Adults with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome - Terry and Aaron

Email dated 10/31/97

I know just what you and your son are going through, I also have an older child (son who is now 20 years old) and have lived through exactly what you describe in your letter. My son has had CVS since he was 18 months old. It wasn't until he was 17 years old did we find a name and talk to a doctor familiar with the illness. All of the years he was in school, he was always trying to keep caught up on homework, and make up missed tests just like your son. It helps to keep that communication open with the teachers, that's what I did. My son Aaron always carried a B average or higher all through grade, junior, and high school. Largely because of the teachers and their caring and helping my son to make up studies he missed. When he was in high school, I talked with the principal, and asked if we could designate someone (another student) to get missed homework and help with keeping Aaron up to date on notes, etc. They agreed, and so his best friend, Peter, became his link to school when he was ill. He would bring over the text books he needed, or explain (after Aaron was feeling better) what the notes were or what he had missed in class. Aaron was lucky as him and Peter took the same classes each day.

I also have always worked out side the home, and have had the same struggle with being with my son when he is sick, and my responsibility to my job. It is a very tough thing to have to choose, but of course, as a Mother, we know there just is no choice when it comes to our children. It has been hard to explain what was wrong with my son, especially when he was younger and we did not know, to my boss or co-workers. I am sure they all wondered what was going on with all this medical problems. I have had a few different jobs, but had a break when my mother opened her own business, and I worked for her as a manager. She understood all to well what my son and I both had to go through when he was sick. It was so nice not having to explain over and over again. I was even for the first time since he started getting sick, time for a paid vacation, as my mother saw to it I had two weeks a year Paid, for some fun. And when you have to deal with the stress of a sick child, it was nice to receive a vacation once a year. However, she sold the business six years later, making a profit so I couldn't blame her, and was again left to seek outside employment. I have been lucky again that the job I have now the people are very understanding, however, I do use my sick leave and vacation time for when my son is sick, which means I have NOT had a paid vacation for six years now. But I want to be with my son when he is sick, and he always has to be hospitalized for IV therapy, so I miss work and stay at the hospital with him - and he is 20 Years Old!! But they just can't be left to feel alone, and I would never do that to him. His learning to live with this and deal with this is getting better, but there are times he gets depressed. He had enrolled in college last fall (a year ago) and one month before school to start, a lady crossed the center line and hit him head on in his car. It did not hurt him really bad, except it through him into a loop with the CVS. He had always before had an episode about every three to four months apart, after the accident, it was two to three times each WEEK for almost six months. It was just awful, for him and me. He canceled school, he was just to sick to often to go. It has been getting better again, going about two months between, but he still does not feel confident enough to enroll again yet. It really set him back in what he feels he can do with his life. I do hope, soon, someone will find some answers to help these young people, and get some relief for them.

My son has tried all sort of different prescriptions of medicine, but as for now, the only thing that has helped is IV, with Phenegran and Zantac included in it, along with Valium or Morphine.

Hope this has helped, just wanted you to know that we understand what you both are going through, hang in there, your doing a great job.

Email dated 6/19/98

I was reading all the messages of today, and I couldn't help but respond to this one. My son Aaron (who is now 20 years old) has had CVS (at the time we did not know it had a name) since the age of two years old. He went through the routine of several years of all the tests. He does not have a metabolic problem, or any other problem of any kind that can be found. He also has only gotten sick early morning upon rising. Over the last eighteen years, this has always been the pattern. This is why I wonder if all the cases I read about on this list serve makes me wonder if this is really what everyone has? Is this just a name they decided to give it as there were no other answers? I have been with the CVS group for a couple of years now. And I want to keep up with the latest information, I wonder if this really has helped my son at all. There are no answers, and we have had to come up with (along with the Doctor) which treatment works for my son. We have tried other things that others have, with no luck. This gets so nerve racking, trying to make sense of it all. I guess I am just confused as to what is and what isn't CVS and how to treat it. Does anyone else feel this way?

Email dated 7/28/1998

I use to think that stress played a role in bringing on an episode in my son. Like you, I could always think of something, even a small something, to blame it on. My son is now 20 years old, and there have been times when things here were REALLY stressed out, and yet he would not have an episode. But just like this last weekend, no stress and he had an episode. I have over the last 19 years (he has had this since two years old) I have tried to find some kind of link , be it food, environment, stress, etc.. to pin it on. We have changed food types, bottled water, different soaps, bedding, carpet, furnace, you name it we have either changed or gotten rid of. We still have no link to what triggers it, other than when he gets a cold I know FOR SURE he will have an episode. I almost drove myself crazy trying to figure it out. Now we just deal with the episode when it happens (each month at least once) and go on. I only pray he will some day out grow thi

Terry mom to Aaron age 20

[Main Page]

[Adult Survey - Please consider filling out the survey]

[Articles]

[Other CVS Sites - All the CVS Websites we could find]

[Photo Album]

[Pregnancy Issues]

[Profiles and Email Addresses]

[Reading Room]

[Sexual Dysfunction]