Geriatrician Questions Geriatrician

Grandfather has acid reflux, is forcing himself to vomit to "make himself feel better"?

My grandfather is vomiting almost every hour, including waking up several times in the night. He has some acid reflux, but does not need to vomit, just says "it will make him feel better" and then forces himself to vomit, says he feels better, then cycle and repeat an hour or two later. We went to urgent care and the EKG and X-Ray came back all clear. We are still waiting on the blood test but it is the second day of this, he won't stop or listen, and he isn't dehydrated because we keep keeping him drinking fluids and trying to keep him going, but cannot persist at this forever and may just be prolonging the problem. What do we do?

Male | 88 years old
Complaint duration: 2 Days
Medications: Baby asprin, just perscribed anti nausea pill- but he threw up the first one before it could dissolve fully.
Conditions: No underlying conditions.

3 Answers

GeriatricianGeriatrician
Take him to hospital to get admitted. Needs iv fluid. May need surgical consultation.
He needs an upper scope. He may have an esophageal neoplasm or a stricture or may have a motility disorder called achalasia.
Anyone vomiting that often should be evaluated in an ER and/or by a GI specialist.