vomiting blood and alcohol

Specialties Emergency

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Do you find many patients vomiting blood from drinking too much alcohol?

I had a similar problem a few years ago.

Just about every time I would drink anything hard, I would vomit blood. I also went to the hospital at one point. (That whole bloody vomit thing gets kinda scary after a while).

Basically, the deal with me was that my stomach didn't like the Jack Daniels as much as I did. I could drink liquor just fine for a number of years until, all of a sudden, my stomach couldn't handle it anymore. I had to stop drinking liquor.

I'm perfectly fine and healthy, I just can't drink liquor. I can drink beer without any problems, so I just stick with that. (In moderation, of course). :rolleyes:

I wish you and your son well.

I have noticed the same thing since my abdominal surgery. One glass of wine, and I am in pain. I just can't tolerate wine anymore since the surgery. Strange! I don't vomit-just get the pain.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Urg Care, LTC, Rehab.

Is there a local al-anon that you can go to for information and support? If he drinks like this every weekend, things could go downhill quickly. His health, his driving, relationships, very very dangerous to be doing this. Plus what he's missing out on in life when he spends his time in a drunken fog on the weekends. I pray he doesn't hurt someone, the guilt and legal problems he'll have along with destroying someon's life. Too much pain to bear.

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Specializes in Case Management.
What are LFT's?

Blood tests for liver function.

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I think we may be overreacting a bit here. Krissy never said he entered the ED because he was drunk...but for vomiting blood. (as it turned out it wasn't due to health problems associated with chronic drinking but for a virus). He didn't hurt himself or anyone else. It wasn't even known if he was driving or being a responsible young adult by having a designated driver (if they even drove). Some people have a high threshhold for alcohol and 7 beers and one drink can be tolerated by many people. I'm not in any way condoning drinking but to call him a chronic drinker (granny) or that he was in a drunken fog (veronica) is making judgements not based on enough facts. He admitted to drinking on weekends but ONLY on weekends. If this was chronic, he'd be drinking during the week as well. He didn't hurt himself or anyone else nor would that be the case if he wasn't in fact drunk. Depending on the relationship with his mother, it would be a good idea to sit down with him and ask if it's a problem, especially given the family history. Or, if he agrees, to talk with a professional. This could be a wake up call to educate him to the problems associated with drinking but in my opinion, it's a bit premature to judge him as an alcoholic.

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Thank you all for all of your support. It is always hard to get that kind of call at 6AM from your child no matter what the age.

My son just called and said that they discharged him. They said his blood work was normal, aND THERE WAS NO BlOOD IN HIS STOOL. THEY TOLD HIM THAT IT WASN'T FROM THE DRINKING-THAT HE HAD A VIRUS. I aM NOT YELLING-I KEEP HITTING THAT CAPS LOCK KEY BY ACCIDENT. I asked him about binge drinking, and he said he only drinks like that on the weekends, and that it is normal to do that on weekends. oy He said that his roomate has a stomach virus and he must have caught it. What does a mother do?

Krisssy

Hopefully it is just a virus, but there isn't any way for you to know what they actually told him...all you will know is what he chooses to tell you. I don't think it is normal to drink that heavily every weekend. There's no way to know right now what is really going on, but I think you should definitely try to talk to him...especially if there are already alcoholics and other stressors in your family.

Good luck and keep us posted.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
He admitted to drinking on weekends but ONLY on weekends. If this was chronic, he'd be drinking during the week as well. He didn't hurt himself or anyone else nor would that be the case if he wasn't in fact drunk. Depending on the relationship with his mother, it would be a good idea to sit down with him and ask if it's a problem, especially given the family history. Or, if he agrees, to talk with a professional. This could be a wake up call to educate him to the problems associated with drinking but in my opinion, it's a bit premature to judge him as an alcoholic.

I can see where you are coming from here and this post is a slight bit off topic. But, there is such a thing as binge alcoholism. I should know, I was married to a man who was a binge alcoholic for years. These people function properly during the week and a lot of them wouldn't even THINK of drinking during the week. Unfortunately that all changes on Friday afternoon and quite a few of them drink enough on the weekend to make up for it. This puts a person at risk for various health problems as they dowse their system with a large amount of alcohol in a very short time.

I agree with your suggestion to sit down and talk with him considering the family history. It could save someone's life.

