What can cause constant, 24/7 nausea?

[mom2277]

My DD8 has had nausea every single second for over six months. She doesn't vomit, though, except one time. The nausea is intense enough that she will ask for, and then say she cannot eat, her favorite foods frequently. She then tends to eat at a later time. She explains that despite the nausea, she still feels hungry, and the hunger overrides the nausea. We're fortunate that she hasn't had weight loss. Indeed, she's gained weight. I think the weight is explained by her greatly increased consumption of sodas. (She gets headaches, at least partially attributable to dehydration, and soda is more palatable for her to drink when nauseous than water.)

I would greatly appreciate any insight on what can cause constant nausea like this.

The GI said that EoE could explain her nausea. He's labeling it as "functional" as the contigent plan because she lacks red flags -- weight loss, bloody stools, vomiting. I would like to know what other possible causes of nausea there could be.

Thank you!

 

[Mehita]

My son was nauseous all the time with a stricture in his small intestine. It was due to scar tissue build up, so it didn't show up in labs. Has she had a fecal calprotectin done? Or pill cam or MRE to get a look at the small intestine?

Is she on anything? Maybe vitamins that are making her nauseous? Or if it's constant, maybe something she's consuming every day like water or toothpaste? Red dye 40? Just guessing here...

Or maybe not Celiac, but just a gluten intolerance? Or other food intolerance? Have you been keeping a food diary?

 

[mom2277]

Thank you. That's my concern: the scopes aren't reaching the affected area.

I completely appreciate and agree with what you're saying in raising if she is taking something daily that causes nausea. I stopped all vitamins and supplements when it started, and then reintroduced a very pared down regimen of very basic items (omega 3 and multi) later. She was having headaches linked to dehydration and other things. I thought she wasn't drinking enough because her water intake had dropped hugely. I started letting her drink 7 up. But nothing has helped the nausea, not even Compazine (which was given for headaches that required ER visits to stop).

Food intolerance is a possibility. Thank you for raising it. I'm going to try some dietary eliminations if the scopes don't reveal answers. (I replied more about this in my other post).

 

[CrohnsKidMom]

My son's symptoms, prior to dx, included constant nausea and abdominal pain too-mostly around his belly button (his CD is mainly in the jejunum of the small intestine). He would describe the pain as a cross between really bad hunger pains and gas. He was often bloated, and began to have a distended abdomen. After he ate, his pain would increase. No vomiting though. He only lost a few pounds, but then he was dx'd pretty quick, so I'm sure considerable weight loss was just a matter of time. He was anaemic at dx. Also, although not lactose intolerant, during his flare lactose would cause major pain. Once we had a dx, we put him on a low residue diet and eliminated lactose. However, nothing really eased the pain until treatment began.

Tests that were done on my son were labs, MRE, scopes, ultrasound, and stool tests. The test that pinpointed the CD in his jejunum was an indium scan, or white blood cell scan. If your daughter has Crohn's and this is where the disease is located, I highly recommend this test. Another option might be the pill cam.

Praying you get some answers soon and find some relief for your girl!

 

[Amanda89]

Is your daughter in pain a lot? My IBD nurse has mentioned to me before that nausea I get could be from my body not being able to cope with the pain anymore, although to have it constantly over that period of time makes me guess it probably isn't the pain.

Could be worth asking for folic acid as that can be used to help with nausea when people are taking Methotrexate, or if you let a bottle of coke go flat and put it in the fridge, I find that helps nausea.

I hope your daughter gets some relief soon, I personally find Nausea worse than the pain of Crohns!

 

[crohnsinct]

Oh your poor girl! I am sorry no thoughts as to what it is. Oh wait, Vitamin B deficiencies can lead to nausea. I suffered for 7 months with morning sickness and know that the carbonation in soft drinks made me feel a little better. Have you tried seltzer or sparkling water? Also, I went for acupuncture. I know the important thing here is to find the cause for your girl but maybe acupuncture could give her some brief moments of relief. At first it was only while needles were in, then for some time after the appointment, then it would last for hours. The constant nausea drove me insane. I can't imagine how a child could deal with this. Hugs and prayers for your girl.

 

[Johnnysmom]

My sons nausea is often from dehydration. I have him sip gatorade to help and try to get more fluids in him early in the day (especially when taking meds or vitamins) He often gets hungry while nauseated too, and if he takes a few bites it seems to pass and then he can eat.

 

[crohnsinct]

Good point Johnnysmom...and I noticed in your other post that she is constipated despite lots of fiber. Upping the fluids might help with the constipation also.

 

[Axelfl3333]

i would suspect the soda to be honest{we call it ginger}its full of sugars,acid,artificial flavouring and colours,worth restricting for a few days to see if it helps.
ps forgot about the caffeine

 

[mom2277]

Thank you so much for your sharing your thoughts and suggestions! I met with a psychologist, who works in a GI clinic and said she works with a lot of kids w/o a dx, who echoed the suggestion to be very encouraging about hydration and nutrition (despite her feelings of nausea) because both hunger and thirst can cause nausea. I BRISTLE at her drinking soda. Prior to being ill, water was her main stay. A friend who was a PICU nurse said water can taste repellant when nauseous, so she encouraged me to try soda. Though I still bristle when I see my daughter drink it, the improved hydration has helped decrease the headaches. We didn't introduce soda until five months after the nausea began, so in this instance, I doubt soda is causative of the nausea. I'm heart and soul in agreement, though, with the repugnance about the chemicals and additives in that stuff and with the concern over it's potential to harm. I'm hoping the soda can be short-lived.

Again, thank you so, so much to everyone for sharing their thoughts and suggestions! I greatly appreciate it.

 

[my little penguin]

My DS had constant nausea ( as well as other stuff ).
Now he is just has nausea with eating or drinking .
Drinking being worse .
He said very cold ice water helps ( vs tap water ).
For me I could only stand ice water with a slice of lemon .
Not sure why but ....

Hope you can get to the bottom of things .

 

[crohnsinct]

I totally get the water making you more nauseaus...that's how it was for me. I liked the carbonated drinks. Caffeine though will work against you as it is a diuretic. That's why I suggested seltzer...even if you do flavored seltzer she may like that better and you get away from all the other crap in the main stream sodas.

Lemon helps with nausea...I sucked on lemon drops constantly...lemon in my soda water...in my tea...heck I downright sucked on a lemon (acid really bad for your teeth though).

Oh my gosh..I just can't imagine a child with 24 hour a day nausea...that is horrible!

 

[Patricia56]

pancreatitis although usually associated with pain but nausea can also be severe. but it is unlikely that it would be constant and it is unlikely the GI would overlook this possible cause.

but you asked so there's one more rule out for you

 

[jlm]

I've had similar symptoms for the past year and the conclusion has been a pyloric stricture caused by scar tissue. Mine came with actually throwing up most nights of the week currently have a stent in place for about a week, so no more nausea and throwing up for the time being. I couldn't touch soda it instantly made me sick. My go too for some reason was milk. I have no suggestions to help with being nauseous but I would vote for a pill cam or MRI if it's possible