Do i have cyclic vomiting syndrome?

Congratulations! You’ve stumbled upon the definitive guide to determining whether you have cyclic vomiting syndrome, a condition that nobody wants but can’t help feeling a bit envious of because it has such an interesting name. Here’s what you need to know:

What Is Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS)?

CVS is a rare and mysterious condition that affects both children and adults. The symptoms include recurrent episodes of severe nausea and vomiting, usually lasting hours or even days, followed by long periods without symptoms.

The exact cause of CVS is unknown, which only adds to its allure. Doctors think it might be related to migraines or neurological problems, but they’re not entirely sure.

What we do know is that if you have CVS, your quality of life probably isn’t great. So let’s figure out if you have it.

What Are the Symptoms of CVS?

The most obvious symptom of CVS is vomiting – lots and lots of vomit (but don’t worry too much about this yet) . However, there are a few other telltale signs as well:

  • Severe nausea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Headaches (could also signify something else)
  • Sensitivity to light and sound

If these symptoms occur in cycles – meaning they happen again and again for no apparent reason – then there’s a good chance you could be dealing with CVS.

But wait! Before we jump to conclusions (always wise) , let’s take a look at some other potential causes for these symptoms:

Other Possible Causes

Here are some conditions that share similar features with CVS:

Gastroparesis

This fancy word means “stomach paralysis.” In short: your stomach takes longer than normal to digest food due to nerve damage or muscular dysfunction. This results in bloating, abdominal pain/distension after eating small meals, nausea and vomiting. If a full stomach seems to coincide with your bouts of sickness, this could be an issue.

Abdominal Migraines

Don’t laugh – abdominal migraines are certainly no laughing matter (well maybe they can be if like me you find dark humour therapeutic) . This type of migraine primarily affects children but can follow through into adulthood. It usually includes the same symptoms as regular migraines — only in the abdomen instead of the head (who knew?). These symptoms may include: cramps, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation among some other bodily features.

Food allergies/poisoning

Do particular foods seem to instigate these episodes? The problem might not lie within your body at all! Certain food allergens or bacterial infections caused by ingestion of contaminated food might elicit such reactions.

Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is what happens when stomach acid flows back up into your oesophagus due to a weakened muscle which stops preventing acidic contents from flowing upwards. As unpleasant as it may sound – this sometimes goes hand-in-hand with CVS (cue dramatic music!) .

If you’re experiencing any combination of these conditions on top of persistent nausea and vomiting cycles then anyone would immediately diagnose themselves with CVS – however always wise not to jump straight ahead diagnostic highways without visiting a medical professional first.

How Is CVS Diagnosed?

There isn’t one specific test doctors use for diagnosing CVS; rather, it’s typically a process that involves ruling out other potential causes (hey we already have so many mentioned above) .

Some measures taken during this process could include blood tests examination to test nerve function , MRI scans are done etcetera along-with keeping track/reporting frequency & duration periods which helps rule out possible infectious diseases amongst others Medical imaging procedures like endoscopy looking inside different parts of digestive tract will more often than not help get a clearer picture.

Talk about CVS often because otherwise, it tends to get overlooked in clinical settings.

How Is CVS Treated?

Ah the moment you’ve been waiting for: all of your potential suffering can finally come to an end (that is if diagnosed with something treatable) ! Unfortunately, there’s no cure for CVS – yet, but don’t lose hope!

There are some management strategies that might help, which may prevent or abort vomiting cycles . During sudden episodes using medication before retching/vomiting perhaps even trying alternative therapies like acupuncture or hypnotherapy could lessen the severity or duration of symptoms. CVStress is very real friends – so avoiding stress-inducing situations somehow (easier said than done) will also help greatly reduce episode frequency/duration.

So there you have it folks! A guide on how to self-diagnose yourself with cyclic vomiting syndrome when faced with suspicious symptoms — and almost equally as importantly – rule out other possibilities while doing so! Remember your first port-of-call should always be a medical professional who’ll lead you in defining causes/proper diagnosis & excluding rarer health conditions that could surface alongside this cyclic ailment we call CVS (or any ailment generally really) .

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