Will you hold back my hair?

March 1, 2009 4:52 PM

Make me throw up. There's gross stuff inside (of me and the explanation).

I get food poisoning two or three times a year, today being one of those times. I seem to be particularly susceptible to it. Anyway, I have a feeling if I could just learn to vomit more easily, I'd be suffering a lot less. It's always such a production. It takes forever and I never get it all out. When I start to get nauseated, I become very disoriented and panicky, and of course this doesn't help. From the moment I know I need to vomit to the moment when I finally do can be ten minutes of misery.

I'm not sure if this makes a difference, but I have a hiatal hernia.

Any recommendations appreciated, though I'd rather not be sticking things down my throat.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (35 comments total)

Syrup of ipecac. Do you know what you ate?
posted by kldickson at 4:54 PM on March 1

Syrup of ipecac is used to induce vomiting. Maybe also stay away from the potato salad that's been sitting out all afternoon.
posted by LolaGeek at 4:55 PM on March 1

I can usually accomplish it when I think of really gross stuff. Really gross. Only works when I'm alerady sick and on the verge. Hope you get better!
posted by pearlybob at 4:56 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

An old babysitter of mine would drink a glass of vinegar. No idea if it worked, but he tried to get me to do it once when I was nauseated-but-not-yet-puking, promising that i'd feel much better once I got it over with. I refused, so I can't provide a first-hand anecdatum.
posted by pullayup at 5:00 PM on March 1

find fresh dog poop and breathe in deeply.
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 5:04 PM on March 1

if you've got a gag reflex, why wouldn't you just stick your finger down your throat? it's not particularly attractive but then a) it's an elegant solution in that it's both very simple and very effective, and b) nothing to do with vomiting is attractive anyway.
posted by lia at 5:04 PM on March 1 [3 favorites]

Actually, that Wikipedia article says ipecac is indicated against. Sit on the toilet with a bucket until it comes out. Bring reading material.
posted by kldickson at 5:05 PM on March 1

Head over a toilet bowl, close eyes, regulate breathing to a slow measured cadence, think vile thoughts, and wait.
posted by fire&wings at 5:10 PM on March 1

Honestly all I ever need do is position head above toilet, and nature takes its horrible, horrible course. Something about associating head-over-toilet with puking does it every time.

(This is for when I am ill-I have never been bulemic or anorexic, just for the record.)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:11 PM on March 1

I get migraines periodically. Bad enough that I get sick to my stomach, which for some reason, makes the migraine lessen in intensity. I hate doing the big spit, though. I usually just think about how much better I'll feel once it's over with. It's a strange thing to psyche yourself up for, but thinking about how much relief I'll feel always helps to move things along.
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 5:15 PM on March 1

Two or three times a year?? Yuck. I have no idea if this research applies in humans, but at least in piggies, probiotics might protect against food poisoning.

(I know this isn't directly answering what you asked, but this seems like a case where prevention would be a hell of a lot better than cure.)
posted by selfmedicating at 5:24 PM on March 1

My Mom always suggested drinking a glass of warm water with yellow mustard mixed in. Just thinking of it makes me feel like hurling.
posted by sanka at 5:24 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

I'm just going to do a broad jump into TMI here, but ipecac does not work on me (It's not particularly good for you, in any case). I've taken three and a half times the recommended dose, in desperation, and I just gag some. Browsing through the color plates in the Gunshot Wounds book? No dice. Sticking my finger down my throat? I make the unwholesome noises of Alex in A Clockwork Orange, but vomiting does not result. Going so far as to lick the rim of the toilet bowl for inspiration? Leaves a bad taste in my mouth and results in the loss of purity points, but no vomit. Only my stomach and the nearest ganglia know when I will puke.

Some people do not puke easy. You may be in the unfortunate minority on that one, on the other side of the spectrum from the casual hurk! hurk! hurk! sniff and stalk off of the average untraumatized feline. Welcome to the club.
posted by adipocere at 5:32 PM on March 1

this last comment made me nearly vomit.
posted by Kifer85 at 5:35 PM on March 1 [7 favorites]

The mustard thing works in a pinch. I've never personally done it but they told us about it during our first aid training in the Boys Scouts. I was one of the older kids at the time and I ordered one of the newbies to drink some, he threw up right away.
posted by BrnP84 at 5:49 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

A cup of very (VERY) salty water does the trick too -- personal experience after being suspected of eating putty, wrongly.

