Have felt sick for the past couple months

[Saint Nick]

I've already made an appointment to see the doctor here this coming Monday. I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago thinking it was acid reflux, but the Prilosec hasn't done the trick for me.

Pretty much, after every meal I eat, I get sick to my stomach, sometimes really, really bad to the point where I feel like I am going to puke all over the place. Haven't puked since last April... so every time I feel sick like this, I never vomit. My arms and legs also get really tingly. My chin and toungue do, too. Sometimes the tingly sensation happens, but usually it doesn't. Haven't had many bowel movements either the past couple months. I forgot to add that I get this weird feeling lump in my throat when I feel sick to my stomach--maybe everyone gets that.

I also have been keeping track of what I'm eating, and I can't find anything to attribute my sick feeling to. Today, for instance, I have only been drinking little bits of Powerade when I get hungry. I had a couple bowls of cereal late this afternoon at about 4:00pm or so and I didn't feel great afterwards, but not as bad as I have felt before. It seems that the more I eat, the worse I feel. I am 20 years old.

Has anyone ever experienced this before?

 

[rgwalt]

Food allergy... perhaps you are a celiac (can't digest gluten). Try eating only fruits and vegies for a day or two (no dairy or wheat products). See if that helps you get back to normal.

R

 

[KLin]

It's cancer no doubt about it.

 

[SmoochyTX]

Did you have your stomach stapled or banded recently?

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Your wife is poisoning you.

 

[sonambulo]

stop eating. doye

no maybe youve got an infection. get it checked out yo

 

[brikis98]

hey... MAKE SURE to have your doctor check for Helio Bactra Pylori (not sure on spelling, but try to pronounce it)... a buddy of mine just had it and he had very similar symptoms... as doctors misdiagnosed it a bunch, he lost a bunch of weight, until finally he got some antibiotics (or some kind of drugs, anyway)... stomach issues can be real nasty, so don't let it fester...

 

[TraumaRN]

Could be either H. Pylori or possibly a gall bladder problem. Maybe even a hiatal hernia.

Either way get it checked out, get some x-ray's, EGD, some labs drawn(liver enzymes/lytes/CBC)

 

[MX2]

I am going to guess gall bladder also.

 

[thomsbrain]

classic gall bladder problem symptoms. FTL!

 

[Saint Nick]

If it was gall bladder, wouldn't I feel some sharp pains? I just feel sick to my stomach after every meal.

At least thats what I always thought...

 

[Slammy1]

If the onset is fatty foods, it could be gall related. For now I'd go bland to be safe.

 

[bctbct]

gall bladder

 

[aidanjm]

good luck at the doctors appointment, hopefully it will be nothing too serious!

 

[Saint Nick]

Originally posted by: aidanjm
good luck at the doctors appointment, hopefully it will be nothing too serious!

I really hope it isn't anything serious, either ... I'm kind of scared

 

[pennylane]

Go to the doctor! I'm sure it's something that can be fixed, but go!

 

[bersl2]

Have you been under a great deal of stress for a prolonged period of time?
Have you been consuming many acidic foods (citrus, tomato) or drinks (especially soft drinks) or supplements (vitamin C)?
Would you agree with the following statement: "The digestion of food feels incomplete"?

Look, I had the same thing happen to me 11 months ago. I am the same age as you. I felt like I had to puke, but I never did. Sometimes I went into cold sweats. I had the throat thing too.

Now, in addition to having an anxiety disorder, I am a hypochondriac. I only when I described the symptoms to my father (who has had reflux for a long time) did I not think I was going to die. I left school, returned home, made a few diet changes, had my psychiatrist prescribe me an anxiolytic, saw my general physician, saw a gastroenterologist, was prescribed Nexium, and the problems have mostly gone away, with a normal gastroendoscopy result confirming this. (Of course, I never submitted to a blood test like my physician wanted me to---did I mention that I have trypanophobia as well?---so I still have a few lingering fears about bad things happening to me.)

Stop consuming anything remotely acidic (trust me, it took a number of painful nights for me to finally put the Coke away for a while---I have since resumed limited consumption of that, as well as everything else I used to eat) (I also was told that the milk is Not A Very Good Idea) (also, I don't drink, but if you do, you should probably cut that out for a while too), and eat as balanced a diet as you can---not too much, and not too little. Drink lots of water (helps with the nausea by flushing the stomach acid/contents out of the esophagus). Don't sit or lie down if you're feeling the symptoms; stand up, even if you don't feel so good. Put something under your matress that will prop your torso up when you sleep (I used textbooks ). I use Nexium, but since it and Prilosec are essentially the same thing, stick with the Prilosec, and maybe up the dosage a bit. If it doesn't start to go away after a few weeks, go see a gastroenterologist.

The few remaining problems I have are related to convincing myself that not every bad feeling in my abdomen should lead to nausea, much less vomiting. Sometimes things like a full bladder, in-use large intestines, or any other pressure on my stomach, and sometimes hunger too, used to induce the same feelings as before, but conscious effort can overcome these most of the time.

So, good luck with this. Oh, and if you ever think the pain is bad, just tell yourself that at least it's not acute renal colic from a kidney stone... you would learn a whole new definition of pain and suffering.

