How Do We Diagnose Chronic Nausea?

We are one of a few programs in the San Francisco Bay Area with dedicated experts who specialize in treating complex gastrointestinal conditions like chronic nausea. With a specialized Gastrointestinal Motility Lab, we offer comprehensive and multispecialty diagnostic testing, both within and outside of the lab to quickly and accurately diagnose your condition.

You many need one or more tests, including:

• Blood tests: Using a sample of your blood, we may run a number of tests including:
  • Complete blood count to look for signs of anemia and infections
  • Electrolyte and kidney function panel to look for electrolyte abnormalities and liver issues
  • Albumin tests to assess your nutritional status
• Gastric emptying study: Using advanced imaging technology and a tiny amount of radioactive (nuclear) material to examine how quickly you move food from your stomach to your small intestine after eating a small meal.
• Wireless capsule gastrointestinal monitoring system: Swallowing a pill with a tiny wireless monitoring system inside (SmartPill®) to record acid levels, temperature, and pressure changes in your GI tract. The wireless motility test lets us know how fast or slow your stomach, small bowel, and colon are emptying. Your body cannot digest the SmartPill®, and it will eventually pass through a bowel movement.
• Gastroduodenal manometry: With the help of a small flexible tube, tiny camera, and special instruments we pass down your mouth to your esophagus (endoscope), we measure how strong and how often the smooth muscle in your stomach and small intestine contracts and relaxes.
• Esophageal manometry: Passing a small tube through your nose to your esophagus, this test allows your doctor to measure pressure and muscle contractions.
• Autonomic function testing: A series of tests, including breathing tests, sweat tests, and possibly an ultrasound to evaluate the part of your brain responsible for regulating your digestive tract (autonomous nervous system).