is it ok to post this question

[CuteKitten]

Hi all I have a question about my body, its not about my genitals,
is it ok to post it here or not, I will wait for conformation before I post it.
I have sought of been hiding it from my parents as I don't want them to get concerned but I am a little worried. I also know you folks aren't doctors just looking for some advice.

[Heather]

Hey, CuteKitten.

I don't know how to answer this because your post isn't giving me any real sense about what you want to ask about. It's probably easiest if you just ask what you want to ask, and then we can let you know if it's something we can help you with or not.

[CuteKitten]

are yes sorry I get what you mean.
So just a bit of background, all throughout my teen years I have eaten a lot, I always have eaten like meals meant for 2 people easily and I don't put on excess weight (not trying to brag just might be important info.)
However over the like last 2 weeks something a bit strange has been happening and its getting a bit worse the last week. So the first time it happened I was drinking some water after I woke up, not loads just a glass. Then about 3 minutes later I started to feel really badly nauseous and threw up, I was retching for about 5 mins after. The same kind of thing has been happening the last 2 weeks, not every day but often. I feel hungry in the mornings but feel nauseous and honestly like a few days back I was having some yoghurt and I could only finish a quarter of the bowl because how it was making me feel. However by about 11 am I am back to normal?
I did a bit or googling and maybe I have IBS but then how come only now I am experiencing symptoms if I have it. It also said that hormonal changes can cause vomiting, however as a guy I think its unlikely. Also I am starting to loose a bit of weight. I have always been slim so don't really have any excess fat.

I also don't really like going to doctors unless necessary as I have medical trauma and even if I did go I don't think they would do anything.

[Sofi]

Oof, that sounds uncomfortable, sorry you're going through that. I have IBS and I do get nauseous pretty much every single time I'm hungry, before even realizing I'm hungry. That could be the case here - but we are NOT medical professionals and it could also be something entirely different.

I do understand you have medical trauma and probably don't trust doctors, but if you can, I'd highly suggest trying to see one for this, a gastroenterologist ideally. The nausea is one thing, but actually vomiting that much/often is another. There's a chance they CAN do something to help, and it's a chance worth taking, even though it's hard. <3

[Heather]

I was also going to pop in and say what Sofi said. This is 100% something to bring to a healthcare provider, and no healthcare provider should say or do nothing for a patient reporting two weeks of the symptoms you are. If that's how your healthcare provider responds, that would indicate they are a terrible provider. At the very least, with symptoms like these, I'd expect a provider to give you an abdominal exam, maybe run some blood work, give you some basic anti-nausea medication to see if that helped and maybe, like Sofi said, a referral to a specialist.

[CuteKitten]

yea ok I probably need stop being a wuss and first tell my parents.
Sofi do you mind if I ask a personal question I completely respect your decision if you don't want to reply.
Is your IBS worse in the mornings as with me I feel like more normal self by lunch.
I off course know you are not medical professional and sorry for putting you in this tricky position and am aware its not the service you provide. (that's my I was tempted not to right this post.)

[Sofi]

It's okay. As long as you understand this is NOT medical advice, and is only my personal experience, I don't mind sharing that. I do have pain and bloating in the mornings the worst, but my nausea usually doesn't kick in until a couple hours after waking up if I haven't eaten breakfast. Before bed is also pretty bad, since I haven't eaten in hours. But this is just how it manifests for me, and honestly I never actually vomit, I just force myself to eat something filling like crackers or bread and it gets better. So I don't want you to compare or worry, but I definitely suggest bringing up the vomiting to a doctor.

[Heather]

You didn't put anyone in a bad position, CuteKitten. We can always give an opinion on if someone should seek medical help or not.

[CuteKitten]

So I decided to talk to my parents about these problems and they were surprised I hadn't told them but were very supportive.
I have got an appointment booked. Do you have any articles on your website about how to overcome phobias.

[KierC]

Hi CuteKitten,

I’m glad to hear you spoke to your parents about it, that they were supportive, *and* that you’ve got an appointment on the books. These are really promising updates! Though I hear you that you’ve had medical trauma and don’t like going to the doctor’s. When you say phobias, you’re referring to fear of going to the doctors, right? We do have this article about preparing for a doctor’s appointment, it may be a good resource if you’d find it helpful/calming to read about how a doctor’s appointment might go, laid out step-by-step? If that does sound helpful, the article is located here: Dealing With Doctors: Taking Control Of Your Healthcare Destiny.

I’ve found that article to be helpful in managing my own fear about going to the doctor’s office, but I know anxiety and fear about medical appointments doesn’t look the same for everyone. So, if you’d find a different type of support more helpful in addressing this, or if you just want to talk about how you’re feeling about going to the appointment, we’re here to help.

[CuteKitten]

I know this is irrational but what I get scared about is that I might have something wrong.
Like stuff like blood tests first I have developed a phobia with needles after having really painful injections when I was younger which I managed with therapy but also what if something bad come up?
I like almost prefer not to know if I have something wrong if that makes sense, I like to put of things that scare me it makes me feel safer.

[Heather]

I'd say that's something a lot of people feel, a desire not to know if something is wrong, or fear of finding out, even though most of the time, not knowing when something is wrong is what is actually dangerous and potentially harmful.

I don't know that I'd call that a phobia so much as avoidance? And something that's a growth place: in other words, something that we often just have to push through and do what we need to to get the care we need anyway, even if it feels scary. The way I'd say most folks get over that is just by learnign to do just that: to feel scared, but do the needed scary thing anyway. <3

[CuteKitten]

Just a little update,
I have nothing bad!
The doctor said I probably have IBS but im ok with that as there are methods to deal with it.
I had a look into what makes IBS worse and I had some of the stressor, was drinking rather a lot of coffee and stressed due to exams. I have since reduced those stressors and even though I still feel nausious no vomiting!!!
Thanks for helping me being brave enough to deal with the problem.

[Heather]

Good on you for pushing past your fears to take care of yourself! And by all means, IBS is usually manageable, it just usually takes some figuring out what triggers it for you and limiting or avoiding those things. You might also want to look into waht's called "low FODMAP" eating, something common for people managing IBS and other things like it.

I hope you can feel better soon.

[CuteKitten]

Thanks I am feel significantly better I did look into low FODMAP eating and it by changing my diet my symptoms have reduced a lot.

[Heather]

Oh, I'm so glad! As someone whose guts often misbehave, I know how much better it can feel when you can start to get them under control. <3