Well I am a new member and havent posted anything yet, but I have been searching the threads and found a few people with similair symptoms. I am a 24yo male in the military, and I have had constant nausea in the very top center of my stomach (right below the sternum) for at least 6 months. I started seeking medical care for my condition 2 months ago. I havent thrown up recently, the last time was probably about a month ago, but I am still always uncomfortable. I have been to the doctor about 6 times, the ER, and I have seen a GI specialist.

I was first just put on aciphex for acid reflux, then later given prevacid. this helped with the minor heartburn I have, but nothing has helped the nausea. I was always up all night, because lying down only worsens my nausea. They took blood, and all my levels were normal.

I have been given some medication for nausea, (like ZOFRAN) but it doesnt seem to help either. This was when I was sent to the specialist and they performed an endoscopy. The endoscopy showed nothing out of the ordinary (some minor areas that had something ulcer-like) but the doctor told me that it all checked out ok, and that it could have been his stomach we were looking at. SO.... he recommended I talk to a therapist to see if it was stress related. I did, and he recommended I try an anti-depressant. So I have been taking welbutrin for 4 days now, no change in my condition. I have read that it can take 2 weeks for welbutrin to start working.... feeling like this defininately doesnt make me happy....I wouldnt wish this constant sick feeling on anyone. I dont know if I agree with the "stress" diagnosis, things are pretty good in my life, and while I have some things to work out, nothing is bothering me. plus my condition doesnt seem to reflect anything that's happening around me at the time. If it was stress-related, shouldnt I feel worse at times of stress? cause I dont. It will get worse, or relax a bit from time to time, and I wont have eaten anything, or be doing anything. The only relief is when I sleep, and even then I have woken myself up feeling ill. When it's really bad, I usually take walks. Being in a vertical position helps some. but I cant sleep like that, and I am tired of being a zombie pacing around the house all night. oh and I drink maalox, but to no avail. I have been sched. for a gastric emptying study at nuclear medicine (they irradiate some scrambled eggs and watch how I digest it for an hour), but its not digesting I think I have a problem with....

I just want to be able to drink a few beers with the guys, eat normally, sleep normally and have fun with my wife and 2 year old son. I know she's tired of me being ill all the time. Anyone have similair problems? central upper stomach constant ache?

The gastric emptying study may show why you are having so much nausea. I have the same symptoms. I am woken up every morning 4:30 or 5:30 a.m. to extreme nausea. I would make sure you have thorough testing so you have accurate information to know what's going on. I too struggle with the question of wondering if stress/anxiety is causing my nausea but I can now say I know there is something physically wrong with me. They call a slow emptying digestive system- gastroparesis. Good luck and keep your head up as you can't control how you feel. It does help me to try to be as active as possible.

Barb41 of South Dakota

I had similar symptoms - dull nausea, pain, usually relieved temporarily right after eating. My doctor said it was likely the beginnings of an ulcer. She prescribed Ranitidine (basically the same ingredient found in Zantax, only stronger). After a few days, I was back to normal. I take it twice daily and am able to eat and drink anything. You could try the Zantax, it's non-prescription, or ask your doctor for Ranitidine.

Finally found someone with what sounds like very similar symptoms to mine!

I have also had all the tests done to no avail. I have a constant dull nausea in my upper stomach right below the sternum. It lasted for about 8 months, subsided for about 4 months, and is now back. I have currently on a food detection diet to see if it is a food intolerance, as that is typically what these things turn out to be, an intolerance to dairy, gluten, fructose, or yeast. Have you thought about this?

jw, sounds like you have the same problems i have. Discomfort in the stomach area, constant nausea and acid reflux. 2 yrs. ago i had these symptoms and had 6 stomach ulcers, which i got rid of. Now the same symptoms over a few month period so back on Aciphex and Carafate. Still sick. Had the stomach emptying test 4 yrs. ago and it was 79 mins., should be 60, had it done this week and it was 159 minutes. RN thinks thats why i'm so nauseous as food lingering in stomach too long and causeing too much digestive juices. She's going to show the Dr. the results and call in a prescription for Zelnorm. Hopefully this will give some relief.

