posted
I was diagnosed with Lyme disease in June 2006, 18 months after the onset of my symptoms. Nausea has always been my most debilitating symptom but I certainly had many other sympmtons (weakness, ringing in ears, heart palpitations, extreme anxiety, burning tongue, buzzing sensation in my 'core', etc.).
After 20 months of aggressive antibiotic treatments, almost all of my symptoms have resolved except the nausea (although the intensity of the nausea did improve some with treatment).
I have been off of antibiotics for about 2 years now and my symptoms have not worsened which I believe supports the fact that I no longer have an active infection.
I have explored every known possbile medical explanation for my nausea and no doctor has been able to determine a cause. The only tests that were abnormal were my Hida Scans:
May 2008 - Ejection Fraction was 13%
December 2008 - Ejection Fraction was 22%
August 2010 - Ejection Fraction was 17%
I don't have typical gallbladder disease symptoms. My nausea is present regardless of what I eat. Surgeon doesn't necessarily think the gallbladder is causing my nausea but thinks that in the absence of any other answers we should just take it out and see what happens.
I am terrified of having my gallbladder removed and making my nausea worse or maybe somehow introducing another daily challenge. I realize the surgery itself carries minimal risk but there are people that go on to have more issues after having their gallbladder removed.
Guess I'm looking for any thoughts or advice that people might have to help me figure out whether the risk is worth the slightly possible benefits for me...
Sorry so long-winded here...I'm struggling with this one..
Posts: 561 | From mass | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
Have you explored the possibility of not having enough stomach acid?
Is your nausea worse in the mornings, perhaps even making you unable to eat? Is it worse again after you do eat?
If so you can try manually taking hydrochloric acid in the mornings and before each meal.
I suffered from nausea for two years and this was "all" it was. A h. pylori infection caused it.
Posts: 512 | From USA | Registered: Sep 2010
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posted
Nausea can be caused by too much stomach acid too. Have you tried something like Zantac or Prevacid?
I had a terrible time with nausea and gastritis for a while, and the Prevacid really helped.
I also just discovered Kefir--I contracted c. diff and was taking flagyl for it. The flagyl made me nauseous, but I found that 2 to 4 oz. of Kefir helped a lot.
That being said, I had my gallbladder removed. I had an ejection fraction of around 34%, which is borderline low, and my surgeon said a good test result would have been 70% or so.
Posts: 227 | From Northeast | Registered: Mar 2010
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posted
I'm on your side. I had my GB out and it was pretty necessary.. had HUGE stones and the HIDA was bad too; don't remember the %.
But I am having trouble in that area still. No nausea, but have had a stone in the bile duct and now the same symptoms as that..but no stone.
I'll see the GI dr again tomorrow. I don't know if he'll try anything else right now since I'm better.
But yes, GB removal may not be your answer and COULD create more trouble.
Have you been on a discussion board for "Sphincter of Odi"? That part of the GB area can go haywire after surgery... so it might be good to do some reading on it.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: THE NEED TO EXCLUDE DIENTAMOEBA FRAGILIS J.J. Windsor L. Macfarlane National Public Health Service for Wales Microbiology Aberystwyth Bronglais Hospital Caradoc Road Aberystwyth, SY23 1ER Ceredigion, Wales
E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected] Dear Sir: We read with interest the recent report describing a possible role for Blastocystis hominis in the etiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).1 Although the study population was small, B. hominis was frequently detected in the stools of patients with IBS. Blastocystis hominis has a somewhat controversial history with regard to its pathogenicity. Despite being linked with symptoms in many patients, it has also been frequently found in asymptomatic individuals.2 Conflicting reports abound, and indeed many of the case reports of infection with B. hominis are anecdotal and uncontrolled.3 More importantly, some studies have failed to eliminate all other causes and infective agents that may produce intestinal symptoms. We believe that the diagnostic methods used by Yakoob and others1 were not optimal for the detection of all