2 years of nausea, upper stomach and headaches....looking for similarities in the causes!
Posted , 12 users are following.
Hi everyone, I have been a long time browser of any functional dyspepsia related forums I can find online and have found them to be a useful aid towards my journey in trying to get better. I feel I have gone as far as I can go with medical treatment after seeing various doctors and gastroenterologists. I have also had enough of the ‘natural treatments’ after no significant improvements from the items others rave about.
I do believe there must be some patterns between the causes of our issues, that could be of use in getting better, but which are difficult to see from individual to individual due to so many people with a whole range of symptoms being categorised by this label of ‘functional dyspepsia’. This in turn makes it hard to find patterns by reading through forums, and the information you need is often difficult to extract from paragraphs of text.
I thought it would therefore be good to start a thread with some structure to it thus removing this problem and helping the more recent suffers to easily find out what will be of assistance to their own issues. If you have been experiencing similar symptoms to that of myself, please share your own experience, but I would ask if you could maybe organise your posts under some headings similar to what I have tried to do below.
Background and Date of Problems Beginning
Male unwell since 10th June 2013 at age 22
After a tough final year of university working 6 days a week long hours, I went on a 5 week holiday traveling around Australia, before starting my career. I had previously been a very active individual who played a lot of sport, had a very healthy diet and rarely tended to get ill. On the last week of my holiday I had a day where I experienced fairly intense nausea for a couple of hours that then disappeared. Two days later after a night out clubbing for my birthday I woke up the next day slightly hungover but otherwise fine, however after having the first couple of bites of breakfast I was overwhelmed by extremely intense nausea making me feel on the verge of throwing up, which stayed with me continuously for about 3days. Ever since this day, over the past two years, I have not had a single day symptom free, although I am currently no where near as ill as I was for the first 8months.
Symptoms Over 2 Years
Over the last 2 years I have experienced all of the following at some point: daily nausea (varying severity), upper stomach pain, acidic stomach, pain in lower right side when exercising, dizziness, headaches bloating, and general ill feeling.
(These days I tend to have mild daily nausea and the occasional few days of general ill feeling or increased nausea)
Thoughts on Possible Causes
Stressful year prior to illness
Possible animosity over where I would be starting work and moving country
Infected Wisdom tooth
Infected insect bites from rainforest
Going long periods without food and having hunger pains on holiday
2nr bouts of seasickness on holiday
Frequent excessive alcohol consumption on holiday
Minor social anxiety
Medical Treatment
June 2013 – August 2013
Antibiotics for insect bite – cleared bite infection
Omeprazole – no effect
Blood tests – normal
Antibiotics for tooth – amoxicillin and metronidazole
Wisdom tooth out
High dose amoxicillin for infected wisdom tooth
August 2013 – January 2014
Urea breathe test – negative
Further blood tests – normal
Malaria test – negative
Further Omeprazole dose – some relief
Extended Omeprazole dose - very ill
Another 2days of Metronidazole in case of stomach infection from holiday
February 2014 – March 2014
Coeliac blood test – negative
Domperidone - no effect
Blood tests – normal
Stool test – normal
Ranitidine strong dose - acidity stopped
May 2014 – August 2014
Ultrasound – normal
Endoscopy - normal
Natural Treatment
Mastic Gum – worse
Wheatgrass – no effect
Potters Slippery Elm – helpful for a while then little effect
Liquorice – slightly helpful
CDSA test - slightly high candida
Multivitamin – appear worse off when not taken
Fish Oil – unknown effect
Acidophilus Probiotics – seemed worse initially but then became very helpful
Gluten free diet – no real effect
Magnesium tablets – no effect
Aloe Vera tablets (leaf not gel) – no effect
Aggravators
Caffeine
Alcohol(following day normally)
Salty food
High fat - high sugar foods
Restaurant food & home baking type food
Very sensitive to motion
Hunger & thirst
Lack of sleep
Anxiety
Alleviators
Salad
Veg
Exercise
Fish
Probiotics
Sleep
Vitamins
Ice cold food
Water
Advice & Questions
I think over the past 2 years the improvement I have experienced comes down to a combination of my body generally getting better over time, discovering the things that help manage my wellbeing and tackling sticking points rather than shying away for them. I know everyone is different but I feel the biggest help to me has been salad and exercise whilst using a good probiotic and taking a multivitamin. During my worst period exercise was very hard as I always felt like I was going to throw up and didn’t want to be in a public place but 9 times out of 10 I would feel much better afterwards as long as it wasn’t too intense. Salad is also of great help, I don’t know why but for some reason leafy salad is better than general vegetables, although veg and fruit are also provide some benefit.
