Apart from pregnancy, there are many common causes of vomiting, ranging from overeating, food poisoning, to certain diseases. To help overcome and prevent it, consider the following information.
Vomiting is a condition when stomach contents come out through the mouth, either forcibly or not. Before vomiting, you will usually feel nausea which makes you feel uncomfortable in the stomach.
Actually vomiting is not a disease, but includes a symptom of several diseases. Therefore, the cause of vomiting needs to be found out so that it can be treated appropriately.
Various Possible Causes of Vomiting
Vomiting can be caused by things that are not harmful. However, there is also vomiting which indicates a serious disorder. Here are 25 things that make you vomit:
- Eating too large portions
- Food poisoning
- Stress
- Motion sickness
- Gastrointestinal infections
- Kidney infection
- early stage of pregnancy/morning sickness
- Reaction to certain odors
- Stomach acid disease
- Appendicitis
- Blockage in the intestine
- Gastroparesis or disorders of the muscles of the stomach wall
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Gallbladder disease
- Hepatitis
- Heart attack
- Migraine
- Ear infection
- Meningitis
- Depression
- bulimia
- Concussion or brain injury
- Several types of cancer
- Side effects of treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy
- Vertigo
Most of the causes of vomiting can be identified by looking at other complaints experienced. However, in some conditions, it is necessary to do an examination to be able to determine the cause.
If the cause is known, the doctor can provide appropriate treatment and recommend ways to prevent vomiting in the future.
How to Detect the Cause of Vomiting
If you vomit after eating certain foods, you may have food poisoning. Usually vomiting will occur at least 1-8 hours after you eat food that has been contaminated with bacteria, especially Salmonella bacteria.
When you are traveling long distances by car, bus, boat, plane, or train, and suddenly you feel nauseous and vomit, it could be a sign that you have motion sickness or vertigo.
To detect other causes of vomiting, you can consult a doctor. The doctor will ask for a history of the appearance of complaints that accompany vomiting, as well as perform a physical examination.
If deemed necessary, you will also undergo a series of additional examinations, such as:
- blood test
- urine test
- Pregnancy test
- Scans, such as X-rays or abdominal ultrasound
Through this series of examinations, the doctor can predict the cause of vomiting more clearly so that they can provide the appropriate treatment for your condition.
Things to do after vomiting
When you vomit, you will expel a lot of fluids from your body, making you susceptible to dehydration. Signs that you are dehydrated include dry lips and mouth, thirst, dizziness, sunken eyes, palpitations, dark colored urine, and decreased frequency of urination.
In order to avoid dehydration after vomiting while reducing the risk of vomiting again, there are several things you need to do, namely:
- Drink lots of fluids, such as water, ginger water, or warm ORS solution
- Don't eat heavy food right away. Wait until about 6 hours after vomiting or when you don't feel nauseous.
- Try eating light, bland foods, such as porridge, crackers, or bread, in small amounts every 2 hours.
- Avoid fried, oily, or sweet foods.
- Avoid brushing your teeth after eating.
If you are vomiting due to stomach problems, for example because of acid reflux disease, you can undergo special treatment along with healthy lifestyle adjustments to reduce vomiting.
If vomiting appears as a side effect of treatment you are taking, such as cancer treatment or chemotherapy, there may be special steps that you need to take as directed by your doctor, such as adjusting your diet during treatment or taking other drugs to reduce the side effects of vomiting.
Taking drugs to reduce vomiting can also be given to pregnant women and for those of you who experience motion sickness. However, you should first consult with your doctor to get a prescription and dosage that suits your condition.
How to Prevent Vomiting
If you start to feel nauseous and feel like you're going to throw up, try these simple things:
- Don't move too much. Calm your body by sitting relaxed or lying down.
- Avoid strong odors, such as the smell of cooking, which can trigger nausea and vomiting.
- Take a break after eating and don't lie down right away. Sit relaxed for about 1-2 hours and avoid various kinds of movements that are too active.
- Eat slowly and in small but frequent portions.
- Drink a glass of warm water slowly to reduce the urge to vomit.
- Avoid looking out the window for too long to prevent motion sickness. In addition, don't read while traveling, take anti-nausea medicine about 30 minutes before traveling, and make sure your head remains upright even when you are leaning back.
Especially pregnant women who experience morning sicknessYou can prevent vomiting by eating a snack of crackers before getting out of bed in the morning or by eating a high-protein snack, such as cheese or chicken breast, in the evening.
In general, vomiting is harmless, but consult a doctor or emergency room immediately if you have been vomiting for more than 24 hours, vomiting blood, or vomiting with severe headache, stiff neck, high fever, blurred vision, diarrhea, severe abdominal pain. severe, or breathing becomes faster.