Nausea attacks...please help!

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AgB621

AgB621

Joined
Jun 8, 2008
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223
I get them in the middle of the night. Every couple of months or so I'll wake up feeling overwhelmingly nauseated. I haven't thrown up in 17 years, I guess my system just kind of doesn't, but I'll sometimes get dry heaves and I'll sit in the bathroom just in case. Sometimes these "attacks" (can't think of a better word) come with soft stools or D, other times it's just hours of intense misery. I woke up this morning at 4 am feeling sweaty and sick, and as I washed my hands after going to the bathroom I felt like I was just knocked off my feet by this nausea. I was shaking uncontrollably on the bathroom floor. I know that this is mild compared to what a lot of you experience, I just want to know what's happening and if there's anything I can do about it. There's basically no chance I would take Phenergan right now, I'm in the process of writing my senior thesis and I'd rather spend a day being miserable than take a medication that would make my brain stop working for two weeks. It doesn't usually last very long, I typically switch to a bland diet and lay off solid foods for awhile.

The last time this happened, my GI put me on Ranitidine (an antacid) at night to prevent it. Clearly, that isn't working. The nausea felt practically identical (though shorter-lived) to a night I will always remember as one of the worst of my life, last year a little over a week before I got really sick with C. Diff. It's just completely overwhelming, and if I move or talk it makes it immensely worse. My diagnosis is still shaky, but could this be a symptom of Crohn's? Or of something different even? I hate feeling like this :(
 
I used to get nauseated ALL the time before they put me on Prednisone.
I used to use peppermint oil all the time. I also was given some prescription
meds for it, though they never seemed to work. The OTC stuff I had worked
better. Definitely let your doctor know and find something that works for you,
it's definitely no fun to be nauseated all the time, and you shouldn't have to
put up with it!
 
I am starting to know exactly when and under what conditions I will get nauseated and will vomit. For me - as it does I think for lots of folks here - it comes during an attack after I am clearly obstructed and in way big pain, when nothing is coming out the business end of my digestive system :) My body at that point decides that what is left in me has to come out 'one way or another', and up it comes.

That is what has happened that last 4-5 times I have vomited over the last couple of months. It's the same every time.

I am calling to see if I can hook up with a new doc tomorrow at a Leahey Clinic here on the North Shore. Enuff is enuff.

Sorry to hear you are going through some badness - we all get it, and wish you well.

Love
LittleJon
 
I worry about obstruction too, especially when I get nauseous immediately after some pretty bad stomach cramps...but during most of these attacks, I'm still having soft stools or D. The last time I had one of these attacks (by which I mean, not last night), I got dry heaves at the same time that I was having D. No fun! So I don't think it's obstruction for me, I really have yet to figure out what my triggers are. I know there are times it's been stress, but this one felt really out of the blue. I think there's something else going on, but I'm not sure what.
 
Just had a thought - I dont know what meds you are on, but a few years back my doc put me on Imuran for 5 weeks or so. Almost immediately after starting that particular little slice of heaven, I started vomiting several times a day. No stomache pain, no obstruct, just throwing up at every turn. My wife would be cleaning the kitchen floor - I would smell the cleaner and run for the bathroom.

So I guess I'm wondering if this might be a side effect from a med?

Love
LittleJon
 
I sometimes get nausea waves just like that and I'm the same as you...I hate to throw up so I RARELY do.

I'm not sure why you are against phenigren <sp> but there is other stuff other there that they can give you that has 0 side effects.

I have some now in fact, had them give me a script for 25. Its the stuff they give chemotherapy patients. You should ask.
 
LittleJon - I hadn't thought of a meds angle, I will ask my doctor when I see him next, a week from Thursday. The only thing that could be causing it is the Asacol though, I'm not sure that it's a common side effect of it. But I'll ask. The first time I got this nausea was when I got sick, before I started any of the meds, but that could be explained by the C. Diff.

Kittee - My problem with the anti-nausea meds I've tried is first, that they take 2 hours to kick in, and secondly they make me feel really tired and out of it for a solid 2 weeks. Zophran (sp?) was the first thing they gave me in the ER and it didn't even make a dent. Phenergan works wonders on the nausea, if I can survive the 2 hour wait for it to kick in, but I react really strongly to any psychotropic effects in medications and they just take forever to get out of my system. (The 2 week rule I learned through trial and error. Those were some fun experiments.) So when it comes to meds, I'm kinda stuck. But what are you taking for the nausea?

I also can't take prednisone or any steroids, I'm bipolar and they destabilize me like crazy. I seriously got unstable from two doses of a nasal spray, no joke...no way I could take them regularly, unfortunately.

Also, Kittee, your cat looks just like mine! I love all white cats, they're really pretty :)
 
No Katie. =)

Only those with blue eyes. Something like 90% of those are deaf.

And pixel is my baby. ;) Sweet as sugar.
 