I find there are lots of people contributing their stories on internet forums that when I read through, I think that is exactly what I am experiencing, but he one symptom I don’t tend to see is that I have noticed that I have now become very sensitive to motion sickness, not in the car but on the occasional train and what I consider pretty tame theme park rides (probably small boats too but I haven’t wanted to try since falling ill) all of which I never had any problem on before, does anyone else find this to be the case?
0 likes, 19 replies
holly_12500 Cameron323
Posted
I have had lots of help from this site and hope you can get some answers.
Have you been to see a specialist if no, I would ask your GP.lots of test can be carried out, one test is a camera to see in you stomach. ( forgotten what they call it) I had this and found to have helicboater pyori and treated with 3 lots of antibiotics.
I take esomeprazole now and am much better. I also take domperide for sickness.
hope you get some answers,
holly
maloushka Cameron323
Posted
Hi Camero,
I know the feeling, i have been experiencing the same symptoms for 2 years as well, I'm 24 now. Doctors thought first i had apendicitis, then cealiac disease but all tests went back normal. I was referred for a camera test last september where they found out I had a hiatus hernia : they gave me lanzoprazole then omeprazole which I couldn't tolerate so I am now on Ranitidine which helps with the acid and heartburns. However as my symptoms are still bad i had to carry a PH test and a manometry of my oseophagus and it turned out that my main problem is bile reflux rather than acide reflux, the surgeon I saw told me that there is no surgery and no treatment and told me to drink Yakult to help to protect my stomach... I went back to my GP who first did not know what bile reflux was and sent me for random tests and she still does not who refer to.
I am French but working in the UK, so I have now booked an appointment with a specialist there when i go back for holidays in 3 weeks hoping for a second opinion, answers and above all a treatment!
The funny thing is that, like you, i did notice a change with my transport sickness. Before i would never feel sick or anything but the last 6 months i had to go on a ferry boat a few times and would feel very sick and bordeline needing to throw up. That never happened to me before having this condition and i can't explain why.
I hope you feel better soon and find a way to relieve at least the symptoms!
Maelle
Cameron323 maloushka
Posted
Thanks for your reply. The similarities are very interesting as not only the motion sickness but I also did not respond well to omeprazole and it wasn't until I was given ranitidine that the heartburn stopped.
Can I ask what the background of events leading up to you getting ill were?
Cameron
maloushka Cameron323
Posted
It all started on a random day : I was eating and I started to experience severe stomach pains, I could barely move and it would last for hours, that's why they thought I had apendicitis at the beginning. It was very bad for 3 days and then started to ease off. I had in parallel a water infection and was taking antibiotics so I thought it cleared off the stomach problems as well but the pain would never go away from that point and for a year and half I had a constant mild dull pain on the right of my belly button.
It started to feel more and more painful and uncomfortable so I went back to the doctors,they prescribed me anti-spasmodic and this is when it kicked off really bad again and led me to have an endoscopy to discover the hiatus hernia. Before that I never experienced heartburns but it all started after they found the hernia, which is quite weird...
I have been feeling awful for months and that's when a GP saw me completely worn out and upset about all the situation that she referred to a surgeon last december to eventually repair the hernia. I came to see the specialist who first referred me for a manometry and ph metry of my oesophagus to be sure that the actual problem came from the acid in my stomach. When I had the results back, I saw a different surgeon who told me that they found acid and reflux, but it's actually bile reflux. This surgeon explained to me that on top of the hiatus hernia, the other valve at the bottom of my stomach does not work properly : the bile instead of going down into my intestines, actually goes up back into my stomach. He told me that there is no treatment, no surgery and to stop the Ranitidine. I did stop it for 3 days, but I was feeling like a dragon because I would have constant heartburns and decided to take it again.
