Treatment for Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting after an operation can cause severe damage to a patient, and may delay recovery. There are a range of preventive measures available, and a number of both medical and alternative therapies that can reduce or eliminate postoperative nausea. Because of the potential for long-term damage and setbacks, it is important not to ignore these conditions.

After Surgery

• Whether you experience outpatient surgery or remain in hospital for a longer period after an operation, there is a possibility that you will experience postoperative nausea and vomiting. Because of the potential for damage and delayed healing, many doctors are proactive, automatically using a medication or a combination of medications to prevent postoperative nausea. Dexamethasone is a common first medication. If nausea occurs anyway, your doctor may supplement the dexamethasone with a seratonin antagonist. When the two are insufficient, your doctor will pursue further possible therapies.

Can I Do Anything to Help?

• There are a number of treatments you can use to support your doctor. The first thing you can do is to keep him fully informed of your status and of any therapies or management methods you are considering. He is in a better position than you to determine if these are appropriate to your particular medical condition. Remember you are the patient; he is the doctor. You need not be passive, but you should not be confused who has the most training and the most detachment in this situation.

  Begin with simple management of your intake. You must eat and drink, but you can choose ways that reduce the odds of nausea. Rather than drinking large glasses of water, do as the nurses would have you do in hospital and keep a steady supply of ice chips nearby to suck throughout the day. Similarly, stick to a liquid diet sipped slowly for the first day or so of recovery.

  Ginger is considered a powerful anti-nausea agent. Taken in powdered form before an operation (with medical supervision) or as a tea or powder after surgery, it may help control nausea and vomiting, and has shown effectiveness in clinical testing.

  Likewise, isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), used as an aromatherapy substance, may be effective in helping to manage postoperative nausea and vomiting. Applied to cotton swabs from which you inhale the vapors, the alcohol has been shown to reduce the feelings of illness in postoperative patients.

  Acupuncture and acupressure also may help. A professional must apply acupuncture, but you can learn the acupressure point to control nausea and apply pressure yourself. The acupressure point in question, the P6 point, is approximately three finger widths down from the joint of your wrist, in your mid-forearm. In some cases, pressure applied to this point has been known to help a patient reduce nausea without the need for further medication or intervention.

  Peppermint oil, another aromatherapy substance, can help in a variety of uses, including through a heat vaporizer. You also can use peppermint oil in teas and tisanes. Some people also use peppermint herbs as teas to relieve nausea and vomiting.

  There are other herbal and alternative health methods to treat nausea available online or from alternative health practitioners. Keep your doctor informed if you choose to experiment, and use the most professional medical listings possible. Several sites associated with cancer care are especially well researched and documented, with great concern for controlling the effects of nausea at all stages of medical treatment.