Yes it can be stress related. We internalize. If you are in the military and so was I you internalize all the stresses. I did the same when I was a prison guard and a Mental Health Tech. What bothers a person who is NOT in this line of work will not bother us. We think it rolls off our back like water on a duck. It doesn't.

It took me a while to figure out it had to come out somewhere. The body will display what you are going thru. In my case I have reached a point where stress comes out as IBS. Right now I am sick as a dog. Merry Christmas. It is the stress of the season. Do I feel it? No. I'm not stressed. My body is telling me otherwise. I'm stressed. I am so disassociated from the stress I am not aware I have it. I am also use to shoving my emotions to the side. You cannot react with 'normal' human emotions. You swallow it. IF it doesn't come out one way, it comes out another. Sometimes side wise. Nausea is one of them.

Your body is trying to tell you something. Notice when it is the worst. What happened just before? It might start to tell you something. There is something you can't stomach about that event.

Well I thought I'd give you guys an update on my situation. After being on the Wellbutrin for a while (couple weeks?) I began to feel a bit better. I'm not saying I felt any "happier" but I definitely enjoyed not feeling as sick! I figured I was on the right track, and that if I stuck to the mild anti-depressant I would be fine. Well here we are, about a year after my symptoms became my constant companion (and 6 mo. of wellbutrin), up late cause I feel sick.

It doesn't happen as often, but I still feel nauseous. I cant identify any particular stressors or catalysts for my condition. It seems totally random, which bothers me. If I walk around or busy myself with something I feel a bit better -But I don't want a temporary fix to distract myself, I want to be over this! I really appreciate the comments and support guys, It definitely helps to know I'm not the only one out there who is fed up with their unexplained nausea. Stress-anxiety-depression - or whatever causes this needs to be addressed but I'm kind of at a loss as to where to start. I think if I work on some kind of calming exercise, or relaxation technique maybe I can develop a way to handle my bouts of dyspepsia (assuming the docs were right and nothing is wrong with me physically).

As far as internalizing any problems or stress, I think you may have figured out part of my problem. I'm a pretty vocal guy, I don't mind talking to people about anything really, but I think that I must be swallowing something that doesn't agree with me. Regular stress and nervousness I can deal with, But the randomness of this kills me. At least its not as constant anymore, but maybe thats just because I'm busier and dont have time to dwell on it as much.


I know it sounds like I'm complaining, but I do feel a lot better than I did last year. I just have much less patience with my health after so much time feeling crappy. I imagine that anyone with a constant ailment can relate.


Again thanks for the comments! I hope we all wake up tomorrow feeling 100 percent better! Then we throw a we-all-feel-good party. someone bring nachos.

you sound like me. I used carafate and it disappeared. i strongly suggest

I have had similar symptoms for months. I have had numerous tests, seen heaps of doctors, and have been in and out of the hospital several times with the same symptoms you describe. Finally it looks as if, due to the results of a HIDA scan on my gall bladder, that they may have found the problem. It sure sounds like you have the same thing, especially the restlessness you mentioned in your first post. The gall bladder can mock several other conditions. Even if you have an ultra sound and it comes out normal and without stones, a HIDA scan will show if you either have an emptying problem of bile from your gall bladder, or just a sick gall bladder that causes the extreme nauseous feeling. I strongly suggest you start taking a look at your gall bladder. By the way, I was on paxil once and still had these symptoms. Anti depressents are not always the answer. Doc's hand them out like candy, but when you want to quit the withdrawals can be horrid. Thank God I'm off of that stuff! Good luck!

wow, i thought i was the only person out there with constant nausea that cannot be diagnosed... here are some things that they have tried out on me- but to no avail...

gastroscopy
hepatitus
Thyroid problems
endocrine blood scan

i am schedule to go to a holistic doctor who thinks it might be pancreatitis- if thats what it ends up being ill let you guys know

I have had similar symptoms for months. I have had numerous tests, seen heaps of doctors, and have been in and out of the hospital several times with the same symptoms you describe. Finally it looks as if, due to the results of a HIDA scan on my gall bladder, that they may have found the problem. It sure sounds like you have the same thing, especially the restlessness you mentioned in your first post. The gall bladder can mock several other conditions. Even if you have an ultra sound and it comes out normal and without stones, a HIDA scan will show if you either have an emptying problem of bile from your gall bladder, or just a sick gall bladder that causes the extreme nauseous feeling. I strongly suggest you start taking a look at your gall bladder. By the way, I was on paxil once and still had these symptoms. Anti depressents are not always the answer. Doc's hand them out like candy, but when you want to quit the withdrawals can be horrid. Thank God I'm off of that stuff! Good luck!

