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Vomiting with UC

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Ulcerative Colitis
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MelanieMedinaUC
New Member
Joined : Jul 2019
Posts : 5
Posted 7/12/2019 2:19 PM (GMT -6)
Does anyone know what causes vomiting with a UC flare up?

Context: I was dx'd with UC in 2006 and have had only mild flare-ups on and off throughout this time. But starting in June of this year, I've been experiencing the worst flare-up I've ever had. I spent two days in the hospital, missed two weeks of work, and am wanting to die so that I no longer feel so miserable.

This flare has come with the symptom of vomiting. Virtually every time I have a bowel movement -- which is roughly 20 X per day -- my stomach becomes insanely knotted and I just puke as I'm pooping. I've never had this symptom with my flare-ups in the past so I'm curious what experiences others have had.

For what it's worth, I'm waiting on a refill of Zofran from my GI. So, I should improve shortly. I also had my first dose of Entyvio earlier this week, and I am literally begging God for a positive response to this new drug.

Another side note: I am a cancer survivor. I've survived six horrendous rounds of chemotherapy, including adriamycin. So my misery tolerance is quite high. But this sustained misery, I don't know how to cope. If you have any words of encouragement I would be grateful for them.
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Mrsmith687
New Member
Joined : Jan 2019
Posts : 19
Posted 7/12/2019 4:57 PM (GMT -6)
Good God, life must be rough at the moment. Honestly if you're pooping and vomiting as much as you are then you'd be at serious risk of dehydration, if nothing else. Might be worth a trip to hospital (or at the very least your doctor) just to try and stabilise you.
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18361
Posted 7/12/2019 9:12 PM (GMT -6)
It's time to go to ER. With both ends running you can dehydrate fast & it can be dangerous. I am not trying to scare you, but after the dr explained things to me I now know to go there. Do not wait around on the gi to call in the Zofran. Every time I have gone to ER, I have been admitted.

Take care.
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MarkWithIBD
Regular Member
Joined : Jun 2018
Posts : 442
Posted 7/13/2019 3:56 PM (GMT -6)
In my first flare I didn't vomit, but in my second, third and fourth flares I did. Part of it was because the pain reached extreme levels and vomiting (or fainting) provided relief. I also think that when the immune system is so intensely active against the bowel, the body won't commit as much resource to stomach digestion. Usually when my flares reach 10/10 and I end up in the hospital, I am vomiting any time I put food in my stomach. My GI just does not want food in there. It wants everything out.

I really think IBD is pathogen driven. The symptoms I get during a flare like vomiting and diarrhea look identical to when I get food poisoning. It feels the same, relief comes through the same pathways (like vomiting), and my body rejects food.
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MelanieMedinaUC
New Member
Joined : Jul 2019
Posts : 5
Posted 7/14/2019 1:58 PM (GMT -6)
Thank you so much to everyone who has responded. It means a lot. smile

I think the day I posted this might have been the single worst day of my entire life. That was Friday. It is now Sunday, and I'm feeling remarkably better.

I'd refused to go to the ER because it would have been my third ER visit in as many weeks. I was inpatient for several days after that 2nd ER visit, and while they physicians were able to stabilize me somewhat with IV steroids and potassium, I'm still not healed. I didn't see the point in going back to the ER.

At any rate, by the grace of God, I happened to catch a nurse in my GI's office who called in a Zofran refill at 4 p.m. on a Friday. It has allowed me to keep small meals down this weekend. I feel SO much better, although I have a very long way to go.

Last thing I'll say: MarkWithIBD, this makes SO much sense! I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me. " I also think that when the immune system is so intensely active against the bowel, the body won't commit as much resource to stomach digestion."

Thank you for sharing this perspective. I believe it might be what's going on with me. It looks like I will have to keep surviving on small bowls of grits and bacon bits (I'm from Texas. It's a Southern thing) -- easy on the bacon.

Again, thank you so much for everyone's comments.
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iPoop
Forum Moderator
Joined : Aug 2012
Posts : 16208
Posted 7/15/2019 8:43 AM (GMT -6)
Glad you're feeling better and got a hold of some Zofran. Hope you keep healing and improvement! Hang in there it will get better!
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little_bear
Regular Member
Joined : Mar 2018
Posts : 61
Posted 7/15/2019 4:28 PM (GMT -6)
Glad to hear you're feeling better. I started a flare in July of 2017 and still haven't fully recovered from it, but I'm slowly getting there. This was the first flare for me that involved throwing up while also experiencing 20 - 24 bouts of diarrhea per day. When I asked my doctor why I was also throwing up, he explained that the bowels and stomach are all connected to the vegus nerve and that because my bowels were so inflamed, it was also influencing my stomach and it's ability to digest food properly. I sympathize with what you are going through. I had a full 3 months of throwing up off and on while also using the restroom and it was truly miserable. I don't know how I got through it all, but I did and hope and pray I never go back there again.
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MelanieMedinaUC
New Member
Joined : Jul 2019
Posts : 5
Posted 7/15/2019 7:30 PM (GMT -6)
little_bear, thank you SO much for your post. Your doctor's explanation makes a lot of sense. I've read so much about the vagus nerve and the gut-brain connection. I wasn't thinking of it also connecting the intestines and the stomach.

