Throwing Up “Just Because”?

[Lilian30]

Right now I’m feeling quite confused. I went gluten free over a month ago when I figured that that might be the reason why I’d been frequently throwing up and feeling extreme fatigue. For the most part it seems to have done wonders in the sense of not feeling nausea and fatigue ALL the time but it certainly hasn’t eliminated it.

 

At first I noticed that in the isle of gluten free food, some products didn’t trigger nausea at all but others do. Now I don’t actually have written validation that what I have is celiac because I only got the blood test 3 weeks after going gluten free (thanks to my doctor… but that’s another story…).

 

After a while I decided to cut out dairy (not 100%, I have to admit, but for the most part) and even eggs because I noticed that they seem to make me nauseous too and eventually decided to cut down as much as possible on processed food (with a few exceptions that don’t seem to have any bad effect on me at all).

 

Yesterday I bought some fresh chicken and cooked it according to the exact same recipe I’d used last week (which didn’t cause any nausea at all). Admittedly this recipe requires a lot of garlic and onions but I chose it because it’s very minimalistic in the sense that it only requires garlic, onions and paprika.

 

For some reason, even though this didn’t happen last week, this week it stunk to the high heavens of burnt garlic. I put it straight in the refrigerator after making it and went to bed without trying any (because it was late in the evening anyway) but the stench in the kitchen was so bad that at 2 AM I was actually woken up by it and had to go light candles and put out plates of vinegar to try and drown the smell out.

 

This morning I woke up and straight away had to run to the bathroom to puke my guts out. About 20 minutes or so later I headed in the direction of the kitchen, where the bad smell was back, and had to run back to the bathroom to puke some more – just from the freaking smell!

 

What I don’t understand is… I didn’t eat the chicken, I didn’t even taste it. All of yesterday I didn’t eat anything that I hadn’t eaten before [and that didn’t cause nausea] so what is this about? Is my stomach just hyper sensitive?

 

Last Sunday I tried cooking something with rice, peas, bell peppers and white beans in tomato sauce. The white beans in tomato sauce came out of a can and it was the only out-of-the-ordinary thing I’d eaten that day so that’s my only explanation for why I started feeling severe nausea for the next several days that eventually resulted in more vomiting and having to leave work early in the middle of last week. I suppose it’s possible that I just haven’t fully recovered from that episode yet and so maybe that was why my stomach was easily triggered just from a smell.

 

The thing is, I feel totally at a loss right now because I have no idea what could trigger it.

 

Is this common? Are a lot of people with celiac prone to suddenly throwing up over little things? 

[ravenwoodglass]

Sorry you are going through this. Has your doctor ruled out other things that could be causing the vomiting? If you do have celiac you need to keep in mind that reactions can be delayed so it isn't always the last thing we ate that makes us ill.

Have you read the Newbie 101 thread in the coping section? If not you should so you know what you have to do to prevent CC in your kitchen and your life. Hopefully folks will be able to give you some other ideas.  

[SMRI]

Have you been diagnosed with Celiac for sure?  Any chance you are pregnant?  I think it's time to go to the dr for some testing.  If you want to be tested for Celiac you need to start eating gluten again though.  I would also suggest getting tested for diabetes and eosinophilic esophagitis.

[Lilian30]

Thanks for the replies. My doctor doesn’t know what could be causing this and neither do the gastro specialists I’ve seen. I’m most definitely not pregnant though.

 

I did do a blood test for celiac and it came back negative… but I only had the test done after having been gluten free for 3 weeks (my doctor was the one who told me to be gluten-free that long before testing it and I think that’s because he doesn’t know the first thing about celiac and by the time I’d done my own research it was too late). I don’t want to try the gluten challenge that getting properly tested would require though.

 

I haven’t read or even seen the the Newbie101 thread btw, where exactly is it located?

[kareng]

 

 

I haven’t read or even seen the the Newbie101 thread btw, where exactly is it located?

 

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/91878-newbie-info-101/

[Lilian30]

Thank you

[nvsmom]

I have to admit, the first thing I thought of was pregnancy too.  I had only thrown up a few times in my life but while pregnant I was sick over everything to the point where I had to wash my face many time a day because the smell of my upper lip made me sick.  LOL I can laugh now but at the time I was miserable. I hope you feel well soon.

 

I agree with Ravenwoodglass, you need to keep in mind that food sensitivity reactions can be delayed by a couple of days.  Because of that, it is often a good idea to keep a food and symptoms journal to help you keep track of the trends. 

