Whenever I’m reading about various types of poisonings and gastric diseases, one of the symptoms is commonly listed as, “Projectile vomiting.” However, I’ve really never given thought to what that exactly means. Like anyone else, I’ve spewed up my guts on numerous occasions (be it from illness or excessive alcohol imbibition) and let me tell you, those chunks achieve quite a velocity, and probably could have covered great distance were my head not delicately balanced over the toilet bowl at the time.
So, would this type of vomiting be considered “projectile”? Should I have been more concerned about getting myself to the ER, instead of sipping on Coca-Cola for the rest of the night? And if so, what would “regular” vomiting be like? I can’t recall any time I’ve upchucked where the emetic fluids merely trickled down my chin.
Just a WAG here but is projectile vomiting perhaps just normal vomiting that happens unexpectedly.
Normally when I’m going to be sick I know a fair bit in advance and can get into position. I can see that if it were just going to happen when I was sitting/standing as normal then I’d be projecting stuff fairly violently in a horizontal direction. Perhaps that’s the difference ?
My personal observational record: Fifteen feet. And that hit a wall, still four feet above floor level. That’s projectile vomiting! This was no estimate, we measured.
Alcohol poisoning does indeed cause projectile vomiting, by the way, as will many other toxic substances. Sever alergic reactions, and some bacterial toxins do it too. In a few rare neurological conditions projectile vomiting can also be a symptom. It can also be a symptom of intestinal blockage. Don’t know what the frequency breakdown is among the causes, although I suspect alcohol poisoning is pretty high.
Projectile Vomiting as defined by the medical profession is forceful vomiting without preceeding nausea.
It can often be produced as the body’s response to a blockage in the outlet from the stomach.
Babies suffer from this more than adults and often the cause is because the pyloric valve at the outlet from the stomach is too thick or not functioning properly.
In adults the cause is more likely to be after swallowing a foreign body (like a Irishman ).
That does make sense, since during my drinking binges (from college days long since past, I should add) the vomiting would often happen with little or no warning; whereas, with regular stomach flu, I’d struggle with nausea for several minutes before giving up the effort to keep it down…
Projectile vomiting is the exact same thing as vomiting, except that it’s horizontal or on an upward arc instead of downward, as most vomiting is.
It’s generally not more powerful than regular vomiting, unless you’re actuyally trying to do it and are training yourself not to bend over and twitch about. If it’s strong, most people have to bend over, which makes it regular vomiting.
OFten there are projectiules involved. I wouldn’t suggest ingesting darts just to throw them up, as they can easily perforate your esophagus or stomach. It’s very entertainging to eat peanuts without chewing them, and then have a swig of something awful to make you spew. Make sure you have avideo camera.
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