Nausea is a common side effect of most surgery where anesthesia is administered, however it can be worse after gallbladder surgery because of the disturbance of the abdomen during the surgery. Nausea after this surgery is particularly frustrating as most people who have had their gallbladders removed so so because they have been suffering with nausea, bloating and pain for weeks or months prior to the surgery and they are hoping for a complete cure. The good news, according to the American College of Gastroenterology, is that--once you get past the nausea--you will likely be able to eat most foods without incident.
Instructions
Get Rid of Nausea after Gallbladder Surgery
1. Check with your doctor to see if you need to be on narcotic painkillers. Painkillers such as hydrocodone and oxycodone list nausea as a side effect. See if your pain can be managed with a smaller dose of the medication. Or, you may be able to substitute acetaminophen which usually does not cause nausea.
2. Add nausea-fighting ginger to your diet. Pregnant women have relied on ginger for centuries to settle a nauseated stomach. Leave a glass of ginger all on a counter for several hours until it's at roughly room temperature and has lost most of its fizz. Sip slowly to see if it settles your stomach. Ginger tea may also be helpful or you might want to try candied ginger. Try the candied form sparingly as sometimes high sugar content can irritate the stomach and overstimulate the intestines.
3. Try accupressure by using seasickness bands. The bands apply gentle pressure to acupressure points on the wrists that has shown to be helpful in quelling nausea, according to Dr. David Zieve, medical director at A.D.A.M. Inc.
4. Eat less, more frequently. Your digestive tract has just experienced some major trauma and will take a couple of weeks to get totally back up to speed. Start with six or seven small bland meals per day until your body adjusts to the lack of gallbladder. In particular avoid high fat meals. Once the gallbladder is removed, your body's liver must secrete a steady stream of bile to the intestines, so overloading your body with fatty food will cause nausea and diarrhea. Take it slow and let your body adjust.
Tags: your body, cause nausea, Gallbladder Surgery, side effect
