February
2008
Nausea & Vomiting - A Hurling Issue
Nausea and Vomiting (N/V): who likes to feel nauseous and then throw up? Nausea is the feeling you are going to vomit. Vomit is actually bring up the stomach contents up and out through the mouth. If you don’t bring anything up, then it is called retching.
Many things cause nausea and vomiting. If you get motion sick like me, you will know that is one cause. Vertigo A viral GI bug usually goes around a community once or twice a year it seems. Bacterial GI bug comes from food normally, especially in undercooked or ill-prepared chicken. Pregnant all too well know N/V, like 70-85% of them. Diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperthyroidism, parathyroid disease are metabolic reasons. GI illness: peptic ulcers, pancreas disease, gallbladder disease, hepatitis, gastroparesis (slow GI system), small bowel obstruction. Migraines, meningitis, anxiety. Medicines, alcohol, narcotics, vitamins. Forcing vomiting is bulimia.
Vomiting can be protective against poisons and toxins. It is not GERD in which stomach acid and contents creep up the esophagus. Vomiting is forceful expulsion. If you are like me, I hate to vomit. Retching is when the throat and respiratory muscles prevent the vomit from coming up. Projectile vomiting can be a sign of an underlying neurological problem
Problems that can result from N/V: dehydration from not keeping fluids down. Puking up the acids can drop the body’s potassium and raise the pH of the blood. The esophagus can tear and bleed.
Treatment: well relief of the N/V depends on the underlying problem. Ginger and vitamin B6 can work for some people, in particular in pregnancy. Phenergan, compazine, reglan are common meds. Dexamethasone is a steroid that sometimes is used after surgery if vomiting is bad, or droperidol. Chemotherapy can cause terrible N/V and Zofran (ondansetron), granisetron, and dexamethasone can be used. Marijuana in cancer patients, but marijuana abusers can have the opposite and vomit. For people like me with vertigo, treating the vertigo is the main goal.
drjohnhong 
Uncategorized, GI 
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