A bit worried

Nausea doesn't seem like a common symptom that folks here report for pouch-related issues. We're not immune to upper GI issues (e.g. gastritis). There's no harm in getting qualified guidance if it's significant or persistent, but it's probably a "normal" problem.

It might be GERD (gastric esophagical reflux disease) or something else like stomach ulcers. Have you ever had an Endoscopy performed by your GI?

After I was diagnosed with GERD my GI told me it sometimes went along with UC. I was puzzled as I still thought all UC affected was the colon. It's probably nothing. I had a little difficulty swallowing preceding my first endoscopy around 7 years ago. I had some heartburn as well. Along with the procedure he dilated the my esophagus, I had the procedure again last fall for dilation. You might not need that done. For the GERD I take a pill daily. There are OTC ones but the prescription ones are better and covered by insurance.

If you don't want to have the test you could try an OTC Prilosec or something like that to see if it helps. The test isn't too bad, but expensive, and they give me conscious sedation.

I know a guy that is battling esophageal cancer so am glad I've been scoped.

With mild symptoms such as this, and for such a short duration, it is not likely they'd do an upper endoscopy, at least not yet.

It could be a touch of gastritis from a bug going around or from dietary intolerances. You are taking a good approach by altering your diet to see if the symptoms resolve. Obvious things to avoid are irritants like alcohol, caffeine, spicy or acidic foods. Also, be sure to avoid aspirin and NSAIDs. You can take antacids like Maalox or Tums.
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/...s/hic_gastritis.aspx

This could also be early gallbladder disease. Typically, pain will eventually develop in your right side under the ribs.
http://www.merckmanuals.com/ho...s/cholecystitis.html

If the symptoms persist more than another week, if they get worse, or you are vomitng/passing blood, then you need to see your doctor sooner. Hopefully, this is just a minor blip and you will be fine in a few days.

Jan

Thanks for the replies. Makes me feel not so alone in this.

I spoke to my GP who says it's probably a virus. I disagree with this and think something is up with my stomach...whether a long term issue, or I just ate wrong and am paying for it with my sensitive stomach. Am giveing it a few days and then will see. Hate to go through some of those tests stated.

Today it is less nausea and more a heavy tight upset stomach.
PS - I actually have experienced nausea when I was really sick wtih my UC and needed surgery asap.

Question...what can I eat that is easy on me but won't constipate me? With just eating bread/bagels, I'm barely empying my pouch.

Basically, stick to small, frequent meals, and avoid spicy, fatty foods, and most dairy. But, yogurt is good. Eggs can cause upset because of the sulfur in the yolk.

http://lifestyle.myjoyonline.c...ion/201202/81140.php

There are a number of viruses causing gastroenteritis out there (norovirus), so do not be too quick to dismiss it. It is the most common cause of gastroenteritis.

Jan

Have your gall bladder checked out if this persists. I had similar symptoms when my gall bladder went bad. So did my sister who also has a j pouch.

I read the article Jan linked above and saw that you can drink watered down fruit juices. If you are concerned with constipation I would drink white grape or apple juice. My dad had ulcers that landed him in the hospital as he was loosing blood and didn't realize he had all of that going on. He needed transfusions and was put on double the dose of a PPI similar to what I take. Now he's taking a single dose and doing well. After reading this article, I wish I knew what caused his ulcers.

I hope you are feeling better soon.

Thank you. After having a day of bland food, the nausea has died down and my stomach seems better (just tightness and noises). So am hoping it was either just a stomach virus or my guess is sour stomach (as I do often have a waldorf salad with lemon juice to preserve the apples). As long as it's not a permanent thing then I feel better. I have read your posts though and will keep it in mind if the symptoms continue. Thanks so much.

I spoke too soon. Was nauseous again yesterday after breakfast and stomach was funny during the day (tight, burning, gurgling).

I just realized yesterday a possiblity...I have been taking celebrex daily and even on a few occasions, have taken an ibuprofen along with it (when bad migranes). Could this be causing the issues iwht my stomach? I know NSAIDs can be hard on the stomach, expecially for us with issues, but what does this mean? And if so, have i ruined my stomach for good, or will it heal? I haven't taken a celebrex since last Sunday.

NSAIDs are a pretty likely culprit, especially if you're combining them. Better to add Tylenol than a second NSAID. The stomach problems tend to clear up when the NSAIDs are stopped. If these are true migraines (and not just bad-but-ordinary headaches) then there are some better drugs to treat them than NSAIDs.

I just had to start taking daily medication for migraines that have been appearing all the time. I was taking Ibuprofen or Excedrin Migraine and too often causes rebound headaches plus, as you pointed out, they are not good for us IBD'ers.

Maybe you have figured out what is wrong. I hope so. But migraines and the pain celebrex was for for might still need addressing.

Thanks for the responses. Scott, really good to hear that if it was the NSAIDs that did it, my stomach should clear. Will have to give it a few days then and see.

TE, am sorry to hear that you had migraine headaches from the NSAIDs. For me, the mirgraines are period related, so once a month for a couple days, but it can get really bad so I need something so I can function (and tylenol doesn't work as well for me).

