Sulphuric/ Eggy burps and stomach cramps

[lilsavage]

I found the above  topic last night at this same forum, though its dated 6 yrs back and I couldnt find anything more recent as I was searching for an answer to my own problem of the foulest burps that ever existed, then comes the diarhea and finally the vomitting. For me this can last up to two or three days. I was so relieved to find that other people have and are experiencing these same symptoms. Though im worried that no one has found and answer, maybe they have, as I said, the only forum I found for this is on this web site and its 6 yrs old. Im hoping someone has some new answer to this same problem. Its dibilitating when it happens, hard to go to work while im busy crapping and puking myself to half to death. Again, the burps are the absolute worst, those alone taste so bad its enough to make me sick and the sulphuric smell is just awful. Really its like im farting out my mouth. Hopefully after 6 yrs someone has some kind of real answer to this problem.

Thk you.

[hyepod]

Yes, I've had this lovely condition for over 20 years.  I thought I was the only one.  The foul, sulfuric rotten egg/bad red wine burps and flatulence (and diarrhea) are mortifying.  I  have studied the entire human body (in my profession), and have close friendships with several internists.  However, I have no health insurance.  Based on what I've studied and have been told, the most likely culprits are gastroparesis (very slow emptying of the stomach) OR gall bladder disease.  It is true that when your stomach retains its food load an excessively long time, the contents can somewhat "ferment."  I also have been told that bile typically tastes sulfuric.  So, I am no closer to reaching a conclusion.  Keep in mind, though, that fatty, rich, or even spicy foods can irritate conditions such as gastroparesis and gall bladder.  You simply may have to avoid these foods, and avoid eating massive amounts of food at one sitting.  There also are medications that help reduce the likelihood of spasm of the stomach's outlet.  Of course, you may require gallbladder ultrasound, etc.

[RegidG]

Hydrogen sulfide is what smells like rotten eggs. While I have only smelled that smell once and don't remember it, I do have the "egg burps" and have gotten sick that way.

The last time I did, it stayed with me, so that I nearly swore off of chicken, since it started after I ate some slightly uncooked chicken I didn't know was slightly uncooked until I got further in. I'm guessing that it was salmonella, but perhaps not such a bad strain.

The term of illness was intermittent and came with some nausea, but I never vomited. (I do have a strong constitution.) Again, I guess salmonellosis, though I can't prove it. Salmonella is a hydrogen sulfide producer, though.

Regi dG
A Microbiology student

[bustr]

Gastroparesis! Apparently it is not profitable enough to warrant more research.

[rb934]

not a cause of cancer  smell of rotten eggs

[rb934]

not a cause of cancer  smell of rotten eggs

[KTChitown]

I'm sure at this point (2 years later) you may not even have the same email address, but I wanted to chime in here.  I had very similar symptoms. I was prescribed zantac for years, until a doctor finally figured out I have Celiac Disease. Obviously not saying that you have it, but once I cut out gluten from my diet (that caused all of the villi in my small intestine to lie flat), I immediately stopped having any symptoms. Worth a quick blood test to find out if you might be a candidate.

[muleteam]

My husband has been suffering for 9 years (off and on) with these same rotten egg burps, stomach pain, diarrhea, then vomitting  and no one has really been able to help him.  The interesting thing is that about a year ago, my son (ten yrs old) and I joined him and are having the same symptoms except that I don't vomit.  Our other younger children often have diarrhea but no other symptoms, so I don't know if it is related or something completely different.  In discovering that we are not alone in this, I find hope that we may have answers.  My husband is at the Doctor's office now discussing this repeated illness.  Thank you all for your experiences and theories.  We will see what we can find.  If anyone knows more, I'd love to hear it.  THANK YOU!

[RocketJ23]

this is happening at my house! i mean i have had indigestion my whole life and the sulfur burps and vomiting and what not.....but my son who is 2 has had it also pretty bad since he was born...same with my daughter who is almost 2... and my boyfriend..their dad... has never had this problem he said...ever ... and the past like year or two he has had this ... a lot.... it is very weird...
I know you wrote this comment years ago... but i was just kinda excited when i read your comment because i have been trying and trying to find something to explain.... or at least relates to what is going on in my house.....

[specialmom]

I think you need to see a doctor. If this is frequent, look into acid reflux.

