21 July 2009

"I'm not feeling too good myself" --Joe Cocker


I could never be bulimic. I hate vomiting too much.

I used to get car sick and plane sick and boat sick all the time. It wasn't a family vacation without Dad pulling the car over so I could stumble out and hurl.

I come by it naturally. No joke: my mother and aunt got nauseous at the Baltimore Aquarium. They were walking through it and all the fish swimming around in the tanks was enough to turn them green around the gills (nyucknyuck).

But it's been years since I've refunded. Not to say I don't still get a bit nauseous if the driver of a car is really jerky and I'm in back. Focused breathing, facing forward, even holding onto my head to keep it from moving seems to help. I fly multiple times a year and I've learned to deep breathe and self-talk my way through turbulence. I choose to go out on small, wobbly boats so I can go snorkeling. I've even gone para-sailing. And I've gotten nauseous in all of these situations... but stopped short of singing a rainbow.

What I haven't figured out is how to not get nauseous to begin with. Is it all in the bend of the knees, like in skiing? Is it keeping your head forward of your center of gravity? Is it not eating the 7-11 nachos?

Tips gratefully appreciated.

And just because I know there are some of you who will appreciate it, I give you:

The Vomit Thesaurus

23 comments:

rachaelgking said...

... Why are you looking at me?

Bjørn Larssen said...

In my case, the vomiting just went away with age on its own, I don't even know when. I used to need pills to survive a car trip longer than 10 minutes, now... I don't. I have no faintest clue what changed.

Yes, I know that's extremely helpful... buuuuut maybe there's hope for you? Like, you will stop getting nauseous when you turn 60 and that's a reason to look forward to the date...

PQ said...

I'd appreciate the tips as well.

Most of my childhood was spent throwing up...Including driving to the hospital the day my brother was born.

Fearless in Toronto said...

Champion vomiter here, from back in the day (and well, sometimes the present, too). Focused breathing, getting into the zen-like state is the only thing that's ever worked for me. I wish I had the magic bullet.

Love the cartoon.

Liebchen said...

What a handy thesaurus...

I feel like I'm actually *more* prone to nausea now. When I was little, I could ride in the car for hours - hell, I could read even going over bumpy roads and not feel sick. Now, if the ride's too long I usually need to call shotgun. It's best for all involved.

f.B said...

Never really been a vomiter. My stomach is made of iron. In that way, it's kind of like a chastity belt made of iron. Except, that's a horrible and misleading analogy.

Titania said...

f.B., we need your secret!! Seriously, if you figure it out, please let us know, this post brought back memories of why I hate flying to (actually landing in) Chicago so much.

Bowie Mike said...

It happened to me on long drives as a kid, and I used to think about it so much before a trip that one time I got sick before getting in the car. Another time I had my father pull over 1 mile into a 400 mile trip. I don't get sick any more, although the closest I came was watching the Blair Witch Project at a movie theatre back in 1999. Being exposed to the unsteady hand on the camera for 90 minutes was a little tough to take.

Mike said...

As FB said, "Never really been a vomiter". The secret is being born with the right genes.

The Bug said...

I used to be able to read in the car too - but now that I'm older not so much.

My husband gets motion sickness & he says (when possible) always focus on the horizon. It's the scenery moving quickly by, and the non-moving inside of the vehicle that gets you. If you look at the horizon that removes that dynamic.

Dmbosstone said...

"deep breathe and self-talk my way through turbulence"

What kind of stuff do you say, "I'm not going to die, I'm not going to die, I'm not going to die..."

I'd love to be the person sitting next to you when you start talking to yourself.

Narm said...

You haven't thrown up at ALL or just do to motion sickness? Like you have accidentally had an extra glass of wine or some bad chicken wings and had to regurgitate it?

G said...

Gravol: injection into muscle tissue.
DO NOT SHARE NEEDLES

Kate said...

I gave up drinking to quit puking. And now when I have the flu, I think I should get to drink.

Reya Mellicker said...

I am so grateful that I don't get motion sickness. Thank God.

May you find some way around it!

Barbara said...

My mother gave me some bad genes. But she also gave me the anti-vomit gene which has served me well in all sorts of situations. I can remember at the age of 3 being on an enormous Ferris wheel with my father at the Minnesota State Fair and wondering why he was turning green as we stopped at the very top. I don't think he hurled from that height, at least I hope not.

Alex said...

I gotta point out that the title song of your post is by Traffic, not by Joe Cocker...

Bilbo said...

Avoid listening to speeches in Congress.

Gilahi said...

@Alex - Technically, "Feelin' Alright" was written by Dave Mason, who happened to be with Traffic at the time, and apparently can't spell.

Anonymous said...

Damn I wish you wern't on blogger.
Such a hassle to just comment!
Try wordpress, really. Or at least check it out.

Okay, motion sickness, YES.
I have it. ALL the males from my father's side get it!

One thing I have problem with is STOPPING the car to get out. If I'm looking down when I let off the brakes and the car rolls, too late. I'll be nauseated for hours.
I have to keep looking forward while I get the keys and get out.

Alice said...

man, i am no help. i'm not much of a puker either (except when my good friend Binge Drinking is involved!)... so my tips revolve mostly around how to know when to stop playing flipcup.

Alex said...

@Gilahi, thank you for the clarification, although the main point I wanted to make was it wasn't Joe Cocker :)

lacochran said...

LiLu: I know my audience. :)

Oliveira: A plus to getting older--I like it! Thanks for stopping by.

PQ: Talk about mixed emotions.

Fearless in Toronto: Thanks for weighing in.

Liebchen: People think it's a selfish move on your part but really it's not.

f.B: Wait, what?

Titania: Is Chicago bumpier than other cities?

Bowie Mike: Thanks for the tip--another reason not to watch BWP.

Mike: *scribbles* get good genes.

The Bug: Thanks for the tip. Sometimes that works for me and sometimes it doesn't. Maybe I get distracted by the stuff rushing by in the periphery?

Dmbosstone: Not out loud, silly.

Narm: The last time I threw up was in Nassau in 2005. I ate bad shrimp. Now you know everything about me there is to know.

G: I WOULDN'T DREAM OF IT!

Kate: Ha! Sounds reasonable to me.

Reya Mellicker: Thanks.

Barbara: I hope not, too, for the people under him.

Alex: You're thinking I'm consistent in whether I list who wrote it or who did the definitive version? How curious.

Bilbo: Ha! Well played.

Gilahi: Give Dave a break--he wasn't feeling well at the time.

kansasmediocrity: I had no idea I was such a pain in the rump to you. Truly. Now I feel bad.
And, I've never heard of someone getting sick from their *own* driving. Wow.

Alice: Do tell! I may need that bit of advice.

Alex: Um, okay.