Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nausea

I think I'm gonna puke.

Bud Dickman — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:54:38 -0800

Why do graphic/gross sights cause nausea? I'm wondering what the body is doing when nausea results from encountering something gross.

My first thought (a disgusting one) is that it's the body's primal way of warning us not to eat something that's unfit for consumption. We happen across a putrefying carcass, for example, and the nausea it induces prevents us from chowing down. We have to clean up a roommate's drunken bathroom mess, and the nausea tells us "this is really, really not food."

But what about things like a cop seeing a murder scene and vomiting because of its visual or emotional impact? Is the body "accomplishing" something by causing this nausea, or is the nausea an unrelated effect?

bleargh

KateHasQuestions — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:38:19 -0800

Ate too much sugar, feel vomit-y. Help? Had a ton of chocolate for lunch, thought it was a good idea at the time. Went for a pretty hard run after work. Wasn't hungry afterwards, but ate too many grapes and dried dates. Took a nap. Woke up feeling so vomit-y and weak and barely made myself walk over to the computer.

Any immediate fixes to either make myself vomit or make myself feel better? I can't do the finger-down-the-throat thing, and have no ipecac. Also kind of hungry, but still feeling sick.

(You are not my doctor, and I don't need healthy diet/exercise advice, this is literally the first (and last!) time I did anything like this)

Why did I almost pass out this morning?

christie — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:21:57 -0800

Dizziness, nausea, pale lips... what happened to me this morning? As I was getting ready for work this morning, I began feeling dizzy and light-headed, like I was going to pass out. I looked in the mirror and saw that I was paler than usual, and my lips were so pale they were nearly colorless.

I stumbled over to my bed and laid down for a very short time (maybe two minutes) and I was fine.

The thing is, this has happened before. Very rarely-- I'm talking once or twice *a year*. And it always happens as I am getting ready for work in the morning. And I lay down for a bit and I'm fine.

Since it is so rare and always at the same time of day, I am thinking something I do behaviorally is prompting it, rather than there being some underlying medical condition. I'd like to know what I possibly did so I can stop doing it.

For the record, there is exactly 0% chance that I am pregnant.

(You are not my doctor, etc.)

How can I stop fainting around blood?

gwpcasey — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:29:23 -0800

Help me overcome my queasiness and nausea around blood and guts. I used to be fine around blood, cuts and all sorts of yucky stuff (I was highly accident prone as a kid and had had about 20 stitches by the time I was 14, I would happily watch the doctor stitching away). However, starting about 12 or so years ago I began to get very queasy around blood, not just my own but other people's too. Just listening to friends describe certain procedures has made me extremely nauseous.

I can't give blood (I faint), anytime I have a serious cut (serious = requiring stitches) I tend to be fine until I look at it, start trying to clean it or (and this one kills me) just start thinking about it. Then I have to sit down or lie down until my head and tummy stop spinning. I'm not anaemic and I don't believe this is anything medical; I'm pretty sure it's all in my head.

Does anybody have any tricks for overcoming this? I'd prefer it if it didn't involve massive doses of exposure to cadavers, ambulances and the emergency ward at the hospital. I've got my first child on the way (yay) and don't want to be completely useless if/when she has a serious accident.

Thanks.

3D movies -- are they survivable now?

felix — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:13:14 -0800

Is the theatrical 3D film experience (e.g. 'Monsters vs. Aliens') much better than it used to be? Eyestrain, headaches, nausea used to be what you suffered through in the old red-blue glasses days in order to say you saw a 3D movie...has that gotten good enough now that it's safe to take, e.g., a 7 year old boy to these things?

Am I riding the crimson wave or what?

Anonymous — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:08:53 -0800

FemaleFilter: What is this discharge? (probably graphic or gross) I just finished my period about a week ago. Or I thought I did. Today I stood up after sitting for about an hour and felt a gush of fluid rush out of me. Upon inspection it was bright pink and almost watery. I'm still dripping, have no pain, but was hit with nausea and lightheadedness. Enough to make me have to lie down. I'm probably not pregnant = barrier + hormonal contraceptives, but I am sexually active so I guess that means that there is a slight chance. Is this just breakthrough bleeding? Or something else? I've never experienced anything like this before. I could take a pregnancy test, but I believe it is too early to take one even if I did turn out to be pregnant. Planning to find a Doc first thing in the AM, but wonder if this need attention now. I'm sorry, I know you are not my doctor. I just am home by myself (husband away on business) and we just moved to Portland from Michigan. I don't know anyone here or the neighborhood and I'm a little nervous. Any suggestions/advice/ideas?

