Throwing Up After Husband Leaves

[mythreeangels]

Hi I'm new here but really need some help.

I have ptsd that I have been dealing with since I was 18 I'm 34 now. I had it under control, or so I thought, until it got triggered really bad a couple weeks ago. My husband has been great and we are trying to find me a therapist ( live in a small town that offers nothing) but since it has been triggered I get really sick to my stomach with flue like symptoms after my husband comes home for lunch and leaves. I end up in the bathroom for a good 30 mins to an hour throwing up and having severe diarrhea.

At first I thought maybe I had food poisoning but it has happened the last two weeks and only the days he works. I'm fine when he stays home after we eat, like at dinner, but if I eat anything and he leaves anywhere after it comes right back out. We have 3 kids that don't know about what happened to me (i don't think they are old enough to understand and I'm affraid it will give them nightmares) any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

[Overcast]

I don't blame you for not wanting to tell your kids and harming them. There are a lot of good books out there and there are articles here and reading other stories that have been helpful to me. I feel less alone that way. Until you can find a therapist I would post your thoughts and feelings here and journal out on your own. Maybe you can start journaling just before your husband leaves and put all those emotions on paper so you have a release of them. I don't know if it will help you with the physical response you have but it might.

 

[franciemarnie]

When I have been flooded with overwhelming feeling and haven't seen it coming, I have thrown up and/or had diarrhea. When I have been triggered and overcome with toxic feelings, I've done the same.

Maybe you could try different methods of staying present and grounded and feeling safe that people talk about here while you wait to connect with a T.

Sometimes there is just no way around it for me. I will wake up and immediately toss my cookies. I get the diarrhea more with a tsunami of grief. The throwing up with stress. Migraines and TMJ with unexpressed anger.

Mindful meditation and working out daily helps me a lot. Speaking of which, off I go to work out.

 

[wdmkr]

I get the cold sweats and diarrhea when my PTSD is going full tilt. A couple of weeks ago while I was getting ready to go to work some thing that happened the day before came back at me and I was done for. It takes me quite a while to get over an attack and it is always very physical as well as mental.

 

[arfie]

I am another one who feels it in the digestive tract before I feel it anywhere else. It looks enough like the flu that I often go ahead and call it that. The long, sensitive explanations are just too much work when I am sick to my stomach. Especially for the kids, even now that they are not kids any more. As they have gotten older, I have shared more detail with them, but they never will be qualified therapists for me. Rides only, my son. Moms make terrible patients. My doctors don't get to call me, "Mom."

I treat my psychosomatic digestive flare-ups like I treat the flu, as well. Soft foods, lots of fluids and lots of rest. Be gentle with yourself.

 

[Marf]

It is hard to comment not knowing how you got ptsd in the first place and what triggered it again. Do whatever you can to honor your feelings and take care of yourself. Good luck finding a therapist.

 

[Tinyflame]

Same here, though it's gotten proggressively much better and less frequent. Throwing up with fear/ anxiety, headaches with stress and feeling sick (that's almost constant), bleeding with stress usuall, still get that.

I used to throw up blood sometimes.

I wouldn't tell your kids, more as arfie recommended.

Pushing through and keep going may reduce the anxiety eventually too. Maybe look forward to your husband coming home and plan and do something for him?

If it's any consolation even my rescue dog does this, hers seems anxiety based and also has improved. I hope you are feeling better, if you can anticipate it like that I would try deep breathing, perhaps eat later. I also used OTC products, gravol, ginger for the nausea, also white cake, yogurt, light plain food helped.

Come to think of it my back +/or neck out also makes me feel sick.

 

[InsideAWord]

I used to vomit and have severe diarrhea as well. I don't really vomit anymore but I occasionally have the diarrhea. The worst experience was when I was having a panic attack and vomiting at the same time -- I was worried I was going to choke which only made the panic attack worse.

Have you discussed this with a doctor or a psychiatrist? I read that you don't have many resources in your town, but could you explain to your medical doctor without going into many details and see if you could find a low dose medication that will cease the vomiting?

Or try the natural resources that Junebug lists off if you prefer and see how that goes.

 

[mythreeangels]

thanks guys i just started some anxiety medication after going back to my drs this week i am hoping that will help he only worked 3 days last week but this is his 4 day work week (he works 3 12 hour days one week 3 12hour and 1 8hr the next) he gets an hour lunch break so he comes home. i thought i had things under control but i really think i was just surving day by day. i dont want to get into alot of detail but i was in a very abusive relationship for over a yr. when i got out he kidnapped me a tried to kill me. during the trial he convinced a friend to come after me who almost got me to but thankfully i had a good detictive watching over me that stopped him. my husband know is great and has worked through so much with me. 2 weeks ago i had 2 to go into the sheriffs office to talk to a cop about a drunk driver backing into my friends parked car. (i had been talking to her in the parking lot when a drunk driver ran into her car) since i was there i had to go in and answer some questions they had, he had took off after she called the police and she listed me as a witness. They caught him and I had to go in. I tried to just do a statement but they said it would be faster just to come in. My husband went with me but still just being in a police station opened the flood gates. It didn't help that I got a loud drill sergeant officer that found it necessary to repeatedly yell out orders to anybody that was around while asking me questions. I'm sure we weren't there long but it felt like forever and I have been struggling since. We don't live in the same state where any of it happened to me and the only person here that knows is my husband I would like it to stay that way so I'm not "that girl" again.

 

[Tinyflame]

Just to be on the safe side I would check with your Dr. You have plenty of stuff to deal with but you are safe now, try to practise things to decrease worry and anxiety.

I did have a lump way up at the top of my stomach (I have a high waist) under my ribcage. It did go away(! :wideeyed: ) but so did much of the throwing up/ bleeding.

 

[mythreeangels]

Thank you Junebug I am going to try that. Interesting that you mentioned your dog mine passed away this summer. He was just a family pet but was kinda my baby for the last 6 years. He had a seizure and died in my arms. He always knew when I was upset and went everywhere with me. My husband has mentioned getting another to see if it would help but the thought of getting close to another one and losing it is hard to bear. Hate to admit it but when my son got this one for his birthday I tried very hard to not get close to him or like him but when the kids are at school and it was just the two of us his big brown eyes won me over. My son use to get mad cause his dog spent more time with me than him:) Do you find yours helps? I just don't know if I can go through that again.

 

[The Albatross]

My mother dry heaves and gags, sometimes vomiting as an anxiety reaction. Not my thing, but just wanted to say that perhaps looking into your reaction to stress and anxiety might help you differentiate between something physical/physiological and something mental emotional may help.