Relief of nausea

When you have the experience of a serious disease, it's common to have nausea for shorter and longer periods of time.
Nausea is very troublesome, and if you have constant nausea, it can actually take up a lot of your everyday life and will impact how you feel about your quality of life.

Nausea can be a symptom of many different things. It can be due to the disease itself. You may also be receiving treatments, like chemotherapy, and it's a normal side-effect. Nausea can also occur as a side-effect to many forms of medication, and constipation, which can also cause nausea. You may have oral thrush and dry mucous membranes orally. This can cause nausea or worsen your nausea.

Depending on the reason one finds, there are several options to treat or relieve your nausea. There are different types of medication. It's important that you speak to your doctor and find out what the right solution is for you.

Regarding nausea, there are also things you can do yourself, to relieve the nausea. If you have been prescribed an antiemetic, it's a good idea to take it 1/2-1 hour before eating. You must avoid getting constipated. You can be prescribed a laxative, which you must take every day.

If you have a coating on your tongue or in the oral mucosa, it may be a sign of oral thrush, and that often causes nausea. You could use a mirror to see the back of your mouth, to determine whether you have a coating. If you do, your doctor will often prescribe an anti-fungal agent.

If you're in pain, it may also cause nausea, so make sure that your pain is being treated as well as possible. If you're receiving chemotherapy, it's important that you ask the staff whether it's important to take an antiemetic, and how best to use the medication. You could also speak to your doctor about whether acupuncture could possibly relieve your nausea.

Make sure you drink enough fluids, because lack of fluids can actually cause nausea, and it can also worsen the nausea you already have. If you feel like you have acid reflux or the feeling that it stings and burns around your stomach or throat, you need to speak to your doctor, because you may have an ulcer that needs treatment. If you have acid reflux or a feeling of reflux in your oesophagus, it may help to sleep with your head slightly elevated.

You also need to make sure that nothing is making you scared or nervous, because there can be a connection between the nausea and your worries. This also means that nausea can sometimes be relieved or diverted by speaking to others about your worries, or by finding some activities that draw your attention to something other than the nausea.

Nausea and vomiting can be severe enough for you to need hospitalization, so if you experience constant nausea for days, and you start throwing up, you must contact your doctor. If your nausea is preventing you from eating and drinking enough to maintain your weight, you should contact a dietician, who can work with you to organize the possible best diet for you. You can also talk to the dietician if you need subsidies to buy protein supplements.

As the dependant or family of the person with nausea, you can support the sick person by avoiding smells or visual stimulants in the house, if they tend to provoke or worsen the nausea. You can also relieve the nausea by serving food the person wants, and you can support the person by participating in activities that may divert the nausea for a while. As caregivers to the sick, you should also remind them to take the nausea medication, for example before a meal.