[sufferingfromproblem]

I'm so glad I found this website!  I'm 36 years old and I've been suffering from the following for almost 8 years now:  eggy/sulfuric burps (Hydrogen sulfide), the nastiest burps you could ever have, adbominal pain (always follows after I've started burping), vomiting and diarrhea (the vomiting and diarrhea are not always the same in intensity).

The doctors are stumped.  We have tried Acid-Reflux medication (which I have also), then tried some other things and nothing worked.  This sickness keeps coming back and back and back again.  The most recent discussion from my doctor was to try: Metoclopramide and Dicylomine.  The Dicyclomine has helped rear back some of the pain, but it hasn't helped stop the main source of the problem.  At least I'm not ending up in the Emergency room, which I normally end up at.  

One of you said "Based on what I've studied and have been told, the most likely culprits are Gastroparesis (very slow emptying of the stomach).  Stomach retains its food load an excessively long time, the contents can somewhat "ferment."  I've haven't hear of this yet, but I'll check into this.  I'm just glad finally to see other people suffering from this thing.  I'm going to try to lose some weight and try to stop eating a lot at one time, which I do.  Eating 'chicken' and or 'spicy foods' seems to not be good!

PS:  Do any of you vomit yellowish substance, and does it smell really bad?  

[searchingforinfo]

I am on day 2 of an occurance of this routine. I have had this off and on for many years, and often thought that it might be gall bladder related. The yellowish substance could be bile from the gall bladder. It is not only very uncomfortable, very nasty, and makes work difficult, but it has not been determined that I have gall stones, or gall bladder issues. I recently had a very thorough check up with my PCP, and she had a gall bladder ultrasound done. Nothing was found. I have yet to determine any specific foods that start this.

[Jennifer375]

For those who are suffering wth these symptoms,, you need to ask your doctors to run a test for all types of bacterial, protazoa,  and parasitic infection including campyoblasters. I had a friend who got these types of symptoms every time she ate taco bells nacho grande or wendy's salad... its GOT to be a type of transmittable infection that some people are more sensative to than others. I would suggest you look also into animal health issues with these symptoms because often things that are easily recognized by a vet in animals, goes completely overlooked by human medicine doctors simply because its not as common in people as animals.

*Best wishes and holding space for a full recovery!*

[sufferingfromproblem]

Hello Everyone:

Jennifer375 - I have run the backterial, protazoe and similar tests and found nothing.  I've had my gall bladder checked, done an endoscope, done a colonoscopy, and still....I get nothing.  I'm suffering from these attacks at least once every other month now, which is the most frequent.  I just want to end these attacks....once and for all.  

PS:  Dicyclomine does seem to give me pain relief and keeps me from ending up in the Emergency room; but again, I need to find the source of this problem!

[pam3838]

I am 23 years old and I have been suffering from the same off and on symptoms since I was about 19. The first time it happened I was at work and ended up having to go home. That was the only time that I had diarrhea and vomiting. My mother whom did not live with me had to come get me so that I didnt have to drive. She says that was the first and only time one of her children vomitted in front of her and she almost vomitted from the smell.

Since then, all I get are the nasty, disgusting burps for a couple of hours or maybe even a day then it goes away. I can not put my finger on a certain food or anything that causes it. I had apendicitis 1 year ago too. I don't now if they are related. Does anyone that gets these symptoms had their apendix removed? I just had the burps this morning and it is soooooo embarrassing. What is going on with all of us. It sure is a releif to hear others have these nasty burps but I sure would like an answer. Please let me know if you do. My email is ***@**** luck to us all :)

[Sevigne]

My husband has been suffering this type of ailment ever since he had a appendix removed. It took them a year to finally REMOVE the appendix which at that point had formed an abcess. Once removed he suffered a bowel obstruction post operatively related to an adhesion. Since then it appears that he suffers periodic obstructions triggered by who knows what. He does suffer from GERD and I can't help but feel some sort of food allergy triggers the bloating/burping and due to adhesions it then temporarily cuts off the flow of his GI track? Any other ideas? We've confirmed it is not any other ailment such as Crohns, diverticulitis, cancer, gallbladder etc. If indeed it is scar tissue are there  physicians utilizing mesh to prevent adhesions from adhering to surrounding tissues? It is incredibly frustrating for all of us as we never know if he will have a complete obstruction and once again require lysis of adhesions and it seems to strike out of no where.

