Hi,I'm 28 and of average weight for my height. I consider myself fairly fit and healthy apart from one problem. For over 2 years now I have been suffering from severe nausea after eating food. The symptoms aren't quite as bad after breakfast or dinner but after lunch I can feel really really unwell. About half an hour after I finish my meal, the symptons will start - Nausea, I start feeling unusually exhausted, slightly dizzy, my heart seems to race faster than normal. I can get bloated and I suffer from indegestion a lot more than I used to. I have extreme excess gas and burp a lot after food. I don't really suffer from diarrhea or constipation. After 3-4 hours the symptons will subside and I will feel back to normal until the next time I eat. I am like this every day. My work is now starting to suffer as it's wearing me down so much.I had an upper GI endoscopy about a year ago and all tests came back negative and clear. (As far as I'm aware they also took a biopsy). Since then I have had numerous blood tests for all kinds of things (H pilori, and several other rare conditions,) everything seems to be normal from those results. My doctor says we're now back to square one and I'm beginning to get desperate.At the moment I am taking ZotonFasTab, as my GP wants to rule out a stomach acid problem. After 2 and a half weeks of taking it, I'm not really noticing any difference.I have done extensive research on the internet and one of the conditions that keeps cropping up is wheat intolerance. I seem to have every symptom on the list but my GP seems to rubbish it every time I talk about it. I had a blood test the other day to rule out celiac disease (which came back negative), so my doctor is now saying that it can't be at all related to wheat. The only other thing that sounds similar is IBS.The only other thing I can tell you is that if I eat sweets (even just a couple), or to a lesser extent, chocolate, I will get hugely bloated and I get a massive build up of gas. (which is a bit embarrassing!).Any advice on where I should go from here is appreciated. I really want to try and rule out IBS before going any further.Thanks for your help.
Extreme Nausea, is this IBS?
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Hi Dan: I really don't know the answer, but here are some comments: First, IBS affects the colon/intestines. I don't think anyone knows what IBS is, really, the doctors just rule out all other conditions, diseases, and if they're all negative, they say you have IBS. As far as sweets, I've heard a lot of people (without IBS) say they get the runs if they eat too many sweets.As far as IBS, there are so many variations (as I've learned reading this bulletin board) that I'd hate to say yes or no if you have it. If you get intestingal cramping, irritation, etc. you're probably in this group since you've had the problem for 2 years (IBS is a life long condition). There is lots of advice here on this site (which I believe is a lot better than most doctors give). I'm convinced that medicines for IBS work differently for everyone. That is to say, if someone has a headache, chances are that tylenol or asprin will help the headache. However, any one medicine for IBS will only help about 5% of the people with IBS. And, only about 5% of the medicines available to help with IBS will help any one person.So, if your doctor can work with you and try various meds, you might find one that works. I use donnatal. I'm also trying an OTC called digestive advantage - IBS. It's OTC, and they will give you a refund if it doesn't work. Their web site is: http://www.ganedenbiotech.com/index.php?page=DAIBSGood luck, if you have any Qs, post on this site.
Dan:A few things come to mind.1. Since you notice problems after eating sweets, you might want to be tested for fructose intolerance/sensitivity.2. Nausea following eating can be caused by gastroesophageal reflux that may have not shown on endoscopy.3. Nausea can also be caused by functional dyspepsia (indigestion).4. You might want to consider gallbladder dysfunction. Many people are tested for gallstones by ultrasound and when the test comes back negative their doctor assumes all is well. A gallbladder function test called a HIDA scan with CCK will test how well the gallbladder is contracting. Individuals with an ejection fraction lower than 35 percent will often experience problems with indigestion and nausea. Though IBS is generally thought of as a disorder of the colon, it is reasonable to think that the neuromuscular problems affecting the colon may also affect other digestive organs. I too suffer with chronic nausea problems following eating and so I can sympathize. ^j^
Hi DanI just had to reply to this post! Nausea is my main symptom too, which is why I don't post here very often cos it's not one of the main symptoms of IBS but my doctors won't seem to consider it as anything else. I never actually vomit, so they're not too bothered! It affects me on a daily basis and I have NO social life. I'm emetephobic as well, which doesn't really help!!Some people have suggested peppermint and ginger etc. both of which I HATE, but good luck if you decide to try these!!
