Rotten egg burps

Question

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.

Pookie19701 · Answer

I have had two scary episodes of having endless diarrhea, vomiting, horrible headache, along with burping what tasted like greasy rotten eggs.  The first episode lasted 5 to 7 days.  This last episode lasted 24 hours, which I am currently recovering from it.

In both cases, I was self treating for a bladder infection, taking vitamin C and drinking non-stop amounts of diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice.  Two main ingredients of diet Cranberry Juice are Red Dye #40 and Sucralose, otherwise known as Splenda.  High doses of Splenda, can cause migraines and gastrointestinal issues.  Here is a link discussing the dangers of Splenda in high doses.  http://www.karlloren.com/Diabetes/p40e.htm.

Red dye #40 has it's own series of side effects, including causing migraines and cancer.  Here is a link discussing some of it's issues.  http://www.livestrong.com/article/487389-harmful-effects-of-red-food-coloring/

My first go around with this nastiness, I had kept drinking the diet cranberry juice during the entire episode, because I had bad bladder and possibly kidney infection.  I was downing the juice as fast as I could urinate it out.  When I ran out of cranberry juice, started getting better.  

This go around, as soon as I got sick, I couldn't hold down any juice or water or anything.  It took approximately 8 hours for the majority of it to work out of my system.  I still have a horrible headache and my right side is hurting, but that could be caused by the yellow gatorade I have been drinking, which is chalk full of yellow dye.

I know people think this is a huge joke, but most of what we eat is poisonous.  You might want to take a look at all of the foods you eat to see if they contain Splenda, (Sucralose), and red dye #40.  You might be surprised to know how many foods contain one or both of these.

I really good site to start learning about the poisons in your food is:  www.mercola.com.  Research, research, research...Most doctors are now pharmacists and do not have the knowledge base to help you with your health issues.  It is not their fault; it is just how it is.  Remember knowledge is power - just because the FDA tells you it is safe, doesn't mean it is.

Just thought I should share, I hope this helps some of you.

StacieFord · Answer

My son periodically has this same issue and we have also connected it with red dye number 40 every time

Todd7 · Answer

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.

Sargeusafret · Answer

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

Sargeusafret · Answer

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.

brianusrex · Answer

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, 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!