Nausea After Eating : Symptoms and causes

Any number of conditions can make you sick to your stomach after a meal, from food poisoning to pregnancy. A closer look at your other symptoms can help you pinpoint what’s causing your nausea. Once you’ve identified the problem, your doctor can help you find a treatment that will stop you from getting sick to your stomach. Then you can enjoy your meals, nausea-free.

Causes

There are many conditions that can make you nauseated after eating.

    1. Food allergies

Certain foods, like shellfish, nuts, or eggs, can fool your immune system into identifying them as harmful foreign invaders. When you eat one of these trigger foods, your immune system launches a series of events that leads to the release of histamine and other chemicals. These chemicals produce allergy symptoms, which can range from hives and mouth swelling, to nausea.

          2. Food poisoning

Food that sits around for too long or isn’t properly refrigerated attracts bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can make you sick. Food poisoning symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, typically start within a few hours after you’ve eaten contaminated food.

         3. Stomach virus

This common bug, which is sometimes nicknamed the “stomach flu,” infects the intestines and triggers gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. You can catch a stomach virus by getting too close to someone who’s sick, or by eating food or drinking water that’s been contaminated with the virus.

           4. Pregnancy

One of the earliest signs that you’re pregnant is an uneasy, queasy feeling, which often starts during the second month of your pregnancy. Changing hormone levels trigger pregnancy nausea.Though it’s officially termed “morning sickness,” nausea can strike at any time of day, including mealtimes. Sometimes the smell or taste of certain foods is enough to make your stomach roll. The feeling is temporary, and it won’t harm you or your baby.

         5. Acid reflux

A burning feeling behind your breastbone, known as heartburn, is the hallmark symptom of gastroesophageal disease (GERD), but this condition can cause nausea, too. GERD happens when the muscular valve between your esophagus and stomach malfunctions, allowing stomach acid to leak up into your esophagus.

             6. Anxiety and stress

Stress doesn’t only take a toll on your emotions. It affects your physical health, too. A difficult breakup or job loss can make you lose your appetite, or feel sick after you eat. The nausea should let up once you get your stress under control.

          7. Cancer treatment

Some chemotherapy drugs cause nausea as a side effect. The nausea should go away after you’ve finished the treatment.

Source

Symptoms

Having nausea once in a while after you eat isn’t cause for alarm, but you should call a doctor if it doesn’t go away within a week. Call right away if you have any of these other, more serious symptoms:

•blood in your vomit or stools

•chest pain

•confusion

•diarrhea that lasts for more than a few days

•extreme thirst, little urine production, weakness, or dizziness, which are signs of dehydration

•fever of over 101.5°F (30°C)

•intense pain in the abdomen

•rapid heartbeat

•severe vomiting or trouble keeping food down

Prevention

Try these tips to avoid feeling sick after you eat:

•Suck on ice cubes or crushed ice.

•Avoid greasy, fried, or spicy foods.

•Eat mainly bland foods, such as crackers or toast.

•Eat smaller meals more frequently, instead of three large meals.

•Relax and sit still after you eat to give your food time to digest.

•Eat and drink slowly.

•Serve foods cold or at room temperature if the smell of cooked food makes you feel queasy.

Your outlook will depend on what’s causing your nausea, and how you treat it. Usually, nausea after you eat will get better once you address the source of the problem.

What Is Hematochezia : Symptoms and Causes

Blood in the stool can be frightening, whether you discover it while wiping after a bowel movement or from a test ordered by your health care provider. While blood in stool can signal a serious problem, it doesn't always. Here's what you need to know about the possible causes of bloody stools and what you -- and your doctor -- should do if you discover a problem.

Causes
Blood in the stool means there is bleeding somewhere in your digestive tract. Sometimes the amount of blood is so small that it can only be detected by a fecal occult test (which checks for hidden blood in the stool). At other times it may visible on toilet tissue or in the toilet after a bowel movement as bright red blood. Bleeding that happens higher up in the digestive tract may make stool appear black and tarry.

Possible causes of blood in stool include:

• Diverticular disease. Diverticula are small pouches that project from the colon wall. Usually diverticula don't cause problems, but sometimes they can bleed or become infected.
• Anal fissure. A small cut or tear in the tissue lining the anus similar to the cracks that occur in chapped lips or a paper cut. Fissures are often caused by passing a large, hard stool and can be painful.
• Colitis. Inflammation of the colon. Among the more common causes are infections or inflammatory bowel disease.
• Angiodysplasia. A condition in which fragile, abnormal blood vessels lead to bleeding.
• Peptic ulcers.An open sore in the lining of the stomach or duodenum, the upper end of the small intestine. Many peptic ulcers are caused by infection with a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Long-term use or high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxencan also cause ulcers.
• Polyps or cancer. Polyps are benign growths that can grow, bleed, and become cancerous. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the U.S. It often causes bleeding that is not noticeable with the naked eye.
• Esophageal problems. Varicose veins of the esophagus or tears in the esophagus can lead to severe blood loss.

Diagnosis
It is important to have a doctor evaluate any bleeding in the stool. Any details you can give about the bleeding will help your doctor locate the site of bleeding. For example, a black, tarry stool is likely an ulcer or other problem in the upper part of the digestive tract. Bright red blood or maroon-colored stools usually indicate a problem in the lower part of the digestive tract such as hemorrhoids or diverticulitis.

Symptoms
A person with blood in the stool may be unaware of bleeding and might have reported no symptoms. On the other hand, they may also have abdominal pain, vomiting, weakness, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, palpitations, fainting, and weight loss depending on the cause, location, length, and severity of the bleeding.

Treatment
A doctor may use one of several techniques to stop acute bleeding. Often endoscopy is used to inject chemicals into the site of bleeding, treat the bleeding site with an electric current or laser, or apply a band or clip to close the bleeding vessel. If endoscopy does not control bleeding, the doctor may use angiography to inject medicine into the blood vessels to control bleeding.

Source

Depending on the cause, however, treatment may involve simple things you can do on your own. These including eating a high-fiber diet to relieve constipation that can cause and aggravate hemorrhoids and anal fissures, and sitting in warm or hot baths to relieve fissures. Your doctor will prescribe or recommend treatment based on the diagnosis.