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Can I whine about medical drama for a minute?

I'm sorry if this gets long. I need to get this off my chest. 

I've posted many times before about how I have a weird, super sensitive stomach, so I'm used to having minor stomach issues. But a few weeks ago it suddenly got really bad. 

One of the issues is that I'm extremely nauseous all day. I've tried all the home remedies for nausea-- peppermint oil, peppermint tea, water with lemon, fresh ginger, ginger ale, tonic, pressure points, rooibos tea, etc and nothing really helps.

At this point the only thing I can handle is ice water. Even crackers make me sick. I keep having to leave work or just stay home, and luckily my new boss has been super nice about it and lets me work from home however much I need to but I still feel awful for not being in the office. 

So I've been trying to get in to see the gastroenterologist in town (there's only one here). I dropped off my medical records last Thursday and called them a little while ago because I hadn't heard from them yet. The receptionist says the soonest appointment they have for me is in OCTOBER. I said, "There's no way to get me in sooner?" 
She said, "Well it's not urgent." 
I said, "I'm in pain every single day! I had to stay home from work again today!" (Which I told them the first time I spoke with them) and then I lost it and just started crying my eyes out. She offered to transfer me to the nurse. I got her voicemail. 

Then I called my old specialist who's an hour and a half away. My old specialist was able to get me an appointment the day after tomorrow. So at least I have that. 

Has anyone else had crazy stomach problems? What did you do? Does anyone have a surefire way to help settle down nausea? 

Thanks for letting me vent. I haven't been wanting to tell anyone IRL cuz it just upsets me but I feel like I'm gonna lose it feeling this sick and keeping everything bottled up. 
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Re: Can I whine about medical drama for a minute?

  • I'm so sorry to hear that, it sounds miserable :( I'm glad your other doc could get you in faster though, I would have started crying too if I heard October was the earliest I could get in for something that is affecting you daily!

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  • Awww, I'm sorry you've been feeling so lousy! It was definitely the right thing to do to schedule the specialist who's a bit of a drive away. It's good to get checked out and make sure there isn't anything serious going on first. But beyond that I will say that bellies and emotions are often tightly linked - so keeping this "bottled up" is probably not helping. Go take care of yourself!
  • I'm sorry you are feeling so bad.   Have you tried to eliminate things from your diet to see if that helps?  


    I do not have any stomach issues, but I can commiserate on how hard it is to get doctor appointments these days.   I had a bad cough called at 7:30am on a Thursday to get an appointment with my primary.  The next available appointment was Thursday of the next week.  Then I was told to go to the after-hours care.    It's getting ridiculous how often I'm referred to after-hours care.   


    *there is not walk-in clinics during normal business hours.  It's either you primary doctor or you wait until 5 for after-hours care (which runs to 10pm),






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • What does your diet usually consist of?  How old are you?  Have you been tested for anything by a doctor if you've had stomach issues before? Allergies?  

    I had insane stomach pain/nausea for months before I finally got my diagnosis for Celiac so I know how frustrating the process can be...getting in to see a specialist is maddening.  I found that being very specific about the type of pain, the scale of it (on a 1-10 scale) and its daily impact on your life will often help getting in to see the doctor.  I'd also volunteer for a wait list if they have one for last minute cancellations.  I'm not a nurse/doctor but in my experience sometimes waiting on the wait list works, sometimes the nurses forget to call you even if there is a cancellation... but being polite but honest about the pain usually gets you the best response.  
  • I'm so sorry.   My stomach is OK but I'm married to someone with some intense intestines.   He's taken a daily antacid for longer than the 11 years we've been together and he also knows that some foods are triggers.   Too much beer and his digestion is just off.   Last week was an issue with broccoli.  MIL has some issues and FIL has diverticulitis so unfortunately there's a good chance he's going to have something.

    Limiting wheat seems to help somewhat.   I also found that when I was nauseous and pregnant, I could handle Gatorade.

    Hugs.   I hope you feel better.
  • I'm so sorry!

    Doctors are tough. We're living with that daily right now. This sounds like something that needs more immediate attention. Go to the specialist that's a drive away-- but take the October appointment. You want to get this figured out ASAP but it will be nice to have someone local for maintenance once you have it figured out.
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  • This seems like a long shot, but it worked for me. I went through a phase like this only I was also vomiting every morning. I had test after test and nothing conclusive.

