Metal Mouth Message Board

Was anyone nauseous after surgery? I had surgery 25 years ago and was very sick when I woke up.

My daughter needs jaw surgery and I am just wondering, what if shw is sick when she wakes up?

They will give her some anti-nausea drugs.

You can tell the doctors ahead of time on the surgery date and they can put drugs in with the anesthesia so that when she wakes up, she won't be sick. I always do that now for surgeries after I was horribly sick for an entire day after a surgery I had a long time ago.

They can definitely give anti-nausea drugs (also remember that a lot has changed in 25 years, medicine-wise).

That said, I told them about a negative reaction I had about 20 years ago, plus more recent OK reactions, so I don't know if they gave me anything. I ended up throwing up blood (gross, I know, but pretty common after jaw surgery, I think, since you swallow so much), but I definitely felt better after. Then I threw up again later, but I think that was a reaction to a liquid painkiller.

The people taking care of your daughter deal with this type of surgery all the time, so she'll be in good hands. Dpm't be afraid to express any and all concerns. Good luck!

you can also ask your doctor whether he leaves in a stomach tube for the first couple of hours.
THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE ADMINISTRATOR. THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE ADMINISTRATOR. THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE ADMINISTRATOR. THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE ADMINISTRATOR. the main reason for nausea after jaw surgery is swallowed blood, so some doctors use a tube to collect the blood.
others don't, probably because patients don't like the idea of getting the tube pulled while you're awake, but I've been told by patients who had it that it isn't that bad, and that they preferred it to the possibility of throwing up blood.

I had barely opened my eyes before I threw up. Then I spent the next 2-3 days throwing up. They had given me some meds against it, but I simply had lots of blood in my stomach which needed to get out.

Unfortunately, I was sick every time after surgery. They gave me anti-emetic drugs and dexamethasone for the swelling which also helps in reducing nausea. The morning after surgery sickness tends to have stopped, however, nausea remained for two days. I was informed that it was because of the amount of blood that I had swallowed during surgery. Try not to worry!

On the flip side, I had absolutely no nausea after surgery. The surgeon prescribed anti-nausea meds which I got pre-op but I never needed them.

I was given anti-nausea meds, but they didn't work--I threw up blood for 12 hours after the surgery (ick!). You should definitely alert the docs to your daughter's possibility for nausea.

I'm surprised to hear quite a few people had nausea and vomitting after their surgery. Though I haven't asked my doc yet about this (my surgery is Nov 11th), but my understanding was that they use throat packs and possibly NG tubes (hopefully they remove it before ones comes awake because these things SUCK) to mitigate any blood getting down in the stomach during surgery. Perhpaps there isn't a standard for this kind of thing and it's up to the doc performing the surgery??

I agree completely...I think this has almost everything to do with how the surgery is done. In other words, do they put things in you to prevent blood from entering your stomach.

I've had 2 jaw surgeries and I know I've had these tubes (or whatever they use) both times. I've never had a hint of nausea immediately post-op.

Ask your surgeon about it and state your concern. I am sure this is a well known tactic and they could incorporate the precaution into your surgery.

Best of Luck,
Chicago29

My surgeon told me there was almost no risk of nausea--95% of their patients don't experience any. In addition to the tube, they "vacuumed" (whatever that means) my stomach out after the surgery. And, they gave me anti-nausea drugs in the IV AND a behind-the-ear patch, to no avail. I just ended up in the unlucky 5%. So, while probably a lot of it has to do with the type of surgery, it also depends on the individual. Not meaning to be a downer, though--the chances are great your daughter won't have nausea.