At that point my new GP (who did not know what bile reflux was the first time I saw her) sent me for some blood tests because she does not know who refer to. She also prescribed Peppermint Oil that I stopped taking because it provokes even more heartburns. At that point I am completely hopeless and really hope I would have some answers and maybe solutions back in France...
elizabeth_26145 Cameron323
Posted
Starzen Cameron323
Edited
Hey guys. i realize this thread is years old. But i am experiencing something similar. started with nausea one day.. then a few days later. Then became so frequent i lost a hunch of weight. it lasted about 6 weeks the first time. Went away for a while. Started up again months later, and reached a peak this past January. For me its the nausea.. I cant handle it. It happens during or shortly after food usually. And starts as indigestion.. like the need to burp? Or air stuck in my esophagus? Anyway, I have had blood tests, ultrasounds, negative h pylori breath test, negative celiacs blood test, negative autoimmune blood tests. I just saw a GI who scheduled me for an endoscopy but it is 2 months away. I feel like I am drowning. My depression and anxiety as a result of this is insane. I also have not had much luck with the H2 blockers or PPI's.. they either make it worse or dont seem to help at all. I just know that I am miserable and can not keep living like this. Did any of you figure out what was happening? How do you feel now?? 😦
Cameron323 Starzen
Edited
Hey!
I didn't know this even still existed until the notification email came through!
Sorry that you're suffering (and anyone reading this too). I know how horrible it is but 7 years later I know it's going to get better!
I'm not an expert and it's anecdotal but I'll share my thoughts in hindsight, which might help you shorten the recovery window as the doctors will just test different pills rather than tackle the root cause (unless your endoscopy finds something physical).
The biggest thing that had lights flashing in my head from your post was the stress and anxiety part.
I know you mentioned that you're experiencing these over being ill but I would guess that you potentially had some mental stress before, as it was my mental state that both caused and aggravated my symptoms the most.
I hadn't had any mental health problems prior to being ill but I had a very stressful year and anxiety over finding a job, coupled with a 5wk holiday filled with alcohol and little sleep, which must have reaked havok with the chemicals in my brain.
Then once the symptoms started, certain foods would aggravate them but I also got really depressed about it and became anxious about feeling ill, so I wouldn't socialise or do fun things because I didn't want to get caught out and be feeling sick.
It's a viscous circle - the symptoms make you feel more depressed and anxious, which are the factors that cause the symptoms in the first place!
The doctors may have picked up on this if I'd told them how I was feeling mentally but I didn't really understand mental health when I was younger and as a male from the West Coast of Scotland was culturally in denial.
I eventually (on my own) started to see patterns and did more of the things that made me feel better and less of the things that made me feel worse and over time I got better as a result.
Some of the things that aggravated my symptoms at the time (salt, sugar etc) don't affect me at all now but I have to be conscious of other high level factors that can give me some issues - even now.
What made me feel better/get better:
-Sleep (wish I'd read Why We Sleep by Mathew Walker at the time)
What gives me mild symptoms even now:
-Not getting enough sleep
-Caffeine
-Too much alcohol (I think this is really connected to sleep)
-Something that makes me feel very anxious
There's lots of advice online from people about trying different natural remedies or diets etc. and some can help but these are small parts of the bigger picture - live a healthy lifestyle in terms of diet and exercise and work on your mental well being.
Hope this helps!
anne53212 Cameron323
Posted
Thanks so much for your update! So you are all better now? How long did it take you to recover?
NauseousLaCole Cameron323
Edited
I'm curious how long you had nausea for before it got better? Did you make a full recovery?
I'm 32yo was pretty healthy, worked out weekly, active, no major health issues except mild ibs I've managed for 12 yrs... then out of nowhere became nauseous. I had some viral infection in april 2020 that made me extremely nauseous for 3 or 4 days and then became better then in june 2020 the constant nausea started....