Wow it seems like we have a lot in common! I had an endoscopy done, all they found was gastritis and mild esophagitis. I still felt horribly nauseous and could hardly eat. Then after all that they ordered blood work and it showed my pancreas was slightly inflamed. That led the doc to think it was gallbladder related! Had a normal catscan w/dye and normal ultrasound. Had my HIDA scan today, after the second injection of CCK I felt so sick. Gallstones do run in my family, so I hope I get some results tomorrow. I would definitely have gallbladder tests to see if it is causing the nausea. Good luck and keep us updated!

I had the same symptoms that you have had for over a year. The constant nagging nausea was getting to me. I was never very hungry but I ate anyway, because it relieved my nausea somewhat. One night I woke up with this terrible feeling and pain right below my sternum and nausea that was unbearable but could not vomit. I woke my husband up and started getting dressed to go to the hospital, when all of a sudden I had to run to the bathroom to vomit. When I got to the bathroom, suddenly all the pain and discomfort went away immediately. I waited until morning and went in to see the doctor. Right away he said it was my gallbladder. I went right on to the hospital to have an ultrasound done. They found one large and several small gallstones. I went the next day and had gallbladder surgery. After that I was never bothered with the constant nausea again.

The doctor explained to me that many people have the constant nausea with the gallbladder being the problem but never have an acute attack. He said many doctors will check for everything but the gallbladder. Many patients go through months of treatment for other things when it is just thier gallbladder.

I would certainly ask the doctor to do some test to check for gallbladder disease or for gallstones.

Hi, :)

I've had nausea for months and know what it feels like to feel sick all the time. I wake up with it and go to bed with it. I haven't found any natural remedy that has helped. One can get temporary relief by drinking ginger tea. I make mine with fresh ginger and very strong. It's only a temporary measure. Basically, I just live with it. I would like to find its cause. I suspect my use of prescription medication, but realize that besides being a side effect of many medications, nausea is a symptom of many health disorders. That is why I would like to have my gallbladder function assessed. I haven't had any GI tests besides the upper GI series. I have a hiatal hernia and GERD. The test for gastroparesis Barb mentioned sounds like something I should have done as well.


Good luck!

Heartsy,

thank you so much for your post! I almost hope I have gallstones if it means I could live without nausea. I'll make sure to get tested for gallbladder function. :)

update: My stomach problems persist, but are infrequent. They may just be related to stress, although it must not be an acute reaction - I get sick when im just trying to rest.

good news: I have a new baby! she was 6 lbs 8oz after a VERY fast labour and excellent epidural. the doc didnt even have time to get her gloves on! "Nola" has an older brother (he's 3) and he seems to be adjusting well. shes beautiful.

At least with the new baby I have a decent excuse to be up - I help out as much as I can, I'm up anyway! my personal issues may stem from all this responsibility, I am the sole provider for my wife and 2 kids. But thats the crazy thing - theres not a thing wrong at the moment; we arent struggling in any way, and to me stress/anxiety/depression without a source drives me crazy.

Im not hugely self-motivated - ok I can be kinda lazy - but when I have a job that needs doing, I get it done. Thats the most frustrating part - not having something to ascribe my problems to. its just a general discomfort that takes root in my stomach and wont let me just chill.

Hopefully, after I get off of leave and go back to work the exercise ( from PT)will help me sleep. I figure if I improve my eating habits, get some more sun and take in more fresh air, I'll feel better. Plus I have stuck with my welbutrin (150mg/day). its a very mild antidepressant, so I cant tell if its ever working, but I dont want to take anything if I can help it.


Thanks for all the comments - all of our situations may not be due to the same thing, but knowing others have gone through similar straights is comforting in a strange way. .

JWBecka:

Did you ever have a HIDA scan done on your gallbladder function? If yes, what was the % they reported? I've read a lot of other people here and elsewhere who have been found to have poor functioning gallbladders with little other 'gallstone' symptoms.

