Nausea After Bariatric Surgery: People who have bariatric surgery, like gastric bypass or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy often feel sick and throw up. This is a common side effect during the gastric sleeve recovery time and gastric bypass recovery time, as your body gets used to the changes in how you digest food. Feeling sick can really bother you and make you uncomfortable, but you need to know why it happens and how to handle it well as part of your post-operative care for weight loss surgery.
You might feel sick for different reasons. The surgery itself and the anesthesia used can cause postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), or it could be from changes in your hormones, or because you’re adjusting to the bariatric surgery diet now. You should work with your doctors to figure out what’s making you feel sick and come up with a plan just for you to help you feel better.
Common Causes of Nausea After Weight Loss Surgery
- Surgical Trauma: Bariatric procedures can have an impact on the digestive tract. The surgery causes inflammation and irritation, which lead to PONV and are common gastric sleeve side effects and gastric bypass complications.
- Dietary Changes: After bariatric surgery, patients must adjust to a new limited gastric sleeve diet. This adjustment can be tough. Certain foods, food intolerances or overeating may cause nausea and fullness.
- Dumping Syndrome: This condition happens more often after gastric bypass surgery. It occurs when food moves too fast from the stomach to the small intestine. This quick movement results in PONV and other unpleasant symptoms.
- Dehydration: To stay healthy after bariatric surgery proper hydration is key. Not drinking enough water can lead to feelings of PONV.
- Medication Side Effects: Some medicines doctors prescribe to help with pain after gastric sleeve during recovery, like opioids or antibiotics, can make you feel sick to your stomach.
- Hormonal Changes: Your body’s hormones change after weight loss surgery, and this can also make you feel queasy, especially in female patients.
Tips to Manage Nausea After Bariatric Surgery
- Eat Slowly and in Small Portions: Eating your meals slowly and in smaller portions can help stop your digestive system from getting overwhelmed and making you feel sick. Chewing food thoroughly is important.
- Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of fluids, especially water, can help ease PONV and stop you from getting dehydrated.
- Avoid Trigger Foods: Try to spot and stay away from foods that seem to make your PONV worse, like greasy, fried, or acidic stuff.
- Practice Relaxation Techniques: Doing things like deep breathing, meditation, or light exercise can help cut down on stress and make you feel less sick.
- Ask About Meds: Your doctor might suggest over-the-counter or prescription antiemetic drugs to help control your PONV, like anti-nausea pills or acid reducers.
- Try Ginger or Peppermint: These natural options have shown to ease PONV and could give you some relief.
- Stay Away from Triggers: Keep your distance from strong odors, hot places, or other things that might make your PONV worse.
Changes in Diet to Ease Nausea After Weight Loss Surgery
- Take Your Time and Chew Well: Eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly can help you avoid feeling sick or throwing up.
- Choose Simple, Easy-on-the-Stomach Foods: Go for things like plain crackers, rice, applesauce, or plain yogurt, which don’t upset your stomach. Follow the recommended bariatric surgery diet stages.
- Keep Yourself Hydrated: Drink small amounts of water, broth, or other clear liquids throughout the day to stay hydrated.
- Skip Greasy, Fried, or Sour Foods: These kinds of foods can be harder to digest and might make you feel queasy.
- Try Ginger or Peppermint: Adding ginger or peppermint to your food or drinks can help calm your stomach.
- Think About Vitamin Supplements: Your doctor might suggest certain vitamin or mineral supplements to fix any nutrient shortages that could be causing your PONV. Proper vitamin intake is important.
Medicine and Solutions to Ease Nausea After Weight Loss Surgery
- Over-the-Counter Anti-Nausea Medications: Drugs like Dramamine or Emetrol can be effective at reducing PONV.
- Prescription Medications: Your doctor might prescribe antiemetic drugs such as ondansetron (Zofran) or metoclopramide (Reglan) to control ongoing PONV.
- Herbal Remedies: People have long used ginger, peppermint, and chamomile to calm the stomach and ease PONV.
- Acupressure or Acupuncture: These non-traditional treatments may trigger specific pressure points to relieve PONV.