[stevefromli]

I'm 64.  I just started getting the H2S burps about a year ago.  I notice they come with VERY rare (black & blue) steak or eating large quantities of fatty foods in one sitting.  I did some on line research and found that there are some bacteria normally living in the gut of some people that will turn undigested food into H2S gas.  They say that they are not life or health threatening but I don't believe that.  I think that there is some digestive process in me that is breaking down and allowing undigested food to reach the gut.

I'm betting that if I get a handle on the digestive problem the H2S will go away.

[lb087]

I have had the same problem for about a month now, when I was younger (about ten or eleven) I had the 'eggy burps' usually after I had been particularly sick with one of the strains of flu (particularly stomach flu) just recently it got worse, it was non-stop hell for a day and a half, and now that I have just recently started eating properly again, I've noticed that there is always one connection to this problem (for me anyway, it could be different for everyone) if I eat any type of cheese, I start getting the most disgusting burps, than comes the cramping in my stomach and finally diarrhea and vomiting. I've visited the doctor and he has told me to cut all dairy out of my diet for at least a month, it has been better, but I am still recovering from my last bout three or four days ago. Hopefully my doctor can figure this out, not only is it painful, but I miss so much work from being sick all the time...

[LanieOSU]

GOD! I pray that we can figure out what is wrong with us! I have done SO MUCH research online and have found alot of people that have these problems but none know what it is from and are looking for answers like the rest of us. This is debilitating! It feels like I am in labor. The burps that are disgusting enough alone to make you vomit, the stomach "contractions" then the vomiting. I can't take it anymore! I need answers. Everyone always tells me to go to the ER but I know there is nothing they can do for it. It's basically just a day of suffering. When this all started, it was at least 2-4 times a week for almost 3 months! The last time it happened was 4 months ago until last week and now this evening. It is so disheartening to know that you are about to go through hell. You know as soon as those burps start, you are very shortly going to be in SO MUCH pain. It hurts so bad that I sweat and scream. I have three children I have to take care of and my baby watches me in this pain and I can only imagine what he is thinking! Please, if any of you have any answers, PLEASE! I can't take this anymore. My e-mail is: L A N I E O S U    at    Y A H O O . C O M

HELP!

[LanieOSU]

P.S. I have been checked for EVERY bacteria under the sun and have had my gall bladder removed.

[Sambina_88]

Hey guys, I'm new to this site. I have to say I was really shocked that anyone else was experiencing what I've been experiencing all my life. I thought I was the only one. This eggy smell (I've always called it that), has been happening to me since I was in elementary school. Probably about 4th or 5th grade. It would vary (still varies) on how much it would happen. Sometimes it would be once every month, twice every month, once every three months. Very sporadic. That's also when my dizzy spells started. I'm 19 now (almost 20) and my stomach has gotten worse. Now I have this horrible gurgling in my chest and throat area. It feels like all this pressure, like this intense need to burp. I get heartburn A LOT. And now I have muscle spasms in my stomach sometimes. I get constipated a lot. There used to be blood in my stool (probably because the stool was so hard it would tear me up). Now I'm nauseous more often (still getting that eggy smell). I don't have much of an appetite anymore, my clothes are looser than they used to be. It's not a dramatic weight loss. It says on the scale that I still weigh the same. But my clothes are getting looser. I get mucus sometimes in my stool. Sometimes when I have a BM, it sometimes looks like little white worms embedded  in my stool. I was thinking maybe I have a tapeworm or something since I know people can sometimes get it from fleas. My cats have fleas and I remember throwing up a flea onetime. How I ingested it, I do not know. I'm supposed to have a colonoscopy and an endoscopy on march 13th. But my bowels aren't really bothering me that much anymore. It's more my upper regions. 3 or 4 other doctors agree that I'm too young for a colonoscopy (which I agree). But do you all think I should get an endoscopy? I just got a kit for stool samples today. I've also have a lot of cbc's done. In december, my white cell count was SLIGHTLY elevated. All the doctor's say that's nothing. My thyroid and celiac levels were also tested. My celiac levels were slightly elevated. But I'm wondering about these worms things in my stool. That is just weird and creepy. Have any of you ever had an endoscopy? How well does it work? What's it like to have one?

Thanks!

