I hate throwing up!

November 12, 2007 11:07 AM

Sometimes right after I wake up or in the late afternoon I get intense nausea and vomiting. This subsides pretty quickly if I manage to choke down something starchy. What is going on?

It happened again this morning and I'm kind of frustrated. This happens once every 3-4 months or so. It usually happens in the morning, about 5 minutes after I get out of bed.

This morning was typical- I got up, went into the kitchen and started coffee. I felt fine when the coffee went on, but before it was finished brewing I was incredibly sick. The nausea is really intense, so that for a minute or two I can't stop heaving, and I feel waves of heat and dizzyness that make it impossible to stand up. When I feel un-dizzy enough to stand up, I scarf down a piece of bread and work really hard on not throwing it up. If I manage to keep it down I invariably feel better within 10 minutes, sometimes sooner. My ribs are often sore for the rest of the day because of the intensity of the heaving.

When it happens in the afternoon it is always when I didn't eat enough for lunch or let lunch get away from me somehow- I start feeling hungry, and then the hunger turns suddenly into intense nausea.

What is going on? This has been happening for at least 5 years, although it seems to be getting somewhat more frequent in the last year. I asked a doctor about it a few months ago and she said it sounded like textbook hypoglycemia, but when I did a fasting glucose it came back normal.

Is it possible to have only occasional hypoglycemia? The hunger turning into nausea think makes me think it must be related, but I don't get nauseaous every single time I get hungry.

Could there be something else causing this? Could there be something my stomach is trying to get rid of that gets "sopped up" by the bread?

Possibly relevant other things: I am a vegetarian and eat very little dairy, but some eggs. I have also been having occasional sharp pains in my abdomen- nothing too bad but distracting. They are usually in the upper middle right quadrant (my right), but sometimes on the left side as well. These have only been happening in the last few months or so, and I think they might just be stress-related. Also, this only happens when I haven't been drinking, so it's not just that I'm hungover.

posted by ohio to health (13 comments total)

IANAD; TINMD.

It's probably hypoglycemia, or at least "low blood sugar". I have had similar periods in my life, although it's not quite as bad as you describe at the moment. Diet is the solution; not necessarily what you eat, but when you eat it. Maybe eat a snack, or drink some juice, shortly before bedtime. Keep a granola bar (or other carb-rich munchy) in your backpack or purse as a "crap, no time for lunch now but I don't want to feel crappy later".

Basically, when you start to feel tired or weak, that's a sign that your blood sugar is too low already. If you don't correct it (and ideally, it shouldn't get to that point anyway), you'll eventually notice the symptoms you describe: diziness, nausea. So keep it from getting to the warning signs, and be ready with a backup snack in case it does get there.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 11:27 AM on November 12, 2007

Not sure if this even sounds like hypoglycia, reactive or not. Vomit, nausea, and abdominal pains? Yeah, see a doctor. This could be a lot of things. Some of which you dont want to wait to get worse.
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:37 AM on November 12, 2007

I don't think this is normal. If it was happening to me, I would see a doctor about it.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:54 AM on November 12, 2007

Well I have seen a doctor and the only idea she had was the hypoglycemia thing. I was hoping to get some ideas for other things to explore if/when I get back to see a doctor.
posted by ohio at 12:07 PM on November 12, 2007

Do you take a birth control pill as soon as you wake up? I used to have terrible morning nausea, but conquered it by taking my pill before bed rather than right when I woke up. That doesn't explain the afternoon occurrences, I realize.
posted by Squeak Attack at 1:03 PM on November 12, 2007

This only happens when I haven't been drinking - is it possible that it's a symptom of alcohol withdrawl? Or do you not drink very often?
posted by rainbaby at 1:07 PM on November 12, 2007

Squeak- I take a birth control pill, but I take it at night before bed.

rainbaby- I do not drink much at all, sorry for the confusion. I have at most 2 drinks per week.
posted by ohio at 1:11 PM on November 12, 2007

I had something similar a while back. It took an embarrassingly long time to make a connection between the nausea and the innocuous multivitamins I'd take on an empty stomach.
posted by tfmm at 2:24 PM on November 12, 2007

First off, I'd go to the doctor and request another test or another opinion.

However, with regards to why something starchy cures it, I have an idea. I'm pregnant and got horrible morning sickness for awhile. I'd heave and heave and eventually just start heaving up stomach acid. If I could get down some bread or crackers I'd feel much better. The nurse told me that it was because starchy things sop up your stomach acid better and keeps your stomach from churning. The best thing I've found is mashed potatoes, but YMMV :-)
posted by christinetheslp at 3:05 PM on November 12, 2007

If it is hypoglycemia and primarily a morning problem, you might find relief in the ages old trick of keeping crackers by the bed and eating a couple before getting out of bed daily.
posted by notashroom at 7:25 PM on November 12, 2007

The pains sound like an ulcer or acid reflux issue. Maybe your stomach acid is making you nauseous? Nthing see a doctor again.
posted by min at 8:04 PM on November 12, 2007

Could it possibly be an inner ear thing? Intermittent labyrinthitis, if such a thing existed, would match your symptoms including the vomiting. Possibly worth asking your doctor to screen for illnesses along this line.

I've had labyrinthitis and it was exactly what you describe except it goes on and on, which is why I thought of it when I read your description. IANAD!
posted by DarlingBri at 8:07 PM on November 12, 2007

Standard disclaimers...

It does sound like hypoglycemia to me too. One easy way to test this is make sure that you are eating protein at regular intervals throughout the day. Have a protein snack as soon as you get up (while coffee is brewing) and see if this relieves your symptoms. (If I may, I enjoy morningstar farms soy sausage--10g protein per patty, and heats up in under a minute in the micro).

Both my mother and I experience milder forms of this, and we have taken to carrying around nuts/peanut butter crackers/cheese sticks/meat sticks to make sure we don't become symptomatic (because, as you've noted, the LAST thing you want to do when your sugar starts dropping is eat, which is exactly what you need to do in order to mitigate the symptoms).

On a separate note, I was convinced I had a problem with low iron (anemia), but it only happened intermittently, and my iron levels were tested multiple times by doctors, all with 'normal' (but the low end of normal) results. After several years of dealing with occasional lethargy/dizziness, I finally had an episode that lasted long enough for me to get blood tested while it was happening. And guess what? My iron count was in the "ALERT" low range on that test! My doc put me on iron supps and I've not had problem since. So, if you think it is hypoglycemia, but don't think your docs are catching it, try going in to hospital/urgent care when you are having an attack and have blood drawn then (before you eat). It'll probably suck in the short-run, but knowing exactly what is happening will be long-term better.
posted by batcrazy at 4:03 PM on November 14, 2007