[pct-l] Nausea on the trail

[Tom Bache]

Ken or Wanda,

This subject is of great interest to me.  I have so far section hiked the
southern 1990 miles of the PCT (reached McKenzie Pass).  During this long
journey, I have never been able to eat more than a few hundred calories/day
on the trail, and the problem has been getting steadily worse.  In the past
few seasons I have done two or three hikes lasting 7-8 days and eaten almost
nothing.  As with you, the problem is nausea.  Nausea is not unusual thing
for me ‹ I am very susceptible to motion sickness, and I usually vomited
within 30 minutes of finishing hard 1500-10,00 meter races during my
youthful track career.   The good news is that I never bonk, so I can hike a
week without eating and feel fine.  Maybe you can too.  I¹ve lost as much as
20 lbs on the trail, taking me back to my weight in my prime, and that is no
bad thing! 

A couple of years ago I made a post like yours seeking some advice.  The
best was from a guy (can¹t remember his name) who said, ³don¹t worry about
it, you¹ll get hungry before you die of malnutrition.²  So I quit worrying,
and I even got a bit vain about my special weight loss program
(advertisement: ³hike 150 miles, eat nothing  ‹ I guarantee that you will
lose excess weight²).

But last year I did two 7-8 day hikes with only 3 weeks between to regain
full strength and some fat reserves.  The second one really hammered me
(stopping for dry heaves every 30 minutes is a tedious way to hike), and I
had to hole up in a motel room for a couple of days until I could finally
begin to eat and regain the strength to fly home (recall my hyper motion
sickness!).  This experience took a lot of the fun out of hiking, so I
consulted a couple of physicians who found my case to be interesting (they
enjoy an opportunity to treat healthy people).   They recognized what should
have been obvious to me -- my symptoms mirror those of anorexics.  They
dubbed it ³exercise-induced anorexia.²   The treatment they are recommending
is two drugs normally prescribed for anorexics and cancer patients suffering
nausea from chemotherapy.  One is an appetite enhancer, and the other is a
nausea suppressor.  I haven¹t tried them yet (hitting the trail again July
1), but I will.  I¹ll make a post to let you know how it turns out.

Tom Bache
San Diego



> From: Ken and Wanda Brimmer
> Sender: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net
> To: Pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: [pct-l] Nausia
> Sent: Jun 6, 2010 5:57 PM
> 
> I need some advice.  I am section hiking the JMT.  My problem is that I get
> severe nausea.  I lose my appetite the minute I hit the trail.  I force myself
> to eat but still lose about a pound a day.  I drink lots of water to stay
> hydrated.  Any ideas that might settle my stomach and put a smile back on my
> face?  
> _______________________________________________