I wasn't saying that NSAIDs caused my headaches but that if I took NSAIDs all the time I would get rebound headaches. I went on the daily medication as I didn't want to take NSAIDs daily. They were fine for 4-5 times a month. Sorry I wasn't clear about that.

You are right, Tylenol does nothing for them, unless it's in Excedrin Migraine. If you only take NSAIDs a few days a month you should be ok for IBD and potential rebound headaches.

You still might want to try to take an OTC medication like Prilosec if things don't get better and you don't want to go to the doctor yet.

Celebrex can cause the same symptoms as NSAIDs, but supposedly not as likely, because it is a COX-2 only inhibitor. The idea is that it is more protective of the gut. But, apparently, people can get gut reactions anyway. When you develop GI symptoms and are taking NSAIDs, even Celebrex, you have to have a high level of suspicion. If your symptoms do not resolve after stopping the regular NSAIDs, then you need to stop the Celebrex too.

I take the NSAID Relfen from time to time for my arthritis flares, but limit it to two weeks.

Jan

I have stopped the celebrex for a week. It's now a burning / tightness after I eat. Is it possible this is an ulcer or something related? No blood or changes to my stool, etc...just the tightness/warm feeling in my stomach. Am trying to book an appointment with my GI, but not sure how long it will take.

It sounds a lot like gastritis or an ulcer, but could also be hiatal hernia, gallbladder, or even mild pancreatitis. If you cannot get into your GI, maybe you should book an appointment with your primary doc. He could at least order some screening bloodwork and even some imaging studies that the GI might order anyway. Sometimes it is good to get some info before the first GI visit. If something shows up, it could expedite the GI appointment.

Jan

I see from your earlier link that one test is an endoscope. Do they put you under for that? Sounds awful...sortuv like an NG tube. Now I'm scared.

Yes, this is done under conscious sedation. I've never had one, but my son had it at the same time as his colonoscopy. He doesn't remember either one. I guess this is more of a standard procedure now, when diagnosing IBD. It wasn't when mine was first diagnosed 40 years ago (but they didn't even have fiberoptic scopes back then).

Anyway, I have assisted on oodles of them, and every one was under sedation. Some people squirmed and muttered a bit (then more meds given), but nobody seemed to recall the procedure.

Anyway, they probably would order an upper GI series (drink the barium milkshake, then take x-rays) before doing the endoscopy.

Jan

Thank you Jan. You've been very helpful! Can I ask one more question? What if it's gastritis due to pylori infection and I cannot get an appointment for a few weeks (or even months)? Can it get really bad? (I won't even get a callback for 2-3 days) An antibiotic is an easy solution but not if I"m not on it for awhile.

It's not a bad procedure at all, no prep and they medicate you. I had a narrowing at the bottom of my esophagus so he had to dilate it which sounds bad but I went back last fall voluntarily to have him do it again.

Ask them to give you an acute appointment. All doctors have appointments set aside for patients that need to be seen immediately. If they won't schedule you they talk to his nurse and explain all to her/him so they will fit you in the acute schedule.

Or as Jan said, if you get into your GP then they can refer you in ASAP too. Tell their people you need an acute appointment. That's what they call them where I live. Maybe you should just say you need to be seen today ASAP.

I hope you aren't getting weak too.

It should be OK to wait a week or so, unless your symptoms become severe, with increased pain, vomiting, bleeding, that sort of thing. Most peptic ulcers are caused by H. pylori, and people have gone years without proper diagnosis. Not that I am recommending it, but it usually is not an urgent situation. It will not affect how well the treatment works, in any event, if you wait a few days or a week or longer. But, if this has really gotten you wound up, either work through your primary MD, or talk to the advice nurse (not the receptionist!) at your GI's office and see if you can get an urgent appointment. I doubt you would be able to get a same day appointment with the GI. If it's that urgent, they usually tell you to go to the emergency room. Nobody wants to sit all day in the ER, only to be told to go home and make an appointment.

Jan

Thank you both very much for the replies. Don't know what I"d do without this site.

TE Marie, good to know that the endoscopy isn't too bad if that's the route that my GI takes. We'll have to see.

Jan, thank. Makes me feel better. I'll take it day by day (while waiting for the appointment) and if the burning gets worse then will give them a shout again..or have my GP call them again. Today was burning after eating...just a bit uncomfortable but not painful. And that was even with a regular meal (i.e. until now, I've been eating mostly just bread...tonight went out for dinner with a friend).

It's good to hear you are out and about, I was imagining you at home in pain. I'm turning into a drama queen.

Please let us know how you are doing.

Thanks TE. I have 2 young kids and work so have no choice to keep going.
Today am back with the nausea...boo. But that could be due to the fact that I had a bit of a too rich meal that my tummy can handle at this point. Guess it's gonna be up and down and I hopefully will get in with my GP sooner than later.

Looking for advice. My issues from this post started Mon Mar 4th. Since then I've been experiencing nausea/burning/tightness. I was given a week prescription of one of the proton pump inhibitors and my GI wanted me to email after the week. I had said that the nausea was gone for the most part, but still getting burning and tightness. He said that the burning can take a few weeks to go away and to get in touch wtih him in a week.