All,

I'm 35, M, and I've had similar symptoms to JWBecka and others here, it started out (I thought) with relentless nausea and burning in my stomach. Like a few posts here, the Doc's assumed other things (ulcer, gastroparesis, etc) and originally put me on antacids. I was on Protonix for a week when I had horrible dizziness / head cloudiness. That luckily went away after I (under direction) stopped taking it and switched to Pepcid AC.


When my stomach symptoms started I had an upper endoscopy scheduled. By the time it was performed it only showed mild gastritis and no signs of H.Plyori, but that was about 6weeks after the symptoms started and by changing my diet I was already feeling 90% better. My weight was stable for a month after. 2 sets of initial blood tests all came back normal (no liver problems, cholesterol was good, etc).

Throughout this my blood pressure is on the low side (low 90's / high 50's-60's), but it's never been much higher (high 90's / low 10x's). I've noticed that my stool color is on the pale / yellow side since this started. I've also had one ultrasound, which showed no stones but apparently they saw a number of (1mm) polyps in the walls.

To get by the downtimes I had found regular exercise / walking and keeping busy helped (also keeping my mind occupied) and switched to a low fat / healthy diet (fruits/vege's/salads/rice/chicken/olive-oil, eliminated refined sugars/sweets, dairy, and gluten for a bit--but have since cautiously resumed and what I've experimented with doesn't seem to trigger symptoms).

At one point, Late Dec / Early Jan I was feeling 100% normal again. I was actually completely off my antacid meds for about a week or two, and feeling great, when the nausea returned suddenly once more. That passed after a few days of careful eating. I think it was trigged by a caesar salad, but could also have been a virus I was fighting off.

Since that repeat incident I'm back to having trouble eating enough of the healthy / safe foods to maintain my weight. Mostly my appetite is diminished (especially in the morning) but I still get hugry (mostly in the late afternoon). Being careful and trying to eat regular sized meals I'm still losing about .5lbs / day (on avg) because I'm not taking in enough calories. I'm back to experimenting with what I can eat and increasing calories to keep on my weight, without overdoing it. When this started I was ~157lbs and am down to 135-136lbs now.

I've got a followup with my GI specialist next week and hope he'll order the HIDA scan. My dad and his parents all had their GB taken out when they were each my age but they had horrible pains / stones and were smokers and that was many years ago. [Reading up on others with GB Diseases I've also previously had the big "D" after eating certain foods (like Ice Cream). I noticed that I developed hives/itchiness after eating shrimp (never had problems before), and had about a month where everynight I had itchiness in the evenings in my torso area. Still not sure if those are related, as haven't had those symptoms since I've been eating careful / healthy].

Throughout all of this my symptoms have been pain free (outside of the initial few weeks of mid-chest pressure). From what I've read I should actually consider waiting until I have worse symptoms again because sometimes the GB will work intermittently not showup as an issue during various tests.

As I'm not sure yet what my problem is, I'll mention the following supplements also seem to have been helping: Mastic Gum pills (help protect stomach lining, not much studies proving benefits though); Milk Thistle (seems to help with bile flow) ; Ginger Pills (take after eating if I'm feeling nausea) ; DGL Licorice (I've managed to substitute this for Pepcid AC over the last 2 weeks ) I don't take any of these every day, just based on how I'm feeling and/or what I've been eating.

Appreciate the updates and comments from those who have had similar issues and Best of luck to others who are still struggling to find out what's wrong!

I have been dealing with constant nausea for 4 years now. It sucks! I have had multiple tests done, including an endoscopy, eating the radioactive egg sandwich (nuclear medicine), blood tests, and ultra sounds.

My family doc found out that I had gall stones and recommended that I have it removed. I went to GI specialists to see if it was necessary. They never even looked at my gall bladder. They diagnosed me with GERD and IBS. They just put me on medication after medication. Nothing worked.

Three years later I finally had my gall bladder taken out (and for free! I'm a military spouse). Anyway, it's been 3 months and I feel the same!

So, yes, your gall bladder can cause many problems, however, please don't put all your eggs in one basket. I wish this would have cured me, but it didn't. I'm on my way to a new doctor (unfortunately in the military we move a lot so I can't go to the same doctors). Hopefully they'll fix me someday.

