By: Amanda Victor
The truth is that everyone has experienced that sick feeling in the pit of their stomach. However, for the individual with fibro, it can be even worse.
This nausea can last for just one day, for a week, or even for several months. Some individuals may find that it is sporadic and others find that it occurs on a daily basis and threatens their quality of life.
While it is true that pain is something that individuals with the condition of fibro seem to find the strength they need to power through, chronic nausea and the symptoms that go along with this can become so intense that they don’t want to leave their home.
Nausea and Other Symptoms
In most cases, the symptom of nausea is not alone. Typically, it is accompanied by other symptoms that tend to magnify the intensity and duration, such as the following:
Heart palpitations
Dizziness
Chills
Feeling faint
Sweating
Vomiting
Difficulty breathing
Why So Much Nausea?
The truth is that often, nausea- especially when accompanied by vomiting- is really a “friend”, as it can be our body’s way of getting rid of certain toxins or reminding us that we are sensitive- or even allergic- to certain foods. On the other hand, chronic nausea can be debilitating.
Statistics show that between 40-70 percent of individuals with the condition of fibro often experience the symptoms of chronic nausea and vomiting.
On some days, they may only experience a mild “gagging” when brushing their teeth. On other days, the symptoms are as intense as vomiting when smelling certain foods cooking in the kitchen.
This is the reason why the nausea associated with the condition of fibro is often compared to morning sickness and pregnancy- you never know when it is going to hit.
Causes of Fibromyalgia Nausea
The truth is that just about anything can be a trigger for nausea in individuals with fibro. Many of the triggers for pain can also trigger nausea, dizziness, and other symptoms of fibro.
The condition of fibro is often described as a “cluster” of different conditions. Experts agree that the condition of fibro does encompass various conditions, such as the following:
1) Migraines: studies have revealed that over 50 percent of individuals with fibro also suffer from chronic migraines and headaches.
Often, migraines last for several days and are accompanied by dizziness, nausea, and vomiting due to nerve constriction.
2) Irritable bowel syndrome: one of the common side effects of fibro is IBS. This is a condition in which your lower intestine is very sensitive, which results in cycles of constipation, cramping, and diarrhea. These symptoms can also lead to nausea and other symptoms.
3) Disequilibrium: this is a very common experience of individuals with fibro and describes an imbalance in equilibrium. Your inner ear does not work properly, which causes you to experience nausea, lightheadedness, and dizziness.
4) Neurally mediated hypotension: nearly everyone who has fibro has experienced neurally mediated hypotension at least once in their life.
This is a condition that occurs upon standing up after sitting or lying down for a period of time. When you stand, your blood pressure drops, which causes you to feel dizzy, sweaty, nauseous, and heart palpitations.
5) Weak eye muscles: when you have fibro, the muscles in your eye can be weak- if you have ever experienced nausea while turning your head to see traffic while driving or reading, you can attest to this.What Can You Do?
Until 1990, the condition of fibro was not a recognized disorder. However, these days there is so much more help available.
There are now many medications on the market that can help you to control your symptoms of fibro- BUT in some cases, your body may become immune to a particular medication, which means that you have to change frequently. There are some other options that you have to treat your condition, such as the following:
1) Diet
Believe it or not, your diet plays a serious role in your overall health when you have the condition of fibro.
While it’s true that everyone is different, there are specific triggers that affect nearly everyone, including: caffeine, processed foods, gluten, preservatives, sugar, dairy, and others. If you have been experiencing nausea, try to avoid these as much as you can.
Make sure that you always stay hydrated and keep crackers handy. You can use some type of ginger such as ginger ale or crystalized ginger to settle your stomach. However, avoid juices, citric fruits, and other acidic foods.
2) Environment
If you have nausea and dizziness, do what you can to minimize light and avoid bright lights, loud noises, and fluorescent lights.
In many cases, your symptoms of fibro can keep you from sleeping. Therefore, if you experience nausea, headaches, and other symptoms, it is critical that you make your environment conducive to a good nights’ sleep– keep it dark, cool, and quiet.
In addition, you want to find the most comfortable sleep position. In many cases, this may mean turning your body away from whatever is causing you discomfort.
During the day, try to avoid smells that you find offensive or strong that trigger your symptoms of nausea.
Just like a woman who is pregnant, individuals with the condition of fibro can be sensitive to specific motions, sounds, and even smells. Be aware of what is around you and do what you can to avoid your triggers.
3) Stress
If you have stress in your life that results in your stomach staying in knots, the symptoms of nausea and others will never dissipate on their own.
You must figure out how you can help clear them up by finding ways to reduce your stress.
One way to reduce stress is to do something called “brain dump.” The truth is that when you spend all your time stressing out over your condition and everything else going on, your stomach will stay knotted up and the feeling of nausea will envelop you.
When you do a “brain dump,” you take five minutes or so to jot down everything that is going through your mind- no matter how insignificant you think it seems.
You can jot down productive thoughts/ideas or worry and stress thoughts. This will help to clear your mind- and you may even see that your nausea and other symptoms have disappeared as well.