Why did this weed make me sick?

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:20:20 -0800

A tale of woe: I was walking in the woods and came upon a solitary cultivated plant which appeared to be marijuana by the shape of it's leaves. For reasons I can't explain (I've never enjoyed being stoned anyway), I picked one of the largely desicated 'buds' smoked it and within minutes felt horribly, horribly nauseated. What happened to me? After lying on the floor incapacitated for a long time I managed to crawl to bed and sleep it off. I can't say whether I felt stoned, although the nausea was so bad it was almost hallucinatory. After 24 hours I still feel a little off but am basically fine.

Theories:

1) it wasn't actually pot but someone's 'hemp' experiment or perhaps some other plant entirely...
2) it was somehow adulterated i.e. I was poisoned...
3) I just don't know how to prepare marijuana for smoking, wrong part of plant, not dry enough, wrong time of year, etc.

Yes I know this was a stupid thing to do.

why does LETS GO RIDE BIKES

yonation — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:54:15 -0800

why do i get motion sickness only on specific forms of transportation? on a train and an airplane i can read for hours with no problem. in a car or a bus, forget about more than a quick two minute glance. why is this? the train is often more bumpy than the cushioned bus ride, but still causes more reading nausea (i get *no* other motion sickness symptom, even on crazy bus rides, just when reading). this is more of a curiosity than a solve-my-problem question, i don't think its affected my life that much.

PD's nuts!

gensubuser — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:44:23 -0800

What is wrong with my nauseating (but clear) glasses which do not preserve shape throughout the field of vision? I bought a new pair of glasses online, and love the savings and the looks, but am having trouble adjusting to the new prescription, I think. It is the first time with astigmatic correction, maybe, but there are couple other things that I was mulling over as the possible cause. The nauseating part is tracking an object as I turn my head--it distorts and skews differently depending on where it is in my field of vision (though it is pretty much always in focus). In particular, towards the top things shrink vertically, the top left skews ccw, the top right skews clockwise (it's tough to tell about the bottom).

My new optometrist "forgot" to write down the Pupillary Distance measurement on the prescription, and I was disgusted enough with their salesmanship that I ended up calling my old Lenscrafters to see what was used there (it was within the Net's typical range). But actually, I seem to remember the same thing happening with my last pair, though it that case it was free to have the lenses remade. They came out thicker (about as thick as now, actually), but non-distorting. They definitely remeasured my PD at that point, but may have adjusted the new glasses slightly in person.

I've now read about the "prism effect" which I assume to be produced by a wrong PD measurement. Since I'm tied to the online shop for half-price remakes, is it more likely that:
a) the lenses are somehow inferiorily made in their edge territories, and I should break down and buy local.
b) the PD is wrong, I should be assertive and get a PD measurement from the new doc [or, I should have them measured for accuracy there]
or
c) the new cylindrical measurement, though unblurifying, is distorting in a way that isn't true to my eye at large angles?

Or... something else?

Please help me save someone from dehydration...

Unicorn on the cob — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:57:17 -0800

My boyfriend cannot stop vomiting. I know you are not a doctor, but I am desperate. Please advise if you have ever had this happen, I'm very worried. He started feeling poorly on Friday, and stayed confined mostly to bed Friday evening, all day Saturday and Saturday night, and beginning around 2 a.m. the vomiting began. He's vomiting about once every 10-15 minutes and has for 16-18 hours. I have tried all of the following:

- Dramamine
- Emetrol
- Anti-nausea chewables
- Gatorade
- Sparkling water
- Plain water
- Ice chips
- Ginger ale

I also drove to the pharmacy and begged the tech for help. She said "if stomach pain, try emetrol. If no stomach pain, try Dramamine."

Nothing has helped. He has no medical insurance. I have tried calling my doctor and he will not prescribe anything over the phone. There is no free clinic in Dallas. There is no Ask-a-Nurse number for Dallas. The last time I took him to the emergency room we waited a full 24 hours and watched a person have a seizure right in front of us and he spit blood and puke within a few inches of us. The bill was several thousand dollars. Neither of us has the strength to go through that again.