Good luck. It seems like we're not alone.

Hi!
I am so glad that I finally found other people who have had the same problems as I have. While I have not been suffering from nausea for years - 'only' 3-4 months - I still feel frustrated and tired of being unable to enjoy the activities I used to enjoy.

I suffer the same symptoms as many previous entries - chronic nausea, no vomiting, worse when I am lying down or resting, etc. Doctors have performed x-rays, ultrasounds, and eventually diagnosed me (albeit tentatively) with IBS. I have been on IBS pills for around a month now and after a short but welcome respite, my nausea has come back. This is after a month of an antacid (OTC and began with a P, but at the moment I can't remember anything else) which only helped periodically and for short amounts of time.

Originally it occurred only after meals, but now it occurs randomly through the day and always at night. As a college student, this makes life a lot more difficult because (as I'm sure many of you can recall from your college days) late-night studying, paper-writing, or partying is the norm and I can no longer participate in any of these fully.

The IBS pills have not worked. In fact, despite taking them daily I have a new symptom on top of the nausea. Now, I have had diarrhea for the past two days as well. It is not constant and I do not feel dehydrated (I have been dehydrated in the past with a different illness and remember the feeling vividly) but all the same, it's another gastrointestinal problem that has no ready cause.

I will be visiting our student health services office sometime next week and ask for a gallbladder test and a stomach-emptying test, as those seem to be the most common causes that I have been able to find online. Furthermore, my family physician at home (I live at school) mentioned a gallbladder problem if it wasn't IBS, which I feel confident in saying was not the problem. However, my question is, do you have any other suggestions? Anything that the doctors checked that came out positive for you? I do not believe it is stress related as life has been very good recently, and I have been very stressed before and never had this problem.

Any and all suggestions of what tests to ask for would be more than welcome.

Thank you,
lkienzle

My husband was having this problem of constant nausea. It had gone on for over six months. He finally broke down and went to our family doctor. After a complete examination and questioning about his problem, the doctor right off said I think you have a bad sinus infection that is causing your nausea. He put him on a two week course of antibiotics. After a week the nausea was gone. The doctor explained that a lot of times, the sinus infection drains down the throat into the intestines and cause the nausea. He has not had the nausea since finishing the antibiotics about three months ago.

oh man.. i'm glad i could jump on this thread.. im so tired of taking a phenergan.. someone please tell me where to start

tests so far-

endoscopy of throat
GI series

I assume they check the gallbladder - when i had got everything done they had just told me i had bad acid reflux.. but i been taking nexium for few months now and i get nauseated all week one week and not the next... its making wnat to be isolated from doing anything...

tell me what to try or do yall.. not to be gross but i also have crazy excessive gas and burp alot

im 25-male

tired of this , very much so

Hi
have you been tested for hy pylori. I had the same symptoms and this was the problem.
Gill

Hi
have you been tested for hy pylori. I had the same symptoms and this was the problem.
Gill

what did you do for it?

i'm having pain, burning, nausea.. mostly nausea.. getting depressed and don't feel like doing much b/c feel like crap...

i ate a bit of fried food today made me real sick so i took a zantac helped some... i've been on nexium for about 3 weeks.. is this possibly an ulcer? or something more serious?

Hello everyone! Gosh so glad I found this board again. I believe my problem started some time last year. It started w/ a geographical tongue and I have had it ever since. I saw a doctor and she gave me some probiotics that didn't do anything for the geo tongue. I did a little research and found that geo tongue is actually caused by an underlying factor internally.
Fast forward several months and I started to experience nausea at the top of my stomach just like many of you. I went to the doctor and we did some basic blood work and everything showed it was normal. Then she gave me Nexium and that caused some extreme bloating. She never figured that out but I immediately stopped that and I felt better, the nausea continued. I had an ultra sound done and they found nothing. Clean gallbladder, no stones.
She then referred me to her nutritionist who also happens to practice acupuncture. It wasn't until I did several sessions of acupuncture on my stomach area that the nausea stopped. He believes it's a gallbladder issue and started me on a special diet that consists of drinking beet. Results have been ify, the nausea did stop which was a super good thing but my geo tongue remains and now I have some major bloating on my right side.

