Your symptoms of salivary gland reactions, nausea, and prolonged fullness could potentially be linked to your dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF), or they may point to separate, coexisting gastrointestinal and salivary issues. Because a dAVF alters vascular pressure and blood flow around the brain and spinal cord, it can sometimes influence surrounding neurological structures that govern digestion and salivation. [1]

Potential Connections to Your dAVF

• Cranial Nerve Compression: If your dAVF is located near the skull base or brainstem, the high-pressure blood flow or associated venous swelling can put pressure on nearby cranial nerves.
  • The facial (CN VII) and glossopharyngeal (CN IX) nerves control your salivary glands.
  • The vagus nerve (CN X) regulates your stomach motility and digestion. If vagus nerve function is impaired, it can cause delayed gastric emptying (gastroparesis), leaving you feeling excessively full for hours and triggering nausea. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
• Increased Intracranial Pressure (ICP): A dAVF can cause back-pressure in the brain’s veins (venous hypertension). This increase in overall head pressure is a well-known trigger for persistent nausea and vomiting. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Alternative or Coexisting Causes

It is also entirely possible that you are experiencing two distinct issues simultaneously:

• Mealtime Syndrome or Salivary Blockage: A reaction in your salivary glands every time you eat frequently points to a physical blockage, like a salivary stone (sialolithiasis) or localized inflammation (sialadenitis). When you eat, your glands produce saliva, but a restriction causes it to back up, creating a sudden reaction or swelling. [1, 2, 3]
• Primary Gastroparesis or Functional Dyspepsia: Early satiety (feeling full very quickly or for a long time) and nausea are hallmark symptoms of gastroparesis or functional dyspepsia. These digestive disorders can occur independently of vascular anomalies. [1, 2, 3]

Recommended Next Steps

1. Contact Your Neurovascular Specialist: Inform the neurologist or neurosurgeon managing your dAVF about these symptoms. Ask them specifically if the anatomical location of your fistula or current venous pressure patterns could be impacting your lower cranial nerves or brainstem. [1, 2, 3]
2. See a Gastroenterologist: They can order a gastric emptying study to look at how quickly food leaves your stomach. [1]
3. Consult an ENT (Otolaryngologist): An ear, nose, and throat specialist can evaluate your salivary glands for stones, structural narrowing, or nerve-related salivation changes. [1, 2]

Seriously, they recommend a gastro doctor and a ENT!!!!

Want to know how many of those yahoo’s I have seen??? I can tell you more than 2 and less than 20!!!!! AND NO ONE GOT IT RIGHT!!!!

So if not the pancreas, then the Air Force and the VA are negligent of malpractice and my body is the evidence….

Do I think the above is it???

The back pain says otherwise and when it’s real bad, I can’t lay down on my back or sides and I have to sit up with heat… SO???????

I have sat at my desk for a hour, trying to eat some sliced up apple and I am fighting the whole time not to puke!!!

Does this happen with all foods, yea, pretty much…

My salivary glands will freak the moment I drink anything other than water or if I put anything in my mouth, but when you look at the pancreas, it can trigger the same symptoms!!!!!

SO DAMN CONFUSING!!!!!!!

So hopefully the gastro doctor will do a better job than the Air Force doctors or the Veterans doctors, but I got my doubts!!!!

Not back to square one, but damn… I been tested for all the other junk!!!! BUT NOT THE PANCREAS!!!!!!

I remember

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