v* is it really involuntary?

[afraid213]

i just read something that made me think...... this woman took two full strength does of ipicac and didnt v* she also ate a bunch of food and drank salt water.
im sure she is traumatized.
but just think, if we get n* and dont v* for 12 years (for me, knock on wood) or more then there must be some way that we control it. its not just a miracle. or at least thats what i think. if it was impossible to stop, then i dont think any of us would have this phobia.
i dont really know how to explain my thinking on this but if we v* every time we were n*, then we wouldnt have this fear because we would be used to it and know what it was like. for me, its fear of the unknown. i've tried to let myself v* before but it didnt work. im guessing because i, in my mind really didnt want to, but i was trying to convince myself that i wanted to.

[afraid213]

http://www.gut-reaction.freeserve.co.uk/emetophobia.htm
thats the site where i found that story

[andee]

Interesting...not sure what to think...anyone else? Our friend Doug would be good for this....

[virgo_witch]

There are times when you really can't help but v*...my friends father died of a brain tumor...and unfortunately for him, the tumor was pressing on a part of his brain that caused him to randomly v*...now, this is rare, sure, but it's possible.

I believe that most v*ing is voluntary...but sometimes, voluntary or not, it's NEEDED. I went 14 years w/o v*ing...I mean I was in the middle of 3 families ALL of who had a stomach bug, and I never got it...not ever...then all of a sudden, I got a random bug and could NOT hold it in...of course my emet had been getting a bit better...so maybe unconciously I allowed myself to v*?

[gumdropper1]

Thanks for paging me, Andee!

Monica, if you read my Vomiting FAQ (link below) you can understand this better. Basically, there are some key breathing steps that have to happen before someone can vomit. If you can keep these breathing steps from happening, then you can keep from vomiting. By the same token, if you want to vomit, then you can often expedite it by consciously doing these breathing steps. It's up to you!

Doug

[afraid213]

my sister, in attempt to help me get over my emet, put bleach in my soda. i took a huge drink before realizing it tasted horrible. i didnt v* but got very n*. i also didnt go to the doctor because i knew they would induce v*. i can be poisioned and still stop myself. i know it wasnt much bleach but there was some in there

[jkl81]

How horrible of your sister Monica! This is why I don't tell just anyone about emet. Now for your question, I don't know what I think I have read Doug's vomiting FAQ and I tend to agree than in most cases vomiting is to some degree voluntary. I imagine you have a fight in your brain if you will, between the voluntary part that wants to avoid vomit and the vomiting center that wants to let it happen when you feel sick. I think your results vary based on how willing you are to feel miserable for an extended period of time your mastery of said breathing techniques and your use or non use of anti emetics. I haven't had much luck suppressing vomit with a bad SV but the only 2 I've had that were bad enough to cause it since I was a little older with the first my phobia was a lot better and it was a severe SV so maybe like Kayla subconsciously I allowed it to happen thinking I would be "cured" and the last one in 07 I tried very hard to stop it but I think I gave in at the end of the day when it happened that once.

[paulinek]

Afraid 213 - That's shocking about the bleach! It could've caused irreparable damage and burns to your insides, still as long you were cured of emet that would've been ok for your sister i suppose.....

I wish I'd known about breathing techniques when i got an sv last year. I tried so so hard not to v*, i didn't think there was any more i could have done but it happened anyway, unfortunately [img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]

I'm going on Dougs website right away and printing off what to do for future reference (although fingers crossed i'll not be needing to try them out any time soon!)

[gumdropper1]

Monica that is nasty. I agree with J.D. that it is a good reason not to tell anyone about your emet. My dentist spilled bleach in my mouth a few years ago, and the stain was still visible months later.

Doug

[jkl81]

It would really be hard to tolerate a person like that again. It's such ignorance, people trying to "help out" like that risk making us worse and more paranoid since we view vomit as more traumatic than it "should" be. I've heard of some people becoming less emet after having a natural vomiting experience(or worse) but induced vomiting especially if its not your choice would be a huge trauma most especially if that was someone you trusted.

[tink]

Hey Doug,

I've spent the last half hour on your website looking for the breathing steps and I cannot seem to find it. Can you tell me what it is under? Or answer with the steps themselves?

Thanks, I appreciate it!

--Kim

[asianeko]

Hey Doug,

I've spent the last half hour on your website looking for the breathing steps and I cannot seem to find it. Can you tell me what it is under? Or answer with the steps themselves?

Thanks, I appreciate it!

--Kim

It's in the FAQ, almost at the very end. I believe it's the first question under "When You Don't Feel Like Preventing V---" It gives directions on how to breathe to induce it. Simply don't breathe that way to help suppress it. At least that's how I took it.

[tink]

Found it! Thanks asianeko..I think i just read quickly over that part, because i would never want to make myself v*.

--Kim

[asianeko]

Haha yeah I hear you. I skimmed the whole FAQ, lots of really good info there. Also a lot of icky info in there, so if you're sensitive watch out.