Tummy trouble!
July 18, 2010 4:18 AM Subscribe
YANMD, but should I be worried about these digestive problems I'm having? Possible TMI inside.
I've searched back and forth through AskMe, and have seen similar questions to mine but none with these exact symptoms. Plus I know how much y'all like hearing about other people's bowel movements.
For the record, I'm a 21 year old female, I don't smoke, do drugs and I haven't had a drink in a while.
I've always had a somewhat delicate stomach, but nothing like what I've been experiencing for the last couple of weeks. It started out initially as bouts of what feels like extreme hunger, to the point of nausea. I'd get really hungry really quickly, but the thought of eating something made me want to puke. Generally, if I forced myself to eat something small and plain, it would get better and I would be able to eat properly and the nausea would subside for a while. It was generally worse in the morning and the evening. To combat this, I invested in mint tea, pro-biotic yoghurt, crackers and ginger biscuits, and cut out caffeine completely.
However, this weekend whatever it the heck it is seems to have taken a turn, and now I'm actually throwing up if I eat too much, and sometimes if I don't eat at all. I'm also constipated, have a tongue coated in icky white stuff and this morning I started my period (I know, right?). I'm drinking lots of water and nibbling crackers and biscuits when I can. It doesn't feel like any kind of virus I've had before, and coupled with the fact that I've been having problems for a couple weeks makes me think it's something else.
Additional info to consider:
- I'm currently unemployed and job hunting, and my boyfriend broke up with me (somewhat unexpectedly) on Thursday, so it might just be stress? I'm also fairly sure that I've suppressed hunger pangs in the past and have gained an unhealthy attitude towards forcing myself to eat (mostly along the lines of this is going to make me sick, I don't want to be sick, so I won't eat). It's pretty mixed up in my head, is what I'm saying.
- I tried taking antacids (Rennies) a couple times, which seemed to help a little. I'm fairly sure I can't take them on an empty stomach, though, right?
I'm probably going to go see my GP tomorrow and see what she thinks, but in the meantime I'd like to know if there's anyone out there who has experienced something like this, and whether you can offer me some advice to keep things ticking over until I can get some professional help. Thank you in advance!
I've searched back and forth through AskMe, and have seen similar questions to mine but none with these exact symptoms. Plus I know how much y'all like hearing about other people's bowel movements.
For the record, I'm a 21 year old female, I don't smoke, do drugs and I haven't had a drink in a while.
I've always had a somewhat delicate stomach, but nothing like what I've been experiencing for the last couple of weeks. It started out initially as bouts of what feels like extreme hunger, to the point of nausea. I'd get really hungry really quickly, but the thought of eating something made me want to puke. Generally, if I forced myself to eat something small and plain, it would get better and I would be able to eat properly and the nausea would subside for a while. It was generally worse in the morning and the evening. To combat this, I invested in mint tea, pro-biotic yoghurt, crackers and ginger biscuits, and cut out caffeine completely.
However, this weekend whatever it the heck it is seems to have taken a turn, and now I'm actually throwing up if I eat too much, and sometimes if I don't eat at all. I'm also constipated, have a tongue coated in icky white stuff and this morning I started my period (I know, right?). I'm drinking lots of water and nibbling crackers and biscuits when I can. It doesn't feel like any kind of virus I've had before, and coupled with the fact that I've been having problems for a couple weeks makes me think it's something else.
Additional info to consider:
- I'm currently unemployed and job hunting, and my boyfriend broke up with me (somewhat unexpectedly) on Thursday, so it might just be stress? I'm also fairly sure that I've suppressed hunger pangs in the past and have gained an unhealthy attitude towards forcing myself to eat (mostly along the lines of this is going to make me sick, I don't want to be sick, so I won't eat). It's pretty mixed up in my head, is what I'm saying.
- I tried taking antacids (Rennies) a couple times, which seemed to help a little. I'm fairly sure I can't take them on an empty stomach, though, right?