Is this normal wtih the burning lasting? I would further say that my stomach is very funny after eating...not cramps but feel tightness and almost movement in there (really hard to put into words). Am really worried this is going on and on (but I know he's avoiding any yucky testing if not needed). Any advice welcome.

Lu31,
I'd think you should be experiencing relief by now so he needs to give you something stronger or do a endoscopy. The test is not that bad. I bet it is time for the test. I hope you are feeling better by this time next week.

Thanks TE. When I spoke to my GI earlier in the week, he indicated that he would do one (today) if needed. But when I spoke to him yesterday, he said the burning should stop and lets "wait and see" (I guess since the nausea was gone). I'm really scared of the test but want the pains/uncomfortableness to stop. So now another week of suffering and then will get in touch (but is a long weekend for us so even longer wait). Could it be gastritis as some have suggested? Or is continual burning normal?

I don't know. Makes me think maybe you should have lied to him, so he'd go ahead and do the test. I don't usually advocate lying but this is ridiculous. Maybe you can call and tell him how you are still miserable and need to know what's going on as you can't sleep or however it's affecting you. I hope you can take your time off of it for a while and enjoy the weekend.

i too was diagnosed with GERD...my GI surgeon here in DFW told me it can go hand in hand with jpouch/former UC patients. I have take both nexium and protonix with success...noticable stomach ache/nausea reduction and much less bottom burn since the acids are reduced. He did the endoscope just to be sure and it was. Hang in there and push the issue if you have to.

Thanks for the support here. Really helps.

TE, alhtough my GI said to touch base with him in a week, he did say that he's there sooner if needed. So at least I have hte option if I want to call before the week. I hear you though in lying. I think perhaps I shouldn't have said I am mostly better.

Val, am sorry you are now having to suffer wtih GERD. CAn I ask what your symptoms are? I also notice taht after I eat, I feel the gas coming up to my mouth (and I never burped before).

Lu, it started with really bad heartburn and some nausea every time I ate...I kept taking the zofran which would help temporarily and then the nausea would come back as soon as the med wore off. I had the burping and more than normal butt burn. Was also keeping Walmart in business with the amount of mylanta i was having to take. I got in to see my GI surgeon and we did an endoscope and found the GERD...he put me on protonix right away and within days all symptoms were gone and a side benefit of MUCH less butt burn. We flip back and forth between nexium and protonix (about every 2 years or so) so I don't get used to either and both continue to work for me. I pretty much eat whatever i want now (within reason) with no problems.

Val, thanks for the info. Am sorry you've suffered but good to hear that the meds are helping your gerd. I don't have the butt burn, but definitekly experience the extra air.

I contacted my GI today as the nausea has returned and my stomach is definitely not well...even before eating. So let's see. Am really scared of an endoscope though as the NG tube is just awful and it seems pretty similar. Personally I'm guessing it's gastritis (adn would make sense as I wa taking celebrex daily plus ibuprofen for awhile before that)

quote:

Am really scared of an endoscope though as the NG tube is just awful

This is not really true. You do not get sedated for the NG tube, and it is often inserted while you are vomiting or at least feeling like it. I had the NG tube inserted in mid-wretch, and sprayed the Doc with vomit projectiles, but fortunately he got it down quick, knowing he needed to lest he catch another spray of vomit particles. On the other hand, you will be sedated for the endoscopy in most cases.

CTBarister is correct. I have had 3 NG tubes, all for 20 plus days and is absolutely the worst!

I also had the endoscopy as well, they do sedate you and when woke up you don't feel a thing. Everything is inserted and taken out while sedation is set in.

Heidi

CT, me too. Vomited all over the dr while he was trying to put in the NG tube. And once it's in, it's just awful..every breath is incredibly uncomfortable.

lovedby, you poor thing! 20 days?

I'm booked for Wed. I think i'm sedated but not put under. So still don't see how it can be easy and I can be relaxed. So scared (I'm a real chicken when it comes to these things)

quote:

So still don't see how it can be easy and I can be relaxed.

Lu,

It sounds like you have not had conscious sedation. I think you were the one that got caught up in someone at the Doc's office using the term "light sedation" just in contrast to being knocked out. It's not light. You will be relaxed and you will not care whether they stick that scope down your throat, in your rectum or in your ear. You will not care whatsoever. Put your mind at ease.

This is not going to be anything like the NG tube. The NG tube is in its own class as far as horrifying medical procedures. Even the terrorist prisoner in the movie "Zero Dark 30" did not get the NG tube.

Thanks CT. Not sure waht I'd do wtihout this site. It sucks that we've all had to go through so much beign sick and then to get a jpouch and then maintain wtihout issues. But great to talk to others who understand. Will let you know how it goes...and the outcome. I want to feel "normal" again (or normal for a jpouch)

Lu, please report on the outcome of the endoscopy. And I wish you luck on the results of it.

Good Luck for Wednesday! Please get back to us. As we've all said it's not a bad procedure at all. I hope your doctor sees something simple that you can do to help solve your problems!