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Constant Nausea
Hello all,
I am desperate to find some answers and support so anyone who has gone/is going through/ or know any ideas about anything please help.
I am 19 years old, and female. For the last year I have suffered from constant nausea along with many other symptoms, like: dizziness, light-headedness, fatigue, depression, and anxiety. (Note: the anxiety is due to the extreme fear I have of throwing up, have had it since I was in elemtary school, and have been to several different types of therapy to deal with it, including exposure, so that is not the issue.)
I have been to many different doctors and have had many different diagnoses and treatments. Other than all of this going on I am healthy, I exercise, eat well, and get enough sleep. All of my blood work and urine samples have all come back normal every time. So now here is how it has played out.
-I started by going to the doctor and they told me they had no clue so they put me on Promethazine (Phenergan) just to treat the nausea until they found the problem.
-Then they thought I might have a acid problem, so prescription peptid was added, with no relief
-A few months later it was decided that it seemed to be my birth control and a reaction I have to it. I was then told to discontinue use, was off of it and the symptoms continued.
-Then I came back and they told me that it was vertigo and put me on meclizine, which helped the dizziness but nothing else. So they kept me on more promethazine as well.
-Then a while later and countless blood tests they still had no answer I had been to the ER a few times and gotten IV treatment for the nausea.
-After the last ER visit they added Benadryl to the promethazine regimen, while it offered a little relieve it did not make the nausea completely go away at any point.
-Then I had a follow up with my doctor, she thought it was anxiety, so I was sent to a Psyc. I have been on Zoloft since then , it has relieved my anxiety but was no help for the constant nausea and seemed to make the promethazine less effective.
That has brought me to today and I am looking for any sign of hope.
-Scook
Other notable health related incidents in Past:
-Elementary school developed fear of vomit
-Age 10 migraines daily
-Age 12 tonsils were enlarged to cover most of throat after tonsillitis
-Age 12 Essential Tremors developed (MRI – EEG all normal, no epilepsy)
-Age 17 tonsils removed, extremely sick for a week after
- November of Age 18 Serious car accident, soft tissue damage, someone t-boned my car
-May of Age 18 Nausea starts
I am desperate to find some answers and support so anyone who has gone/is going through/ or know any ideas about anything please help.
I am 19 years old, and female. For the last year I have suffered from constant nausea along with many other symptoms, like: dizziness, light-headedness, fatigue, depression, and anxiety. (Note: the anxiety is due to the extreme fear I have of throwing up, have had it since I was in elemtary school, and have been to several different types of therapy to deal with it, including exposure, so that is not the issue.)
I have been to many different doctors and have had many different diagnoses and treatments. Other than all of this going on I am healthy, I exercise, eat well, and get enough sleep. All of my blood work and urine samples have all come back normal every time. So now here is how it has played out.
-I started by going to the doctor and they told me they had no clue so they put me on Promethazine (Phenergan) just to treat the nausea until they found the problem.
-Then they thought I might have a acid problem, so prescription peptid was added, with no relief
-A few months later it was decided that it seemed to be my birth control and a reaction I have to it. I was then told to discontinue use, was off of it and the symptoms continued.
-Then I came back and they told me that it was vertigo and put me on meclizine, which helped the dizziness but nothing else. So they kept me on more promethazine as well.
-Then a while later and countless blood tests they still had no answer I had been to the ER a few times and gotten IV treatment for the nausea.
-After the last ER visit they added Benadryl to the promethazine regimen, while it offered a little relieve it did not make the nausea completely go away at any point.
-Then I had a follow up with my doctor, she thought it was anxiety, so I was sent to a Psyc. I have been on Zoloft since then , it has relieved my anxiety but was no help for the constant nausea and seemed to make the promethazine less effective.
That has brought me to today and I am looking for any sign of hope.