Symptoms: No fever, but body aches everywhere, extremely sore throat (totally from the vomiting), body aches, extended sneezing spells (he'll sneeze 6 times in a row, quickly, try to sip a little water, and spend the next five minutes violently vomiting).

I just... I don't know what to do. I don't know what this is. I have exhausted every friend, parent, and neighbor with requests for medication. All pharmacies have closed now and I'm exhausted, too.

Other factors: He has consumed no alcohol in several days, no new foods/medications/vitamins, no change in surroundings or usual daily activities, and the only things he has eaten are 100% fruit juice popsicles and a small bowl of pasta which I also ate and am fine.

He is not coughing, nothing is swollen, no stiffness in the neck, no fever... I just am at my wit's end. 1/2 a chunk of ice melting in his mouth triggers five minutes of vomiting. Any suggestions?

I have read that he needs to sleep for a few hours and let his digestive tract rest before trying fluids again, but he cannot fall asleep due to the overwhelming thirst. Ideas?

I have checked WebMD, ask-a-nurse medical services online and called my local hospital and they cryptically referred me to WebMD and then hung up on me.

My tummy hurts, fix it.

elisabethjw — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:56:16 -0800

Why am I constantly nauseous? Sorry this is so long.

I constantly have stomachaches. Sometimes they are remain in the back of my mind, not really an issue; other times they are enormously present. I don't vomit often (up until a few months ago, I hadn't vomited since first grade), but they can be debilitating.

I am 19 years old, female, in good health (I thought ...). I exercise daily (about an hour each day, weights and cardio). Normal weight. I eat a fairly normal diet, no diet sodas (although one Coke a day), no liquor, no smoking, as few processed sugars as possible.

I've always been prone to nausea; I remember many nights sitting in restroom bathrooms trying not to throw up. It's pretty much died down until about three months ago.

Background information: about a year ago, I was diagnosed with teeny tiny gall stones. To be entirely honest, I can't remember why I was given an ultrasound to test for gall stones -- I was probably having stomach problems then, too -- but there were no more issues afterward and the diagnose was somewhat forgotten. The doctor said they were tiny stones, "nothing to be worried about."

I don't know what nausea feels like for other people (obviously) but for me it always comes with a strange, full, almost burning-like feeling in the back of the throat. It will usually die down when I burp; the worst incidents seem to be when I cannot burp and it just builds up and builds up.

Continuing on, about three months ago, on the night before I came home from school, I got ridiculously nauseous and threw up, which freaked me out because I had never thrown up before. Since then, it's been on and off, usually intensely so about once every week or two.

I am generally always slightly nauseous, but the painful, debilitating nausea always occurs in the evening, after I have eaten 3 meals and gone to the gym. As far as I can tell, there are no distinct patterns that indicate when it will be a bad evening; it usually hits full-force about 10:30 p.m.

Other possibly affecting factors:

* It seems to be heightened when I sit in an uncomfortable position at the computer (I used to use the computer at my bed, now I have a desk -- the frequency of the "bad" incidents has gone down since).
* I have some eyesight problems that give me headaches (I can't explain it well -- I have 20/20 vision but I need a heavy prism in my glasses for reading). I am not perfect about wearing my glasses.
* I hesitate to mention this, because it will instantly lead to "anxiety" diagnoses: the stomachaches increase when I am anxious. But that does not mean I don't get them when I'm not.

I went to the doctor a few days ago, who said something about acid and the lining of my stomach and prescribed me Prevacid. The first day taking the medicine (last night) I got extremely nauseous and went to bed early.

Hopefully this will work, but I'm not too optimistic. The doctor also mentioned ulcers and gall bladder problems as potential sources. For some reason, she didn't remember my gall bladder ultrasound, but didn't change her diagnosis when I mentioned it. I have another appointment next week, and if the Prevacid doesn't help I would like to have other tangible options to bring to her attention.

So, hive mind, help me. I know YANAD, but if you have been in a similar situation or have any ideas what may be causing the problems, let me know so I have an idea of what I would like to discuss with her. Ulcers? Gall bladder issues? Possible allergies (I currently am not knowledgeably allergic to anything)?

Oh, and I'm definitely not pregnant.

