Persistent nausea - is it really ONLY the psyche?
Good day,
Today I am addressing you with a very serious problem.
I have been suffering from constant nausea for about 6 months. I would like to explain this constant nausea. Many people understand constant nausea as feeling sick from time to time. An inappropriate definition. I feel sick every day, I only have very, very rare periods where I feel well for a short period of time - 1-2 hours.
It all started at a barbecue. I was grilling with my family, but already with the second last bite I started feeling sick somehow. I thought I had eaten too much, I lit a cigarette and waited. However, the nausea got worse, I started sweating and ran to the toilet. I was very close to vomiting, but I didn't. The next day I still had a queasy feeling in my stomach, but I was hardly sick anymore. I limited myself to light foods like toast, crispbread, tea.
This feeling lasted for a week. On Friday, I went to a city festival with friends, I stuck to water because I wanted to give my stomach a break, but on the way home I started feeling slightly nauseous again, which was gone the next day. In the evening in front of the PC, I suddenly - out of nowhere - felt strong nausea, so strong that I was close to vomiting again. However, it didn't happen.
I want to mention that I have always abhorred "vomiting" itself. For as long as I can remember, I have always been afraid of it. It has always been a terribly disgusting and distressing "process" for me. I remember counting sweets as a child, because once I had made myself sick by eating too many. I remember as a teenager not drinking alcohol, for fear of feeling sick. I was afraid of it, but I was NOT sick! However, these worries disappeared over time. I often overindulged, ate what I craved, started smoking, and these thoughts no longer haunted me.
Now, for the past 6 months, these thoughts are back and they somehow keep getting "denser". To continue the story I started above:
I went to my family doctor. An odyssey began. First, gastritis was diagnosed (only through medical history) but it didn't get better. Over time, pressure symptoms in the upper abdomen were added. I occasionally have heartburn, but not severe, and I had that even before this symptomatology. Now my doctor and I wanted to investigate more thoroughly:
Gastroscopy: Negative! Nothing found. An healed gastritis was suspected, and therefore a separate test for Helicobacter was done again, even though the biopsies were negative)
Stool test: No findings
Blood test: No findings
Urine test: No findings
Ultrasound: No findings
Abdomen from upper abdomen: No findings
The nausea shifted more and more from "on certain days" to "daily". Recently, I sometimes feel a "inflamed" feeling in my stomach. As if the stomach acid is even more acidic?! Hard to explain. Nausea accompanies me every day, sometimes less pronounced, sometimes stronger, sometimes with severe attacks.
It is independent of:
-Meals. I even observe that it is sometimes better after meals
- Situations. Whether I'm at the office, out and about, or at home on the couch.
- Thought structure: Whether I'm thinking of something nice or this annoying nausea
What medication have I been given?
- MCP, Domperidone (recently ALL without effect)
- Citalopram (No effect)
- Doxepin (slight improvement on the first day of taking it, but symptoms recur)
I have already had a talk therapy, which diagnosed an anxiety disorder and a somatoform disorder in 2 hours and advised me to start psychotherapy. However, you probably also know how it is with treatment places.
What else has happened to me:
- My father died 3 years ago
- New job (which I really enjoy)
- Very painful breakup with my ex. More like REPEATED breakup. Some unresolved issues, I felt - about 8 months ago - very used, rather exploited. A little child - whom I now see as my own daughter (but she is not) is also involved. Nevertheless, we had separated before, and I reacted COMPLETELY differently. Parties, alcohol, many different women.
Generally, at that time, I led a very unhealthy lifestyle. LOTS of coffee, lots of cigarettes, alcohol, very unhealthy eating (fast food, convenience, etc.)
So!
Today, it's really hard for me at work. Occasionally it's so bad that I spend at least an hour or more in the bathroom because I feel so nauseous. I don't like going out, just yesterday I went to a flat viewing in the evening
