Woman suffers rare condition that makes her vomit up to 100 times a day – for a week at a time
Lucy suffered from unexplained bouts of sickness from an early age, but was only diagnosed aged 23
LUCY Maven vomits up to 100 times a day and nothing will stop it.
The 28-year-old suffers from a condition so rare the number of people who have it in the world is not known.
Lucy, from Stockton, should be living life to the full but sometimes her illness leaves her throwing up for a week at a time.
At their worst, the monthly sickness attacks leave her in hospital and on a drip for days at a time.
She said: “When an episode comes on I will literally vomit uncontrollably. Even swallowing my own saliva makes me sick.
“Last time I had an episode I was in hospital on a drip for six days. My record is nine.
The night before a Beyonce concert I was that excited I just started throwing up.
Lucy Maven, 28
“Nothing will stop it. Being in hospital just controls the symptoms and makes it a little better.”
The violent vomiting episodes happen without warning and can last anywhere from a couple of hours to 10 agonising days.
But the condition, called cyclical vomiting syndrome, is so rare that Lucy claims some doctors don’t believe she is unwell.
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She said: “Doctors don’t believe me. They don’t believe I’m poorly. It is horrible.
“I am being sick uncontrollably and I am being told to take medicine that I know will come back up.
“Sometimes I am literally left fighting for the treatment I need.
“But there are some doctors and nurses that know about it now and my GP is fantastic.”
Nothing will stop it. Being in hospital just controls the symptoms and makes it a little better.
Lucy Maven, 28
Lucy suffered from unexplained bouts of sickness from an early age, but was only diagnosed with the condition aged 23.
She added: “There’s different severities so some people might not realise their unexpected bouts of vomiting are down to cyclical vomiting syndrome.
“As I have got older it has got worse. I now have to take about five or six different tablets a day.”
She said the condition is unpredictable, and she can go months at a time without an episode.
WHAT IS CYCLICAL VOMITING SYNDROME?
Cyclical vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a rare vomiting disorder most commonly seen in children, although it can affect adults too.
Someone with CVS will frequently feel very sick and will vomit for hours, or even days, at a time.
They will then recover from the episode and feel perfectly well, before experiencing another episode perhaps a month or so later.
These vomiting attacks are not explained by an infection or other illness.
Symptoms:
Someone with CVS will go through a regular cycle of feeling ill.
1. Prodrome phase:
- feeling that an episode is about to start
- intense sweating and nausea for a few minutes to a few hours
2. Vomiting phase:
- retching and vomiting that often starts in the night or early morning
- vomiting up to five or six times an hour for at least one hour, for up to 10 days
- may not be able to move or respond
- other possible symptoms: abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever, dizziness, headache, sensitivity to light, extremely pale skin, drowsiness or unresponsiveness, drooling or spitting excess saliva
3. Recovery phase:
- vomiting and retching stop, and nausea subsides
- recovery is gradual or immediate
4. Well phase:
- a period of no symptoms – until the prodrome phase
Treatment:
Treatment is often a process of trial and error.
Patients may be given medicine to prevent nausea and vomiting, medicine for abdominal pain, medicine to control stomach acid, migraine treatments.
There is no known cause, but stressful or exciting situations can suddenly lead to vomiting.
She recalled: “The night before a Beyonce concert I was that excited I just started throwing up.
“The morning of it I thought there is no way I can go to this concert tonight. I ended up in hospital instead on a drip.
“I also had an episode a few days before I went to Turkey.”
Alongside the physical effects, the condition had also left Lucy fighting to keep hold of her previous job.
“I didn’t want to lose my job,” she said.
“I never wanted to say to my supervisor I was being sick.
“I used to say I am going to the stock room but I was actually going to be sick.
“And at the end of the day, I literally got a taxi from work to hospital.”
She now works part time for her mum Fiona Boston at the Make-Up Box in Hartlepool and is trying to keep calm as she waits to hear back about a new full-time job.
Lucy is also the secretary of Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome Association (CVSA) and in November spoke at its annual conference.
The CSVA will be holding a family day at Birmingham Children’s Hospital on March 10.
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