Is This a Recurring Stomach Virus?

It is a possibility that she can have irritable bowel syndrome.... My sister lives in colorado and about 4 - 5 times a year she gets this she finally went to see a gastrointologist to get their input and she was told she had irritable bowel syndrome. Your sister can also have other serious problems with her stomach such as ulcers / she can also have a bacteria growing in her stomach. If there is an unexplained occurence why she is getting these flu like symptoms that many times she needs to see a specialist. I would highly recommend it.

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If it always accompanies a headache, may very well be migraines. Also, it could be IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), or just "nerves". In the past, I've had times where every 3-4 months I would get random nausea (almost always during the night) where I'd wake up, go vomit, then be fine again. Often it would occur during times of stress; with small kids she is certainly under stress!

If she keeps track of when it haapens she might be able to link it to other things, like her menstrual period or something she eats. My sister gets a headache and throws up almost every time she gets her period. Good luck!

I definitely agree with the person who suggested Celiac Disease. My daughter was just diagnosed in February and while she didn't have symptoms like that I have done a lot of research since and found that it is common to react the way your sister is. A simple blood test is all it takes to start on the road to diagnosis. She should definitely check with her Dr.

My immediate thought went to the "headache". She could be having migraines that cause nausea and vomiting. Even if the headache isn't what some would consider of the intensity of a migraine, it still could be.

I had been throwing up for decades on a pretty regular basis. One reason was emotional stress, I was in an abusive marriage. But the vomiting didn't stop after the marriage ended. When a doctor would finally listen to me and really believe how often and for how long I had been vomiting, I was found to have gastric retention. Then found out my father had it also. Would have been helpful to have that info years and years ago. I was put on Reglan..... I know, all the lawyer ads on tv now about reglan, but it is designed to open the bottom of your stomach and let the contents move on through the system. They have used it during surgery for years to lessen vomiting after surgery. Then I was on Nexium, because I take other medications that cause stomach upset. Sometimes vomiting can be a symptom. I had vomiting and so did my daughter as a symptom of a gallstone. I had my gallbladder removed. She is soon to be scheduled for her surgery. Vomiting and a headache can be caffeine withdrawal.

It could be a lot of things... does she drink enough fluids? Dehydration can make you ill and give you a SERIOUS headache.

Is she just not telling you she's hung over? ;) (Kidding - kind of?)

It could be something external - people have allergies to almost anything (pollen, mold, mildew, cedar, etc.) She may also have developed a food allergy/sensitivity. Since allergies can change through our lives some people get blindsided by them.

On the days she gets sick, she should try to keep a food journal and check which allergens are high. Maybe she can start finding some clues to what she is reacting to.

Her body is definitely telling her that something is wrong. Our gut is like our central nervous system. If it isn't working properly then our livers get taxed and our kidneys and the list goes on and on. There are a lot of things that can help her and it make only take one change or it may take several. First I would make sure that she is taking a good probiotic and prebiotic along with a really good multi-vitamin. There could be environmental things that are affecting her and she can look at changing to green cleaning products. If she would be interested in learning more I can send her some information. Just email me.

Irritable bowel syndrome is usually bouts of diarrhea followed by bouts of constipation, alternating.

She may be having allergies. This year, allergies are TERRIBLE. For me, the sinus drainage causes stomach upset with diarrhea & vomiting.

Hope that helps!

Sorry to hear your sister is ill as that! It could be a whole slew of issues. She could simply have an ulcer in her stomach or instestinal tract. When ever she eats a particular item that makes it flare up.Or even stress can trigger such attacks. She could have contracted a bacteria, they can be sneeky. She just need to go evaluated by a gastrololgist. Perhaps that will help give you something to think about and look into.

It might be anxiety or stress related.

Another thing to check would be her gall bladder. If it's time for the GB to come out, vomiting on and off can be a symptom.

My sister gets sick like that but her house cleaning methods in the kitchen are atrocious. She uses spoons and puts them back in the clean spoon drawer. She once cooked a turkey at my house (what can I say she's very demanding) and she cleaned the turkey in the sink then put the turkey outside in the garage on the floor unwrapped. At the time we had wild dogs, raccoons, skunks, and other furies running around in the area. Needless to say, when she picked up a spoon from the sink and tried to place it back in the clean spoon bin I told her NO! After she left we washed all the dishes.

Not saying that your sister is doing the same thing mine was, but mixing dirty spoons with clean one's will get you sick. So it may not be anything bad, just an inability to know when to put things in the dishwasher.

She should definitely see a doctor first and foremost. It could be any number of illnesses from food allergies to the "C" word. But if the doctor doesn't find anything wrong, here are two other possibilities in the myriad of possibilities: candida or parasites (I've dealt with both.)

Candida (yeast) can be gently dealt with by changing diet (no refined sugars, reduce processed foods of any kind, especially trans-fatty foods and reduce starches) and adding probiotics.

Parasites can be cleansed out with herbs. Many health food stores have herbal parasite and / or candida cleansers, but you have to take it slow because it can make you more sick as the yeast / parasites die off for a week of two. Taking probiotics and some form of fiber supplement will help offset the die off sickness while cleansing.

How awful for her. It sounds like Celiac disease - where there is allergy to gluten. Everytime a person that has this eats gluten then have what you describe....no matter what it is she needs to consult her doc....good luck!