I'm probably going to go see my GP tomorrow and see what she thinks, but in the meantime I'd like to know if there's anyone out there who has experienced something like this, and whether you can offer me some advice to keep things ticking over until I can get some professional help. Thank you in advance!
The constipation combined with the vomiting and nausea makes me think of the possibility of a bowel obstruction, which can be something that passes on its own, or something that turns into a medical emergency. IANAD, but definitely tell your GP every symptom, including (gross, but still) what color the vomit is.
posted by xingcat at 4:39 AM on July 18, 2010
posted by xingcat at 4:39 AM on July 18, 2010
I agree that you should go to your GP. It's a little late for this, but keeping a diary of what you eat and drink and the symptoms you experience can be really illuminating -- maybe you can remember this information for the past few days at least?
I have in the past had similar but less severe symptoms -- intense hunger accompanied by nausea in the morning, as well as generally bad stomach pains. The former turned out to be caused by my habit of having a cup of tea on an empty stomach when I woke up in the morning (guess I'm in the .0001% of the population whose stomachs aren't settled by tea), and the latter was a rather severe wheat/gluten intolerance.
I'm not suggesting that either of these things are what you have, but the point is that they both had pretty easy fixes once I took the time/worked with my doctor to figure out the problem. A lot of people live with extremely bad stomach pains that end up causing permanent damage. So... go to the doctor. Good luck!
posted by telegraph at 4:48 AM on July 18, 2010
I have in the past had similar but less severe symptoms -- intense hunger accompanied by nausea in the morning, as well as generally bad stomach pains. The former turned out to be caused by my habit of having a cup of tea on an empty stomach when I woke up in the morning (guess I'm in the .0001% of the population whose stomachs aren't settled by tea), and the latter was a rather severe wheat/gluten intolerance.
I'm not suggesting that either of these things are what you have, but the point is that they both had pretty easy fixes once I took the time/worked with my doctor to figure out the problem. A lot of people live with extremely bad stomach pains that end up causing permanent damage. So... go to the doctor. Good luck!
posted by telegraph at 4:48 AM on July 18, 2010
Not to add to your stress, but you might want to do a pregnancy test to just rule that out.
I know you say you started your period, but that might just be normal spotting that many women see early in pregnancy, or an early miscarriage. This might also be a case of someone (me) with a hammer seeing only nails.
I hope it turns out to be something simple that clears up quickly!
posted by nprigoda at 4:55 AM on July 18, 2010
I know you say you started your period, but that might just be normal spotting that many women see early in pregnancy, or an early miscarriage. This might also be a case of someone (me) with a hammer seeing only nails.
I hope it turns out to be something simple that clears up quickly!
posted by nprigoda at 4:55 AM on July 18, 2010
I don't know about the tongue coated in white stuff, but the rest I get (usually in some combination with headaches) as a result of blood pressure fluctuations. If you've changed your habits lately due to the unemployment or all the stress, could you be dehydrated? That can screw around with your blood pressure.
I don't know if "normal" people get this, but I have a whackadoodle heart rate and occasionally it spins out of control for a while, which also makes the blood pressure fluctuate; I wonder if several stressful situations on top of each other might end up doing the same to someone who doesn't have any cardiac issues.
posted by galadriel at 5:49 AM on July 18, 2010
I don't know if "normal" people get this, but I have a whackadoodle heart rate and occasionally it spins out of control for a while, which also makes the blood pressure fluctuate; I wonder if several stressful situations on top of each other might end up doing the same to someone who doesn't have any cardiac issues.
posted by galadriel at 5:49 AM on July 18, 2010
2nding going to your doctor.
The stomach pain of two weeks ago sounds like hyperacidity (either gastritis or GERD), which will be relieved best by proton pump inhibitors. The constipation of now could be secondary to eating less food. The vomiting is more worrisome: could be also due to gastritis or something else.
(If bowel obstruction: have you had prior abdominal surgery done?)
