vomit after eating bread
March 4, 2011 7:44 PM Subscribe
Why do I sometimes vomit after eating bread?
Sometimes when I eat bread I feel like and sometimes do vomit. It's not like nausea when you are sick. The feeling is mostly in my chest. There is a large amount of mucous in my mouth. I don't think the vomit is from my stomach. I'm 38 and this has been happening since my late 20s. However, it comes and goes. It won't happen for many months and then come back. Should I see a dr? What is it?
Sometimes when I eat bread I feel like and sometimes do vomit. It's not like nausea when you are sick. The feeling is mostly in my chest. There is a large amount of mucous in my mouth. I don't think the vomit is from my stomach. I'm 38 and this has been happening since my late 20s. However, it comes and goes. It won't happen for many months and then come back. Should I see a dr? What is it?
Could it be a gluten sensitivity of some sort? Those can come and go, I believe. But yeah, I'd see a doctor.
posted by geegollygosh at 7:49 PM on March 4, 2011
posted by geegollygosh at 7:49 PM on March 4, 2011
You might have an allergy to wheat and/or yeast and/or something else in the bread. Keeping a food journal might help you narrow it down to certain brands of bread, certain times of year, certain times of day etc. and make it more manageable. Those records will also be of use to your doctor if this becomes distressing enough to prompt you to see one.
posted by flabdablet at 7:52 PM on March 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by flabdablet at 7:52 PM on March 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Is it possible you're not chewing it up well enough and it's getting stuck in your esophagus causing you to gag it back up? This would happen mostly with bread because bread forms those sticky dough like lumps when it gets wet, especially cheap white bread.
posted by fshgrl at 8:08 PM on March 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by fshgrl at 8:08 PM on March 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Sounds like some kind of heart burn and/or hiatal hernia, something of that nature. Are you eating a lot of bread or eating very quickly and not chewing thoroughly?
posted by telegraph at 8:10 PM on March 4, 2011
posted by telegraph at 8:10 PM on March 4, 2011
This happens to me when I'm off my meds for GERD, but it's not necessarily bread that triggers it. (BTW, I'm not allergic to anything foodwise.) Vomiting right after eating (regurgitation) is one of the less common symptoms of Gastroesophageal reflux disease.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 8:11 PM on March 4, 2011
posted by Hardcore Poser at 8:11 PM on March 4, 2011
Incidentally, the thing that made me reply was your mention of saliva. When I'm having a bad bout of GERD and am about to vomit, it's preceded by two or three minutes of dramatically increased saliva production. Sadly, taking OTC antacids doesn't help ward off the inevitable unless it's a medium or small reflux attack.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 8:16 PM on March 4, 2011
posted by Hardcore Poser at 8:16 PM on March 4, 2011
Seconding that it sounds really similar to reflux symptoms, although for me the trigger is beer (chest tightness especially when I take a deep breath and lots of thick saliva). There are some Internet Anecdotes that link some breads and GERD flare-ups. Definitely talk to a doctor if you're concerned, or avoid bread I guess?
posted by muddgirl at 8:21 PM on March 4, 2011
posted by muddgirl at 8:21 PM on March 4, 2011
GERD/reflux/heartburn.
If you are having a run of it, try omeprazole.
posted by SLC Mom at 8:42 PM on March 4, 2011
If you are having a run of it, try omeprazole.
posted by SLC Mom at 8:42 PM on March 4, 2011
There seem to be many different levels of this reaction. For me the full Thermonuclear War chain of events is: (a) reflux triggers (b) spasms in the area associated with my (c) hiatal hernia which on a good day causes tightness and general sensation of yuckiness, and on a bad day combine with (d) not chewing my food carefully and lead to a food impaction and (most recently) a trip to the ER. I'm apparently a bit of an outlier because I've made a career out of (e) exercising my lower esophageal sphincter (pro trumpet player).
Because, in my case, this sequence hits the knock-you-to-the-ground-in-pain level about once every 8 years, I have a little stash of sublingual GI anti-spasmodic tablets that help to calm things down. Apparently in most cases (and most of the time for me) the reaction can be kept in check with antacids or even ice water.
I unfortunately don't have much to offer beyond that; mostly wanted to chime in because I dealt with this for 15 years before meeting another person who had it; this thread is the largest collection of similarly-affected folks I've ever seen.
posted by range at 8:53 PM on March 4, 2011
Because, in my case, this sequence hits the knock-you-to-the-ground-in-pain level about once every 8 years, I have a little stash of sublingual GI anti-spasmodic tablets that help to calm things down. Apparently in most cases (and most of the time for me) the reaction can be kept in check with antacids or even ice water.