Vitamin Blecchh

granted — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:48:33 -0800

Recommendations for a Vitamin B-Complex supplement that won't make me want to vomit? I have for many years tried to incorporate Vitamin B supplements into my diet, but they taste so awful that I feel nauseated for several hours after I take one. I've never actually puked one up (THANK GOD) but unless it's a developing embryo in the far-off future I'd prefer to avoid all sources of daily morning nausea. I was taking the tablet form for awhile, then switched to capsules, and both suck. Know you of a less vile form? Unfortunately it has to be unsweetened, too.

Why are above the shoulder exercises causing nausea and dizziness?

snoogles — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:51:10 -0800

I sometimes get nauseous and dizzy after doing exercises that involve having my arms doing something above my shoulders. What could be going on? I first discovered this problem this winter when I had to walk out of a step class because I was convinced that I was about to faint. We'd been waving and clapping our hand straight above our heads for the past couple of minutes.
Later, when I started taking the weightlifting group class, I had the same problem whenever we started doing shoulder presses and similar exercises above the head.
Today, I had to leave the gym because I started feeling nauseous after doing shoulder presses on the machine.

Relevant (?) details:
- I've been exercising regularly for a few years now, and this isn't the same way that I feel after a really intense workout. Instead of feeling exhausted but somehow "stronger", I feel weak and empty.
- My blood pressure is normal.
- I've fainted once before, but I can recognize the warning signs and this has kept me from it happening again. However, I have dizzy spells a few times a week. My dad is the same.
- This feeling comes if I've been doing something before the shoulder exercise. When the trainer showed me the shoulder press machine and I did just one set, I was fine. Same when I did the exercises out of order and did them first.
- I've mentioned this problem to the trainers at the gym before, and both of them waived it off and just said to avoid doing the exercises.

So does anyone have any idea what could be causing this and why? I realize that the easy answer is to do the shoulder press right after I warm up so that I'm not tired when I do it. I've also stopped doing all the arm movements in step. But I would really like to get to the bottom of this so that I can resume exercising like a regular person...

Is my friend allergic to... food?

perpetualstroll — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:49:32 -0800

My friend can't figure out the cause of her digestive issues, it's not celiac, not lactose intolerance, no allergy to caffeine - anyone experience something similar and can offer some suggestions? More details below. Posted for a friend:

With the acknowledgment of YANMD, I have been dealing with stomach and digestive issues for roughly the past six months or so. For a good while I was eating nothing but an egg on back bacon (canadian/peameal bacon) on toast with coffee (1% cow's milk) each morning for breakfast and was doing fine with this - it filled me up all morning and was easy. That worked for me until about maybe two months or so in when I started feeling nauseous every morning after eating breakfast. This nausea was usually accompanied with fairly severe stomach pain/discomfort (feels like someone is squeezing my stomach into contractions) and bloating. I kept gravol in my desk at work. Although it sounds silly now, I couldn't figure out that it was the food I was eating until a few weeks later when a coworker suggested that eggs would be too heavy to have each morning - so I stopped eating that. I switched to oatmeal (with some psyllium fibre cereal, berries and almonds mixed in) instead (with coffee with 1% milk too of course). That works. When summer came along though I switched to cold cereal instead of oatmeal - muffets (whose sole ingredient is shredded wheat) instead. I have been eating the muffets with fresh berries, dried goji berries, raw almonds, cinnamon, and vanilla almond milk (accompanied by the coffee) each morning for a while now until recently it has been making me ill in the mornings again - even worse than with the eggs this time! I had to go home from work early on Friday, the pain was that bad.

Today, I tried replacing the Muffets with millet puffs. Nope. The nausea lasted all through brunch at my sister's and most of the afternoon and the pain and discomfort even longer.

This whole thing seems so random to me and I am beyond frustrated - not to mention running out of breakfast ideas. I'm keeping ginger root in my purse now because I am finding it harder to predict what sets me off. The other night it was beer and nachos, for goodness sake! I know that I am sensitive to eggs, so I try to avoid them and I know that I have always been sensitive to ice cream and hydrogenated oils so I avoid them too, but nachos? Shredded wheat? Millet? What the - ?

