Unexplained Chronic Nausea

Digestive health
1

Hi all

I am writing in the hope that someone can relate to what I am going though and maybe offer some support or advice.

Seven weeks ago I woke up feeling extremely nauseous. I also had bad muscle pains, joint pains, a headache every day (now gone), and felt extremely fatigued; so fatigued that some days I find it hard to walk around as my legs feel like paper on bad days. I have been like this every single day for weeks. I have actually had similar symptoms on other occasions in the past. On those occasions, it has usually lasted about six weeks and then disappeared. This time it is showing no signs of abating. I lay on my bed most days feeling too sick to move around.

Because this has happened before, my GP thinks it might be M.E and I am waiting to go to a clinic to see someone about it. Meanwhile, each day is like torture to me.

I wake up very nauseous as soon as I open my eyes. I can not bear to eat until around midday but usually feel slightly better for eating something....if it does not give me bad wind and I end up burping for hours. I am just eating tiny amounts often. I have acid reflux but my throat isn't sore with acid. I also have a hiatus hernia though it's very small. I am on PPIs for this.

I can not take anti sickness meds as I react badly to them. No doctor will give me them so I have to brave this without any help. I cut out caffiene, I don't drink alcohol, and I eat a healthy diet...I have to because I have chronic kidney disease, my cholesterol has suddenly gone up, and I am high end of normal for blood sugar. In fact, I am on so many restrictions it seems sometimes like there is only veg left!

I am waiting to see a gastroenterologist as my GP is hoping he will do a colonoscopy to rule out bowel disease. I don't want it. I have to have CT scans every six months because I had kidney cancer two years ago, and I get so anxious beforehand and go to pieces. I have one due in two weeks that is causing me a huge amount of stress. I have to have the dye this time too and I am scared of it. I have claustrophobia.

I have been to the doctor about five times in seven weeks. It has been deduced that I am depressed to boot...who wouldn't be? Otherwise all blood tests have been fine and physical exam doesn't point to anything. I have just done a stool test and awaiting results. My GP really doesn't know what's wrong with me. I ended up in casualty one day as I collapsed on my stairs. I had been in a bad way for about five weeks. My sats were okay, blood test fine, chest x-ray fine..sent home.

I am starting to go out of my mind methinks! I am worried and sometimes it feels like I can't breathe through such stress. I get light headed, feel almost depersonalized, and sweat with fear at times.

Has anyone suffered in this way and for so long without diagnosis? I would welcome any kind of response.

Thanks smile

2

Hi sue. I know when I had the bad nausea my doctor gave me some breath test to see if I had intestinal bacteria of course this came back negative. But he was testing for everything

3

Sounds like you've had a dreadful time no wonder you are feeling low.....I suffered with nausea for a long time...was put on PPIs because of acid but that was due to worry about spasms in my bowel. Turned out to be a rare bug which left me lactose intollerant...try no dairy (which is hard as in many foods hidden as whey powder, etc.) but it was the problem with me....But keep going back to Dr until you know what it is...don't let them fob you off hun. xxx

4

I feel your pain. All my blood work, xrays, etc have come back normal. I also lay in bed on some days because I feel to bad to get up. My legs feel like jelly, but is getting better. I also went to the doctor more often than every before. I had my gallbladder out, which the doctor said was what was causing my symptoms. I feel worse now.

I am on anxiety meds and he thinks I am depressed. The only thing I am depressed about is that no one can figure out what is wrong with me. My doctor would also like me to have a colonoscopy, but I don't want to and can't afford to.

I believe I am losing my mind, too. I have no quality of life and can't do the things I love. I need to get back to work and make some money, but I wouldn't last an entire 8 hour shift.

5

Hi. I don't know what country you are in but I never heardf of the breath test in the UK. Did your doctor give you a final doagnosis?

6

I am glad you got sorted out in the end. My Gp doesn't seem very interested in bacteria in the gut. I had to ask for my stools to be tested as it was never mentioned. Docs here always seem to be looking for the obvious and when the obvious is ruled out, they shrug their shoulders. My feeling is that once you have acid reflux, a hernia and IBS, it's easy for doctors to put everything down to those conditions. If this was true in my case, I would have been like this for many years!

