I am a 22 year old female suffering from chronic, daily nausea and vomiting. For 4 years I have suffered from chronic nausea and vomiting. The nausea began when I was eighteen when spontaneously for one week. The symptoms then went away, only to reappear approximately three weeks later, and they stuck for good. During the first year of chronic nausea I underwent a major surgery for triple ovarian dermoid cysts. During the surgery I got infected with C-Difficile, a bacteria in the colon that resulted in inflammation of the entire colon, or pan colitis. I was treated with two doses of antibacterial medicine, Flagyl and Vancomicin. For two years after this infection I suffered from symptoms of quiescent colitis including diarrhea, abdominal and colon pain, and some bleeding. The symptoms faded after two years, but the nausea remained.
For the first two years of my symptoms I suffered from dull nausea throughout the day with more intense nausea and some strong abdominal pain in the evenings. I have been hospitalized once for nausea and vomiting, in which they initially suspected an appendicitis as an abdominal ct showed a partially enlarged appendix, some free fluid in the abdominal cavity, and a tubular structure in my appendix. I am currently seeing a G-I specialist that will address these unresolved findings.
Over the years I have had a steady increase in vomiting and nausea. In June of 2009 I began vomiting regularly after eating. At first vomiting would occur 1-2 hours after eating. But about mid-June, 2009, I began vomiting five to ten minutes after ingesting food. I was placed on nearly every anti-nausea medication in the book (compazine, zophran, anti-nausea patches, reglan, motilium, phenergen, etc.) each of which provided relief, but this proved to be temporary for each medication. Relief for some lasted days, others weeks. Without fail, however, he relief of symptoms would end and the nausea and vomiting would resurface. I currently medicate with medical marijuana, the only anti-nausea medication that has been effective in calming my digestive system enough to combat vomiting and reduce nausea.
I have become completely dependent on medical marijuana as I am no longer able to digest food at all without nausea and vomiting. When I begin vomiting, I will vomit until my stomach is empty and then continue to dry heave until I medicate with marijuana. Currently I have been vomiting after eating or ingesting liquids quickly. I sometimes experience heartburn and then vomiting. I can also vomit from standing over, physical exertion, and spontaneously without provocation. I can confidently say that without the help of medical marijuana, I would be unable to digest food and would be dependent on hospital care.
Over the course of my symptoms I have been tested with 2 endoscopies, a colonoscopy, C-T scan of the brain, and a gastro-emptying scan that showed mild gastro-paresis. After treatment I saw no relief of symptoms, and no test showed any diagnosable digestive problems.
In the past 5 months I have been treated by a psychiatrist under the preconceived notion that the problem is psychosomatic or lies within the neurotransmitters in my brain and abdomen. My psychiatrist diagnosed me with Soft Bipolar disorder in order to explain the nausea. His theory (as he explained it to me, but I do not understand the specifics, so bear with me) was best explained in an analogy of phantom limb pain. When people experience phantom limb pain, he stated that they suffer from Soft Bipolar Disorder. The reason this pain exists is because the neurotransmitters in the brain are traumatized by overwhelming pain or discomfort, such as the amputation of a limb. Because the brain has been traumatized, it continues to send messages that the pain still exists. The neurotransmitters can be changed with medication. He then put me on the medication to repair the neurotransmitter trauma, but I saw no affect on my nausea. I am currently trying different medication to mask the symptoms, but I am told there is nothing left to do diagnostically.
I am unable to go to college full time or keep a job because of the vomiting. I have currently ran out of options, so I thought I would turn to the web with some hope of finding help and support. Thanks.