I unfortunately don't have much to offer beyond that; mostly wanted to chime in because I dealt with this for 15 years before meeting another person who had it; this thread is the largest collection of similarly-affected folks I've ever seen.
posted by range at 8:53 PM on March 4, 2011
I don't know if it's related, but I sometimes get crazy hiccups after eating bread. (We call them the bread hiccups, 'cause we're creative like that.)
I think it's because bread can get gummy and sort of turn into a big blobby clot of bread paste in your esophagus that doesn't go down easily. It can also trap some air under it. The pressure of it moving through your esophageal sphincter can trigger spasms in your esophagus that can make you expel whatever's in there, and if there's anything in your stomach at the time, that might come up, too.
There probably are medications that can treat it, but if you don't have any other troubling symptoms and don't mind the occasional discomfort, you probably could just live with it.
posted by thinkingwoman at 11:07 PM on March 4, 2011
I think it's because bread can get gummy and sort of turn into a big blobby clot of bread paste in your esophagus that doesn't go down easily. It can also trap some air under it. The pressure of it moving through your esophageal sphincter can trigger spasms in your esophagus that can make you expel whatever's in there, and if there's anything in your stomach at the time, that might come up, too.
There probably are medications that can treat it, but if you don't have any other troubling symptoms and don't mind the occasional discomfort, you probably could just live with it.
posted by thinkingwoman at 11:07 PM on March 4, 2011
Perhaps related, perhaps not: when I was a kid, eating bananas would trigger my gag reflex (which otherwise isn't a problem); eating apple wold produce an excess production of saliva, not so funny either. They had to adjust my diet for that reason.
So it may just be a reaction to how the bread gets when you chew on it. So that's a simple version of thinkingwoman's explanation here above. In which case I'd test around a little with various wholegrain breads from the organic corner, and maybe taking smaller bites or something.
But I somehow feel that you perhaps should test yourself for gluten intolerance. Any problems with pasta at all? Pizza? Is rye bread (low gluten) better at all?
It should also be noted that bread isn't strictly necessary in our diet.
posted by Namlit at 2:39 AM on March 5, 2011
So it may just be a reaction to how the bread gets when you chew on it. So that's a simple version of thinkingwoman's explanation here above. In which case I'd test around a little with various wholegrain breads from the organic corner, and maybe taking smaller bites or something.
But I somehow feel that you perhaps should test yourself for gluten intolerance. Any problems with pasta at all? Pizza? Is rye bread (low gluten) better at all?
It should also be noted that bread isn't strictly necessary in our diet.
posted by Namlit at 2:39 AM on March 5, 2011
There are a number of things which can cause this; some of the ideas above might do it, but there are also a wide variety of swallowing dysfunctions, esophageal motility disorders, and anatomical problems that could cause symptoms similar to what you describe. A gastroenterologist could do an endoscopy and/or barium swallow (among other tests) and hopefully clear this up. Not an emergency, but yeah, see a physician.
posted by TedW at 3:35 AM on March 5, 2011
posted by TedW at 3:35 AM on March 5, 2011
This was the first symptom I had of achalasia, which was a mysterious illness I had for 3.5 years. (no doctors knew what was going on, and I eventually couldn't keep any food down) I've had the surgery for it, but bread is still a problem. Make sure you really chew it well.
I'm not saying that this is definitely the case for you, of course, but watch out for misdiagnoses of GERD/Heartburn. I had 0 heartburn and no acid reflux but almost every doctor I saw told me that's what it was.
posted by getawaysticks at 9:08 AM on March 7, 2011
I'm not saying that this is definitely the case for you, of course, but watch out for misdiagnoses of GERD/Heartburn. I had 0 heartburn and no acid reflux but almost every doctor I saw told me that's what it was.
posted by getawaysticks at 9:08 AM on March 7, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
How much bread do you eat to produce this urge, and in how much time? Does it happen only when you eat bread alone, or also when you eat bread and other foods (a sandwich, bread and cheese, bread and milk, etc.)?
Do you get a similar urge when you eat any other foods?
Have you been tested for gluten intolerance?
And if it's vomit, it is coming from your stomach. If it's coming from somewhere else, it's not vomit. If there are not little partially digested bits of bread in it, along with little partially digested bits of anything else you've recently eaten, it's not vomit.
posted by brianogilvie at 7:49 PM on March 4, 2011