    I finally started seeing a therapist on recommendation of a friend and was treated for anxiety. No medicine, just counseling. It stopped almost immediately and never returned.

    I don't know if it was a coincidence or if the anxiety was really THAT BAD, but I don't like medicine and was tired of seeing doctors, so I figured why not?
    image
  • minskat30 said:
    What does your diet usually consist of?  How old are you?  Have you been tested for anything by a doctor if you've had stomach issues before? Allergies?  

    I had insane stomach pain/nausea for months before I finally got my diagnosis for Celiac so I know how frustrating the process can be...getting in to see a specialist is maddening.  I found that being very specific about the type of pain, the scale of it (on a 1-10 scale) and its daily impact on your life will often help getting in to see the doctor.  I'd also volunteer for a wait list if they have one for last minute cancellations.  I'm not a nurse/doctor but in my experience sometimes waiting on the wait list works, sometimes the nurses forget to call you even if there is a cancellation... but being polite but honest about the pain usually gets you the best response.  
    My diet is pretty healthy. We cook dinner at home pretty much every single night, and make things from scratch to stay away from processed food. I eat a lot of vegetables and pretty much drink water all day. I cut out almost all refined sugar about 6 months ago so I don't drink pop or juice. I do eat fast food sometimes though (but not since I've been feeling so bad). 

    I'm 28. Have not been tested for allergies. I asked my regular doctor to test me a couple months ago because I felt like something was wrong with my stomach. He was really arrogant and dismissive. Said, "I COULD test you, but I'm not going to. Let's see if you get worse first." So I stopped seeing him. Took me 3 weeks to get that stupid appointment. 
    image
  • I'm sorry if this gets long. I need to get this off my chest. 

    I've posted many times before about how I have a weird, super sensitive stomach, so I'm used to having minor stomach issues. But a few weeks ago it suddenly got really bad. 

    One of the issues is that I'm extremely nauseous all day. I've tried all the home remedies for nausea-- peppermint oil, peppermint tea, water with lemon, fresh ginger, ginger ale, tonic, pressure points, rooibos tea, etc and nothing really helps.

    At this point the only thing I can handle is ice water. Even crackers make me sick. I keep having to leave work or just stay home, and luckily my new boss has been super nice about it and lets me work from home however much I need to but I still feel awful for not being in the office. 

    So I've been trying to get in to see the gastroenterologist in town (there's only one here). I dropped off my medical records last Thursday and called them a little while ago because I hadn't heard from them yet. The receptionist says the soonest appointment they have for me is in OCTOBER. I said, "There's no way to get me in sooner?" 
    She said, "Well it's not urgent." 
    I said, "I'm in pain every single day! I had to stay home from work again today!" (Which I told them the first time I spoke with them) and then I lost it and just started crying my eyes out. She offered to transfer me to the nurse. I got her voicemail. 

    Then I called my old specialist who's an hour and a half away. My old specialist was able to get me an appointment the day after tomorrow. So at least I have that. 

    Has anyone else had crazy stomach problems? What did you do? Does anyone have a surefire way to help settle down nausea? 

    Thanks for letting me vent. I haven't been wanting to tell anyone IRL cuz it just upsets me but I feel like I'm gonna lose it feeling this sick and keeping everything bottled up. 
    I'm sorry to hear about this :(  I personally don't have any issues but FI has Crohn's disease... hearing stories about what he went through before they diagnosed him and they figured out a treatment was heartbreaking.  He had a flare up last winter and it was awful... he couldn't eat anything for a few weeks other than some gatorade or popsicles.  He lost 15lbs when he's already so thin.  

    I agree that you should go for the appt that's an hour and a half away, so maybe you could get some temporary relief, but also book the October appointment that's local too.  
    Married 9.12.15
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  • So this was originally in my OP but I took it out because I didn't want to make you guys read a giant novel. 

    When I was 13 I started having these same kinds of issues and went to one doctor after another for 7 years. The specialist I'm going to see this Thursday is the one who finally ran the right tests (all previous tests came back normal except for an upper GI which showed mild acid reflux). 