Back to the topic, though I do love talking about my kitty! ...Come to think of it, LittleJon, I don't think it's meds related. I just remembered that I got the same thing after I'd been off meds for several weeks. My second colonoscopy looked clear so the doc decided to try taking me off the Asacol. It was over a month before the symptoms started up again. It was all the same ones I got last night except worse, with more D and pain, and it lasted for a few weeks instead of a few hours. If anything, the meds keep it from being worse than it is. So, back at square one when it comes to an explanation.
 
What are you taking for the bi-polar AgB if you don't mind me asking, feel free to PM if you aren't comfortable. I ask because my mom is seriously bi-polar and some of the meds they tried before they found the right combo would cause her to throw up and have D like I have never ever seen in my life, including my episodes with Crohns.
 
I've been on my bipolar meds for 5 years, it'd be odd that they'd start giving me side effects now. I don't take traditional mood stabilizers anyway. I mean, I can ask my psych, but my symptoms started after a hospital stay for C. Diff, so that seems more likely than the bipolar meds.
 
I get nausea a lot - ever since I was little. I was only diagnosed with Crohns this summer. I have no idea whether this is associated with crohns or not, especially since my crohns is located in my large intestine.

When Iget sick in the middle of the night....sometimes just spending the night in the bathroom helps...at least psychologically. I know the toilet is there if I need it. I often just bring my pillow and blanket into the bathroom and just sleep on the floor.

Also..if the nausea gets really bad for me....sometimes sleeping sitting up helps alot. Do you own a recliner or something of that sort? That might help esepcially ifyou feel like your going to throw up -

I have also found that antacids do abosultely nothing for me. I get worse when I take them. Instead...I take digestive enzymes. It seems like it would be the opposite of what you should do for a stomach ache....but it realy helps. sometimes it makes your stomach burn for a few minutes...but it helps get rid of any undigested food quicker...especially since food can make your stomach feel worse. My GI doctor isn't convinced...but I asked the nurse that works for my GI doc, and she says that might be a good idea. (my GI doc insists i continue with my Prilosec (for acid reflux...supposedly...I do not believe I have it though) I just smile and nod.....and not tell him I stopped taking it a long time ago because it only made me worse)
 
I had another one last night. Not as bad as the one last week, but they've never been this frequent before. At least I see my GI doc on Thursday, maybe he has something more to offer.
 
Take a 500 mg Ginger capsule with meals.

Ginger is good for nausea, is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Everything that helps with Crohn's. No side effects either.

Dan
 
over the years i have had on and off bouts of nausea. right now its pretty bad though, but i could chalk it up to a hundred different things: recovering from c-diff, high fevers, pred withdrawal, lots of post nasal drip (ugh)., many more.

my fave remedy is cola in ice cubes, then stir till its mostly flat and sip. i feel like the tiny bits of sugar help my tummy reboot. also i know that sometimes just a small bit of food will get things moving in the right direction again.

i think you mentioned throwing up while your havin a BM? ive always been curious about this, during some of my BMs the cramps get so intense and painful and my mouth starts pouring saliva, like just before you throw up. the nausea is overwhelming, but i usually dont actually throw up, it kind of dissapates as the cramps pass.
anyone else have this type of nausea?
 
kello - I haven't thrown up in 17 years, but three attacks ago I was having D and had to hop off the toilet really quick as I started to have dry heaves at the same time...didn't even have time to wipe, it was really ugh :( I have heard of other people describing exactly what you have though, maybe some of them have something to contribute about it.

I don't have the same cramping and hypersalivation you describe during a BM, but I do often notice an increase in nausea, especially if I have to tense up while trying to get things out, so to speak...And the worst part of it is when I have to clean up and I twist ever so slightly to use the toilet paper, and that produces this horrible sensation in my stomach, sort of right below my ribcage...it's like a discomfort, even just a mild pain, but it produces a really intense nausea. The first time it happened a week ago, I felt like I was just knocked off my feet. I'd been feeling pretty bad but when I got up to wash my hands I was shaking so hard I could barely stand. I just sat on the floor and didn't move for awhile.

Also, D Bergy, thanks for the ginger recommendation, it was something I'd been considering myself. I tend to drink ginger tea during these attacks if I can, and it helps some. I can't have any cola with caffeine in it, so if I'm going to drink one it's typically ginger ale. That helps too sometimes, the only problem being that I have to get up and get them, but the nausea is made much much much worse by any movement or talking.

I've been wondering though, could it be anxiety provoking like, a mini-flare? I've had powerful middle of the night panic attacks, where I wake up in the middle of a full-blown panic attack. The last one I had didn't produce any of the symptoms I've had the past few weeks, but I can't help but wonder if it's just like, the anxiety attacks I tend to get are causing the symptoms, and the symptoms make the anxiety worse and everything compounds itself. My psychiatrist suggested the angle that a panic attack is all these episodes are. I am very anxious about some upcoming events, but is it JUST anxiety or is my disease active or is it anxiety causing symptoms of the disease?
 
