Please Help!

[joanne723]

It started about 6-8 months ago. My friend and I ate at a restraunt where we both ordered the same thing. That night she got sick- throwing up etc. She was better within 24 hours. I ended up getting sick too, but I didn't throw up. I only had diareaha and nausea that lasted over a week.

My stomach and digestive system haven't been the same since. I don't know if it's related to this incident or not. Ever since I have been getting these bouts of nausea after eating as well as diareaha. The nausea is a combination of simply not feeling well and the feeling of needing to burp and not being able to. It usually starts about 1-2 hours after eating and lasts for about 3-4 hours. There are certain foods that agree with me better. Meat seems to be ok as well as rice and fruit. Veggies are iffy and forget anything that is a combination of ingredients. Any non-carbonated liquid makes me feel terrible too- so no water only Ginger Ale. Because of this I have lost 40 pounds. It seems like I only feel good when my stomach is empty so I'd rather not eat then feel sick.

About a month ago I tried an elimination diet. The first thing that I eliminated was wheat. I felt about 65% better, but am still getting sick after eating at certain times. I've noticed that after eliminating the wheat that when I get this feeling of nausea/needing to burp- that before when I would feel it, it would almost feel like acid reflux minus the acid- like a liquid coming up into my throat but relief when I could burp. Now without the wheat I still get this trapped burp feeling but no liquid accompanying it. I also have frequent gas and since losing the wheat I am going between constipation and diareaha where as before it was always diareaha.

Before this started happening I was on Prevacid for about a year due to acid reflux. I have since eliminated the Prevacid.

[PrincessKatie]

Yea, if you have celiac which is much more common than most people know, merely the elimination of wheat wouldn't be enough. I have a crumb of any gluten and I get sick. You might not be as sensitive, if you have it, but perhaps you have substituted the wheat with some other gluten-containing food?

[realtimedyno]

My daughter had similar symptoms, and thought it was an ulcer. An endoscopy during an "attack" showed no evidence of an ulcer. Turned out to be gluten intolerance.  Do you also have bloating and extreme pain in the stomach area?  She has cut out all gluten: not just from wheat, but barley, beer, soy sauce, oats, rye--of course all breads, pizza, pastries, etc.  Gluten is also sometimes a hidden ingredient in processed foods. She hasn't had a bout since--except when she slipped and ate breaded shrimp--and her stomach swelled up and became painful. Also, I think these acid blockers over the long haul aren't good for one's digestion because the process must begin in the stomach, and when it doesn't (due to acid blockers)--the undigested food moves on to the next station unprepared.  My daughter avoids anything that smacks of msg (they also go under assumed names in the ingredient list of processed foods). Check that out, too.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Obtaining blood tests to exclude infection or malabsorption is recommended.  

If the diarrhea is chronic, I would also consider an endoscopy to visualize the lower GI tract.  This can be done with a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy.

If the symptoms continue, blood tests for celiac disease can be considered.

Acid reflux can lead to the chronic nausea.  I would also consider other causes of dyspepsia such as inflammation or an ulcer.  If suspected, an upper endoscopy would be the recommended tests.

These options can be discussed with your personal physician.

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 patients education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
www.kevinmd.com