I've tried cutting out coffee - no difference. I know that I am sensitive to ice cream but I am not lactose intolerant - I can drink glasses of cow's milk just fine. I am not allergic to nuts - I can eat handfuls of almonds, peanuts, any nuts fine. I can also drink glasses of almond milk with little reaction (maybe a little twinge of indigestion, but I can't figure out why that would be - almond milk is supposed to be easier to digest). My mother has celiac disease, and I have tested (maybe three or four years ago) for the same but the test came back negative so it's not wheat gluten (although I have heard that it can show up later -?), as far as I can tell. I mean, I can eat most other wheat and various grains with no reaction. It's all just weird and frustrating to me.

So, according to my experience it's not lactose (except for ice cream) and it's not nuts, and according to the doctors it's not wheat gluten. Ugh.

Oh, and yep - not pregnant.

Again, I plan to see a doctor and dietitian about this soon but I was just wondering if anyone here might have any insights about this. Also, if you know of anywhere else to direct me, or have any breakfast ideas (with no eggs, cereals or milk) that would also be appreciated! Sorry about my longwindedness and excessive use of parentheses.

This Was Spinal Tap

Oriole Adams — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:01:43 -0800

Retro-diagnosis filter: Can the hive mind figure out what disease sent my mom to the hospital in the early 1960s and still affects her to this day? My mom is in her late 70s. Back in the early 1960s she was pushing me in my stroller one summer day when one of her legs felt heavy, like a tree stump. By the time she pushed me back home, she was dragging that leg behind her. In subsequent days she ran a high fever and vomited frequently. Any sort of motion (like watching a someone in a rocking chair) made her nauseous and caused her to throw up. She ended up in the hospital and underwent a spinal tap and various other tests and treatments (including being subjected to baths with "hot packs" placed on her). I've since gotten copies of her records from that stay (that particular hospital has long since closed) and the diagnosis was "possible encephalitis." When she was discharged from the hospital, she was unable to fit into her regular clothes; she'd somehow gained weight despite being unable to eat and keep down food. (She never did get back down to her pre-illness size.) However, in the last 10 or so years when I've been the one taking her to the various doctor appointments required by newly aging patients (cardiologist, oncologist, etc), and sitting in on the consultations, whenever she mentions the encephalitis diagnosis and then describes her symptoms (both then and now), the doctors immediately snort "that wasn't encephalitis." But she had something wrong with her back then. To this day, whenever the weather is humid, she gets nauseated and complains of feeling "like I'm two feet tall." Likewise summer weather makes her head and legs "feel like mush" and she tires easily. Her sense of balance has always been precarious since that original illness (if she turns too quickly, she has to reach out and steady herself), and it also left her with something of a wide, waddling gait. Some of her symptoms sound like post-polio syndrome to me, but supposedly polio was ruled out during her original hospital stay.

Any ideas as to what Mom might have had back in the day? We never lived near horses (one source of encephalitis), she had never vacationed in a tropical area, and there had been no epidemics of any sort in our area (metro Detroit). I would just like to put a more definite finger on it so that her specialists don't immediately discount her various symptoms by saying "Oh, encephalitis doesn't cause this or that" and then completely discount said symptoms.

I spent EIGHT months for you! And for WHAT?!

divabat — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:00:05 -0800

I feel like I'm going through a breakup - only it isn't with a person, it's with an intangible thing. I know intellectually that I'll get better, but it's just been the first few days and I'm hurting so much. How do I heal? Something I've been working on for about 8 months straight has ended for me (not in my favour) and I'm feeling very odd, strange, sick.

I'm going through all the stages of grief, and then some - angry because I spent all that time on essentially nothing, sadness that I didn't get what I hoped for, thankful that I don't have to deal with some people that don't respect me, disappointed that I don't get to deal with the people I quite adored, upset that the disrespectful people were chosen over me, sour grapes that "well if that's how they'll be then I'm glad I'm not going!!", lost because I don't know what to do next, etc etc. All those emotions are piling in the pit of my stomach and they are making me really really nauseous - though I can't throw up.

This isn't the biggest disappointment I've ever had to face. I've faced things of this level before. It takes time and I don't quite notice when I recover, but it happens eventually. There has been a lot that I've learnt through this process, so it's not a complete waste. I know that I'll eventually get better, move on, find something else. I know all that intellectually.