 

[Leeroy]

I had a friend who neded surgery because basically the sphincter between his stomach and oesophagus wasn't working properly, so every time he ate, food built up in the oesophagus.

 

[Saint Nick]

Originally posted by: bersl2
Have you been under a great deal of stress for a prolonged period of time?
Have you been consuming many acidic foods (citrus, tomato) or drinks (especially soft drinks) or supplements (vitamin C)?
Would you agree with the following statement: "The digestion of food feels incomplete"?

Look, I had the same thing happen to me 11 months ago. I am the same age as you. I felt like I had to puke, but I never did. Sometimes I went into cold sweats. I had the throat thing too.

Now, in addition to having an anxiety disorder, I am a hypochondriac. I only when I described the symptoms to my father (who has had reflux for a long time) did I not think I was going to die. I left school, returned home, made a few diet changes, had my psychiatrist prescribe me an anxiolytic, saw my general physician, saw a gastroenterologist, was prescribed Nexium, and the problems have mostly gone away, with a normal gastroendoscopy result confirming this. (Of course, I never submitted to a blood test like my physician wanted me to---did I mention that I have trypanophobia as well?---so I still have a few lingering fears about bad things happening to me.)

Stop consuming anything remotely acidic (trust me, it took a number of painful nights for me to finally put the Coke away for a while---I have since resumed limited consumption of that, as well as everything else I used to eat) (I also was told that the milk is Not A Very Good Idea) (also, I don't drink, but if you do, you should probably cut that out for a while too), and eat as balanced a diet as you can---not too much, and not too little. Drink lots of water (helps with the nausea by flushing the stomach acid/contents out of the esophagus). Don't sit or lie down if you're feeling the symptoms; stand up, even if you don't feel so good. Put something under your matress that will prop your torso up when you sleep (I used textbooks ). I use Nexium, but since it and Prilosec are essentially the same thing, stick with the Prilosec, and maybe up the dosage a bit. If it doesn't start to go away after a few weeks, go see a gastroenterologist.

The few remaining problems I have are related to convincing myself that not every bad feeling in my abdomen should lead to nausea, much less vomiting. Sometimes things like a full bladder, in-use large intestines, or any other pressure on my stomach, and sometimes hunger too, used to induce the same feelings as before, but conscious effort can overcome these most of the time.

So, good luck with this. Oh, and if you ever think the pain is bad, just tell yourself that at least it's not acute renal colic from a kidney stone... you would learn a whole new definition of pain and suffering.

Yeah, I always feel full and I feel like my digestive system has just completely shut off. I had some issues with my girlfriend for a couple months, I thought I was dealing with that better, but maybe I'm not. We are back together and everything, so its fine now. College has started and I sometimes freak out about tests and such. I've stopped drinking pop. And, like you, I don't drink alcohol. As far as I know, I don't think I have an anxiety disorder of any kind. But... who knows. Its interesting you had this same thing I did--I had cold sweats, too.

Hopefully the doctor will help out. Not sure if its gall problems or what. All I know is that I'm STARVING, but I know I shouldn't eat.

Do you guys think cereal is OK to eat? Whether it be dry or with milk?

 

[bersl2]

Originally posted by: pOwder

Originally posted by: bersl2
[snip]

Yeah, I always feel full and I feel like my digestive system has just completely shut off. I had some issues with my girlfriend for a couple months, I thought I was dealing with that better, but maybe I'm not. We are back together and everything, so its fine now. College has started and I sometimes freak out about tests and such. I've stopped drinking pop. And, like you, I don't drink alcohol. As far as I know, I don't think I have an anxiety disorder of any kind. But... who knows. Its interesting you had this same thing I did--I had cold sweats, too.

Hopefully the doctor will help out. Not sure if its gall problems or what. All I know is that I'm STARVING, but I know I shouldn't eat.

Do you guys think cereal is OK to eat? Whether it be dry or with milk?

The Wikipedia article on reflux says milk is a no-no, and I would agree with it there. Dry should be OK (though I don't know if a healthy cereal vs. a sugary cereal will make a difference). Of course, some of those foods listed in the article (peppermint, broccoli, and spicy foods) didn't seem to do me much harm. YMMV.

And no, you should eat. Your body is probably lying to you about being full. Just eat a moderate amount, though.

One more thing: I occasionally took some Tylenol/acetaminophen (NOT aspirin, and NOT ibuprofen, as these irritate the stomach) while I had symptoms; it might be a false memory, and it might have been the placebo effect, but it seemed to help a little bit with the pain. Unless somebody knows better than I do, I don't see how it could hurt to try (I think I had been taking a half dose). But again, IANAD.

 

[ShOcKwAvE827]

Originally posted by: Leeroy
I had a friend who neded surgery because basically the sphincter between his stomach and oesophagus wasn't working properly, so every time he ate, food built up in the oesophagus.

was it achalasia?

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: pOwder

Originally posted by: aidanjm
good luck at the doctors appointment, hopefully it will be nothing too serious!

I really hope it isn't anything serious, either ... I'm kind of scared

Be brave! Medical technology is better every year - most problems can be helped or fixed!

 

[huberm]

gf at the time had the same symptoms, turns out she had to have her gall bladder removed.

 

[ebaycj]

gall bladder flush FTW !!

 

[j00fek]

why do ppl ask for health help on atot? go to the fvcking doctor.