I've been dealing with constant mild nausea every single day for over 3 months now with tests showing nothing but mild chronic gastritis and active duodenitis. I did have debilitating nausea for a couple weeks in the midst of all this and lost 7lbs in 1 week and went to the ED. zofran and compazine doesn't do much, started taking ginger root and peppermint cbd oil this week not sure if it helps just yet... it's just always constantly there and food seems to effect it little, but I've been eating about 5 small portions of bread cream cheese, pretzels, crackers, peanutbutter, potatoes and rice, ect... I had to quit grad school to be a nurse practitioner and have been on leave from work. This has flipped my life upside down and is so hard to cope with. I have a HIDA scan tmrw and 2nd GI opinion oct 26th 2020.... I try to keep telling myself I'll eventually be normal again and try to fight off the bad thoughts of is this going to be forever? It just doesn't make sense.
tzumi56935 Cameron323
Posted
Hi,
Thank you so much for helping out!
I do think that stress and anxiety make my symptoms worse. But it's the symptoms that get me stressed so I'm not sure how to manage that.
Do you think getting busy in other activities will help? Since I end up thinking about my stomach problems almost all the time!!
How long did it take for you to recover?
anne53212 NauseousLaCole
Posted
Would the active duodenitis not be the cause of your symptoms? What did specialist say about that? Also how did you know it was a virus that started this whole thing off? I'm dealing with nausea on and off, stomach pains, burning and bloated feelings in stomach for three months now. h pylori negative apparently though i am suspicious. PPI does seem to help but not cure me.. yet. I refuse endoscopy so I am just going to have to deal with it I guess and hope it disappears one day as mysteriously as it arrived.
So sorry to hear you had to drop out of your program due to health issues. I really hope you get well soon...
tzumi56935 anne53212
Edited
Hi,
I've been going through the same.
I have upper abdominal discomfort which doesn't seem to go away. I visited my gp and he just diagnosed me with acid reflux. I am constantly bloated.
I do experience heartburn sometimes but not always. I do burp frequently though (after eating/drinking anything).
I have nausea on and off too (it just appears randomly once every two or three weeks).
The uncomfortable feeling in my upper abdomen is the worse though since it stresses me out a lot!
I've noticed that stress and anxiety only makes it worse.
This has been going on for two months now and it's really frustrating to say the least.
NauseousLaCole anne53212
Posted
Well, the gi doctor said duodenitis shouldn't cause constant nausea... she told me bad ulcers heal in 4 weeks and didnt think duodenitis would be causing chronic nausea? and said something about possible hypersensitivity or functional dyspepsia and wanted to do antidepressants for it, which I cant deal with. I actually just took Remeron for 2 days and I couldnt get out of bed to even shower from pure exhaustion, it made me feel so out of it and the constipation is already noticeable, so I quit it sigh.... i walk my dogs everyday and haven't been able to in 3 days since taking that med... ugh
I mention the virus because it's the only recent issue I had that brought on severe nausea.... I've read stories of people getting a virus to then develop constant nausea afterwards, post viral gastroparesis/functional dyspepsia, so I was wondering if that's what happened since they cant find anything else wrong with me and say I'm in perfect health, when I feel Ill 24/7.
Its been 4mo. now of constant stomach sickness, I'm starting to really lose hope, at my dr appt in 2 weeks I'm asking for parasite testing/cleanse,GES, and testing for SIBO... that's about all that's left I guess 😦 the suffering is endless, idk how long I can live like this 😦
Cameron323 NauseousLaCole
Posted
To answer your question, I had nausea for about 2 years and in the 1st year was hell - severe/ multiple times a day.
It went away very gradually by reducing in severity every couple of months over the 2 year period, until I just didn't notice it anymore (I'd accepted it as a part of my life by then so didn't really have a moment of realisation that it'd stopped).
tzumi56935 Cameron323
Posted
Hi,
Was the nausea due to abdominal issues?
For me, it's been here since the last two months and my gp diagnosed it as acid reflux.
Were you taking any reflux medications for it?
Thanks!
Tzumi xx