Does anyone have this bloating symptom? If so, what did you do to relieve it?

My nutritionist told me to ease off carbs, drink cat's claw tea and continue w/ the acupuncture. All this is dandy and all but I don't want to do this forever either.

Mt husband had ongoing nausea for three or four months and we could not find the cause of it. He went to the doctor with severe headaches and a sinus infection. He told the doctor about the nausea he was having and the doctor immediately said, I think when the sinus infection clears, that the nausea will clear also. He said the sinus drip was draining down and going into the stomach and causing the nausea. He put him on a three week course of antibiotics. Sure enough, when the sinus was cleared, the headaches went away and also the nausea. He was not bothered with nausea after that.

I'm inbetween jobs right now so it'll be a week and half before I can see a doctor. Meanwhile, I really want to put together a concise discription for the GI doctor when I do see him/her. I have had problems for nearly 3 years now. Two ENT doctors have diagnosed me with acid reflux. One GI doctor didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Months of nexium and protonix never really resolved the problems. I have lived the last 2 1/2 years with varying degrees of symptoms.

The last few months the symptoms have really ramped up. Primarily I have a sore throat along with the release of rotten sulphuric odor throughout the day. The last week or so I have had a hard time sleeping as I wake up with nausea and pain in my upper abdomen. The last night was simply horrible. The pain in my upper abdomen was out of this world painful and I was nauseous but couldn't throw up anything. Is this another symptom of acid reflux? My gallbladder has never been discussed. But I'm certainly considering it now. Could the odor be a result of the gallbladder not functioning properly?

During the day, I have a nervous stomache and mild nausea which flunctates. The problems seem to be when I'm hungry and an hour or so after eating. The only time I have relief is while I'm eating and a few minutes after.

By the way, a sinus infection can cause nausea. That's the surest sign that I have an infection. It hasn't ever though caused intense abdominal pain. I had antibiotics a couple of weeks before this episode of nausea so I do not think that this time it's sinus related (but will go back to the ENT just to be sure if this goes on any longer).

I would definitely as my doctor to check for a sinus infection that may not be bothering you right now but still may be throwing bacteria out into your system. I would also ask to have an MRI for gall bladder problems. Read this forum and read all the other problems that have been written about and solved and talk to your doctor about them. You are much too young to be dealing with this problem. A round of antibiotics just may clear up the nausea, without ever knowing what was causing it.

Also, if you are taking any miltivitamins that contain iron, this could be the source of your nausea. Many people cannot take a supplement that contains iron in any amount, it will make you nauseated. My daughter had this problem and I ask to see her vitamin bottle and sure enough it contained iron, she quit taking them and the nausea subsided. Maybe another particular medication that you are taking, you can try doing without it for a few days.

ashleigh11,

If you are taking any medication or multivitamin that contains iron, this could be your problem. Many people cannot take iron in any form. When I was anemic, I had to take iron shots, because the oral medication made me terribly nauseated.

I'm not taking any meds other then prevacid and was taking reglan but those were both FOR the nausea. I had it before I was ever on that. About the sinus thing, could it really cause this severe nausea? Would I have any other symptoms that maybe would alert me 2 notice if something like that was wrong? I just cant picture that being the reason why I am SO SICK after all this time but I would gladly welcome it (as sick as that sounds) because then atleast I could treat it.

Thanks for all the past and future help by the way, I appreciate it a whole lot.

My husband has been experiencing extreme nausea since Nov. 2007 and it seems it came out of nowhere. He only threw up once when it first started, and hasn't thrown up since. He had the upper GI endoscopy, colonoscopy, CT scan on the abdominal area and also CT on his head, and they didn't find anything. Numerous blood tests and some of them were the same ones to see if there was any drastic changes. Last week they did the gastric emptying test (where they feed you something with radioactive stuff [he got beef stew and a glass of orange juice so they could see the solids and the liquids] and they take pictures every half hour for 2 hrs to see how it is emptying in your system). That test was normal too. The gastroenterologist was baffled...the next thing that he suggested was testing for H. Pylori that can be tested through a stool sample or some kind of breath test. (Oh, BTW, my husband was on Prilosec and other medications before the nausea happened. His other medications were changed and there was no difference so he quit those and was only taking Prilosec. He was also given various prescriptions for nausea and none of them worked.) This most recent Gastroenterologist we went to said that he should be off of the Prilosec for at least 2 weeks before the stool test. He said that maybe the Prilosec is suppressing the H.Pylori bacteria from growing out of control so it isn't showing up on any tests.