    Sorry if this is TMI. You've been warned. He found that I had an overgrowth of bacteria in my small intestine that had spread all the way up to my esophagus over the years and ate away the lining of my entire digestive tract. At this point I was 21 or 22 and had dropped to 80 lbs. He said a side effect of that is that my digestive system stopped absorbing nutrients and I was too sick to ever eat, so I looked like a skeleton. It was horrifying. 

    He put me on antibiotics, some anti-anxiety meds, and a couple other things I don't remember now, and then I was on a super strict diet for 30 days and I eventually felt normal again. But apparently over 50% of patients who have that problem end up with a recurrence. 

    I'm trying to refrain from diagnosing myself but I feel like it's probably that same thing again, which would be good because at least then it can be diagnosed and treated, but I'm also really scared. The memories of all the hospital stays and tests and pills and food restrictions... ugh. It's just scary. 

    Anyway thanks for all the kind words.  
    image
  • minskat30 said:
    What does your diet usually consist of?  How old are you?  Have you been tested for anything by a doctor if you've had stomach issues before? Allergies?  

    I had insane stomach pain/nausea for months before I finally got my diagnosis for Celiac so I know how frustrating the process can be...getting in to see a specialist is maddening.  I found that being very specific about the type of pain, the scale of it (on a 1-10 scale) and its daily impact on your life will often help getting in to see the doctor.  I'd also volunteer for a wait list if they have one for last minute cancellations.  I'm not a nurse/doctor but in my experience sometimes waiting on the wait list works, sometimes the nurses forget to call you even if there is a cancellation... but being polite but honest about the pain usually gets you the best response.  
    My diet is pretty healthy. We cook dinner at home pretty much every single night, and make things from scratch to stay away from processed food. I eat a lot of vegetables and pretty much drink water all day. I cut out almost all refined sugar about 6 months ago so I don't drink pop or juice. I do eat fast food sometimes though (but not since I've been feeling so bad). 

    I'm 28. Have not been tested for allergies. I asked my regular doctor to test me a couple months ago because I felt like something was wrong with my stomach. He was really arrogant and dismissive. Said, "I COULD test you, but I'm not going to. Let's see if you get worse first." So I stopped seeing him. Took me 3 weeks to get that stupid appointment. 
    UGGGGH!  This is some bullshit!  I hate doctors like this.  I'm not a fan of people "doctor hopping" until they just find someone who will agree with them, but that's not what you're asking for.  You're asking a guy to test you to see if you have allergies or some other issue- not telling him what you have and asking him to confirm it.

    This kind of shit makes me ragey!
  • minskat30 said:
    What does your diet usually consist of?  How old are you?  Have you been tested for anything by a doctor if you've had stomach issues before? Allergies?  

    I had insane stomach pain/nausea for months before I finally got my diagnosis for Celiac so I know how frustrating the process can be...getting in to see a specialist is maddening.  I found that being very specific about the type of pain, the scale of it (on a 1-10 scale) and its daily impact on your life will often help getting in to see the doctor.  I'd also volunteer for a wait list if they have one for last minute cancellations.  I'm not a nurse/doctor but in my experience sometimes waiting on the wait list works, sometimes the nurses forget to call you even if there is a cancellation... but being polite but honest about the pain usually gets you the best response.  
    My diet is pretty healthy. We cook dinner at home pretty much every single night, and make things from scratch to stay away from processed food. I eat a lot of vegetables and pretty much drink water all day. I cut out almost all refined sugar about 6 months ago so I don't drink pop or juice. I do eat fast food sometimes though (but not since I've been feeling so bad). 

    I'm 28. Have not been tested for allergies. I asked my regular doctor to test me a couple months ago because I felt like something was wrong with my stomach. He was really arrogant and dismissive. Said, "I COULD test you, but I'm not going to. Let's see if you get worse first." So I stopped seeing him. Took me 3 weeks to get that stupid appointment. 
    UGGGGH!  This is some bullshit!  I hate doctors like this.  I'm not a fan of people "doctor hopping" until they just find someone who will agree with them, but that's not what you're asking for.  You're asking a guy to test you to see if you have allergies or some other issue- not telling him what you have and asking him to confirm it.

