Regurgitation and Blacking Out and Other Happy Thoughts

So, last week Paper Fury wrote this amazing post "Unrealistic Happenings in YA Books (Pt. 2) That Make Me Dissolve Into The Earth's Firey Core And Ne'er Return."

As you can imagine, it is just as epic as it's title, listing things like suspicious-always-connecting -wifi and introverts who never take alone time. But what really got me was #2. Which is, and I quote

"Fainting and Puking But Just Keeping On Like A Steadfast Crumpet."

She goes on to say that is you faint for more then two minutes, it can cause serious damage. (I don't know exactly how long it actually is. Google it)

And I was thinking to myself "Why don't authors actually look into what they write?"

I mean, if you're going to write about ice skating, why don't you find a rink near you and go? If you can't, the next best thing would be to talk to someone who has done it, research it and watch videos.

Well, some of us have fainted before and I'm pretty sure we've all thrown up before. But do we sit and think about it?

No.

And honestly, it's probably because we are uncomfortable/in pain and we're thinking "Bloody hell, bloody hell, bloody hell. I'm going to throw up." and not "I wonder how I would write about someone throwing up?"

So where do you get those disgusting details? Or if you have never grey or blacked out, how do you write it? 

Well, I'm here to tell you all about it.

I have this thingy. Something or other Syndrome. Whatever. Nothing too terrible. (Please, I really don't want your pity. What I do want is cake.)

Anyway, at one point I was throwing up on a weekly biases. (I know, exciting right?)
So I:
A.) Have gotten really used to heaving my guts out and instead of the bloody hell thought it tends to be a resigned sigh and a "Great. Now I won't get any sleep"

B.) Instead of being a weepy weed for the next couple hours I can get up almost immediately after.  Within an hour, I can be up and going about life as usual.


And....I have problems with feeling faint ALL the bloody time. Seriously. I've blacked out twice this year, but mainly I grey out. ON A BLOODY WEEKLY BIASES. Don't know what Greying out is? Keep reading, my friend. Keep reading. 



K. So now that you all know that I know what I'm talking about....lets begin.

Barfing, Puking, Up Chucking, Chucking Up, Driving the Porcelain Bus, Etc

So, since we have all thrown up before I won't go into so many details with this as I will with fainting. Rather, I'm going to brush over some of the things that we all KNOW happen, but don't remember when writing.

Things In Books: Person throw up and keeps going.

Yep. Yep. Can totally happen. The human endurance is CRAZY. But...

If you don't hold still for...I'd say at least 20 min. YOU WILL HEAVE YOUR GUTS UP AGAIN. IF THERE IS NOTHING LEFT IN YOUR STOMACH, YOU WILL HEAVE UP THE LINING OF YOUR STOMACH.

(And that tastes a million times worse then normal puke)

Likewise, if you take anything more then a simple tongue wetting amount of water....The above happens.

So, yes. A person could throw up and then keep moving. But they would need a second. And they would be significantly weaker.

Keep in mind WHY they threw up. If they threw up because they saw something gross (dead body, rotting something or other, etc) then once they are mentally/emotionally better they should feel fine. But if they threw up because they were sick or something more along those lines, that sickness is still there and you need to think about how much it effects that person.

Things People Forget When Talking About Barfing:

• After taste 
• Barf through your nose/holding your nose shut so it doesn't happen
• Hair. If they have long hair that is down, what happens to it? Do they hold it back? Does someone else? Does it get covered in...you know. 
• I have never experienced this, but if you barf facing uphill, GRAVITY WILL WORK. BEWARE!
• 
  

FAINTING, GREYING OUT, AND BLACKING OUT

Now, lets start off by saying there is a differance between being "Light headed" and being "Dizzy"
You're light headed when you hang upside down off your bed and then sit up. Your head literally feels light. It feels like there is no blood in it.

You're dizzy when you spin around and around in your office chair.

Got it? Cool.

They can happen at the same time, (I think? Look it up) but I have never experienced it.

I don't know how it feels to anyone else, but this is what happens to me:

1. I feel lightheaded
2. I start to grey out. My vision goes grey and I start to get tunnel vision. 
3. My hands get tingly/shaky
4. I start to faded out
5. If I do not do something about it, my vision fades to black (rather quickly) and I go splat. 

Things People Don't Know When They Write: 

• People need to grab onto something/sit down or they WILL fall down. If they fall down, there is a pretty good chance they will hurt themselves pretty badly. (My brother once fainted and he bit clean through his lip!)  
• Greying out. Basically the only people I have ever heard talking about "greying out" are pilots. 
• What Cait said. IF YOU BLACK OUT FOR TO LONG, YOU WILL BE SERIOUSLY HURT. We're talking brain damage here, people.

While we're talking about long term sickness, if you have a really high fever for too long you'll get brain damage. 


 If you would like to "pick my brain" go ahead and ask whatever questions you have about barfing or fainting.
Also, go read Cait's post. It is amazing. And read Part One. Which is also amazing. (She had a link to it in Part Two, which I in turn linked at the top of this post)


Oh. And.......




GOOGLE THINGS PEOPLE!


Cheers
M.K.