Constant, Maddening Nausea

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hi, all. I'm a 35-year-old female who has been struggling with pretty bad nausea for about a month now. It all came on very suddenly; I felt a thick mucus in my throat that made me feel gaggy, and my stomach felt bloated and ... well, off. When it first started, I felt extremely bloated, to the point where my stomach was painfully distended, and I could feel pressure in my throat, which make me feel even more nauseated. Funnily enough, eating would sometimes make me feel a little better because it'd help induce belching and passing gas. Now, I don't know if the belching is from constantly swallowing air due to the mucus/anxiety, or if something else is going on that's both causing the mucus and the bloating. I have a pretty bad case of emetophobia (fear of throwing up) and anxiety/depression in general, so I freak out whenever I feel nauseated. I'm still belching a lot, but it's not as bad. 

My other symptom is that I'll have a burning sensation/upset stomach around my belly button area and to the left and right of it. It feels sort of gassy. I don't have traditional heartburn symptoms in that I don't feel a burning sensation higher up between my ribs or underneath my sternum. I occasionally do get a vague, subtle burning sensation in my throat, and once or twice, I felt food regurgitate a little bit. I also get gurgles in my throat, but maybe that's from swallowing air. I don't know. I'm considering the possibility that it could be GERD/LPR. If I fall asleep when I feel gassy/sick to my stomach, sometimes I'll wake up feeling extremely nauseated and with mucus in my throat, which tends to get better once I sit up, belch, and calm down. 

This may or may not be relevant, but about 15 years ago, I dealt with similar issues. I lost a lot of weight and was dangerously underweight at one point. I had a gastric emptying test, and it came back showing that I could have gastroparesis. Here's the thing, though: I only took a few bites of the test meal, and it was a ninety minute test, which I've read isn't totally reliable. I've also read that not eating much for months at a time and losing weight like that can cause temporary gastroparesis, so I don't know if it was that. What I do know, however, is that I've been perfectly fine for the past 12+ years, though, with no GI symptoms whatsoever. I'm actually overweight now (unfortunately), and my appetite hasn't really suffered throughout this recent ordeal. When I was sick back in the early 2000s, my doctors mostly attributed my issues to anxiety, so maybe that's a big issue now, too. I don't know, but whatever it is, it really sucks. 

Anyway, I hope to see a GI doctor soon, but do y'all have any idea about what could be going on? Your input would be very much appreciated. Thanks! 

P.S. FWIW, I've been tested for h. pylori so far, but it came back negative.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Sorry to hear all that..sad

    Out of curiosity have you been having regular bowels movements?

    I got impacted a bit ago and was really sick until I got it all out with the colonoscopy and endroscopy done. Good luck !

    • Posted

      Hi, thanks for your response and for your well wishes! :-)

      My bowel movements have been pretty regular. This is a bit TMI (sorry!), but I've mostly been very gassy -- mostly in the form of belching, but I've been more gassy than normal at the other end, if you catch my drift. I haven't been constipated at all, but I've had diarrhea/loose stools a couple of times, though my stool is pretty normal most of the time.

  • Posted

    I'm sorry I have no input of wisdom, but I hope you find your answer soon and good luck =)

  • Posted

    Your symptoms sound like GERD which can be triggered by anxiety.  GERD and anxiety can slso make you feel sick.  Have you tried a food diary to see if any food may be causing symptoms? 

    Have you had any stomach pain that moves about along with gassiness and the diarrhoea/loose stools? If so, ask your doctor about IBS.  Bloating, nausea, and heartburn are also IBS symptoms.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.