Yet I still can't get rid of all those emotions making me ill. I've got about a few days to go before I head back for Australia, and I'm in the middle of nowhere (parents' house), so there isn't much to distract me. I have a website to make and a few books to read, but I can't even concentrate - I just feel sleepy or ill. My parents are trying to help...but it's not quite working at the moment.

As soon as I arrive in Australia, I have a week-long summit, followed by my last uni semester. It's all work experience stuff so there aren't any regular classes, but even until now I don't quite know how my schedule is like (you have to apply for projects; I'm still waiting to hear which ones I've got. I also arranged them in the expectation that this project would work out and now I have to probably rearrange stuff). I won't be near my comforting boyfriend, or my other usual distractions/stuff that helps, till about the 11th. That's a while away. I'm looking forward to the summit, but I'm worried that I won't be able to concentrate or give my best.

This thing I've been working on was meant to be my next step after uni, and now I have nothing. (Some of my other plans have collapsed too due to factors outside my control.) While I know I still have a few months before I have to think about it, and I don't have to rush into anything, I can't help but feel totally empty and lost. I was counting on this to be freedom, but now I feel just as trapped - doesn't help that my mum's pushing me to get permanent residency when (a) the rules change so quickly (b) the likelihood is rare.

I'm trying to look for other options, but at this point I don't know what I even WANT to do. This massive fall is making me wary of bringing my hopes up. I gave up on a lot of opportunities so that I could focus on this one thing - I felt that if I didn't give it enough attention I wouldn't do so well. Didn't work anyway. So now I don't know what to do.

Is it strange to feel like you're going through a breakup, when you haven't even broken up with ANYONE? I've heard the reasons for what happened and they actually paint me in a good light - but that doesn't make me any less sad. The last time I was disappointed it took me about a month to recover, so maybe I'm just being impatient, but I hate having only my anguish to wallow in. These manic emotions and sickness is driving me mad.

What can I do? What could I do at least for the next few days before I head back to Australia (or even when I'm there, because I'm sure I'm not going to recover THAT quickly even with a summit, work experience, and boyfriend to distract me). How do I get myself past this disappointment and be brave enough to look out & explore other opportunities? Will eating a pint of ice cream help?

(I have gone through a breakup, but it wasn't long and we were back together, and the time in between was mostly spent trying to fix our issues.)

What do I do? How do I cope? This sucks.

Hack Hack Hyeeeuuueegh

Ambrosia Voyeur — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:19:18 -0800

What can I do about this empty-stomach retching? When I haven't eaten, like first thing in the mornings, I retch a little at the drop of a hat. Yeah, I know what that sounds like. BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN PREGNANT. So unfair.

I think this has only been the case since I got off the birth control pill, and I probably think that because I had some vaguely hormonal nausea-related issues in the past. When I was on the pill, for example, taking it on an empty stomach or even a relatively empty stomach would give me horrible nausea leading to copious retching and vomiting. Now, what I have feels more like a nervous stomach. If I get up quickly, or see something unsavory, smell smoke, or jeez, encounter a stiff breeze, I cough and retch a little, but it's not a down-on-my-knees-hugging-the-toilet situation. I never actually throw up from this, but I bet if I went down in front of the toilet, I surely would.

If I've eaten a meal, this goes away. Unfortunately, I can't just be putting food on my pain all the damn time. A big breakfast does not jive with my weight loss plan. I think eating too much and drinking too much booze may have contributed to this sorry state of affairs, too. So, I'm making a big effort to put those behaviors in check. I'm also a sufferer of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, so this kind of thing could be yet another creative way my body expresses stress. There are many, after all.

So, that's the whole picture. Please assist. What are good ways to settle my stomach, short off going back on the pill or eating heavy foods? Herbal tea? Pepto Bismol? Old Morning Sickness aids? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Coughing and gagging in front of people is getting old. Thanks.

Why can't I figure out what I want to eat?

mccxxiii — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:12:41 -0800

I'm hungry, but nothing sounds good. Actually, most things sound gross and vaguely nausea-inducing. This has been going on for at least a month. What's wrong? For the last month or so, I seem to have lost all enjoyment of/desire for food. I still feel physical hunger, so I still eat. But when I try to think "what do I want" or "what am I hungry for" nothing sounds good, and most things register as vaguely gross.