Thankfully, today was an improvement over yesterday. I have not needed a Zofran for two days, though, trust me, I have a big bottle full of them close to me at all times.

I see you switched from Entyvio to Xeljanz. If you don't mind my asking, how long did you try Entyvio, and why did your doctor end up switching you? My GI doc just today discussed the possibility of moving me from Entyvio to Xeljanz, even though I've only had one dose of Entyvio. She is so concerned about my lack of response to 40 mg of prednisone + the dose of Entyvio that she's thinking of switching me already.

I'd also love to know which supplements and vitamins you're taking! (I'm taking a calcium supplement right now to hopefully offset that insane dose of prednisone, which I hope to start tapering from soon.)

Again, thank you so much for your response to my message.
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little_bear
Regular Member
Joined : Mar 2018
Posts : 61
Posted 7/16/2019 8:42 PM (GMT -6)
MelanieMedinaUC- I was on Entyvio for just over a year. I improved while on it, but was still bleeding and running to the restroom 6 - 7 times a day. My doctor felt like it wasn't working well enough and suggested I switch to Xeljanz. I was reluctant at first since I had improved, but because I was also on prednisone to help control the bleeding for about 2 months, I decided to give it a try and try to taper off of prednisone. I have since tapered off of prednisone and my symptoms have continued to very slowly improve. I haven't noticed any bleeding for about 2 weeks now and now visit the restroom about 3 times per day. For some reason, my calprotectin test shows increased inflammation since starting Xeljanz. I'm not really sure why that is the case. 2 different labs were used - I'm not sure if that has something to do with it. However, I'm using my symptoms as my primary marker rather than the lab results for now.

As for supplements, I take 1 gram of cal-mag per day (I had thyroid cancer about 14 years ago and a total thyroidectomy, so need more calcium supplementation than the average individual), vitamin B complex, vitamin D3 with K2, l-glutamine, omega 3, Xing Dai, zinc, vitamin C, N-A-C, aloe MP and a multi-vitamin.

I'm so glad to hear zofran is working for you. On most days, it didn't stop me from throwing up, and I felt like a complete mess for far too long. Biologics scared me at first because of a history with cancer, but I will be quicker to try new drugs in the future to avoid ever returning to the sick and sad state I was in.
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MelanieMedinaUC
New Member
Joined : Jul 2019
Posts : 5
Posted 7/17/2019 7:50 AM (GMT -6)
little_bear, thank you for sharing this! It's really helpful. I definitely hear you on the fear of biologics with a history of cancer. I went through breast cancer in 2011, so my doctors have been reluctant to put me on anything stronger than Lialda/Asacol/mesalamine. ... Until this most recent flare up. Entyvio is definitely taking its sweet time, but I think the prednisone is FINALLY starting to kick in (after about three weeks; it's never taken that long to work in the past). I'm going to give the Entyvio a little more time to work, but Xeljanz may be in my future. We shall see!
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 7/22/2019 2:52 PM (GMT -6)
You could ask your doctor about going up to 50 mg prednisone. My flares no longer seem to help with 40 mg; I now have to start at 50 mg prednisone. I am always scared I will throw up with my UC, but I have not so far (knock on wood). I'm also often scared of passing out due to the pain. I've read about the vagus nerve in relation to a feeling I get sometimes suddenly like I'm about to pass out. Interesting to read about it's connection to the digestive system in a broader sense.

I'm glad you're improving a bit and that the Zofran is helping you. Sounds like you were going through absolute misery.
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Tristan1974
Regular Member
Joined : May 2018
Posts : 95
Posted 7/23/2019 12:18 AM (GMT -6)
OMG, so sorry you're going through what I experienced! weird how rare it is to find a post like this - even my docs looked at me like I was a martian when I was going through it.

Please know that our bodies recover amazingly quick and since that happened to me, those memories are distant and with the help of proper treatment, UC for most of us is an inconvenience (meds, etc)...

Best of luck.
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