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Dan1, If you have a intolerance for wheat You still could celiacs, go to the celiac website and talk to some people on there, the blood test will not show it but they have a home stool test to send away for it tells how on that website. alot of people have had to do this to be dianosed as a blood test can't alway detect it. if you do have celiacs, you have to go gluten free and it is in almost everything. or talk to your dr. about doing a stool test. sorry but my dr. did a blood test and it was neg. so they stopped there but I had all the symptoms of celiacs even the bad rash .
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Hi guys, thanks for replying.JR - 1: Yeah I have had a test done from Holland & Barret that tests for food sensitivies. It seems I have a problem with certain additives in sweets and other similar food stuffs, but to be perfectly honest, I don't really trust the method as I've heard a lot of people saying it just plain doesn't work. I have been told about another test - The York test - I think it's called. It costs about 250 pounds though so I want to rule out everything else first before I go ahead with it.2: I'm taking these Zoton tabs at the moment and as far as I know they're supposed to help with this condition, unfortunately, I'm not feeling any benefit and I'm about to stop taking them.3: Now that really sounds interesting to me. I just did a bit of research and some of the symptoms sound quite similar. I also seem to be getting some twinges and light pain in the gallbladder area, so I'll speak to my doc and see what he thinks. You say you also suffer from nausea after eating, do you have confirmed IBS? Any tips on keeping the nausea at bay?HIPPYCHICK - I know what you saying! I haven't really come across many people who have the same symptoms as me, especially the nausea and that is my main one. I tried peppermint tea and it didn't work for me, but having said that, I eat really strong peppermint chewing gum after every meal which lessons the symptoms a bit. I've heard about ginger as well but haven't tried it yet.I actually feel so hopeless at the moment because no doctors seem to be helping me, everybody thinks I'm being a hypochondriac beacuse I just "feel sick", but it's not just that, it's the exhaustion that goes with it and the indegestion and the cramps, etc etc.BIGMAMA -I don't know if I'm actually intolerant to wheat, that's the problem. All I know is that they took a biobsy when I had the endoscopy which apparently would show if I had celiacs disease. The surgeon said that evrything was normal. Now I've had this blood test as well, it seems pretty unlikely that it could be that. Thanks for all your help!Dan
Dan:Yes, I actually had the HIDA scan I mentioned above. My gallbladder is borderline dysfunctional (just at 35 percent), but I also do suffer with pain in the gallbladder area, a lot of indigestion, and severe nausea. Because of the diarrhea I have from the IBS, I don't want to have my gallbladder removedif I don't have to. Besides, without knowing for sure if the problem is my gallbladder or a related problem called sphincter of oddi dysfunction, it's possible that removing my gallbladder could make problems worse. My doctor is pretty convinced the neuromuscular functioning of my entire GI system is being affected by some abnormality, and has many IBS patients with similar problems. Here are some tips I've learned along the way for coping with the nausea. I use a combination of supplements and medications (trying to stick mainly with supplements and dietary changes). First off, ginger. It really does help with nausea and indigestion. I haven't had as much success with capsules as I have from ginger candies like Altoids ginger flavor and a product called Preggy Pops made for pregnant women with morning sickness that have ginger oil in them. Secondly, a product made by Natural Factors that has peppermint oil, oregano oil, and caraway oil. This is a little problematic for me because of reflux problems (even though it is enteric coated), but it does help with nausea and indigestion. Third, there was a small study I located finding that drinking naturally carbonated mineral water helped patients with symptoms of gallbladder dysfunction (this is related to the gallbladder dysfunction that I have) and so I drink San Pellegrino mineral water. Eating slowly, and not eating large meals also helps, as does exercise. A walk after meals (or housework) helps a lot. When all else fails and the nausea is severe, I resort to prescription medication. The names are different in the U.S. so you probably wouldn't recognize them, but I have several different types I use depending on which side effects I feel I can tolerate at any given time.Hope that helps.JR
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