intestinal protozoa. Although these techniques are more than adequate for detection of B. hominis, they are not suitable for detection of Dientamoeba fragilis, another human parasite that has also been linked with IBS. Dientamoeba fragilis has puzzled microbiologists since it was described by Jepps and Dobell in 1918.4 Originally thought to be an ameba, it is now classified as a flagellate, albeit one without a flagellum, and has been associated with a variety of intestinal symptoms.5 It has also been found in asymptomatic individuals, and although D. fragilis is accepted as a pathogen in some countries, it is often overlooked or disregarded in others.6 In 2002, investigators in Australia reported the presence of D. fragilis in patients with IBS-like symptoms.7 Symptoms included abdominal cramping, bloating, constipation, diarrhea (2-15 bowel movements motions per day), flatulence, nausea, fatigue, and anorexia. In 14 (67%) of 21 patients, successful eradication of D. fragilis with iodoquinol and doxycycline resulted in resolution of symptoms. Dientamoeba fragilis does not have a resistant cyst stage and is difficult to detect unless suitable staining or culture methods are used.6 The trophozoites degenerate rapidly after leaving the intestine and are very easy to overlook in direct saline or iodine preparations.5 The most sensitive detection method is parasite culture, and the culture media require the addition of rice starch.8 To the best of our knowledge, culture media without rice starch have not been used successfully for the detection of D. fragilis. It is therefore unlikely that Jones medium without rice starch, as used by Yakoob and others,1 can support the growth of D. fragilis. Consequently, D. fragilis cannot be confidently excluded from either the IBS or control groups in the study of Yakoob and others.1 Since D. fragilis has been associated with IBS-like symptoms, future studies into the etiology of IBS should use sensitive methods for the detection of not only B. hominis, but also D. fragilis. However, it remains to be seen if these parasites actually contribute to the pathogenesis of IBS, or merely take advantage of the disruption in the microbial flora.
REFERENCES 1. Yakoob J, Jafri W, Khan R, Islam M, Beg MA, Zaman V, 2004. Irritable bowel syndrome: in search of an etiology: the role of Blastocystis hominis. Am J Trop Med Hyg 70: 383-385.[Abstract/Free Full Text] 2. Hellard ME, Sinclair MI, Hogg GG, Fairley CK, 2000. Prevalence of enteric pathogens among community based asymptomatic individuals. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 15: 290-293.[Medline] 3. Stenzel DJ, Boreham PFL, 1996. Blastocystis hominis revisited. Clin Microbiol Rev 9: 563-584.[Abstract/Free Full Text] 4. Jepps MW, Dobell C, 1918. Dientamoeba fragilis n.g., n. sp., a new intestinal amoeba from man. Parasitology 10: 352-367. 5. Windsor JJ, Johnson EH, 1999. Dientamoeba fragilis: the unflagellated human flagellate: a review. Br J Biomed Sci 56: 293-306.[Medline] 6. Johnson EH, Windsor JJ, Clark CG, 2004. Emerging from obscurity: biological, clinical and diagnostic aspects of Dientamoeba fragilis. Clin Microbiol Rev 17: 553-570.[Abstract/Free Full Text] 7. Borody TJ, Warren EF, Wettstein A, Robertson G, Recabarren P, Fontela A, Herdman K, Surace R, 2002. Eradication of Dientamoeba fragilis can resolve IBS-like symptoms. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 17 (Suppl): A103. 8. Windsor JJ, Macfarlane L, Hughes-Thapa G, Jones SKA, White-side TM, 2003. Detection of Dientamoeba fragilis by culture. Br J Biomed Sci 60: 79-83.[Medline]
Posts: 789 | From CT, | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles think they may have identified the cause of this mysterious and very common condition, and found an effective way to treat it. The Cedars-Sinai researchers found that 78% of the IBS patients they tested had what they called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), a condition in which excessive amounts of bacteria are present in the small intestine.
The researchers treated the patients who tested positive for SIBO with a 10-day course of antibiotics. Tests at the end of that time found that 25 of 47 patients had no bacterial overgrowth present, and that 12 of them had no IBS symptoms, while the symptoms were "significantly reduced" in the other 13. The symptoms were also reduced in the patients in which some SIBO was still detected, suggesting that if treatment had been continued until it was completely eliminated, perhaps with an alternative antibiotic, better results would have been obtained. (Several common drugs were used: neomycin, ciprofloxacin, flagyl, or doxycyline.)