My husband has lost a lot of weight. Last year he was around 186 lbs. I don't know what he weighed when the extreme nausea started, but he is really skinny now and emaciated looking around 125 lbs. I can feel his back bones sticking out when I hug him and sometimes I try not to squeeze too hard. Had to give him my jacket to put behind him at the restaurant today because he said the chair was hurting his back (he doesn't have any meat on his bones.)

The only thing he has been eating is a bacon burger (potato bread, mayonnaise, hamburger, and bacon) and a glass of ice tea. At first it was only twice a day and then when the Dr. said he was emaciated, made him take Boost with each meal and he started eating 3 meals a day (1 meal with a roast beef sandwich and 2 meals with a bacon burger). He said that the bacon seems to reduce the nausea, but even then it doesn't for very long.

Both of us are tired of not knowing what the problem is. Our family Dr. was baffled so he sent us to these 2 different gastroenterologists. If they are stuck, we don't know where else to go and they don't know where to send us. :confused:

We appreciate as well, the information that others post on here and hopefully something will work and there will actually be a diagnosis for this. In the beginning I teased my husband and said "are you pregnant?", but now it isn't funny anymore.

Gimmimore,
As a medical person, this rare disease comes to my mind. I remember reading about it many years ago. Please print this out and take it to your doctor. It seems similar to what your husband has.

Whipple's disease is a rare infectious disease that typically infects the bowel. It causes malabsorption primarily but may affect any part of the body including the heart, lungs, brain, joints, and eyes. It interferes with the body's ability to absorb certain nutrients. Whipple's disease causes weight loss, incomplete breakdown of carbohydrates or fats, and malfunctions of the immune system. When recognized and treated, Whipple's disease can usually be cured. Untreated, the disease may be fatal.

Whipple's disease is caused by bacteria named Tropheryma whippelii. It can affect any system of the body, but occurs most often in the small intestine. Lesions appear on the wall of the small intestine and thicken the tissue. The villi—tiny, finger-like protrusions from the wall that help absorb nutrients—are damaged.

Symptoms include diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and weakness. Arthritis and fever often occur several years before intestinal symptoms develop. Patients may experience neurological symptoms as well. Diagnosis is based on symptoms and the results of a biopsy of tissue from the small intestine or other organs that are affected.

Whipple's disease is treated with antibiotics to destroy the bacteria that cause the disease. The physician may use a number of different types, doses, and schedules of antibiotics to find the best treatment. Depending on the seriousness of the disease, treatment may also include fluid and electrolyte replacement. Electrolytes are salts and other substances in body fluid that the heart and brain need to function properly. Extra iron, folate, vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium may also be given to help compensate for the vitamins and minerals the body cannot absorb on its own.

Full recovery of the small intestine may take up to 2 years, but the symptoms usually disappear in less time. Because relapse is common even after successful treatment, the health care team may continue to monitor the patient for many years.

Heartsy,

Thanks for your response. This brings me more questions. :confused: When they did the GI endoscopy and colonoscopy they didn't find anything. The tissues were healthy and there was no bleeding. The only symptom my husband has is the extreme nausea. He doesn't have a loss of appetite, he just chooses to eat what I had previously written, and he doesn't have any abdominal pain.

Do you know anything about GGT levels and what is normal? It was 17 something (I don't remember the measurement). What is GGT and what is the purpose of it? My husband is convinced there is something wrong with his GGT and liver, but the Drs won't listen to him.

Oh, which brings to mind that I forgot to mention that he has had blood in his stool a few times, but when it came to test it, there wasn't any blood in it.

gimmemore,

GGT is a liver enzyme. I would certainly ask the doctor about the Whipple's disease. He does not have to have all the symptoms of a certain disease.

I would also start doing research online and see what all I could find out. Just use any word that you can think of regarding his condition and put it in Google. There are worlds of information there.