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ToryAdore

I agree with you completely. First of all, I never said anything about driving. My son lives in NYC. No one drives there unless they are nuts. He was having dinner AT A FRIENDS HIUSE. He walked there and walked home. When he drinks on weekends, he walks to the bars and walks home. I did mention it to him, and he thought I was nuts. It ends up that his roomate has a stomach virus, and he may have caught it from him. His liver and other blood tests were normal, and he was not drunk in the ED. I tended to agree with everyone, because there is alcoholism in my family, so I always worry. I am a worrier, and I kind of freeked out aNYWAY, BUT THAT IS just my nature-to overreact. I think thAT THERE IS SO MUCH BINGE DRINKING WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF TODAY, THAt we all tend to think that right away. Although I tend to panic and jump to conclusions, as a nurse I do believe in Evidence Based Practice, and I wasn't going to make a diagnosis until tests were done. Also, he ate baked ziti for dinner, so who knows. The doc said to come back to the hospital if he throws up blood again. So hopefully, this is the last of it.

Because of my own family background, I always think addict or alcoholism, so I do understand that some of the posters may have been reacting from their own experience and vantage point.

Thank you for helping me calm down and see this for what it looks like it was-a virus.

Krisssy

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Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice, Home Health.

LFT's = liver function tests...

linda

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I can see where you are coming from here and this post is a slight bit off topic. But, there is such a thing as binge alcoholism. I should know, I was married to a man who was a binge alcoholic for years. These people function properly during the week and a lot of them wouldn't even THINK of drinking during the week. Unfortunately that all changes on Friday afternoon and quite a few of them drink enough on the weekend to make up for it. This puts a person at risk for various health problems as they dowse their system with a large amount of alcohol in a very short time.

I agree with your suggestion to sit down and talk with him considering the family history. It could save someone's life.

Yes tvccrn my dad was a binge drinker, and you would never have known it during the week. But if he went to a wedding or it was New Years Eve, watch out. We could never even get him home, So I will explain that to my son, as he adored his grandfather. So it may make an impression. Drinking also does not go with his career goals AT ALL, so I will also talk to him about that. I am going to call him later and discuss this when he is feeling a bit better. You all have shown such concern and empathy. I can't thank you all enough. And , off topic, in the middle of everything, my dog ate my whole bottle of Zocar, and I had to spend $55.00 calling Dog Poison Control. Supposedly, he is fine! What a morning! Krisssy

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

LFT's= Liver Function Tests

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Thank you all for all of your support. It is always hard to get that kind of call at 6AM from your child no matter what the age.

My son just called and said that they discharged him. They said his blood work was normal, aND THERE WAS NO BlOOD IN HIS STOOL. THEY TOLD HIM THAT IT WASN'T FROM THE DRINKING-THAT HE HAD A VIRUS. I aM NOT YELLING-I KEEP HITTING THAT CAPS LOCK KEY BY ACCIDENT. I asked him about binge drinking, and he said he only drinks like that on the weekends, and that it is normal to do that on weekends. oy He said that his roomate has a stomach virus and he must have caught it. What does a mother do?

Krisssy

Your son has gotten his wake up call. Binge drinking is considered alcohol abuse, regardless of what your son and his friends like to tell themselves. And no one gets a GI bleed from a stomach virus, no one. Your son and his friends have a problem with alcohol abuse. And until they wake up to that fact, there is little that a parent can do. Drinking on weekends is sociably acceptable but that does not make it any less of an abuse. Suggest you go to Alan-on.

Grannynurse

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I think we may be overreacting a bit here. Krissy never said he entered the ED because he was drunk...but for vomiting blood. (as it turned out it wasn't due to health problems associated with chronic drinking but for a virus). He didn't hurt himself or anyone else. It wasn't even known if he was driving or being a responsible young adult by having a designated driver (if they even drove). Some people have a high threshhold for alcohol and 7 beers and one drink can be tolerated by many people. I'm not in any way condoning drinking but to call him a chronic drinker (granny) or that he was in a drunken fog (veronica) is making judgements not based on enough facts. He admitted to drinking on weekends but ONLY on weekends. If this was chronic, he'd be drinking during the week as well. He didn't hurt himself or anyone else nor would that be the case if he wasn't in fact drunk. Depending on the relationship with his mother, it would be a good idea to sit down with him and ask if it's a problem, especially given the family history. Or, if he agrees, to talk with a professional. This could be a wake up call to educate him to the problems associated with drinking but in my opinion, it's a bit premature to judge him as an alcoholic.

Sorry but it is based on living with an alcoholic parent and dealing with her, for 78 years And she never exhibited any of the classic signs and symptoms but she was an alcoholic. And Kissey's son is exhibiting one of the classic signs of abuse by his binge drinking. Someone needs to look up these signs of alcohol abuse. And I have also had 25 years of dealing with alcoholic patients and their abuse and their excuses.

Grannynurse

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