Question:
What exactly is dry heaves?

What exactly is dry heaves as opposed to retching? I had open distal RNY on 5/21/01 and starting around 2 weeks out, I have been suffering from SEVERE nausea. I started to make these motions as if I were throwing up, so I just assumed that those were the dry heaves. However, more recently, these dry heaves have been getting more violent. I would make the motions of throwing up PLUS I had the stomach pumping feeling you get when you're actually vomiting. Before, I didn't have the stomach pumping feeling. I looked in the Merck Manual and they mentioned the word retching. I didn't vomit with either of these episodes. It usually begins with excessive salivation and swallowing it makes it worse. The most that comes out of me is a small amount of clear, foamy mucous. Is dry heaves just another word for retching? Or is one worse than the other?    — lalasmommy (posted on June 16, 2001)

June 16, 2001
Is there a difference between 'dry heaves' and 'retching'??? Who knows, but either one is no fun, is it? I've been experiencing the same thing and the amount of clear mucous that comes up is huge! I'm almost 11 weeks out and seem to have cycles of vomiting. I'll vomit daily for 2-3 weeks and then be fine for a week or two and then the vomiting starts again. I want my life back..... this surgery was a big mistake.
   — Laurie L.

June 16, 2001
Hi...I felt the same way almost everyday from about 4 weeks post op on. Never threw up..BUT just felt blah after eating...turned me off to food totally. As of last week..(week 9 post op) I've been doing better. Doctor has put me on some medicine to make things better when I eat. No more yuck feeling after meals!! YES!! During those weeks I felt so bad I swore up and down that I had made the biggest mistake of my life...and knew that there was nothing I could do to change it. So glad it's over now....*S* Alexandra...maybe you should talk to you doctor about some medicine for your new tummy..if you aren't already on something? I'm taking Nexium..(or the new generation Prilesac)..it's a mircle drug!! Good luck to you and I really hope you start feeling better soon! Same goes for you, Laurie...*HUGS*
   — Sherry B.

June 16, 2001
My daughter and I have had lap RNY surgery. During the first several months I experienced only occasional periods of nausea which always ended by bringing up large amounts of very thick, foamy mucus. Her post-op experiences were different in that she never vomited at all, but had periods of dry heaves or retching several times a day. In both cases, this gradually happened less and less and went away completely by 3-4 months post-op. Please remember that there are some very effective medications that can help or relieve this problem altogether. Our surgeon prescribed Donnatal for us and it was truly like a "miracle drug". Other surgeons seem to have a lot of success with Reglan. We were both routinely on Prilosec for the first 30 days. It is effective to relieve irritation of the stomach lining, but is not designed to combat muscle spasms in the stomach which is generally what's happening when you experience nausea or dry heaves. It's important to let your surgeon know exactly what symptoms you're having and ask for some help. Good luck!
   — Diana T.