Vomiting is the process of involuntarily expelling the contents of the stomach through the mouth. This is a very unpleasant phenomenon. It can talk about different conditions and diseases. Among them, there are those in which emergency care is required. With vomiting, patients usually feel weak, tachycardia, shortness of breath, and excessive sweating can also be observed.
Nausea and vomiting can occur for a variety of reasons: from careless swallowing of food and pressure on the root of the tongue to serious concussions and severe poisoning.
The most common causes are:
- food or other poisoning;
- intoxication due to infection or pregnancy;
- concussion;
- gastrointestinal diseases - gastritis, appendicitis, cholecystitis, etc .;
- side effect of drugs.
Sometimes nausea and vomiting also occur in diseases of the heart, kidneys, adrenal glands, liver, and diabetes. Therefore, if any other symptoms appear, you should definitely consult a doctor.
Help with vomiting, especially with a one-time and unexpected, should be as follows: in no case should you suppress the urge. The patient needs to be reassured, allowed to rinse his mouth, drink water and catch his breath. Usually after this it becomes easier, especially if the cause is food poisoning. The stomach is freed from the stimulus, and everything returns to normal. However, for some more time it is better not to eat food, but in the water you don’t need to limit yourself.
First aid for a child with vomiting is fundamentally no different from the actions to be taken if the victim is an adult. It is only necessary to remember whether there have been recent falls or head injuries, and also to establish the causes of vomiting. A small child may drink some chemical or eat something inappropriate. It is better not to guess what the consequences will be, but to call an ambulance or at least a children's emergency.
Help with vomiting, prolonged and not stopping for several hours, should be as follows: the patient needs a lot of drink, since dehydration occurs, that is, dehydration. You should also establish the causes of this symptom. For example, in the case of pregnancy, the only help allowed for vomiting and nausea is fractional meals in small portions, as well as salted crackers and dairy products.
If this symptom is a reaction to taking some medications, you need to see a doctor to advise antiemetics. If a head injury has recently occurred or the patient feels some other symptoms, for example, impaired vision, severe headache, hallucinations or severe abdominal pain, then you should immediately seek medical help.
Further help with vomiting and after its cessation, especially if the cause is poisoning or rotavirus, is to drink plenty of still water, as well as proper nutrition (you need to eat enveloping food that will not irritate the walls of the stomach). Oatmeal is ideal in this case.
If the causes of incessant vomiting cannot be established, it is best to consult a doctor immediately.