What Causes Nausea After Surgery?
Nausea after surgery is common, and it can be attributed to a variety of factors. A frequent cause of post-op nausea is general anesthesia. Anesthesia can affect the balance centers in the brain, leading to feelings of nausea as the body metabolizes and eliminates the drugs after surgery. Longer surgeries can increase the risk due to prolonged exposure to anesthesia.
Pain medicine can also make you feel nauseous. Many pain medications used after surgery, particularly opioids, have nausea as a side effect. These medications can slow down the gastrointestinal system, leading to feelings of nausea and vomiting. Pain itself can also cause nausea, which is one of the many reasons patients are encouraged to take their pain medications regularly and stay ahead of the pain.
Significant blood loss during surgery can lead to decreased blood pressure and reduced oxygen supply to the brain, which might cause temporary nausea and dizziness. If you have abdominal surgery, the manipulation of the intestines or stomach can lead to bloating and post-op nausea.
Pre-existing conditions can also be a factor. If you have a history of motion sickness, migraines, or previous episodes of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV), you are at a higher risk of experiencing nausea after surgery. A simple case of dehydration or imbalances in electrolytes, which can occur before, during, or after surgery, may contribute to nausea as well. This is often related to fasting before surgery and fluid loss during the procedure.
Is Prolonged Nausea After Surgery Normal?
Nausea is a fairly common complaint in the first 24 to 48 hours following surgery. Nausea that extends beyond the first 48 hours may warrant a check with your surgeon. If your nausea is accompanied by other concerning symptoms such as severe pain, fever, vomiting that doesn’t allow you to keep liquids down, dizziness, or signs of infection at the surgical site, it’s important to seek medical advice promptly.
Which Surgeries Carry Nausea as a Risk?
You can feel nauseous after any surgery, but certain procedures do carry a greater risk. Procedures that involve the stomach, intestines, or other parts of the abdominal region can disrupt normal gastrointestinal function, leading to nausea. This includes appendix removal, gallbladder removal, hernia repair, and gastric bypass surgery.
Surgeries in areas that are closely linked to the balance centers of the brain, such as ear surgeries, can trigger nausea. This is due to the potential for disturbing the vestibular system, which helps regulate balance and spatial orientation. Brain surgeries can cause nausea for a similar reason as they may directly affect areas of the brain responsible for nausea and vomiting. Additionally, the positioning required for brain and spinal surgeries, along with their potential to be long surgeries, increases the risk.
The fact that longer surgeries carry a higher risk makes orthopedic procedures, such as joint replacements or major bone surgeries, more likely to cause nausea postoperatively. Extensive reconstructive or cosmetic surgeries may cause nausea for the same reason.
Operations such as hysterectomies and surgeries involving the ovaries can affect hormonal balances, which may lead to nausea. Procedures on the bladder, prostate, or other parts of the urinary system can lead to postoperative nausea too, especially if they involve lengthy manipulation of tissues or organs.
Benefits of Postoperative Telehealth Nausea Evaluations
Driving across town to the doctor can feel like a cross-country trek when you’re nauseous, but a telehealth visit allows you to get help from a healthcare professional in the comfort of your own home. During your visit we can help you determine if your nausea is within the usual post-op timeline or potentially being caused by your pain medication or something else.
If appropriate and helpful to do so, we can help you secure a prescription for anti-nausea medication to help ease your symptoms. We can set your mind at ease if your nausea is nothing to worry about and help you secure an in-person visit with your doctor on the rare occasion that post-op nausea may indicate a larger problem. A telehealth visit is a convenient way to get the information you need to help your recovery go as smoothly and quickly as possible.