Do not eat or drink anything for several hours after vomiting. Sip small amounts of water or suck ice chips every 15 minutes for 3-4 hours. Next, sip clear liquids every 15 minutes for 3-4 hours. Examples include water, sports drinks, flat soda, clear broth, gelatin, flavored ice, popsicles or apple juice.
Drink clear or ice-cold drinks. Eat light, bland foods (such as saltine crackers or plain bread). Avoid fried, greasy, or sweet foods. Eat slowly and eat smaller, more frequent meals.
Allow yourself to rest. Resting propped up in a seated position with the head elevated at least twelve inches above the feet is ideal. Remain in this seated rested position for a minimum of an hour, or until you are no longer experiencing nausea. Do not lie down all the way.
You should be able to start eating a more regular diet, including fruits and vegetables, within about 24 to 48 hours after vomiting or having diarrhea.
Hydrate with clear liquids
Make hydration your main focus after a bout of vomiting, states Dr. Goldman. Start by drinking small sips of water every 15 minutes for the first three to four hours. You can even suck on ice chips.
Struggling with the stomach flu
Sleep on your side with your head elevated: If you find yourself vomiting a lot, then sleep on your side with your head elevated.
For 24-48 hours after the last episode of vomiting, avoid foods that can irritate or may be difficult to digest such alcohol, caffeine, fats/oils, spicy food, milk or cheese.
Sleeping on your side with your head raised can ease symptoms and keep you from choking on your vomit, if you're unable to make it to the bathroom in time.
While it might seem tempting to brush your teeth immediately after vomiting, we don't recommend it. That's because throwing up leaves stomach acid in your mouth, and when you brush immediately after, you are actually rubbing that highly destructive acid into your teeth.
Second, just before throwing up your body produces extra saliva, which helps protect your teeth from the strong acid. Third, the vomiting process releases chemicals in your body to make you feel better. So that “I feel better” feeling after throwing up is not just your imagination — it's your biology working.
After your vomiting stops, you may feel weak and lethargic. This is quite common and happens because you haven't eaten in a while. Vomiting may also have left you dehydrated. You also lose electrolytes and salts when vomiting.
Diarrhoea and vomiting can spread easily
If you have a stomach bug, you could be infectious to others. You're most infectious from when the symptoms start until two days after they've passed. Stay off school or work until the symptoms have stopped for two days.
After receiving the vomiting signal, your stomach muscles contract all at once, which squeezes everything while increasing the pressure. Then all at once the “cover” on your stomach relaxes and the contents of your stomach erupt out.
Strange colors: Vomit may look bright red or dark (like coffee grounds) if it contains blood. Meanwhile, bile -- a fluid made by your liver that helps with digestion -- can make vomit look bright green. Both are cause for concern. Blood could be a sign of an ulcer or an irritation in your GI tract.
Here's what to do: First, when you're feeling nauseous, avoid lying down. When you lie flat on your back, gastric juices can rise and increase feelings of nausea and overall discomfort. Instead, when you're nauseous, try reclining with your upper body elevated and moving around as little as possible.
Take measures to dispose of and/or clean and disinfect the tools and equipment used to clean up the vomit and/or fecal matter. PROPERLY WASH YOUR HANDS - AND IF POSSIBLE TAKE A SHOWER AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES. Discard any food that may have been exposed in the affected area.
“When you vomit, stomach acids are coming in contact with your teeth and coating them,” he says. “If you brush too soon, you're just rubbing that acid all over the hard outer shell of your teeth.” Instead, swish with water, a diluted mouth rinse or a mixture of water and 1 tsp. baking soda to help wash the acid away.
When to visit the emergency department. For the most part, if you have uncontrolled vomiting for extended periods of time where you can't keep anything down, you should go to the emergency room. This is especially true for the very young, the elderly, or those with severe underlying health conditions, Dr. Lee says.
Coughing, lifting, sneezing, laughing, straining and vomiting will all create sudden stress on the opening of the bladder, leading to leakage. These moments of bladder weakness are also called “stress incontinence.”
To rehydrate, it is best to use a commercial rehydration solution, such as Gastrolyte, Pedialyte or Pediatric Electrolyte. Commercial rehydration solutions contain the ideal proportion of water, sugar and mineral salts your body needs to recover.