Is his PSA within limits. Has he had a colonoscopy. He doesn't have to have gall stones to have a bad gall bladder. If he is eating and still loosing weight, it seems that his system is not absorbing the nutrients from his food. There could be some kind of malabsorbtion problem.

I know you must be grabbing for straws, as I would be if I were in your situation. Sometimes you have to insist that the doctor do further test.

This is an excellent website for learning about Lab test.

http://www.labtestsonline.org/

I'm not taking any meds other then prevacid and was taking reglan but those were both FOR the nausea. I had it before I was ever on that. About the sinus thing, could it really cause this severe nausea? Would I have any other symptoms that maybe would alert me 2 notice if something like that was wrong? I just cant picture that being the reason why I am SO SICK after all this time but I would gladly welcome it (as sick as that sounds) because then atleast I could treat it.

Thanks for all the past and future help by the way, I appreciate it a whole lot.

Hey woodson.. i'm going thru the same thing.. i'm on prevacid b/c the ent said i had GERD .. well i've been on it quite awhile now and still damn nauseated all the time .. when i get off work .. i don't want to do anything.. they said i had a tiny hiatal hernia but that it wouldnt cause this nausea... i've been tested for a lot but nothing showed anything.. let me know if you figure something out

thanks

Looking at your posts, it is clear that some of you have real problems that do require medical attention, but for the rest of you I think your doctors are doing crappy jobs. There are a myriad of causes of nausea, including stress, food intolerance and chemical sensitivity. There is a trend in western medicine to treat everything as a physical problem that can be treated with medication, but sometimes you just have to look at other options.

So many people claim that they have nausea and that it cannot possibly be caused by stress as nothing "stressful" is happening in their lives right now. What they are really experiencing in times of stress is an elevation of the stress already heaped upon them due to the unnatural conditions that we force ourselves to live in. There has been a dramatic increase in depression, and the prescription of anti-depressants in the last 20 years, roughly co-inciding with the boom of multinational corporations, socially accepted greed and long working hours in jobs with ridiculous expectations. The lifestyle we are living is far far removed from the one our ancestors were living in, and the pace of change has not allowed our psyche to catch up with our lifestyle. The loss of tight-knit communities and the increasing isolation of the individual has caused a terrible surge of depression in our populations. Added to this is the lack of physical exercise that the majority of adults have. We evolved to be constantly on our feet, looking for food, mating, running away from things that will eat us. Now, we sit at our computers all day doing nothing and then go home and do nothing. Physical exercise releases endorphins (chemicals that make you happy), and without these our minds are becoming stressed and we are becoming depressed.

The reliance of the population upon antidepressants to treat stress, anxiety and depression is truly astounding. Given what I have said above, most depression should really be treated through physical exercise, therapy and parties, but it isn't. So before you say that your nausea simply cannot be stress related, look at your lifestyle, how much you exercise, what you eat, how often you see your friends and what your job is really doing to you. My advice is that before you even think of going on medication for depression, you should talk to a therapist and see if your problems can be solved the natural way- by talking about them.

Second and third on my list of things that could be harming you is food intolerance and food chemical sensitivity. Food intolerance is a major cause of nausea, and is more common than you would think. Roughly 80% of adults are lactose intolerant to some degree, and this can cause nausea, bloating, diarrhoea, migranes, constipation, vomiting etc. Another common one is gluten intolerance, which can often go undiagnosed.

A lot of doctors overlook the issue of food additive sensitivity, which is foolish in the extreme. The chemicals that you ingest every day in processed foods are not tested for long periods of time, and it is coming to light that alot of them, especially colours, flavours and artificial sweeteners are really quite bad for you. The European Union (EU) has just banned the use of about eight food chemicals, most being colours (the ones that start with 2, like 202) and studies have shown that aspartame, one of the artificial sweeteners in diet coke, causes brain tumours and thyroid problems in rats. So you can see that what you're eating really does affect you, and maybe try cutting out the chemicals from your diet. As a rule of thumb, anything that has a number at the end of it, or anything you can't pronounce should probably not be eaten.

I know the pain that it can cause. I've had damage to my stomach from a NSAID called Ketaprofen, and I'm also lactose intolerant and get severe nausea from stress. I do know how unpleasant it is and I hope you take some of my advice, as I have used these remedies myself and found them to really help.