I hope your doctor is able to help you. If you don't mind, could you let us know what you have after your appointment?
posted by onegoodthing at 8:20 AM on July 18, 2010
The stomach pain of two weeks ago sounds like hyperacidity (either gastritis or GERD), which will be relieved best by proton pump inhibitors. The constipation of now could be secondary to eating less food. The vomiting is more worrisome: could be also due to gastritis or something else.
(If bowel obstruction: have you had prior abdominal surgery done?)
I hope your doctor is able to help you. If you don't mind, could you let us know what you have after your appointment?
posted by onegoodthing at 8:20 AM on July 18, 2010
I had similar symptoms and it turned out to be an ulcer due to hyperacidity. An endoscopy confirmed it and have been on PPI's ever since - going on 4 years now. Ditto going to the doc.
Good luck.
posted by SoulOnIce at 9:00 AM on July 18, 2010
Good luck.
posted by SoulOnIce at 9:00 AM on July 18, 2010
Definitely make an appointment with a doctor. You'll probably have to to a stool sample, so prep yourself mentally for that. (Fun, fun, fun!)
In the meantime, you should try sticking to a BRAT diet, since that's probably what the doctor will suggest you do anyway to eliminate possible food triggers if they can't immediately determine what's wrong.
And limit your dairy intake for a while, since dairy can sometimes aggravate GI symptoms.
posted by phunniemee at 9:34 AM on July 18, 2010
In the meantime, you should try sticking to a BRAT diet, since that's probably what the doctor will suggest you do anyway to eliminate possible food triggers if they can't immediately determine what's wrong.
And limit your dairy intake for a while, since dairy can sometimes aggravate GI symptoms.
posted by phunniemee at 9:34 AM on July 18, 2010
Oh, and I realize that the wikipedia page I just linked to says the BRAT diet is no longer recommended, but it was to me just a year ago when I had a mystery stomach sickness.
posted by phunniemee at 9:37 AM on July 18, 2010
posted by phunniemee at 9:37 AM on July 18, 2010
Best answer: When I was under extreme duress (for a period of several months), I had loads of stomach problems. Sharp pain at times, loss of appetite, reflux, vomiting. I never went to a doctor about it because I *knew* it was stress, and once the stress went away, everything went back to normal after another month or two. You're probably doing the right thing by being kind to your stomach - don't follow my path and do the toaster-pastries-for-lunch diet.
I did have an appetite for some stuff when I was stressed (the aforementioned toaster pastries) so I'm not sure what to tell you to eat other than to get some calories in any way possible. Stay hydrated, and see if you can get your calories in liquid form (maybe supplement shakes or juices?). It could be a host of other issues, but the stress probably isn't helping even if it is a bug of some sort. Take care, and good luck at the doctor!
posted by sararah at 10:05 AM on July 18, 2010
I did have an appetite for some stuff when I was stressed (the aforementioned toaster pastries) so I'm not sure what to tell you to eat other than to get some calories in any way possible. Stay hydrated, and see if you can get your calories in liquid form (maybe supplement shakes or juices?). It could be a host of other issues, but the stress probably isn't helping even if it is a bug of some sort. Take care, and good luck at the doctor!
posted by sararah at 10:05 AM on July 18, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for all of your advice, folks!
I visited my GP this morning. He made me do a pregnancy test (negative, obviously) and seems to thinks it's all down to stress. I asked him to run some blood tests anyway. I should get the results at the end of the week, and I'll keep y'all informed.
posted by fight or flight at 4:57 AM on July 19, 2010
I visited my GP this morning. He made me do a pregnancy test (negative, obviously) and seems to thinks it's all down to stress. I asked him to run some blood tests anyway. I should get the results at the end of the week, and I'll keep y'all informed.
posted by fight or flight at 4:57 AM on July 19, 2010
White stuff on your tongue sounds a lot like thrush. Did your doctor rule out yeast infection?
posted by ldthomps at 8:12 AM on July 19, 2010
posted by ldthomps at 8:12 AM on July 19, 2010
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