- Probiotic Supplements: A healthy gut microbiome can boost digestion and lessen PONV.
- Vitamin B6 or Ginger Supplements: Taking these supplements can help some people reduce their feelings of PONV.
Changes in Daily Life to Cut Down on Sickness After Weight Loss Surgery
- Stay Away from Triggers: Keep your distance from strong odors, tense situations, and other things that might make you feel more sick to your stomach.
- Try to Relax: Do things like take deep breaths, clear your mind, or move to handle stress and cut down on feeling queasy.
- Sit or Stand Straight: Keeping your back straight after eating can help stop food from coming back up and making you feel sick. Avoid lying down after meals.
- Sleep Enough: Getting plenty of shut-eye and downtime can help your body heal and ease that sick feeling.
- Keep Moving: Light exercise, like taking a short stroll, can boost digestion and reduce PONV.
- Skip Booze and Coffee: These drinks can upset your stomach more and make you feel even more nauseous.
- When You Should See a Doctor for Ongoing Nausea After Weight Loss Surgery
If PONV doesn’t go away or gets bad enough to stop you from eating, drinking, or going about your day, you should see a doctor. Persistent nausea could point to a bigger problem, like:
- Dehydration
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Dumping syndrome
- Gallbladder issues
- Intestinal obstruction or stricture
- Infection
Your doctor can check out what’s going on, run some tests if needed, and give you the right treatment to ease your PONV and get your recovery back on track.
How to Deal with Feeling Sick After Meals Following Weight Loss Surgery
Feeling sick after meals is a typical problem for people who’ve had weight loss surgery. To deal with this, give these tips a shot:
- Eat Slowly and in Small Portions: Eating your meals slowly and mindfully, and keeping portion sizes small can help prevent your digestive system from becoming overwhelmed.
- Avoid Trigger Foods: Find and stay away from foods that seem to make your PONV worse, like greasy, fried, or acidic items.
- Stay Hydrated: Drinking small sips of water or clear liquids throughout the day can help to prevent dehydration and ease PONV.
- Try Ginger or Peppermint: Adding these natural remedies to your meals or drinks may help to soothe your stomach.
- Practice Relaxation Techniques: Doing activities like deep breathing or meditation can help to reduce stress and ease PONV.
- Think About Medicine: Your doctor might suggest store-bought or prescribed antiemetic drugs to help control your PONV after eating.
How to Stop Feeling Sick After Sleeve Surgery
Sleeve surgery, which doctors call a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, is a popular way to lose weight. But it can make you feel sick during the gastric sleeve recovery time. Here are some tips to help you avoid feeling sick and deal with it if it happens:
- Stick to Your Diet Plan: Follow the bariatric surgery diet and portion sizes your doctors suggest to keep your digestion on track.
- Keep Drinking: Take small sips of water or clear drinks all day to stay hydrated.
- Skip Foods That Cause Trouble: Don’t eat greasy, fried, or acidic foods that might make you feel sick.
- Eat Slowly: Take your time with meals and chew well to help your body digest.
- Ask About Meds or Extras: Your doctor might suggest antiemetic drugs or things like ginger or peppermint to help you feel better.
- Try Relaxation Methods: Deep breaths, meditating, or light workouts can help you feel less stressed and ease your PONV.
By sticking to these tactics and teaming up with your doctors, you can help stop and control PONV after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, leading to a smoother gastric sleeve recovery day by day.
PONV often bugs patients after bariatric surgery, but you can deal with it. If you grasp why it happens, tweak your diet and habits, and get medical help when needed, you can ease your PONV and zero in on getting better and reaching your long-term health targets. Keep in mind, your medical team is there to back you up through this whole process. Don’t shy away from sharing your worries and working together to find the best ways to handle your PONV and get the results you’re after.
Are you feeling sick all the time or having other issues after your weight loss surgery? Think about getting in touch with the experts at Global Medical Care. Our group of skilled doctors and nurses can give you personal advice and help to ease your symptoms and get you back on your feet. Get in touch with us now to find out more about our full range of weight loss surgery care and how we can help you reach your health and fitness goals while minimizing risk factors and long-term effects of bariatric surgery.