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Posted 5/21/2008 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hey all,

Good news is that it seems remicade is working for me!! Fewer bms, much less pain, very little urgency...all good...but...my nausea is worse than ever. It may just be that i am now noticing it more because my other symptoms are gone but without rather high doses of zofran i am throwing up everyday. My Gi seems to be stuck. He did an EGD and the results were "alarmingly normal" and he didn't know what else to do. I have been nauseas for about 2 yrs. I went to a GP and he ran some blood tests and said he didn't know what it could be and to go back to my GI.

I am nauseas every minute of the day even on zofran. I know no one here is a doctor but i have no idea what to do. I am just wishing that House was a real person right now.

Any ideas of where to go? What kind of doc should I be looking for? Anyone been through something similar? Any jokes to lighten the mood?

Thanks
Posted 5/21/2008 10:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hehe :) I love House. His minions would probably guess sarcoidosis or lupus or something first, and then almost kill you with weird tests and then he'd come up with the unlikely but correct diagnosis out of nowhere.

Have you tried compazine? I'm not sure which is stronger, that or Zofran. I'd assume probably Zofran though or your doctor would have probably already thought of that!

I really can't think of any suggestions or explanations, but I really hope you are able to find relief soon :( There's nothing fun about nausea. Have you tried the regular remedies, like eating crackers or sucking on ice chips or something?

Good luck *hugs*
Posted 5/21/2008 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
Kelly, have you had your estrogen and progesterone checked???? I am nauseaus a lot as well, and it turned out that I was estrogen dependant, not producing enough progesterone. Once we fixed that the nausea went away......that may not be it, but worth a blood test to rule out. Hope you feel better soon.
Posted 5/21/2008 11:17 PM (GMT 0)
First off House is my TV boyfriend. Okay now that that is clear (ha ha)....have you ever switched or tried a new acid reflux med? I have battled bouts of nausea in the past (nothing for 2 years though!) and it usually means I need a stronger reflux med.

Keep us posted!
Posted 5/22/2008 12:55 AM (GMT 0)
At the time I was diagnosed with UC I mentioned to my then-gastro that I kept getting nauseous after eating breakfast. She had me list what I regularly ate & advised me to stop eating banana with cereal. That worked wonders!!!!!!!!! It had something to do with my serotonin level. There may be some food combination that's contributing to your nausea-- so compiling a food diary might help you find a solution, too. Worth a try, no? / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])
Posted 5/22/2008 4:42 AM (GMT 0)
try taking protonix, i was always nauseaus when i was on meds before my surgery and that helped a lot, i took it and phenogren everyday and i think the protonix helped more
Posted 5/22/2008 1:40 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the replies so far...keep them coming!

ediekristen- zofran is the newest, most hard hitting anti nausea out there. I did try compazine but it didn't even touch the nausea. I take double the average dose of zofran to have any effect.

lemonhead- I haven't tried that yet! Do i call my OB for that or go to a gp?

tabitha- my gi is sure it is not reflux related. He did the egd and was suprised by how much better it has gotten and frustrated he didn't see anything else.

old hat- I am nauseas even when i haven't eaten. I went three days without food (not by choice, nausea was too bad and i had no zofran) and was still throwing up and extrememly nauseas. Could whatever food mayb e causeing this still be in my bloodstream/body after a significant amount of time?

summerstorm- i have been on protonix for many many years. I've been taking acid reflux med for so long i remember when zantac was prescription only and the best drug out there! My how fast things change. But what is phenogren? is it for acid reflux too?
Posted 5/22/2008 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
I have a couple thoughts...

(1) Has your GI ruled out all of your meds as a cause? Any of your meds could be causing nausea.

(2) I agree with others' comments re: the acid reflux. I had daily nausea before finding the right reflux med. I see you are currently taking Protonix... maybe try Nexium or Prevacid? They all work differently, and it could be that the Protonix isn't cutting it. My husband has GERD, and the Protonix worked for him but made him pretty nauseated. He switched to Nexium and has been fine ever since.

(3) Have you been tested for any food allergies? I have/had a dairy allergy (it has been strangely silent since the birth of my son, but anyway...) and nausea was my main symptom. I didn't have D or gas when I ate dairy (like most people), just nausea. It was only after I started keeping a food journal that I found the connection.

(4) As Quincy always says, rectal inflammation can cause nausea. It sounds like the Remicade is working for you, but you may still have some rectal inflammation (last place to clear up). Have you tried rectal meds in the past? Maybe they might help? I'm reaching with this one, but just a thought.

I hope you find the cause! The nausea meds are just masking the symptoms. I hope you can come off of them!
Posted 5/22/2008 6:07 PM (GMT 0)

Sorry you are feeling badly. 

This may be of no help, but when I was in the hospital recently it turned out that the drug zofran was itself contributing to my constant nausea.  It got so bad I would vomit within a mintue or so of the nurse injecting the zofran.  They injected me with another drug, (never found out which) and I finally got some relief and I was able to eat for the first time in two and half days.  Speaking of injecting, my neighbor who suffered from nausea during pregnancy told me she been issued a wear at home iv set up.  Perhaps something like that could help you so you could try out stronger anti-nausea medicine so you could get some relief.

Posted 5/23/2008 12:07 PM (GMT 0)
Kb5, I really feel for you. The idea of being nausea all the time is just, well, too much to think about. You must be a very strong person. I've met someone else in the same position and I remember feeling the frustration that no one can figure out the source of the nausea. I'm not positive about this, but I think she might have found some relief with guided meditation. So I'm just throwing it out there as an idea. It doesn't get to the cause of the problem, but if it works then that would be good anyway.

Have you found a doctor who has had other patients with this same symptom? I have a feeling that it could just be one of those strange things -- it's not indicative of any medical condition; it's just your body being a little haywire.

My grandmother used to have this thing she did to combat nausea -- pulling lightly on the skin between her nose and mouth. I've tried it and it seems to work (or take my mind off everything, I'm not sure) but that makes me wonder whether there aren't some acupressure points that could do something for you.

Sorry if these seems like lame ideas. I'm just trying to think of things that might be easy and cheap to try without adding more meds to your life.

Hang in. I once read an article about nausea in The New Yorker (about 7 years ago) and I *still* remember how just reading it made me nauseous. I really admire you for dealing with this and continuing to look for answers. Something will come up!
Posted 5/23/2008 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Julee there are no lame ideas...thannks. I have done some pressure point stuff. There is one in the wrist and another in between the thumb and pointer finger. Meditation is worth a try!

I have an appt with my Gi on the 3rd so i am going to bombard him with all of these ideas.

My mom seems to think it is vertigo or some inner ear problem. She is trying to think of non gi ideas. She is pushing for me to go to an ENT. Not so sure about this idea but i will try anything

How do they test for food intolorences? Do I go to an allergist? i have been checked for allergies, though it's probably time to do that again.

Thanks and thanks again
Posted 5/24/2008 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry you are going through this -- nausea is awful!

For me, when I was on 6mp (Imuran), I was horribly nauseus. Didn't resolve until I went off the med.

Maybe some tried and true pregnancy/morning sickness tricks: Nibbling on a slice of lemon or even just smelling a lemon, sips of ginger ale or ginger tea, soda crackers... those always helped me a bit.

Hang in there!
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