AgB621 said:
I've been wondering though, could it be anxiety provoking like, a mini-flare? I've had powerful middle of the night panic attacks, where I wake up in the middle of a full-blown panic attack. The last one I had didn't produce any of the symptoms I've had the past few weeks, but I can't help but wonder if it's just like, the anxiety attacks I tend to get are causing the symptoms, and the symptoms make the anxiety worse and everything compounds itself. My psychiatrist suggested the angle that a panic attack is all these episodes are. I am very anxious about some upcoming events, but is it JUST anxiety or is my disease active or is it anxiety causing symptoms of the disease?
Click to expand...


hi AgB - i would say that the anxiety and the disease symptoms are closely linked, and could well be feeding each other. certainly in my own experience, anything like a major health upset brings on anxiety, even if i am not initially aware of it, i eventually have to admit that i'm shaky, worrying, getting heart rate increases, and have to make a conscious effort to try & calm myself down. i used to get awful panic attacks, and they were initially brought on not by the surgery or illness i had had, but the worry that i may be facing more surgery.

i've mentioned this in many such threads previously, but i'm a great believer in relaxation and meditation techniques, even if it's just for a few minutes a day (but preferably half an hour per day) - just taking that time out to lie down, think about your breathing, letting your mind & body calm... it really does seem to help.
 
I get the same super salivation and cramps like above. It happens to me on avg. over once a day. I all of a sudden get intense cramps and superhuman salivation(3 -5 Oz) for a period of about 2 mins. About half the time I vomit or dry heave. None of my doctors have every addressed it.(Bet they would not blow it off it they were the ones pulled over on the side of the road spitting like a mad man and vomiting). It has never happened to me during a BM. I have Crohn's and eosinaphilic gastroentorites. I am on Humeria. I posted on this a few months ago and nobody had this experience. For me it seems to happen when I have not eaten for a while more often then not. I am sorry though. My cramps suck but in a differnt way then crohn's. It sure is not plesent. I have an appointment with my GI later today and I am planning or trying to make him address it. I will report back with anything I find out.
 
Nausea

Your symptoms sound so familiar :(

I have a standing script for Phenergren at the pharmacy, but I don't like to take it. I'm lucky enough to live in a med420 state so I use that instead. It's still frustrating - I joke that I can either puke, go to sleep, or get stupid Yay! :)
 
My GI doesn't seem to have an explanation for it either. He thinks that I have severe IBS with a mild underlying IBD that we just can't find, based on my symptoms and blood work. He wanted me to take a medication for the IBS but it would interact with one of my bipolar drugs so he and my psych will have to put their heads together to find something for me. I would love to not go to bed every night wondering if I'm gonna wake up in two hours and spend the next four sitting in the bathroom just in case.
 
I fully believe that most anxiety and depression problems experienced by people with inflammatory diseases is caused by the inflammation.

When I treated for inflammation I rid myself of depression by accident. Some research dug up a tendency for people with inflammatory diseases to have these mental problems.

Dan
 
Dan,

Good point, inflamation is more wearying on the body than we often recognize.
Not to mention the chronic fatigue and general malaise that having any low-grade inflammation or infection can bring. :)
 
At times in the past I've gotten so nauseated from a flare that I literally couldn't sit up or anything. I just had to lay flat on my stomach and not move a muscle. I couldn't manage to even move my head to look up. It's pretty ridiculous trying to call in to work like that, too nauseated to put a thought together or speak coherently while my wife holds the phone to my ear. Heh.
 
Both my GI and my psychiatrist seem to think it's more anxiety than anything else. I've had anxiety my whole life but nothing like this. I feel like that's not enough of an explanation though. What you're describing, Colt, sounds too familiar. I guess it's possible that it's only anxiety, but it makes me feel kind of hopeless if that's the case. The stuff that gave me panic attacks when I was 5 are still what give me panic attacks today. I can't take most anti-anxiety drugs and I don't see myself being able to "work through" any of these issues anytime soon.
 
I get night sweats with my nasea as well as dry-heaves. I wake up to the nasea like clockwork every single morning. The days that are real bad its like I took a shower in bed. There have been a few occassions that I have sat straight up in bed it was so bad(nasea).
It seems though, that after I relive my bowels and/or dry heave the nasea settles way down, it dont go away, but it calms down for a little but it can hit me like a brick sometimes thruout the day still and does often as it never goes away. Been like this for months. When the nasea hits good it seems to excert a lot of energy to even speak or do much at that point in time till it passes. I do not understand that. My only assumption would be the body being in some sort of shock or defense during a nasea attack why it would excert so much energy to even be able to speak. I hate the feeling so much. I have had CD for eight years with a lot of ups and downs. I sure hope you do well.
SIncerely and Respectfully, Gary and Family

P.S. So you know: This is one that I am currently trying to figure out and when I do I will post it for everyone in the hopes that if it works for me it might for you. I am so tired of feeling nasea. Thank you for your thread post.
 
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i am going throught the change (apperently!!) and sometimes have the feeling of sickness, i chew or nibble on ginger nut biscuits. the ginger stops the feeling of sickness.
sharon xx
 

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