Nausea and Vomiting—Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Also called: GI bleeding

Your digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, rectum, and anus. Bleeding can come from any of these areas. The amount of bleeding can be so small that only a lab test can find it.

Signs of bleeding in the digestive tract depend where it is and how much bleeding there is.

Signs of bleeding in the upper digestive tract include

• Bright red blood in vomit
• Vomit that looks like coffee grounds
• Black or tarry stool
• Dark blood mixed with stool

Signs of bleeding in the lower digestive tract include

• Black or tarry stool
• Dark blood mixed with stool
• Stool mixed or coated with bright red blood

GI bleeding is not a disease, but a symptom of a disease. There are many possible causes of GI bleeding, including hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, tears or inflammation in the esophagus, diverticulosis and diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, colonic polyps, or cancer in the colon, stomach or esophagus.

The test used most often to look for the cause of GI bleeding is called endoscopy. It uses a flexible instrument inserted through the mouth or rectum to view the inside of the GI tract. A type of endoscopy called colonoscopy looks at the large intestine.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• Bleeding esophageal varices (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bloody or tarry stools (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Gastrointestinal bleeding (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Lower GI Series – NIH (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Mallory-Weiss tear (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Vomiting blood (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Emesis

Nausea is an uneasy or unsettled feeling in the stomach together with an urge to vomit. Nausea and vomiting, or throwing up, are not diseases. They can be symptoms of many different conditions. These include morning sickness during pregnancy, infections, migraine headaches, motion sickness, food poisoning, cancer chemotherapy or other medicines.

For vomiting in children and adults, avoid solid foods until vomiting has stopped for at least six hours. Then work back to a normal diet. Drink small amounts of clear liquids to avoid dehydration.

Nausea and vomiting are common. Usually, they are not serious. You should see a doctor immediately if you suspect poisoning or if you have

• Vomited for longer than 24 hours
• Blood in the vomit
• Severe abdominal pain
• Headache and stiff neck
• Signs of dehydration, such as dry mouth, infrequent urination or dark urine

• Bland diet (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Diet – clear liquid (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Nausea and vomiting (Medical Encyclopedia)
• When you have nausea and vomiting (Medical Encyclopedia)