Case in point: It's three minutes to noon right now, I didn't have any breakfast (nothing sounded good) and my stomach is telling me that I am hungry. I'm trying to figure out what to get for lunch, but every single thing that I think of either a) does not excite me, or b) makes my stomach lurch a little bit.

Now, folks, I'm hardly anorexic. In fact, I could stand to lose a few. I have, in the past, been very interested in cooking and eating. If this is some kind of psychological anti-food eating disorder thing, it's brand new. I don't hate my body (any more than the average woman probably does) and I don't feel strong or virtuous or in-control or any of those other pro-ana things about not eating. I *want* to eat ... I'm hungry! But everything I can imagine eating right now just sounds like something that would make me sick.

This has been going on at nearly every meal for about a month now. I end up eating random stuff like yogurt/granola or baked beans because they sound possibly, remotely palatable and I have them in the house already, and there's nothing else I want badly enough to make the effort to go and get it.

But even those few things that don't make me want to gag are getting old.

I do intend to bring this up with a doctor, but I feel like the doctor's just going to say it's all in my head. Anybody else experience anything like this before? Did it have a medical origin or psychological or both? What did you do about it?

(Oh, and I am female but I am absolutely positive that I am not pregnant.)

Is that Sailor Moon? Can you pass the Dramamine?

sweetkid — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:31:59 -0800

Anime makes me feel queasy. Why? Is this common? I can't stand watching anything in the anime style, never could. Something about the flashing white teeth, closing eyes, random laughter and weird photography makes me feel queasy, nauseous, actually physically ill. I get a headache and just want it to be over. Is this a common condition at all, or where could this be coming from? I've managed to avoid it all these years, for the most part, but I remember wanting to be sick all through Akira and Ghost in the Shell years ago. I don't have epilepsy or anything like that.

Oxycodone Blues

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:37:18 -0800

How to avoid occasional crippling nausea when taking oxycodone? I am currently taking high doses of Tylenol with codeine, and will be graduating to Percocet later this week, if my meeting with my doctor goes as I think it will. I'll be on it for a few months while I wait for surgery, and then recover from surgery. I went through this situation before a couple years ago, when I was on it for 4 months, and while I was ok most of the time, there were a couple instances where I couldn't get out of bed for 2 days and couldn't hold down any food. I attribute it to the Percocet because I hardly ever get sick like that. I always take the tablets with a little food (saltines or what have you), and most of the time my stomach isn't bothered at all (and no constipation either), but I'd like to avoid getting hit by occasional severe nausea, if at all possible. I'll be asking my doctor for her suggestions, but I'd like to hear your experiences/suggestions as well. Thanks in advance!

Nausea in my shoulders

happyturtle — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:05:42 -0800

I experienced what I believe was a very odd migraine yesterday, and I'm trying to understand it. I've had migraines for years, and I'm pretty good at recognizing them when they occur. This felt like a migraine and seemed to respond to sumatriptan, but now that it's over and I'm thinking about it clearly, it doesn't fit any of the categories I've ever heard of.

The main, and weirdest symptom was that my shoulders felt nauseous. Yes, I know that makes absolutely no sense--it was even more bizarre to experience. If the sensation of nausea is normally transmitted from nerves in the stomach region, I suppose it's possible for nerves in other parts of the body to transmit it as well. But I've never heard of anyone experiencing anything like this.

There was no headache. I felt the kind of fuzzy thinking that I often get with migraine, but no pain. That would make it sound like acephalic migraine, except that there were no optical symptoms. I have aura symptoms occasionally, but not this time. I rarely experience light sensitivity.

I also considered abdominal migraine, but the sensation of nausea wasn't centered in my abdomen.

I took a 100mg sumatriptan and a nap, and when I woke up, I was feeling somewhat better, but still drained--which is normal if I've been lucky enough to sleep off a migraine.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? Was this migraine? How the heck do shoulders feel nauseous?

Nausea

davar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:05:46 -0800

My good friends suffers from severe nausea during pregnancy. She is seven weeks pregnant now. It is not just morning nausea, and she is very sick. She went to the doctor and tried most home remedies already, but nothing works. Doctors in our country tend to see pregnancy as a beautiful natural thing that should not be messed with. That's good, usually, but she is having a very hard time now and from what we see online, doctors in other countries are sometimes able to do more.