-Scook
Other notable health related incidents in Past:
-Elementary school developed fear of vomit
-Age 10 migraines daily
-Age 12 tonsils were enlarged to cover most of throat after tonsillitis
-Age 12 Essential Tremors developed (MRI – EEG all normal, no epilepsy)
-Age 17 tonsils removed, extremely sick for a week after
- November of Age 18 Serious car accident, soft tissue damage, someone t-boned my car
-May of Age 18 Nausea starts
I had my stools checked and urine no problem with any thing along those lines, had several ultrasounds and liver tests, all came back normal… the only GI test left would be an invasive procedure where they stick a camera into my stomach… which they find no need for because nothing is pointing to an ulcer or any damage to the walls of my stomach. I at first thought it was a food issue, I had had enzyme issues in the past after my tonsillectomy and not eating for a few weeks. I have tried all of those diet changes you have suggested over the past year, none bearing any result. I however last night came down with an extreme case of vertigo, so I have a feeling this has something to do with that… I set up an appt with my doctor to discus it on Tuesday, hopefully there is an answer…. It seems like things just get worse and worse, thanks so much for giving all of your insight and another round of food changes cant do any harm.
What size pills are your promethazine, and what other meds are you taking, I found that changes how much the medicine causes fatigue… I would love to pass on some tips about it.
-Scook
What size pills are your promethazine, and what other meds are you taking, I found that changes how much the medicine causes fatigue… I would love to pass on some tips about it.
-Scook
ps- also you said you've been sick since a car accident..i'm sure you've checked this out already but...gallbladder issues creep up and can give nausea without pain. I'd double check that and maybe do a ultrasound/HIDA scan just to double check and make sure that is working ok. Also liver/pancrease function tests would be a good idea to check and see if there's a chance of gallbladder stones causing problems. You can do the diet and at the same time look into that if you haven't ruled out gallbladder yet. Good luck.
ack i'm sorry you're dealing with this health problem..
I'm in the same boat too, been nauseated/pain since Oct. of 2005 but I do have a lead on what is causing my problem. I'm also on promethazine (1/2 pill since it knocks you out) and i'm having insomia issues/anxiety as well. Right now i'm improving but my anxiety is super bad (I have the same issue.. worried about throwing up in public)
Usually nausea is caused by a motilitiy problem..like food either going too slow through your digestive system..unless you have some serious problem like liver cyst or cancer or something you haven't found yet...
Anyway I'm not sure if you've had your stools checked, but it might be a good idea to check and see if you are having a problem with bugs/parasites and such but if you've had white blood cells in your stool with no culture that would possibly indicate some malabsorbtion issue (food intolerance/allergy). Basically the system is rebelling or guarding itself against whatever you're eating...problem is you don't know what it is that's causing it. You can go to an allergist and get skin tests but those are for allergies..unfortunately there are no real 100% tests for food intolerances. Many food intolerant people who suspect they're having problems use "entrolabs" but i'm too poor to do that myself but it does show and help you diagnose problems.
So my guess is you took some meds at some point of your life or got a major infection like I did (UTI) and then soon as you finished your meds or infection the immune system woke up and decided that something isn't acceptable...OR the meds/infection took away a bunch of digestive enzymes. And now is attacking something you're eating.
All those symtpoms you listed (anxiety/nausea/IBS issues..same things i'm having) are probably either caused by some food intolerance or celiac. I know if you test negative via blood work it doesn't mean much..many people have celiac/gluten intolerant with a negative test so that's something to think about.
A few of the big ones are, lactose (dairy) wheat/gluten/fructose/soy...so my advice is to go on a food elimination diet of just eggs for breakfast/salads with maybe safe items like a gluten free/soy free/dairy free salad dressing or avacadoes mixed in..and then meats/potatoes/veggies for dinner with fruits as a snack (strawberries for example) and do this for 2 weeks. Watch labels super close and in general if in doubt don't eat it. You said you're eating healthy which i'm sure you are but still something is possibly causing a serious problem.. Make sure you don't screw up at all or any doubt...also might not be a bad idea to go on a non-allergenic bulker like citrucel (one scoop a day) to help normalize your system. You could also use peppermints (cheap basic version with just sugar) to help calm that gut of yours...