[MikkoKalise]

A possible solution...
After suffering from this for a week, and losing about 7 pounds in the process, I did more research and am hopeful that I have found a viable solution.

I am a believer in food as medicine (and poison in the right circumstances.)  Dr. Gillian McKeith out of the UK has a wonderful book called "You Are What You Eat" that helped me to solve some glucose issues that I was having.  (Ignore her TV show on BBCAmerica.  It is ridiculous and sensational, but entertaining.)  I turned to her book once more and this is what I've discovered...

The spleen is the energy battery of the body.  It is responsible for digesting nutrients along with the stomach, recycling old red blood cells into iron for the blood, and keeping bad bacteria out of the system that can cause colds, flu, etc.

My spleen is exhausted. After an extremely stressful year (and hasn't everyone with these symptoms cried "Stress!"), I am tired and sick.  I believe that I did contract Salmonella earlier in the year and have never fully regained full health, especially in my spleen.  Limping along, my spleen is unable to give me iron for energy, immunize me against sickness (I've been sick for a solid month and 1/2, including this eggy burp/diarrhea thing), and digest anything (the diarrhea.)

To heal my spleen, Dr. McKeith recommends taking acidophilus, drinking warm herbal tea and water, and eating the following list of foods to nourish the spleen:
aduki beans
yellow squash
mung beans
kidney beans
alfalfa
lychees
barley
millet
beets
oats
carrots
parsley
celery
parsnips
chicken
pumpkin
fennel
root vegetables
fish
sweet potatoes
turnips
yams
leafy greens
algae
kale
chard

Spices:
garlic (except for those of you who suspect it acerbates the situation, I would guess)
black pepper
ginger
cayenne pepper
ginseng
cinnamon
horseradish
dill seed
pau d'arco
astragalus

In addition, I am taking a digestive enzyme, avoiding alcohol, caffeine, dairy and acidic foods and drinking a vitamin/energy shake at least 3 mornings a week.  

I'll let you know how it goes.
Blessings and good health to you all,
Mikko

[sooty255]

I have been getting these symptoms now for 18 months, but i don't get the vomiting or the stomach pain, It is very embarrassing though as when i get 'eggy breath' i get really bad 'eggy wind'    I  cut out caffine years ago, i don't drink and only eat plain and simple foods, nothing spicey or fancy, I end up taking indegestion remedies and this does help.  It just seems to appear every couple of weeks, surely someone knows a genuine  reason for this problem and a cure

sooty

[ShakyBear]

Could it be an advanced case of Indigestion?

[designer1234]

hello all,
I also suffered these disgusting eggy burps, diahrea, and  stomach cramps and vomiting. Its absolutely terrible. I ended up in the ER once for dehydration (couldn't even keep water down). Mine would usually happen after eating at Mexican food restaurants, I was eating it quite frequently (once a week?). I'd feel very full and then get the belching- i'd know i'd be deathly sick for the next 24 hours. I would be sick about every 3 weeks!! Terrible.
After scopes, tests and everything dr.'s tried coming up negative...i finally tried cutting cilantro. One of the spices used in a  lot of Mexican foods. I haven't been sick for over a year. I've cut caffeine. I'm also trying to eat lots of fruits and veggies.
*Chipotle uses cilantro in their rice. I ask for plain rice.
Please consider that your body is intolerant to a spice or herb. I read a post that a man was intolerant of All-Spice.
It could be coincidence, but at least I'm happy and healthy.

[DeeDeeD]

Has anyone here looked into giardiasis?  It's a fairly common bacterial disease that will cause the sulfur burps and ongoing explosive diarrhea.  It seems that if you don't treat it, it has the potential to go on for years, as the bacteria have their own life cycle and the symptoms will change depending on where in their life cycle, they are.  It comes from bad water or other sources.   In the past, when I was traveling in India and other Third World countries, that taking activated charcoal ( it comes in capsules and tablets) for a couple of days really helped me, while my traveling partners were off to the doctors for strong anitbiotics.  Which I believe is the only 'accepted' way to treat it.  So ask your doctor to test you for that!  Better to know than to suffer with this for any amount of time.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/giardiasis/article_em.htm

[DeeDeeD]

ps....  i should warn you that if you use the charcoal, it will turn your stool nice and black...  just the charcoal getting from point A to point B.   Along the way it absorbs toxins etc.  and I've always been a fan.   Good luck!