To reduce narcotic-related nausea, lay down and keep your head still. I have a touchy tummy and it helps to take Vicodin with food.

Pain is much easier to deal with if you stay on top of it. You will also heal faster and take fewer pain pills overall if you take care of your pain before it gets ahead of you. Don't wait until it becomes unbearable, because then you will have a harder time getting it back under control. If your meds aren't working for you or the side effects are unbearable, call your doctor. Different pain meds work better for different people and there are lots of other things out there to try.

On the nurturing/caregiver thing: Being thrust into the caregiver role is surprisingly difficult. Even though my work+life load was objectively manageable, I remember feeling constantly overwhelmed. It was a marriage changer; we're stronger now, but it was definitely one of those trial-by-fire things. We flew in my mother-in-law for a week at one point so I could get some rest and it was a huge help.