7

Hi. Sorry you are suffering so bad too. Do you feel they got it totally wrong about your gallbladder because it's awful to think they would remove it wihtout good reason.

I don't want a colonoscopy unless it's absolutely necessary. I am seeing a gastroenterologist in a couple of weeks and I want to talk at length about the reasons it's thought necessary. 

Like you, I just want a diagnosis. I want to know what could make me feel this ill and put a halt to my everyday normal life. I am starting to feel like a pest at the docs though my GP is sympathetic. I don't want sympathy though...I want answers.

How long have you had the symptoms? Do you get very nauseous?

8

It is commonly done here. Your GP should be able to do it as well as the helicobactor blood test:

"Another simple technique of looking for H. pylori involves a breath test. For this you will be given a drink containing a substance called urea. Whether or not H. pylori is present in the stomach can be detected by collecting a sample of your breath for a short time after taking the drink. This test is used to find out whether treatment has been successful although it needs to be done at least one month after the course of treatment has finished. Stool antigen tests for H pylori are now widely used. These involve analyzing a small portion of stool for H pylori antigens"

9

Are you in the US? I really don't think they do it in the UK. H Pylori has even been tested by a blood sample here and it's known that it should really be tested using a stool sample sad

10

No. If you Google it is on the NHS site and other places.

11

I will take a look. Thanks Derek. smile

12

What test did you have for the rare bug found too? Can you remember the name of the bug? Thanks smile

13

Hi, yes I also had to ask for a stool test because I did not have diorreah they saw no reason (but my stools were always tinged with green! sorry!). He tested for parasites, etc. and came out with aero hydrophila which required anti-biotics for several weeks...not nice if its gets in skin as flesh eating...and I suspect my gut was being damaged by it causing the pain, nausea and spasms and food intollerances.....I suffer from anxiety/worry alot so of course IBS was immediate decision....but I knew my nausea was different to the "worry" nausea and the acid was a direct result of the worry from the bowel pain....my blood tests also showed inflammation so I knew something was not right....ask for your stools to be tested....and if you do think it is bacteria, google the foods to avoid....I think mainly carbs and sugar. Let me know how you get on and do try giving up the milk products...I have unsweatened almond which I actually prefer and soya icecream which tastes like carte d'or! Give it a go... xx

14

Yes I am in the usa. It was a 3 hour test. I had to blow into a tube that they put threw some machine every 40 minutes or so. My test was negative. 

15

Hi Janis

Did you find out why you had the chronic nausea?

16

Yes that's what's worrying...the fact that you know it's not just an anxiety thing. It's chicken and egg really! I got really physically poorly and then at times it makes me anxious. Sometimes when I am full of wind I even find it hard to breathe or my breathing seems strained. That's enough to make anyone anxious. Feeling sick all day and almost getting afraid to eat is worrying too. I am not a very big person to begin with and I am slowly losing weight as the weeks go by. I try and eat about every 3-4 hours but very little. A yoghurt, a piece of toast,  some cereal or a sandwich. I try to eat a main meal every day with veg but it's hard work getting it down me.

17

you sure its not the yogurt? Just try for 3 days not having any dairy.

18

My husband wants me to try gluten free. The thing is I am on a low salt, low protein, low fat, low sugar diet already. I am only 8.5 stones in weight. I eat dairy free margarine already. I don't know what I would do without milk because if I don't have some cereal every day I won't be getting many calories. I am eating at least four veg a day and sometimes a piece of fruit. It does seem that whatever I eat I get bloated and am burping for an age afterwards sometimes with a bit of abdominal pain. If I eat veg I can be even worse! A dietician saw me about eighteen months ago and advised about the 'low' everything. I had a lactose intolerance test...I think that's what it was. Seems my body is rejecting food...full stop. 

19

I was starting to feel like a pest at the doctors, but after a while, I don't care. Monday I will see my doctor and I'm not leaving without a few more answers. I have had the symptoms since January of this year.

20

Sue, what did the lactose intollerant test reveal? As that is why I am suggesting trying avoiding dairy or having lactose free milk? It is the lactose that makes me nauseus, birp, bloat and have chronic spasms.  xx