The only medication for sickness that she can get is a combination of meclozini hydrochloridum (12.5 mg) and vitamin B6 (25 mg), which she takes twice a day. Unfortunately, it does not seem to do much. She tried morning sickness bands, ginger, eating small amounts during the day, eating a cracker before getting up, etc. During her last pregnancy (during which she was also sick, but not as bad) she tried accupuncture. Eating small amounts helps, but not enough. Prenatal vitamins do not seem to make it worse.

The nausea is very reminiscient of migraine-nausea (she suffers from migraines and I used to too, so I recognize a lot of what she says). She is very sensitive to light and hard sounds and cannot watch television or even look at a computer screen. She does not throw up and her urine did not show signs of ketosis (the doctor did not perform any other tests on the urine).

My questions are:

Do you know a specific medication or a specific test that she might discuss with her doctor?
The GP called a gynecologist, but I wonder if it makes sense to go to a specialist with experience with nausea?

If you have any other advice it is also welcome.

I disgust myself

Evangeline — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:07:16 -0800

I'm sick. Gross bodily fluid question involving phlegm, etc,. inside. So I have this wretched chest cold. I sound like a Sleestak when I breathe. I'm not running a fever, and I figure with rest and water I'll be fine in a few days, so this is not a request for medical advice. Really, I'm just curious. Why does ingesting phlegm make me nauseated? I always get a little sick to my stomach when I have a bad cold, but I just figured it was a reaction to medication. It still may be, but last time I saw my doctor, he mentioned that swallowing phlegm can make you nauseated. Why is this? Surely it's not the quantity. Is it something in it? Is it just the thought that YOU'RE SWALLOWING PHLEGM? I'd much rather spit it out, of course, but that isn't always possible.

Thanks! Enjoy your breakfast!

Oh, yes! Oh... blech.

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 04:12:55 -0800

Sometimes, after I have an orgasm, I feel intensely nauseated for about an hour. Why might this be? (contains somewhat icky sexual details) I'm a female in my early twenties. Occasionally, after an exceptionally powerful orgasm, I feel quite sick to my stomach. It's similar to the feeling I get in the beginning stages of the stomach flu... not pain, but more of an intense raw, queasy feeling. It happens about twice a month, although I orgasm approximately once a day, either with my boyfriend or on my own. So it definitely isn't after EVERY orgasm, or even after every POWERFUL orgasm, but it's often enough to be really annoying.

It doesn't seem to matter where I am in my menstrual cycle, or whether the orgasm was the result of penetration. I'm not on any kind of medication, and I don't have any health problems that seem relevant to the question. Googling "orgasm nausea" didn't turn up any explanation that seems credible. I don't think it has anything to do with uterine contractions, since it isn't actually painful.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a physiological reason behind it? And most importantly, is there anything I can do to prevent it?

(posted anonymously because I don't want friends or co-workers to read about my masturbatory and reproductive habits)

If you tell me "Congratulations", I will barf all over you.

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:52:21 -0800

I've recently discovered I'm pregnant, but I won't be staying pregnant, especially now that I know that's what's been making me feel so awful for the last several weeks. But I've missed a lot of work and several social events; people are worried about me. Everybody's always asking me what's wrong. What do I tell them? I started feeling constantly nauseated and fatigued in October. Since then I've been quite incapacitated but as many folks without health insurance are prone to do, I just rode it out the best I could and hoped it would go away on its own. The culprit turned out to be pregnancy, which was so incredibly unlikely that it didn't even occur to me to pee on a stick until last week. Luckily, though, this is a solveable problem, and I have an appointment for a consultation at the clinic later this week. The surgery itself won't take place until next week sometime.

I never wanted to be pregnant, and as abortion seems like the most none-of-your-business of all surgeries, I'm sort of stuck on what to tell people like coworkers and not-closest friends when they ask me (with the best of intentions) what's going on with my health. My boss, for example, knows that I have a doctor's appointment this week (I had to ask for time off to go to it) and will probably ask how it went. I'd prefer to keep the whole thing a secret, but since everybody already knows how sick I've been, that's not really an option.

Any advice about the etiquette of this? Are there any conditions that can make a woman want to do nothing but sleep and puke for weeks on end that I can lie & say I have instead? (only half-joking.)

Throwaway email: sickratherthanpregnant@yahoo.com