 

Have you condidered going back on gluten for a month or two and retesting?  The gluten challenge is usually 2-3 months long but you may be able to get away with a shorter challenge since you have not been gluten-free very long.  I doubt you would need to do it past 2 months.

 

Best wishes.

[kareng]

Maybe some of  the vomiting  is psychosomatic?  By that I mean, you know foods are making you sick and your mind is trying to protect you?  You might have actually had a reason to vomit (a virus, food poisioning, etc) the first few times or even a few times in between.  Once you start vomiting, it can be hard to stop.  It seems to get easier to vomit - the more you vomit.  

[Lilian30]

 

I have to admit, the first thing I thought of was pregnancy too.  I had only thrown up a few times in my life but while pregnant I was sick over everything to the point where I had to wash my face many time a day because the smell of my upper lip made me sick.  LOL I can laugh now but at the time I was miserable. I hope you feel well soon.

 

I agree with Ravenwoodglass, you need to keep in mind that food sensitivity reactions can be delayed by a couple of days.  Because of that, it is often a good idea to keep a food and symptoms journal to help you keep track of the trends. 

 

Have you condidered going back on gluten for a month or two and retesting?  The gluten challenge is usually 2-3 months long but you may be able to get away with a shorter challenge since you have not been gluten-free very long.  I doubt you would need to do it past 2 months.

 

Best wishes.

 

 

I'll try to keep track of what I eat and what seems to cause reactions. I don't want to do even 1 day of the gluten challenge. This past Sunday all I ate was something that may have only had tiny trace amounts of gluten in it and it left me feeling sick for over 4 days. 

 

Is the vomiting so unusual for celiac? I was under the impression that it was a common symptom... 

[ravenwoodglass]

 

 

 

 

I'll try to keep track of what I eat and what seems to cause reactions. I don't want to do even 1 day of the gluten challenge. This past Sunday all I ate was something that may have only had tiny trace amounts of gluten in it and it left me feeling sick for over 4 days. 

 

Is the vomiting so unusual for celiac? I was under the impression that it was a common symptom... 

 

While vomiting is not one of the most common issues it does happen to some of us.  It can take some time to heal and our systems can be touchy till that happens. Keeping a food and symptom journal can seem like a pain but it can help you pinpoint other issues you may have. 

Do be sure to check your scripts, otc drugs and supplements to be sure they are gluten free.  

What did you eat that you thought might have been CC Sunday? 

[charlieroseburns]

Open Original Shared Link

I have always had issues throwing up. (Much less now! YAY!) My blood tests were positive for celiac. I was gluten-free for 5 weeks before my EGD and the biopsies still indicated celiac. I found that link ^ the day before my EGD. Whoops. ; I now understand the diet better after visits with the dietician, so it was completely possible I was eating small doses of gluten without realizing it those first 5 weeks. Maybe an EGD would still be positive for celiac, or possibly stomach ulcers?

I hope you feel better. :]

[Lilian30]

Sorry about the delayed reply and thanks for all the support.

 

I’m supposed to have a colonoscopy and gastroscopy at some point in the coming few months anyway but I doubt I’d be able to have it done any time soon.

 

I find the links about the need for a gluten challenge a bit depressing, if I had known that a little over month ago (or if I’d at least had a competent doctor) I’d at least be clearer on where I stand. Maybe if I ever get married and ever go on a sabbatical I can afford to try it because then I’d be able to afford to be that sick again for that long.

 

Incidentally, the CC on Sunday was from a can of beans in tomato sauce, I put it (and the specific company it came from) on my new food “black list”. 

[Diem]

Lilian, Sorry you are having to deal with all this but know you are not alone. I am new to the whole situation as well and I can absolutely relate to you and your symptoms. I have gone through mutitudes of tests and have an endoscopy coming up next month. I don't have faith in a lot of these tests anymore or maybe it's the Docotrs (idk). I also become very nauseated and vomit with certain foods and have lost a singificant amount of weight do to that. I have recenlty gone gluten free and am also lactose intolerant so dairy is out as well as eggs. I would write it all down in your journal and keep on your doctors. If going gluten-free works for you then keep it up regardless of what your blood test says, not everyone has positive results but still have sensativities. IMO there is still so much not known about this and how it presents. It will take time to heal, apparently longer than we realize being new to this so hang in there and feel better soon.

[Lilian30]

Thank you Diem, I appreciate it . It’s not good to know other people are suffering like this too but, at the same time, it’s also kind of good to know I’m not alone.

 

Hang in there too and I hope you feel better soon.