Godsgal Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I'm needing some serious help over here since no doctor can figure out what's wrong with me. I am nauseated 24 hours a day. Very close to vomiting and never do. I have lost 4 pounds despite eating well in the last week putting me down to 101 pounds. I have dysautonomia and POTS. Saw an immunologist today and some of the labwork came back.I have low C4 and my neutrophils were high at 75 (40-74 is normal). The doctor told me to wait on the other bloodwork re: the C4 and told me that all my other tests regarding the "absolute" neutrophils were normal so it was nothing to worry about. Yesterday I put hair gel on for the first time since I got this 8 weeks ago and 10 minutes later I was flushing, itching, runny nose, heart and blood pressure reacting. It died down after I washed it out of my hair. The nausea/near vomiting is just miserable. It's like a new symptom develops every few days. Last week I had uncontrollable diarrhea with streaks of blood after the 4th day. Now that has stopped and the nausea is just torture. Sorry to complain. I just want relief and it's simply heartbreaking to see doctor after doctor that doesn't know what is causing this. All of this came on me pretty suddenly 8 weeks ago. I'm trying so hard to have faith that this will dissipate or get better because it was so acute and sudden. Any advice on my labwork results and my symptoms would be cherished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lieze Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I've been having difficulty with weight loss also and ensure is helping.Is it possible for you to ask for something for the nausea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliegee Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I'm needing some serious help over here since no doctor can figure out what's wrong with me. I am nauseated 24 hours a day. Very close to vomiting and never do. I have lost 4 pounds despite eating well in the last week putting me down to 101 pounds. I have dysautonomia and POTS. Saw an immunologist today and some of the labwork came back.I have low C4 and my neutrophils were high at 75 (40-74 is normal). The doctor told me to wait on the other bloodwork re: the C4 and told me that all my other tests regarding the "absolute" neutrophils were normal so it was nothing to worry about. Yesterday I put hair gel on for the first time since I got this 8 weeks ago and 10 minutes later I was flushing, itching, runny nose, heart and blood pressure reacting. It died down after I washed it out of my hair. The nausea/near vomiting is just miserable. It's like a new symptom develops every few days. Last week I had uncontrollable diarrhea with streaks of blood after the 4th day. Now that has stopped and the nausea is just torture. Sorry to complain. I just want relief and it's simply heartbreaking to see doctor after doctor that doesn't know what is causing this. All of this came on me pretty suddenly 8 weeks ago. I'm trying so hard to have faith that this will dissipate or get better because it was so acute and sudden. Any advice on my labwork results and my symptoms would be cherished.Have you looked into MCAD as a cause of your symptoms? Sounds like you'd benefit from a mast cell stabilizer called gastrocrom. It's especially effective for MCAD patients with severe GI symptoms. I'd line up a visit with a good allergist. Show him/her the research from Vanderbilt, linking MCAD with POTS. Here's the blurb from the DINET's site under "Causes:" "Mast cell activation disorders (MCAD) may play a role in the development of POTS in some individuals. Some patients with orthostatic intolerance suffer from episodes of flushing, palpitations, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, headache, lightheadedness, hypotension or hypertension and occasionally syncope (Jacob & Biaggioni, 1999). Exercise may trigger an attack (Shibao, Arzubiaga, Roberts, Raj, Black, Harris & Biaggioni, 2005). Patients may complain of increased fatigue, sleepiness, increased urination and/or diarrhea after an attack (Jacob & Biaggioni, 1999). Symptoms of orthostatic intolerance often worsen after an episode. An increase in urinary methylhistamine, a marker of mast-cell activation, can be found in these patients.Mast-cell activation results in the release of the vasodilator histamine, which may contribute to symptoms of POTS. Other mast cell mediators, such as plasma prostaglandin 2, may contribute to symptoms as well. Urinary histamine is often measured in the evaluation of flushing, but it is less specific than methylhistamine and not useful in the diagnosis of mast-cell activation (Shibao et al., 2005). Patients should be instructed to collect urine for a 4-hour period immediately after a severe spontaneous flushing episode. Urinary methylhistamine is usually normal between episodes in patients with mast-cell activation disorders, although the patients may experience chronic fatigue and orthostatic intolerance between episodes, which can lead to a disabling condition (Shibao et al., 2005).Beta blockers should be used with caution, if at all, in those with mast-cell activation disorders (Shibao et al., 2005). Beta blockers may trigger mast-cell activation."My son and I have found zofran to be helpful for nausea. Also, try to avoid all dairy as it will aggravate things.Sorry-Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacdliw Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Many people with dysautonomia also suffer from gastroparesis, which is delayed stomach emptying. I have suffered from gastroparesis from 6 six years and just have been diagnosed with AN and POTS. One of the major symptoms of gastroparesis is nausea and possibly vomiting,though diarrhea with blood is not common with gastroparesis. I can certainly empathize with you as to how sick you feel.If I were you, I would definitely call the doctor treating you for your dysautonomia and explain your symptoms. It appears you may need a referral to a gastroentrologist for additional testing. At the very least, you should ask your doctor for a prescription for nausea medication. If you should get a prescription for Promethasine be forwarned: it is probably the best at reducing your nausea, but it will put you to sleep!! So be sure to take it when you have 3-5 hours to sleep soundly. Zofran, as a previous poster stated, and Kytril do not caused drowsiness. In the meantime, you can try sticking to a liquid diet of clear broth/drinks and saltines to rest your stomach. Search a diet for a nauseous stomach and stick to that diet until you feel better-- it may take 2-3 days.Hope you feel better!Bev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 (((Godsgal)))A couple things which have helped me are ginger chews (has sugar though)http://www.vitacost.com/Best-Of-All-Unsulphured-Ginger-Slicesand Sea Bandshttp://www.sea-band.com/for-medical-professionalsbut even with those, eating smaller meals, etc sometimes I have to take the 2 medications mentioned previously.Once ended up in the ER at Vandy because I couldn't stop vomiting and it took a couple zofran IVs to stop it.It's a mystery but they said maybe it was a vagus nerve issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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