It may be apocryphal, but the Romans are said to have used a feather to tickle the uvula in their vomitoria.
posted by anadem at 5:56 PM on March 1

Sometimes I stand in front of the toilet and spin in circles. This gets me feeling vomity, but I have time to kneel down over the bowl before it actually comes out.
posted by drjimmy11 at 6:14 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]

I find it helps to drink a lot of cold water between vomiting episodes - it's easier to vomit a lot of liquid than dry retching to get that last scrap of nasty out.

My best tip for replacing the finger down your throat - hold your breath. It's the logical opposite to the desperate yawning that generally comes with nausea. It really works.
posted by Catch at 6:20 PM on March 1

My husband--who is shockingly good at vomiting when he needs to--says to just stick your finger down your throat, and think of nasty things.
posted by Neofelis at 7:07 PM on March 1

This will only help if you happen to be in Australia, but I swear by Brauer's Altona Drops. It's some disgusting herbal concoction, and believe me, you have to be sick to want to take it since it stinks so badly, but it will instantly either make you feel better, or start chucking your guts up.
posted by Emilyisnow at 7:08 PM on March 1

Well, you might feel better if you do throw up, but will harm necessarily result if you don't? I am another person who vomits when I get migraines, and I have a standing prescription for generic Compazine. If that's not around you can try some OTC Dramamine.

I know that period of sitting there with a bucket or over the toilet isn't fun, feeling like vomiting is imminent and then it not happening. A couple of tips: Make sure the bucket, garbage, or toilet doesn't smell... it only worsens the experience. (Actually on the occasions when my mom has had to take me to the ER for injections of antiemetics and painkillers, she always grabs a gallon-sized ziploc bag for me to throw up in.) Try a cold wet washcloth alternating from the back of your neck to your forehead, and maybe wipe your cheeks with it as well. If your nausea is from your stomach, then you can try Emetrol. It's essentially glucose and fructose, so it's even safe for kids, and the dose is every 15 minutes up to 5 doses. I get nauseated often enough that I keep a 4-ounce bottle of it in my purse. (The generic is usually around $3/bottle, brand name is $8-$10.)

How can you get food poisoning 3-4 times a year? Are you really sure it's food poisoning and not just something upsetting your stomach?

Re: the potato salad comment, there's been an article floating around the Net on mayo being safer than it used to be. Commercial mayo uses pasteurized eggs and is safer than homemade, and Miracle Whip is safer yet. Though yeah, I'd still be cautious about it if it's been out for long.
posted by IndigoRain at 7:31 PM on March 1

Okay, I'm going to come clean - it's me. I didn't want my name to be forever associated with puking, but what the hell.

Finger down the throat method - I actually have tried it. It didn't work for me, and it just made the experience that much more unpleasant.

I don't know why I get food poisoning so often, but it's always, always after eating out or ordering in, so it's not a matter of eating that potato salad that's been sitting out for so long. Also, it can result from pizza (which was the case this time), Chinese food, Mexican food, and there doesn't seem to be common denominator as far as ingredients. I can eat out with other people and they'll be just fine. Maybe I just have a weak stomach? I really don't think it's a food intolerance or allergy. If it were, it would happen a lot more often.

I do use a cold washcloth, which does help to some degree. In the past few years I've become unable to throw up in the toilet, so I have to use a plastic bag.

Like I said in the original post, I do have an hiatal hernia, which means that part of my stomach has slipped over my diaphragm and there it remains. I'm not sure if that might have something to do with it. I haven't had any luck researching it.

Thanks for the suggestions so far!
posted by Evangeline at 8:20 PM on March 1

I hate puking!! Why don't you try not doing it? The cold wash cloth thing on the head and back of the neck is very effective. Open a window or turn on the fan. Cool air always eases my nausea. Also, heartburn meds help me too. Just an alternative idea.
posted by wv kay in ga at 8:34 PM on March 1

I am going to second a salt water mixture a bit....

