Everyone experiences nausea and vomiting at some points due to pregnancy, illness or motion sickness. However, if you feel such symptoms daily for long periods of time, it’s important to talk with your provider about uncovering and treating the causes to avoid harmful consequences such as dehydration, malnutrition and long-term damage to your digestive system.
Symptoms & Diagnosis
You may experience nausea or vomiting on their own or a combination of the two conditions.
Nausea leaves you feeling queasy or sick to the stomach. It can occur with other symptoms such as:
- Sweating
- Feeling flush
- Salivating
- Lightheadedness
- Decreased desire to eat or fear of eating
- Pain in the upper abdomen
- Feeling full after eating small amounts
Every patient’s experience with nausea and vomiting is unique and our first step is a complete physical exam to determine the cause. Some cases stem from minor illness or infection and we can help with medication. If the condition has caused severe dehydration, you might need intravenous fluids.
If we cannot find the cause of your nausea and vomiting, we might recommend:
- Blood tests
- Diagnostic tests of the gastrointestinal tract and abdomen, including x rays, barium x rays, CT or MRI scans.
- Endoscopy
- Motility testing to see how well food moves through your stomach and intestines
Treatment Options
As with many conditions, treatment of chronic nausea and vomiting varies based on its cause and severity. In general, we will suggest:
- Fluid replacement. We can restore fluids to the body intravenously, using special solutions containing potassium.
- Medication. Different options can prevent symptoms or reduce the symptoms once they have begun.
- Nutritional support. If you cannot eat because nausea and vomiting are so severe, the nutritionists on our team can help you start with clear liquids and progress slowly to soft foods and, finally, normal foods. If other conditions make it impossible to eat by mouth, we can place a feeding tube right into your intestines to keep your body nourished.
- Gastric stimulation.
- Alternative therapies. Acupressure bands can help with pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting.
Living with the Condition
We work with patients on personalized tactics for identifying and avoiding any triggers of chronic nausea and vomiting when possible. In addition to medication and other treatments, we can advise on lifestyle changes that can help.