    This kind of shit makes me ragey!
    Me too. It's so upsetting to know something is wrong and want to find out what it is so you can try to get better and then have the doctor just dismiss you. I want to slap that guy. 
    image
  • sarahufl said:
    This seems like a long shot, but it worked for me. I went through a phase like this only I was also vomiting every morning. I had test after test and nothing conclusive.

    I finally started seeing a therapist on recommendation of a friend and was treated for anxiety. No medicine, just counseling. It stopped almost immediately and never returned.

    I don't know if it was a coincidence or if the anxiety was really THAT BAD, but I don't like medicine and was tired of seeing doctors, so I figured why not?
    I definitely think anxiety has a lot to do with it. When I was having all those crazy fights with my sister and my mom and my dad (ugh) I would be up all night with really bad stomach pain. When I started seeing my therapist it got better but then all this other nonsense started. Bleh. 
    image
  • minskat30 said:
    What does your diet usually consist of?  How old are you?  Have you been tested for anything by a doctor if you've had stomach issues before? Allergies?  

    I had insane stomach pain/nausea for months before I finally got my diagnosis for Celiac so I know how frustrating the process can be...getting in to see a specialist is maddening.  I found that being very specific about the type of pain, the scale of it (on a 1-10 scale) and its daily impact on your life will often help getting in to see the doctor.  I'd also volunteer for a wait list if they have one for last minute cancellations.  I'm not a nurse/doctor but in my experience sometimes waiting on the wait list works, sometimes the nurses forget to call you even if there is a cancellation... but being polite but honest about the pain usually gets you the best response.  
    My diet is pretty healthy. We cook dinner at home pretty much every single night, and make things from scratch to stay away from processed food. I eat a lot of vegetables and pretty much drink water all day. I cut out almost all refined sugar about 6 months ago so I don't drink pop or juice. I do eat fast food sometimes though (but not since I've been feeling so bad). 

    I'm 28. Have not been tested for allergies. I asked my regular doctor to test me a couple months ago because I felt like something was wrong with my stomach. He was really arrogant and dismissive. Said, "I COULD test you, but I'm not going to. Let's see if you get worse first." So I stopped seeing him. Took me 3 weeks to get that stupid appointment. 
    This sounds awful!  I'm so sorry, some doctors can be real jerks. I had a similar problem for a while.  Thank God I found a good doctor who ran the celiac blood panel and got me set up for an endoscopy...I had pretty severe deterioration of the villi.  I would stick to a very simple diet and cut out things hard to digest (it sounds like you eat pretty clean but try to stay away from carbs, alcohol and hard-to-digest veggies to see if that helps).  Keep the October appointment but go to the doctor an hour+ away in the interim.  Try the wait list thing too...sometimes you get a really helpful nurse.  Hugs.
  • Man, that sucks. I'm sorry you feel so crappy. When I was younger, I had migraines all the time and would get myself so worked up (sometimes nervousness, or sometimes just being really excited for something) that I would end up getting sick. It's the worst. Hopefully you can get all this sorted out with a good doctor!


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  • My stomach is rock solid 99% of the time, but I can always tell when my stress levels have gotten out of control or I'm really upset about something because I get the worst indigestion/heartburn that hits me like a 2 ton brick and leaves me curled up in a fetal position on the bed and no amount of Tums or Zantac or anything can help. My H is really sweet - he always lies down in bed with me and talks me through whatever it is that is bothering me and by the following day I'm always better. It's like my body saying "Okay, that's enough. You need to deal with your shit now!" All that being said, even when anxiety is a component or may exacerbate the problem, it's not always the whole story so having a competent and compassionate doctor is so important.
  • edited July 2015
    Nausea and stomach pain could be causehd by so many things. My stomach doesn't like me, either. Fortunately, my gastroenterologist has been really good at figuring things out for me. H.pylori, ulcers, Barrets, diverticulitis, polyps, gallstones etc...Nothing he hasn't been able to treat,so far.

    It's good that you don't have to wait until October for an appointment. Hope you get some answers.
                       