When I was in college a boyfriend fed me salted pretzels with a LOT of cold water. I vomited pretty quickly.

This was after an evening of drinking and I didn't feel great, but I couldn't throw up. I also have a very hard time of it vomiting since my gag reflex seems to be broken.
posted by MsLgean at 9:21 PM on March 1

If all else fails, try to eat a stick of butter. A friend of mine was dared to do it in college, and he tried to do it without puking but failed. No need to lick a toilet bowl!
posted by ignignokt at 10:03 PM on March 1

Finger down the throat method - I actually have tried it. It didn't work for me, and it just made the experience that much more unpleasant.

I've been in a similar fix. I get nauseous easily, and sometimes I have a hard time vomiting when I urgently need to. I figured out that one finger down the throat doesn't work. but three fingers does. You have to press the tops of your fingers against your soft palate and activate your gag reflex. It might take a few tries. It's really nasty business, you'll get puke on your hands, but it's better than taking ipecac or not puking.

Good luck.
posted by louche mustachio at 11:23 PM on March 1

Drink a whole lot of warm/hot water - helps vomit, helps get it all out, and make sure you have a big glassful with you next to the toilet, so you can drink more between retching/vomiting.
Maybe you could add salt?

I use warm, rather than cold, because it seems less painful on my stomach, throat etc and just as easy to puke.

Hanging out over the toilet, seems to get my gag reflex going, at least until you're really sure you don't WANT to puke anymore.
posted by Elysum at 11:59 PM on March 1

I can't help much with vomiting tips, but I'm wondering if it's something to do with eating too much or too fast? A little bit of googling seemed to suggest that being very full or having indigestion with a hiatal hernia will cause this, and it makes sense.

The sites I found had suggestions ranging from just standing up and slowly sipping water through to rushing to a doctor in case it's become obstructed.
posted by lucidium at 4:33 AM on March 2

I was sick just a few weeks ago and wanted to get it out of my system so I can feel your pain. I agree with making sure you drink a lot of liquid and maybe even eat some bread or crackers or something... something relatively flavorless. I foundd that it was harder to induce vomiting when I wasn't quite hydrated or full enough.
posted by miss lynnster at 7:52 AM on March 2

Guys, thanks so much. I'm feeling better and I'm at work today. I managed to have a biscotti, but I think that's about all I can handle right now.

I can't help much with vomiting tips, but I'm wondering if it's something to do with eating too much or too fast?

I think in this case, you may be right. When the doctor told me about the hernia after an endoscopy several years ago, he warned me that I was predisposed to acid reflux disease. Until last year I'd never had heartburn in my life, but now I've started getting it more and more often. Usually when I've had food poisoning in the past, the course has been pretty predictable. I wake up at about 3:00 am, get violently ill for about 2 hours, go back to sleep, then wake up the next day feeling sore, but otherwise fine. This time I could not shake the feeling of fullness in my chest, as if everything was backed all the way up to my throat, and even today I still feel it a little. So I'm beginning to think that if it was food poisoning, it was compounded with something else - possibly acid reflux, since eating too much pizza can definitely do that to you. Maybe a trip to the doctor is in order this week.
posted by Evangeline at 8:26 AM on March 2

Oh, and I really don't eat like this very often. My husband and I eat pretty healthily, but once a week we allow ourselves to go hog wild for one meal. It used to be fun, but I'm afraid those days may be over.
posted by Evangeline at 8:28 AM on March 2

Have you ever been punched in the jejunum? That might do it for you.
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 9:44 AM on March 2

Well golly gee, Barry... NO.
posted by Evangeline at 9:50 AM on March 2

Hope you find out what's causing your discomfort.

If you do need to induce vomiting in the future, here's the most innocuous way I've found to do it: start brushing your tongue with your toothbrush, as if in normal oral hygeine. Then just brush further and further back until you trigger the gag reflex. Don't know why, but the brushing pressure on the back of the tongue seems to do it for me. Mmmm…minty-fresh vomit.
posted by dinger at 2:01 PM on March 2

Mmmm…minty-fresh vomit.

Now that's what I call a win-win!
posted by Evangeline at 2:10 PM on March 2