Will the nausea ever end?

[Kathleen]

This is my first time posting here, but my husband, daughter and I are so discouraged. Daughter had spinal fusion surgery Friday, July 15 (over 2 weeks ago) and has been throwing up every day, no matter what we try or what she eats (or doesn't eat). I'm sure the pain meds are the culprit, but what choice does she have? She takes phenergan, but it knocks her out .. she doesn't vomit, but still feels dizzy. She has no appetite. There have been maybe 2 vomit-free days since the surgery. Please, just need some reassurance that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and she WILL get better. Her 17th birthday is tomorrow and we never thought that the nausea problem would be so pervasive or last so long.

[nicoles mom]

Kathleen

Hi Welcome To The Forum.
I Would Call The Doctor And Get Her Meds Changed.
Theresa

[LindaRacine]

Hi Kathleen...

What is your daughter getting for pain? And, has the surgeon tried different pain medications since surgery? If she's vomiting, she's not getting much (if any) help from the pain medication, so I imagine that she's a pretty unhappy camper at the moment. I'm sure it all must be very stressful for you.

Regards,
Linda

[Kathleen]

She was on vicodin at the hospital, percoset once we got home and is now taking Darvocet. They all have managed the pain very well and I'm able to get some food in her every time she takes them. Only once or twice have they come up right after taking them, so thank god her pain is ok. The pain meds just make her feel so dizzy and queasy. For a few days there, she had a good appetite and kept things down, but today was as bad as the day she came home from the hospital. She is supposed to be doing a lot of walking and sitting, but she just wants to lay in bed and sleep. Can she ever progress this way?? I think constipation may be hindering her digestion but having her drink Milk of Magnesia today brought up her lunch and she would not eat much else the rest of the day. She's really feeling down, and it's hard to be positive for her.

[LindaRacine]

Hi Kathleen...

Wow, having reactions to three different pain meds is a bummer. (I'm assuming that she's not getting any other medication that might be causing the nausea.) Getting up and walking is the best way to start feeling better. However, if one is nauseated all of the time, except when sleeping, there's not much motivation. I think that constipation following surgery is usually caused by pain medication. It's a vicious cycle.

I hope your daughter's doctors can find something soon, that gives her some pain relief but doesn't cause dizziness, nausea, or constipation. Perhaps you can ask for a referral to a pain management clinic. PM docs seem to be much better at knowing what to try to balance everything.

Best of luck!

Regards,
Linda

[Carmell]

Hi Kathleen,

I agree with the others. She's in a vicious cycle of problems that will take a while to get better. Constipation is a HUGE part of the equation. Call the surgeon or even your family practice doc to get some suggestions on how to resolve the constipation problems (i.e., stool softners (which I think should be automatically given to most patients immediately after surgery) or laxatives, etc.). Once her GI system is cleaned out and she's not constipated anymore, she should be able to tolerate pain meds with a little food a lot better. Also, it sounds like if her pain is under control with only some medications, maybe going to just Tylenol for pain would help. If she's uncomfortable going to OTC meds only, call the doc and see about getting a different family of pain meds to help. Something that doesn't cause such stomach problems. The narcotics and her immobility are two of the biggest causes for constipation.

Good luck and continued healthy recovery vibes coming your way.

[Karen Ocker]

nausea

In the meantime you might try ginger tea, flat ginger ale or ginger candy.
Ginger actually works in balance center of the ear.
Narcotics stimulate the vomiting center in the brain; some people are more sensitive than others.
I strongly agree about consulting a pain management specialist these few weeks. What your daughter is going through is not acceptable or necessary.

Karen

[phaden]

Our daughter had a wretched time with post-surgical constipation and consequent nausea (although not nearly so severe as your wee girl's). They finally sent the District Nurse to our house to deal with the problem directly. A couple of little suppositories (embarassing to a 14 year old girl, but she was desperate) and the problem was resolved in two hours. Getting the bowels moving improved the sick feeling a lot.

The pain relief regimen is different here (I don't recognise any of the meds your daughter is on), but Caitlin also felt better as soon as she got off the opiates, which made her feel dizzy and stupid. At around three weeks, her pain was manageable with just maximum doses of Panadol (Tylenol in the U.S.? -- paracetomal) around the clock. This made a huge difference as well.

Good luck. Keep us posted if that helps.

Patricia

[Kathleen]

Thank you all for your kind words. It seems she has finally had a turnaround. The doctor's office prescribed a different anti-nausea med, Zofran, and it has worked wonders. Yesterday (Monday Aug. 1 - her birthday) started out so horribly, she was so pale and vomiting, but after taking the med at noontime, she was a different person by 3 pm .. had friends over and was sitting up, laughing, chatting and eating birthday cake. Thanks again for the encouragement.
Kathleen

[KRIS ATKINSON]

Congratulations Kathleen!!! Sounds like you have gone over a big hump. I am so, so glad you found a solution! I have been praying for you and your daughter. Did she get some good gifts for post-surgery pleasure for her birthday? My daughter is going nuts with boredom and has pain in her right side, where the thoracoplasty was done as well as the incision for the anterior surgery, but I am thankful for her twin brother who is eager to play board games with her and get her food and drink, etc., lift the milk jug. Keep us informed. Kris

[susannajon]

Hi Kathleen,

So glad your daughter was able to enjoy her birthday. When my daughter first came home, we found that a glycerin suppository resolved the constipation within about 15 minutes, and she was no longer nauseated once she'd had a BM. I got some Benefiber also and added it to her juice, and she had that two or three times a day. That kept her from getting constipated again. Nothing is more fun than giving a teenager a suppository!
But... you'll do anything to see them not suffer and feel better. I hope your daughter has turned the corner.

[Carmell]

Kathleen,

Good to hear things are improving at your place. Zofran is a good med for nausea. Hopefully she won't need it too long, and she'll start having many more good days than bad. Continued best wishes for a smooth recovery. Hopefully she'll be patient with her body - this is a long recovery process.

[phaden]

Spectacular news. I hope you can now start getting some low-anxiety sleep, and maybe that nice long bubble bath you so richly deserve.


Cheers - Patricia

[donkeelover]

Excellent news! Yes, I LOOOVE zofran! Life-saving stuff! And for constipation, one of my doctors told me to take this stuff called senekot, and it works REALLY well! None of the other laxatives (stool softeners, dulcolax, glycerine suppositories...) did anything for me, but just two days of taking senekot at bedtime got my bowels right back on track.

[starchild_81212]

i had stuff like that happen to me when i got outa the hospital...it was my medication...glad things are beter though