  • My sister has digestive problems too.  While I'm no doctor, I read that you eat a lot of vegetables. Vegetables do her in - she's nauseous and has some serious (TMI) bowel issues. She's in the bathroom all night long if she eats a salad. They originally thought IBS but that's not it. I'm obviously not a doctor so I'm not saying cut out vegetables, but maybe all the fibre in them is causing your issues? 
  • kvrunskvruns member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer

    I had a problem in either 8th grade or maybe early HS. I had unexplained stomach pain, nausea, etc did a bunch of tests and they never found anything.  eventually it went away though I still wonder if it was something real or like I had something else that was wrong/upset that somehow manifested as the pain (no idea if that's possible but it was so weird).


    hope you can get it figured out with your Dr soon!

  • Oh no :( Sucks you're going through this! My tummy is actually really good, which makes SO jealous haha. His is not so good. When he was younger - maybe 20-22, he was having really bad problems. Like, couldn't eat breakfast or coffee in the morning before university because he would be in so much pain. No nausea though. Anyways, it went on for a while, he would goto the Dr, they'd prescribe very high dosage of Prevacid (which his dad was/is also on). He did all the tests, endoscopy, allergies, ect, everything came back normal. He was on daily prevacid for a while and started to wean off, and is now on the lowest dosage. He finds alcohol really aggrivates his symptoms, along with dairy. He's been having issues the past little bit again because he ran out of pills, and has been drinking a lot more lol. So, totally his fault. But I totally understand how much it sucks!
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  • My sister has digestive problems too.  While I'm no doctor, I read that you eat a lot of vegetables. Vegetables do her in - she's nauseous and has some serious (TMI) bowel issues. She's in the bathroom all night long if she eats a salad. They originally thought IBS but that's not it. I'm obviously not a doctor so I'm not saying cut out vegetables, but maybe all the fibre in them is causing your issues? 
    I think that's the most frustrating part, is that since I don't really know what's causing this, I don't know which foods I should be eating and which ones might be hurting me. My crappy doctor thought I have IBS so I added more fiber to my diet because he said that would help with my issues. But then I read that with the thing i had in the past (which I might have again) fiber can make it much worse. So do I eat the fiber or not?! 

    I thought crackers would settle my stomach but they made it worse. So is it a gluten problem? I mean obviously I can't diagnose myself or decide on my own what my diet should be; my doctor will hopefully do that. But in the meantime, what the hell do I eat/not eat?! 
    image
  • My sister has digestive problems too.  While I'm no doctor, I read that you eat a lot of vegetables. Vegetables do her in - she's nauseous and has some serious (TMI) bowel issues. She's in the bathroom all night long if she eats a salad. They originally thought IBS but that's not it. I'm obviously not a doctor so I'm not saying cut out vegetables, but maybe all the fibre in them is causing your issues? 
    I think that's the most frustrating part, is that since I don't really know what's causing this, I don't know which foods I should be eating and which ones might be hurting me. My crappy doctor thought I have IBS so I added more fiber to my diet because he said that would help with my issues. But then I read that with the thing i had in the past (which I might have again) fiber can make it much worse. So do I eat the fiber or not?! 

    I thought crackers would settle my stomach but they made it worse. So is it a gluten problem? I mean obviously I can't diagnose myself or decide on my own what my diet should be; my doctor will hopefully do that. But in the meantime, what the hell do I eat/not eat?! 
    How about trying out some rice or potatoes?  Those are really mild and gluten free.  Bananas too maybe?
    Married 9.12.15
    image
  • arrippaarrippa member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited July 2015
    My sister has digestive problems too.  While I'm no doctor, I read that you eat a lot of vegetables. Vegetables do her in - she's nauseous and has some serious (TMI) bowel issues. She's in the bathroom all night long if she eats a salad. They originally thought IBS but that's not it. I'm obviously not a doctor so I'm not saying cut out vegetables, but maybe all the fibre in them is causing your issues? 
    I think that's the most frustrating part, is that since I don't really know what's causing this, I don't know which foods I should be eating and which ones might be hurting me. My crappy doctor thought I have IBS so I added more fiber to my diet because he said that would help with my issues. But then I read that with the thing i had in the past (which I might have again) fiber can make it much worse. So do I eat the fiber or not?! 

