# To hurl, or not to hurl (TMI, I suspect!) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226 "2009-02-24T17:32:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/21 "2009-02-25T00:33:59Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > Preach it. Just ask my dog. Long story, no one wants to hear it, moving on. šŸ˜ƒ Did the dog at least help with the cleanup šŸ˜› :eek:? /d&r ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/22 "2009-02-25T00:41:03Z")
> [@Morgis](#): > > I probably vomit more often than the average person because I get motion sickness very easily and I also tend to feel nauseous whenever I have a headache. I only try to hold it back for long enough to get myself to the toilet or the side of the road. I always feel better immediately afterward and sometimes even a little hungry. > > Any time I have tried to prevent myself from puking for any length of time, I usually just end up lying on the bathroom floor feeling miserable and sweaty and then I eventually end up vomiting anyways. Yep, thatā€™s exactly how I am. In the car, DH always has half an ear ready for me to yell at him to pull over NOW. And Iā€™m always starving after. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/23 "2009-02-25T01:19:59Z")
I havenā€™t thrown up since I was 11, except a few months ago where I had a somewhat successful gag reflex upon getting a huge antibiotic pill stuck in my throat. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/24 "2009-02-25T01:38:36Z")
I puke, on average, about once every 10 years. Iā€™d prefer it was less, and will do everything within my power to prevent it if I feel it coming on. I have little ā€œanti-puke ritualsā€ that I do (eat saltine crackers, read ā€œcomfortā€ books or comics from my childhood, watch mindless TV showsā€“anything to take my mind off of it). They probably work more often than they donā€™t. The downside of this is that when it _is_ inevitable, I sometimes donā€™t make it to the bathroom because I refuse to admit that itā€™s coming. Fortunately this hasnā€™t happened my last two times. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/25 "2009-02-25T01:40:57Z")
In my line of work (foreign teacher in the developing world) we puke nearly constantly. Iā€™ve learned just to let it go. If you fight it, youā€™ll just end up miserable for a while and then end up puking all the same. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/26 "2009-02-25T02:11:52Z")
Iā€™m not sure the last time I puked, probably 2 years ago or so, but, generally, if Iā€™m intoxicated, I donā€™t fight it. I just go and get it over with. Itā€™s always better and, if intoxicated, it doesnā€™t bother me so much. That last time I got sick I did just end up fighting it, and I managed to succeed. Still, that was like an hour of discomfort for really no good reason at all. Always best to puke, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/27 "2009-02-25T02:19:46Z")
Iā€™d rather be sick. Itā€™s been awhile since Iā€™ve hurled, but I almost always feel a million times better after doing so. The only time I havenā€™t felt better, I think I had food poisoning and I went to the hospital where they put me on an IV and something else to rehydrate me and stop me from throwing up every twenty minutes like clockwork. When I try to hold it back it kinda goes up into my nose, and damn does that BURN. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/28 "2009-02-25T02:40:21Z")
If I have an upset stomach, I always feel better after puking. Just the other night, my stomach was queasy and I tried to wait it out, but I was miserable, so I made myself throw up (which is really easy when I am feeling sick) and I immediately felt better. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/29 "2009-02-25T02:48:02Z")
I say hurl, if you blow-chunks and she comes back sheā€™s yours, if you spew and she bolts, it was never meant to be. Sorry, but a thread title like that practically ASKs for someone to quote the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/30 "2009-02-25T03:51:06Z")
Iā€™d do just about anything to keep from throwing up. I really, really, really, really, hate it, even if I know it will ultimately make me feel better. If I feel like Iā€™m about to puke, I can generally ā€˜fight it offā€™, and I get what I can only describe as a rush of adrenaline when Iā€™m successful. After that, I generally feel much better. Itā€™s like I crested the top of the hill, and I can coast from that point onā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/31 "2009-02-25T03:55:12Z")
So, quite the opposite of my husband ( **Suburban Plankton** ), I will totally induce vomitting if I feel even the slightest bit nauseated. I hate, hate, hate that feeling. I know I will feel better after I puke. Puking is your friend. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/32 "2009-02-25T14:30:06Z")
