Does Anyone Else Get Constantly Sick To Their Stomach Because Of PTSD?

[K8L]

I get sick most mornings, nausea, vomiting etc. I believe this is due to the fact that I have a constant state of adrenaline is running through my body. I've gotten bundles of testing done with a gastro and everything came back normal and she said that my nervous system is probably just connected to my stomach and that I just have to find ways to de-stress.

Any suggestions? I already do deep breathing, listen to hypno recordings regularly, and go to hypno and psychotherapy weekly. I just need some ideas so I can get this nausea at bay, it makes going to college extremely difficult And I would like to function like a normal human!

 

[TLight]

I get this too............

I think many of the symptoms of PTSD we have to find a way to just cope with. The de-stressing techniques don't always work............we just have to try and deal the best we can.

For me, that's avoiding triggers right now because I'm worn down by the stress.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I know not everyone goes the med route, but medications may help. I know all too well the feeling of having adrenaline running through your bloodstream. And to be honest with you, I haven't felt too many things that help when the adrenaline is at a peak, other than medication. Good Luck!

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I used to get that in school. I didn't know it then, as I wasn't diagnosed with PTSD yet....that would really explain why high school was soooo hard for me. I always felt sick!

But yeah...I agree with the other posters, there really isnt much you can do. Try happy place?

 

[anthony]

More likely to do with stress itself if you are in a heightened anxiety state.

 

[Artista]

I have had less stomach issues since I changed my diet and began exercising to help the "extra energy".

I do think I have had stomach issues for most of my life, partly due to ptsd. For some reason a mostly dairy free and gluten free diet helps, but I do not know the physiological reason exactly that is connected to this. I am not considered allergic to either, yet it helps!! I just started trying to omit things and figured out what helped. Kinda like starting a baby on food... omit and try re-introducing it one at a time. It takes a while, but so do all the tests I have gone through with no conclusions!!! I figure food is our fuel... I'm trying to find the best for me.

 

[AthenaErdmann]

I know this may sound nutty, but have you thought of adding to your nausea-fighting-arsenal some tricks that pregnant women use against morning sickness?

I've always had a difficult stomach, it is partly congenital and got a lot worse due to ad hoc "treatments" and improvised diet regimes that my father put me on all through my teens. With both my pregnancies I felt really, really sick every morning for the first three months, and also threw up some mornings. So I started to wake up half an hour early, drank a glass of cold orange juice (the sour taste was essential for me) and ate two thin, almost tasteless crackers, and then went back to bed for some twenty minutes. It did not always work, and seldom worked 100 %, but most mornings became more bearable like this.

Hope this gives you some more ideas - getting along with a suboptimal stomach is a real undertaking, IME. Best of luck!

Athena

 

[Artista]

You have a good point Athena! I tried lots of different things and sometimes forms of ginger helped me, but not everyone seems to tolerate ginger. It's worth a shot to try the tricks for nausea! I sometimes have intense, short-lived nausea from a flashback that I have treated with this... sipping ginger ale, coca cola or the crackers as you said! My stomach always feels slightly off, but when these occur it's acute and I have thrown up. The temporary relief gets me through the worst of it. Worth a try!

 

[OgreMagi]

My wife was puking on a daily basis for the longest time. She finally saw a doctor about it last week who prescribed something to deal with the high level of stomach acid. She has not puked since then, though she did have an upset stomach last night. The doctor said she might have an ulcer. There will be some follow up tests in the near future. I should probably suggest she tell the doctor about her PTSD and anxiety problems.

 

[Artista]

ABSOLUTELY... do explain the stress she is feeling. I do hope she finds relief. I went through a gamut of tests... everything except exploratory surgery. I said no to that and decided to learn more about the whys of it and how I could eat differently. Kept a journal on when it was worse and found patterns. I kind of resent the way they want to throw pills and say "try these!!" How about getting to the"why do I have this?" I think that's where the answer is best explained. IMHO I'd rather stop the why than simply cover the symptom.

 

[gdf]

I have had the same problem to varying degrees throughout life. A couple of thoughts.

Panic does send a pretty major cocktail of chemicals racing through your body which I find nauseating when I have an attack. I also found the SSRI Celexa made me chronically nauseous despite the fact that it worked great to lift the depression. Most of the serotonin in your body is produced in your intestines and I was advised that SSRI's can increase stomach issues. I keep tonic water or sparkling bottled water on hand for times when the stomach isn't feeling happy. The high frutose corn syrup in soda-pop can be irritating to (for me anyway) stomach linings.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I keep tonic water or sparkling bottled water on hand for times when the stomach isn't feeling happy. The high frutose corn syrup in soda-pop can be irritating to (for me anyway) stomach linings.

Thats a good thought. My mother drinks soda when her stomach is upsetting her. Though she has crohn's.... Maybe sparkling water would help, instead of soda? Might help me anyway.