Why am I still vomiting? I have been drinking orange juice since I woke up feeling nauseated and for the last hour I have been sipping peppermint tea between vomit sessions! I thought orange juice and peppermint were supposed to be easy on my upset stomach, but I’m still throwing up!
Does this sound familiar? While it’s true that juice and tea are great for an upset stomach, orange juice is not, contrary to what most people believe. In fact, drinking orange juice while your stomach is upset may be the cause of your sudden attack of vomiting.
If you’re vomiting, make sure to drink plenty of liquids to replenish all the fluids your body has lost. This will prevent dehydration but make sure to only start drinking fluids after your vomiting has stopped. When you vomit your stomach contracts, attempting to drink fluids while still vomiting is likely to cause further vomiting due to those contractions. Clear non-caffeinated soda like 7-up can help settle the stomach when upset. The sugar in the soda will help your body absorb the fluid better, reducing the possibly of dehydration. Fruit Juice will replenish potassium and other nutrients lost from the body when vomiting however, avoid citrus fruit juices, as the acid will likely aggravate you stomach further.
Peppermint tea really is a great way to calm your stomach. The menthol, flavonoids, azulene, and tannins found in peppermint have been shown to soothe the digestive tract helping to reduce flatulence, cramps, diarrhea, and nausea. Menthol is antispasmodic which can help prevent vomiting. The tannins and flavonoids can help increase circulation and provide pain relief while azulene may help heal ulcers. Drink peppermint tea when you first start to feel nauseous but not while your vomiting.
While vomiting is certainly uncomfortable and, in the wrong situation, slightly embarrassing it simply must be left to run it’s course. Never try to stop yourself from vomiting. Trying to fight back vomiting can cause tears in your esophagus. When you have the urge to vomit your stomach and esophagus are contracting, causing strain on the muscles in your throat and stomach. If you try to fight the act of throwing up you’re actually worsening the strain on the esophagus and stomach increasing the likelihood of tears in the muscles. Try to relax your body and allow yourself to throw up.
Avoid pepper, alcohol, fried foods, food containing a high amount of fat, and coffee while your stomach is upset as they can irritate your stomach and make the problem worse. Avoid gas-causing vegetables like broccoli because the gas may increase stomachaches and worsen an upset stomach.
Light exercise or a short walk after a heavy meal will stimulate digestion, aiding in the prevention of an upset stomach later.
Taking a dose of antacid right after meals may help reduce stomach upsets, however, they can also cause other problems. Antacids with calcium or aluminum can cause constipation, while antacids with magnesium can cause diarrhea. Antacid in tablet form is less likely to cause constipation or diarrhea because the dosage tends to be lower than the liquid dosage.
If an ulcer is the culprit of your upset stomach try to avoid taking aspirin to ease stomach discomfort. Aspirin can actually worsen the problem by making your ulcer bleed. Be aware, Alka-Seltzer contains aspirin. Instead, talk with your doctor about recommending an effective over the counter acetaminophen pain reliever that contains no aspirin.
See a doctor if your stomach problems persist for longer than a few days. You could be experiencing symptoms of a worse problem than indigestion like ulcers, gallbladder problems, or even possibly cancer. So it’s very important to see a doctor in order to rule out any major problems before attempting to treat a persistent upset stomach yourself. Especially if you experience vomiting for longer than 24 hours, vomiting becomes violent, or you start to see traces of blood in your vomit.