I have a terrible migraine. I have taken all the medicine I am allowed to take and I just threw it all u p. I have been waiting for more than an hour for my neurologist to return my call and I canā€™t do anything but cry. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/33 "2009-02-25T15:44:09Z")
Better out than in, I always say. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/34 "2009-02-25T20:10:07Z")
Iā€™m a puker. Heavy headache, intoxication, hangover, or even a tough cough can set me to puking. The coughing causes a gag, and once the gag has started, itā€™s going to come out. I just let it go, and I always feel much better. The problem is the broken blood vessels on the eyelids/forehead. The couple of times Iā€™ve tried to hold it back, itā€™s not gone well. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/35 "2009-02-25T21:53:21Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I try to keep it down when there is Imitrex involved, because Iā€™m trying to get rid of the migraine. My mom gets migraines with severe nausea, and throws up anything she tries to consume (sip of water? Comes right back upā€¦ we have had her hospitalized just to get fluids in her a couple of times!) She also takes Imitrex, but it is available as an injectable with a needle that you never see; my mom can inject it directly into her thigh. It might be something to talk to you doctor about. Itā€™s a tad expensive, and there is no generic currently available, though, so make sure your insurance covers it! I have only puked 3 or 4 times in my memory, and after each time, I have immediately felt better. ---
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/36 "2009-02-26T00:16:39Z")
I donā€™t have any kind of world record for not puking, but I HATE to puke. I will lay still with my teeth gritted for hours rather than letting it go. I got nauseated with the chemo, but I never puked. Probably would have felt better, but I just couldnā€™t convince myself. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/37 "2009-02-26T01:14:06Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > Preach it. Just ask my dog. Long story, no one wants to hear it, moving on. šŸ˜ƒ Hee, yeah, thereā€™s a reason my (much taller) brother finally decided that kissing his knees in the backseat and letting me have the front on long trips was preferable to the alternative. ---
**Author:** ![amelioration](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e9c0ed/32.png) [@amelioration](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amelioration)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/38 "2009-02-26T03:07:21Z")
Chiming in, puke-free sinceā€¦ uh, three weeks agoā€¦ (Goddamn nausea-flu-thing-from-hell, ruining my three-year streak.) Anyway, my mistake was apparently drinking a glass of water. Although I have a terrible phobia of puking, when itā€™s only water coming up and no acid, itā€™s unpleasant but not terrible, and I certainly felt better afterward; unfortunately, throwing up water was a sign of, ā€œHey, you canā€™t keep any fluids in, off to the urgent care for you!ā€ _That_ happens to feel thoroughly miserable, mentally anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/39 "2009-02-26T03:24:20Z")
A nursing instructor, when asked about inducing vomiting in a patient, quoted her saintly old grandmother" ā€œHoney, thereā€™s more room out than in.ā€ (With the usual warning about when _not_ to induce vomiting.) Of course, besides the obvious removal of potentially toxic fluid from the patientā€™s system, at least some immediate symptoms can be resolved by emesis. I puke whenever I get the chance, and if it is convenient. Usually sucks, and burns like hell, but I usually feel better within five minutes. Trying to hold it in is usually an exercise in futility; it only delays the inevitable. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226/40 "2009-02-26T05:13:47Z")
Fortunately I donā€™t get sick often. Hate throwing up, and I will keep my teeth clenched tight for hours, as many as it takes, until the feeling goes away. This has worked for me most of the time. The exceptions have been either drug-related, childbirth-related (too much going on to concentrate on not-hurling while giving birth), and the time I was doing fine until my husband got up to use the bathroom and made the waterbed sway. At that point I knew I was lost, butā€“he was in the bathroom upstairs. I knew I couldnā€™t make it to the downstairs bathroom so I waited until I heard the flush and the click of the door, then I bounded up. And surprised the dog, who also bounded up. And I tripped over the dog. The result of this was that I had to give the dog (who did not like baths) a bath at 3 a.m. when I wasnā€™t feeling all that goodā€“although I do have to admit, I felt a bit better than before. And the dog never slept on my side of the bed again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hurl-or-not-to-hurl-tmi-i-suspect/487226.md?page=3)