Rifaximin, an antibiotic, appears to ease the discomfort of chronic irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), researchers report, and these healthy effects continue long after patients stop taking the drug.
Rifaximin targets bacterial "overgrowth" in the small intestine. Some researchers believe this excess bacteria is the underlying cause of many, if not all, cases of IBS.
The antibiotic is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of "traveler's diarrhea," a non-chronic condition that affects otherwise healthy men and women.
"The striking part is that IBS patients got better and stayed better over 10 weeks after taking rifaximin for only 10 days," said study author Dr. Mark Pimentel, director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "This suggests that with the drug, we're actually doing something about what's causing IBS -- which we think is bacterial overgrowth in the bowels."
The study, conducted by Pimentel's team, was funded by Salix Pharmaceuticals, the North Carolina-based manufacturer of rifaximin, which markets the drug under the trade name Xifaxan.
Posts: 789 | From CT, | Registered: Jun 2006
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kidsgotlyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23691
posted
I would explore a few other things before proceeding. Even though I have felt better since having mine out in March, I am having other trouble from NOT having my GB.
I would try the vsl #3. From the little I've read about it, if your gut needs healing, this stuff will do it.
-------------------- symptoms since 1993 that I can remember. 9/2018 diagnosed with Borellia, Babesia Duncani, and Bartonella Hensalae thru DNA Connections. Posts: 1470 | From Tennessee | Registered: Dec 2009
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Never considered too little acid...I'll have to look into that.
Posts: 561 | From mass | Registered: Jul 2007
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sixgoofykids
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11141
posted
I have too little acid and have to supplement HCL. Docs usually seem to prescribe things to lower stomach acid .... but increasing mine helps more. I just get it at the health food store. I could tell the first time I took it that it helped. I got terrible stomach pains when I'd eat, and it took them away.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
Have you had a gastric emptying study? My girlfriend had constant nausea and found out she had gastroparesis.
Posts: 383 | From Ar | Registered: May 2007
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2roads
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4409
posted
What about a Hyietal Hernia? Have you had an upper GI endoscopy procedure. My hernia causes nausea.
Posts: 2214 | From West Chester, PA | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Zil, good suggestion but unfortunately for me I've had 2 gastric empyting studies done...the first one showed slight delay and the other one was normal so not the cause of my nausea.
2roads, I have had 2 upper endoscopies done and I do have a hyiatal hernia...no doctor thinks this could be the cause of my nausea. I might spend a little time researching this a little more though.
Posts: 561 | From mass | Registered: Jul 2007
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canefan17
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 22149
posted
2roads,
I have this as well. What do you do for it?
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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2roads
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4409
posted
Hey canefan,
I didn't realize I had it until 7 months ago when we were troubleshooting a lower GI issue. It really isn't that problematic. It just comes and goes.
Alcohol and caffeine seem to affect it the most. I don't take anything for it. It's more what I try not to do, to help my situation.
Sorry, if you find it more bothersome and my info weak.
I have pain around my gallbladder, off-center to the right, just below my ribs. There is a sense of fullness and intermittent pain, also bad with alcohol. I don't know if that is part of the hernia or liver, or pancreas, or intestines.
Finally, I have an upper rectal inflamation of unknown origin which has a pinpointed pain and occasional itch. For that, I am starting the Hulda Clark parasite cleansing, but I first need to buy a scale at a head shop because I need to weigh out fresh cloves...OMG....just shoot me.
:bonk:TMI, I'm sure. But, I am in the imbetween what is causing what phase and trying my own approaches which are better then the overpayed MD's who have no causality but are prescribing symptomatic suppositories to the tune of hundreds of dollars.
Be well,
2roads
Posts: 2214 | From West Chester, PA | Registered: Aug 2003
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"Rifaximin, an antibiotic, appears to ease the discomfort of chronic irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), researchers report, and these healthy effects continue long after patients stop taking the drug.
Rifaximin targets bacterial "overgrowth" in the small intestine. Some researchers believe this excess bacteria is the underlying cause of many, if not all, cases of IBS."
I was treated for possible SIBO last month. I think it helped!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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