    I thought crackers would settle my stomach but they made it worse. So is it a gluten problem? I mean obviously I can't diagnose myself or decide on my own what my diet should be; my doctor will hopefully do that. But in the meantime, what the hell do I eat/not eat?! 

    I have IBS (and lactose intolerance so my stomach is often upset). I eat one fiber cookie a day and it helps my stomach. Any more than that, then I get (TMI) smelly farts and stomach pains. My trigger is nuts. I am not allergic, I just get the stomach pains when I eat them. IBS takes on different froms for people. My aunt who has it just has the bathroom issue. I don't have that, I get stomach pains. Everyone is different.
  • My sister has digestive problems too.  While I'm no doctor, I read that you eat a lot of vegetables. Vegetables do her in - she's nauseous and has some serious (TMI) bowel issues. She's in the bathroom all night long if she eats a salad. They originally thought IBS but that's not it. I'm obviously not a doctor so I'm not saying cut out vegetables, but maybe all the fibre in them is causing your issues? 
    I think that's the most frustrating part, is that since I don't really know what's causing this, I don't know which foods I should be eating and which ones might be hurting me. My crappy doctor thought I have IBS so I added more fiber to my diet because he said that would help with my issues. But then I read that with the thing i had in the past (which I might have again) fiber can make it much worse. So do I eat the fiber or not?! 

    I thought crackers would settle my stomach but they made it worse. So is it a gluten problem? I mean obviously I can't diagnose myself or decide on my own what my diet should be; my doctor will hopefully do that. But in the meantime, what the hell do I eat/not eat?! 
    How about trying out some rice or potatoes?  Those are really mild and gluten free.  Bananas too maybe?
    Maybe try the BRAT diet for a few days.



    Candied ginger helps a lot of people with nausea.  






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • My H has some major digestive issues too.  Whenever his flares up he sounds like he's in the same boat that you are now - as in can't eat ANYTHING without pain.  For about a week he will eat only things like:

    bananas, applesauce, avacado, mashed potato, cream of rice/wheat, plain rice, ensure drinks (like the nutrition drinks), or smoothies that he makes with almond/rice/coconut/cashew milk and the above fruits and a little protein powder.  He calls it his toddler diet.  He definitely doesn't eat a lot when he feels like that, but he can handle the things I listed a few times a day just to keep some nutrients in him. 

  • lyndausvi said:
    My sister has digestive problems too.  While I'm no doctor, I read that you eat a lot of vegetables. Vegetables do her in - she's nauseous and has some serious (TMI) bowel issues. She's in the bathroom all night long if she eats a salad. They originally thought IBS but that's not it. I'm obviously not a doctor so I'm not saying cut out vegetables, but maybe all the fibre in them is causing your issues? 
    I think that's the most frustrating part, is that since I don't really know what's causing this, I don't know which foods I should be eating and which ones might be hurting me. My crappy doctor thought I have IBS so I added more fiber to my diet because he said that would help with my issues. But then I read that with the thing i had in the past (which I might have again) fiber can make it much worse. So do I eat the fiber or not?! 

    I thought crackers would settle my stomach but they made it worse. So is it a gluten problem? I mean obviously I can't diagnose myself or decide on my own what my diet should be; my doctor will hopefully do that. But in the meantime, what the hell do I eat/not eat?! 
    How about trying out some rice or potatoes?  Those are really mild and gluten free.  Bananas too maybe?
    Maybe try the BRAT diet for a few days.



    Candied ginger helps a lot of people with nausea.  
    Yeah I've definitely been eating a lot of plain white rice. There've been a few times where I thought "Fuck it, I just want a cheeseburger!" but then I thought about the trouble that might cause so I stuck to the rice. I haven't tried applesauce yet, though. Or toast. Maybe I will give them a try. 


    image
  • That sucks a lot. My sister had issues that sound similar to yours; she lost a crazy amount of weight because she was keeping down less food than she was feeding the toddler she was babysitting at the time. In her case, it was gastritis, and the solution was ranitidine. Good luck getting some answers and hopefully a solution.

    I'm pretty sure plain rice was all she was eating (crackers and bread set her off), so maybe try that until you see your doctor.
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