If you notice any improvement you're on to something..I did the diet and my parents bought me some gluten free waffles...ate some after took weeks on that diet and had a MAJOR reaction to the waffles..culprit? Soy. So yeah i'm still trying to figure things out but since you've been sick so long you might as well give it a shot and try. You have nothing to lose and it's a super healthy diet anyway. If you've done a full GI workup (upper and lower..) then that's really all that is left...also doing a good gluten/soy/dairy/casein free multivitamin is a good idea to do during this diet.
Anyway hope that helps..be careful of medication they have dairy/gluten in them so might be a good idea to go off everything..
(also some tests to think about is..SIBO breath test..lactose breath test..fructose breath test..that entrolabs test I talked about..so if you have insurance and money and you don't feel like doing the diet you could test for those...it could be a small protein like casein causing your problems so it's a mystery and it'll take work but since I'm doing the diet my nausea levels have dropped a large portion in 3 weeks so that's my .02 i'm not a doctor advice)
GOOD LUCK! :)
I'm in the same boat too, been nauseated/pain since Oct. of 2005 but I do have a lead on what is causing my problem. I'm also on promethazine (1/2 pill since it knocks you out) and i'm having insomia issues/anxiety as well. Right now i'm improving but my anxiety is super bad (I have the same issue.. worried about throwing up in public)
Usually nausea is caused by a motilitiy problem..like food either going too slow through your digestive system..unless you have some serious problem like liver cyst or cancer or something you haven't found yet...
Anyway I'm not sure if you've had your stools checked, but it might be a good idea to check and see if you are having a problem with bugs/parasites and such but if you've had white blood cells in your stool with no culture that would possibly indicate some malabsorbtion issue (food intolerance/allergy). Basically the system is rebelling or guarding itself against whatever you're eating...problem is you don't know what it is that's causing it. You can go to an allergist and get skin tests but those are for allergies..unfortunately there are no real 100% tests for food intolerances. Many food intolerant people who suspect they're having problems use "entrolabs" but i'm too poor to do that myself but it does show and help you diagnose problems.
So my guess is you took some meds at some point of your life or got a major infection like I did (UTI) and then soon as you finished your meds or infection the immune system woke up and decided that something isn't acceptable...OR the meds/infection took away a bunch of digestive enzymes. And now is attacking something you're eating.
All those symtpoms you listed (anxiety/nausea/IBS issues..same things i'm having) are probably either caused by some food intolerance or celiac. I know if you test negative via blood work it doesn't mean much..many people have celiac/gluten intolerant with a negative test so that's something to think about.
A few of the big ones are, lactose (dairy) wheat/gluten/fructose/soy...so my advice is to go on a food elimination diet of just eggs for breakfast/salads with maybe safe items like a gluten free/soy free/dairy free salad dressing or avacadoes mixed in..and then meats/potatoes/veggies for dinner with fruits as a snack (strawberries for example) and do this for 2 weeks. Watch labels super close and in general if in doubt don't eat it. You said you're eating healthy which i'm sure you are but still something is possibly causing a serious problem.. Make sure you don't screw up at all or any doubt...also might not be a bad idea to go on a non-allergenic bulker like citrucel (one scoop a day) to help normalize your system. You could also use peppermints (cheap basic version with just sugar) to help calm that gut of yours...
If you notice any improvement you're on to something..I did the diet and my parents bought me some gluten free waffles...ate some after took weeks on that diet and had a MAJOR reaction to the waffles..culprit? Soy. So yeah i'm still trying to figure things out but since you've been sick so long you might as well give it a shot and try. You have nothing to lose and it's a super healthy diet anyway. If you've done a full GI workup (upper and lower..) then that's really all that is left...also doing a good gluten/soy/dairy/casein free multivitamin is a good idea to do during this diet.
Anyway hope that helps..be careful of medication they have dairy/gluten in them so might be a good idea to go off everything..
(also some tests to think about is..SIBO breath test..lactose breath test..fructose breath test..that entrolabs test I talked about..so if you have insurance and money and you don't feel like doing the diet you could test for those...it could be a small protein like casein causing your problems so it's a mystery and it'll take work but since I'm doing the diet my nausea levels have dropped a large portion in 3 weeks so that's my .02 i'm not a doctor advice)
GOOD LUCK! :)
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