Rotten egg burps

I am a 55 year old woman in excellent health. I have had only 2 days off work since 1972, one of them because of my first episode of rotten egg burps. I don't smoke, drink very little alcohol, and the only other liquids I drink are tea and water. I am average weight and very fit for my age and eat a very healthy diet. About 30 years ago when my kids were little, I took them into the city just before Xmas to shop and for lunch I had half a Scotch egg. It seemed OK at the time. Then about 2 days later, as we were driving in the car on our summer camping holiday (this is New Zealand here!), I started burping rotten egg smells. The family thought it was a joke and laughed their heads off but it was absolutely putrid. Those burps lasted for 2-3 weeks but I had no other symptoms at all. At the time I put it down to the Scotch egg I had eaten and thought that it might've been a bit "off", although it tasted OK at the time. Fast forward 25 years and one day the burps come back. I wake up about 4 am from a deep sleep, tummy rumbling and squirming something awful and I had about 4-5 hours of nasty diarrhoea and felt **** but nothing else. Took it easy for the rest of the day, didn't eat much for a couple of days, and it went away.  Since then I've had 3 more attacks, several months/years apart, all following the same pattern. I have done a bit of research about it and they all say it is nothing to do with eggs but in my case I'm not so sure.  In 4 out of the 5 episodes, I have eaten eggs from somewhere other than my own home. (I don't eat a lot of eggs anyway.) Yesterday for lunch I had hard boiled egg in a leftover salad from dinner the night before which was very fresh and not "off". Today's episode would be the mildest one yet. The burps started at the same time as waking up at 4 am to rush to the bathroom, not several hours beforehand as before. I am still feeling a bit fragile (it is nearly 10 am on Saturday morning) but have had a piece of toast and cup of tea and think I am over the worst of it. However, interested in what other people have to say?


This discussion is related to Sulphuric/ Eggy burps and stomach cramps.

[brianusrex]

My name is Brian, I'm 30 years old and have suffered from the "Sulphur Burp" syndrome.  It is awful.  I've suffered with the symptoms for over 15 years.  My symptoms have been: stomach cramps like someone was stabbing my insides, rotten egg smelling burps that tend to linger in the air forever and have even made other people puke (they believe I'm farting), nausea, vomit, explosive diarreah (diarrhea), sharp back pain specially in the lower back, gas that felt like little mice running around inside my stomach, to mention the most memorable.  I've tried everything over the counter you can imagine, I even tried cutting certain foods from my diet like eggs and onions and chili or spices.  Nothing helped.  Fasting helped a little, but just created other problems for me.  It has gotten so bad I end up sleeping in my living room sitting down on the couch because I can't lay down due to the uneasy feeling caused.  My burps sound like a roaring dragon sometimes.  My wife thought I was posessed.  I felt pregnant.  It's really horrible and I just want to let you know you are not alone.

I think I might be suffering from giardiasis.  Whenever I muster up the courage to see a doctor about it, all my symptoms vanish into thin air.  Besides I was afraid that I might be diagnosed with stomach cancer or something.  Well, I'm glad I ran into this site because I know I'm not alone, and neither are you.  Hang in there partner, and talk to your medical consultant as soon as possible.  Peace!

[Sargeusafret]

I am a registered nurse and have the same symptoms. I was also the nurse manager of a GI lab for seven years doing EGDs and Colonoscopies w some of the best GI docs in the country. I still dont have an answer for this problem. I am also a retired MSgt who served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. My symptoms started after I returned to the US. The symptoms would come and go, some times no problem for several years. Two times ended up in the hospital and it was suggested as an allergy to eggs. This seems a likely culprite, except I have no problems taking the annual flu shot which is egg based. There are other war vets with the same symptoms. Some of which are diagnosed with Gulf War syndrome. Still searching for answers.

[Sargeusafret]

Just found a site that may help us all. ************.com. Check out signs and symptoms of Giardia. This parasite stays in your body (many times colonizing in your liver) forever unless treated. It causes intermittent flare ups, but can be treated with a particular antibiotic. Good info: Your Dr can test for this parasite in a stool sample during a flare up. Just remember (and your Dr may not know this) that if Gairdia is being tested and the sample has to be sent out to a lab, the parisite will die and Not be detected. A Dr specializing in parasitic infections will be able to test for this in thier office with a fresh sample.
RN with rotten egg belching----Good luck

[Todd7]

I'm a 41 year old vegetarian male from Australia. I've had these recurring experiences for about 5 years now. I don't eat eggs and haven't since I was a young teenager so I really don't think this problem has anything to do with eating eggs. I think my problem may have started when I started experimenting with raw foods.