Symptoms of vomiting

Vomiting itself is unmistakable; what matters clinically are the symptoms around it - they tell you whether this is a passing upset or something dangerous.

The usual accompanying symptoms. Nausea (the queasy warning), retching, watery mouth and sweating before the act, then temporary relief after. With stomach infections, expect diarrhoea, cramps and sometimes fever. With gastritis, burning upper-abdominal discomfort. With motion sickness and vertigo, dizziness and spinning.

Dehydration - the main danger to watch. Vomiting drains fluid and salts. Warning signs: very little or dark urine, extreme thirst, dry mouth and tongue, dizziness on standing, unusual lethargy or weakness, rapid heartbeat. In children: sunken eyes, sunken soft spot (in infants), no tears when crying, dry nappies for hours, unusual sleepiness or floppy behaviour. Dehydration, not the vomiting itself, is what hospitalizes people - especially children and the elderly.

Red-flag combinations (emergency - 112/108):

• Vomiting with blood or coffee-ground material.
• Green (bile-coloured) vomit.
• Vomiting with severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, fainting, or after a head injury.
• Vomiting with severe, persistent or worsening abdominal pain, or a swollen hard abdomen.
• Vomiting with high fever and rash, or signs of severe infection.
• In pregnancy: inability to keep any fluid down for 24 hours, fainting, or racing heart.

Duration rule: vomiting lasting more than 24 hours in adults, more than a few hours in young infants, or any vomiting that prevents keeping down even small sips of fluid needs a doctor the same day.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive): classical observation of chardi notes accompanying features like burning, bitterness and weakness - an interpretive framework of limited evidence. The dehydration and red-flag signs above carry the modern clinical weight.

Remember: count urine output, watch energy levels, and memorize the red flags - blood, green bile, severe headache, severe belly pain, head injury, and dehydration signs. Those define the emergencies; everything else usually settles with fluids and rest.