pelvic ultrasound, a liver/gallbladder ultrasound, and most recently an Upper GI.  After 3 and a half months, the Upper GI came back with an intermitten hiatal hernia and GER.  I don't agree that that is what is causing my problems.  I don't have symptoms of GER, it is simply nausea, a feeling of being weak and about to collapse.  For a long time the doctors wanted to say I was pregnant, but the blood tests were negative (3 different ones.)  I have tried Aciphex, Protonix, and Phenegran without luck.  I am taking iron and a multiviatim prescribed by the doctor.  The only thing that works for the nausea is Zofran, which is given to Chemo patients for their nausea.  I have an appointment with a GI specialist, but it isn't until November (soonest any of them could see me.)  I don't know what to do, or who could be right.  I wish it was that I was pregnant, my husband would be thrilled.  But for now, he is dealing with my sickness and inability to do anything.  Activities make it worse, I can't stand or move around much, but small snacks like crackers do help! What do you think?

[ozark]

haco 18.........i had a negative endoscopy but i was diagnosed with non erosive esophagitis by a 24hr ph probe, moderate reflux....my gi dr was surprised it came back positive....i suggest getting a ph probe done to rule out reflux....good luck

[nausea24/7]

Sounds like the exact same thing that I have been experiencing for the last nine months! The nausea for me was the worst in the mornings, and I seemed to do better later in the day. At first my doctor thought I was pregnant, but this was negative, then they told me I had anxiety so I was on Zoloft for six weeks with no change in my condition. Soon the nausea was so bad that I would run out of church, the grocery store etc.,got really car sick and was unable to put any food in my mouth without gagging. I saw a new doctor who presumed that I had GERD and put me on Protonix. I also had an EKG, because I was feeling like I could not breathe deeply and had tightness in the chest. My doctor said the EKG was fine and that I was probably just having spasms in my esophagus. I did not feel better at all, and this continued for about six months before I saw a gastroenterologist. I had an upper GI which showed that I had a Hiatal Hernia. He swithced me to Nexium which also did not work. I had extensive blood work done that did not show anything. I finally had an endoscopy (upper and colonoscopy). This showed that I had ulcers in my ileum (small intestines). My doctor told me that we were looking at the possibility of Crohn's disease. He started me on Pentasa (16 per day, Bentyl for pain, and Prednisone. I still felt awful, and he said that the Prednisone should have healed the ulcers and that I was probably just having panick attacks. I was so angry about this because he basically told me that I had ulcers, and felt nauseated all the time because I was crazy. Before all this, he mentioned that it could be Gastroparesis and told me that he would have the nurse call me and schedule a test for this but it has been over a month now and I am too angry to go back to this doctor. I feel like I am never going to know what is wrong with me. I am on my fifth doctor in nine months and I do not know where to turn now. I  have had to quit my job teaching, and I basically sit at home all day wondering what it was like to feel good because I cant go anywhere without being nauseated and miserable. Believe me there are lots of people with problems and stories just like me and you. Do not sit around wondering if this is in your head, because frankly I think doctors use the crazy card as an excuse for when they do not know what to do to help you and they are too darn overpaid to take a minute to figure it out! Listen to what your body is telling you, but remember that stress does not help your situation.

If anyone has a story like mine, please post your comments!

[yoshi]

you did not mention blood tests??
how is your cholestral level??

[haco18]

Too many blood test to mention, all came back normal
Cholesterol level is 140

[nausea24/7]

Me too. All blood tests so far for Hepatitis, Malabsorption etc, etc. have come back normal I think that they have taken at least 20 tubes so far. My cholesterol is good too. No worries at all in that area because I am only 23.

[yoshi]

have you two been tested for hector pylori bacteria,this is very hard to get rid of ,you can get it by swallowing filthy water or food.
if you eat out a lot,you could get it.
all these medications have side effects,if you have been on antibiotics,you could have a yeast infection .
all that medication like nexxium,prilosev etc reduce your stomach acid,it could make it hard for the stomach to digest food and give you headache.
one way to test this is to drink a glass of cranberry juice or pineapple juice to raise your stomach acid level,sometimes a glass of oraneg juice is good too.if you feel better and the headache goes away,then your medication is working too well.
if you dont have enough stomach acid,food such as fat,chocolate,nuts,dairy products esp cheese are hard to digest

[Elainesy]

I am a 58 year old woman in excellent health, but for the past four weeks I have had a loss of appetite, and morning nausea. My stomach does not hurt, but I feel bloated after eating only a little bit of food!!! I had an ultrasound. No cancer found, but they don't check for stomach cancer on an ultrasound. I am really scared that I have stomach cancer!!!! Does anyone else have these symptoms???? There is no rectal bleeding and no vomiting.

[yoshi]

feel full/bloated after eating??you should talk to a GI doctor.
alka selzer will neutralise the gas in your body,it would not stop your stomach from producing gas.

[Elainesy]

Thanks, Yohi, for your comment. Since I posted I feel about 90% better, except for some early morning nausea, which goes away after about 20 minutes. I am not pregnant!!!! (I'm 58) What could be causing that feeling???

[Pilita]

I'm I 20 year old female
I also have this problem with the nausea every morning, but I don't konw if you can help me I have a problem that is driving me crazy, 1 week I feel  good, and the next I start with vomiting but it is just bile, they have done all the possible tests ( blood,urine,endoscopy)and they said that all the tests are normal so I don't know what else I can do, I also have a lot of heartburn

[nausea24/7]

Have you had an endoscopy of your stomach and your colon (colonoscopy)? What about an abdominal and pelvic CT, and Upper GI with a small bowel follow through?

[Pilita]

I went to the doctor yesterday to get a second opinion because I still have vomits with bile and the heartburn is so bad. She thinks is my gallbladder, so I'm going to have another endoscopy and an abdominal ultrasound,also she told me that my cholesterol was high, can somebody recommend me a diet for my problem because she didn't say anything about the food.

[sunny_one]

For those of you who have nausea, dizzy, feeling faint, loss of appetite - have you been tested for intestinal parasites? I have been having problems for over a year and finally was tested after a three month run of loose stools. I've had great difficulty getting going in the morning and have to carry emergency snacks and water with me to help with the dizziness and near fainting. Some people are sensitive to the parasites and can have severe symptoms - in my case cardiac symptoms like PVC and pounding heart. Doctors don't usually test for parasites and I was misdiagnosed with anxiety, acid reflux, IBS, and depression. Cardiologist attributed symptoms to MVP. I'm taking Flagyl right now to get rid of these creatures - hope it works. Good luck to you all.

[Gastro_interest]

People with the nausea and vomiting should definitely consider the Gastric Emptying Study the doctor mentioned.  I have the same problem and I was FINALLY diagnosed with Gastroparesis.

[buncha]

A related discussion, Morning Nausea was started.