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Scary thing just happened and I need to decompress!!

17 replies

ShadesOfPemberley · 08/07/2026 23:50

Sorry but for anyone who’s awake I just need to decompress. I’m alone (DH is away) and my 13yo DD just woke up coughing (she has tonsillitis and it’s made her cough a bit to clear her throat). She has always had the habit of vomiting when she coughs as her gag reflex kicks in. However this was different because a moment later there was dark purple vomit spewing everywhere.

I’ve never seen vomit anything like that colour so I was internally panicking while trying to also keep DD calm, she has severe emetophobia and OCD/health anxiety. I was so panicked it was upper GI bleeding from ibuprofen she took earlier this evening. I got her back into bed then woke DH up (he’s in a diffferebt city on a work trip) to get HIM to call 111 so DD didn’t hear me. I was texting him all the info, describing the dark purple colour, the huge quantity, also trying to get dressed for the A&E trip while wondering how to keep DD from a full OCD meltdown because I was certain vomit that color could only be from blood. AI was saying it was either blood OR dye from food but as she hasn’t eaten anything at all let alone anything purple since 10am I was certain it was blood.

then just as DH was telling me 111 were saying we had to seek urgent medical help I remembered.

dark purple throat lozenge.

she had one right before she brushed her teeth 3 hours ago. 😬

i feel a right wally but it was a very scary sight!!!

anyway I’ll be up for hours now scrubbing purple vomit out of the carpet. (And checking on DD every so often, which 111 said to do, in spite of their agreeing it was the purple lozenge what dun it)

Just posting as I’m all alone!! And have told DH to go back to sleep as he has big meeting early. But I’m still in adrenaline mode and just wanted to get the last 30 min out of my system!!!

OP posts:
WearyAuldWumman · 08/07/2026 23:52

Oh heck. I'd have been in the same state.

I'm glad you remembered about the throat lozenges. Strong cup of tea in order?

Sending hugs.

ShadesOfPemberley · 08/07/2026 23:53

WearyAuldWumman · 08/07/2026 23:52

Oh heck. I'd have been in the same state.

I'm glad you remembered about the throat lozenges. Strong cup of tea in order?

Sending hugs.

Well a strong drink of SOME kind, for sure…

OP posts:
onlygeese · 09/07/2026 00:06

Glad you worked it out before you went to A&E. Hope you sleep well

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

ShadesOfPemberley · 09/07/2026 00:08

Good point onlygeese… yes I feel a wally now but imagine if we’d pegged it to A&E only for me THEN to remember… 🫣

OP posts:
nopenotplaying · 09/07/2026 00:09

Oh gosh, tonsillitis is so awful, poor thing.

things I have done in panic:

rang the police to report my child missing, I genuinely couldn’t find her. At least 15 mins searching. Whilst on the phone she popped her head up from between 2 bales of straw ‘found me’ she was playing hide and seek ffs

same child. Started to ‘tic’ shaking head randomly. Almost worried myself to death…then I realised she only did it when music was on. She was dancing!

I hope your daughter feels better soon x

ShadesOfPemberley · 09/07/2026 00:11

Thank you nopenotplaying!! I am genuinely relieved I’m not the only one!! Mind you, I thought I’d abandoned the crazy panics now that she’s no longer a teeny toddler!! Apparently not…

OP posts:
TheScreensNurseTheScreens · 09/07/2026 00:13

Oh dear, a hug for both of you! Good you remembered. DH is one of the, probably many, people who had a massive panic about all the dark red ‘blood’ in the loo before remembering the beetroot we’d had for tea….

ShadesOfPemberley · 09/07/2026 00:16

On the positive side, she genuinely is proud of herself for surviving the vomiting episode. She went to sleep saying she couldn’t wait to tell her therapist in the next session. Emetophobia has blighted all our lives for 6 months (she’s missed school because of it) and now here we are, one (purple) vomiting episode and she’s seen with her own eyes that the world has not ended. I hope this might lead to a jump in her improvement 🤞

OP posts:
ShadesOfPemberley · 09/07/2026 00:17

TheScreensNurseTheScreens · 09/07/2026 00:13

Oh dear, a hug for both of you! Good you remembered. DH is one of the, probably many, people who had a massive panic about all the dark red ‘blood’ in the loo before remembering the beetroot we’d had for tea….

Ah yes, beetroot poo!!! We know it all too well… 🫣

OP posts:
BrickBiscuit · 09/07/2026 00:17

When I was a nurse, one evening I bleeped the duty doctor for a haematemesis. When they arrived and began assessing we asked the staff what had been for tea. Oxtail soup!

ShadesOfPemberley · 09/07/2026 00:19

BrickBiscuit · 09/07/2026 00:17

When I was a nurse, one evening I bleeped the duty doctor for a haematemesis. When they arrived and began assessing we asked the staff what had been for tea. Oxtail soup!

🤣 so it really wasn’t totally dim of me to panic!! I feel a bit less foolish. Thank you xx

OP posts:
KnitFastDieWarm · 09/07/2026 00:42

this exact thing happened to me when i was about 15, with my brother.

He was upstairs in bed with a stomach bug, my parents were out, and I decided to sit alone in the dark and watch The Exorcist, as you do 😁I’d never seen it before and afterwards was heading up to bed, suitably freaked out and in the process of talking myself down from seeing demons around every corner, when my brother calls me to get him a glass of water. I go into his room just in time to see him throw up the most horrifying dayglo purple vomit all over the sheets.

Reader, I SHAT myself.

Turns out Ribena on an empty, recently upset stomach is a bad idea 😁

ShadesOfPemberley · 09/07/2026 05:53

KnitFastDieWarm · 09/07/2026 00:42

this exact thing happened to me when i was about 15, with my brother.

He was upstairs in bed with a stomach bug, my parents were out, and I decided to sit alone in the dark and watch The Exorcist, as you do 😁I’d never seen it before and afterwards was heading up to bed, suitably freaked out and in the process of talking myself down from seeing demons around every corner, when my brother calls me to get him a glass of water. I go into his room just in time to see him throw up the most horrifying dayglo purple vomit all over the sheets.

Reader, I SHAT myself.

Turns out Ribena on an empty, recently upset stomach is a bad idea 😁

Edited

🤣 that would have scarred me for life!

OP posts:
zigizigahh · 09/07/2026 06:20

I had the exact same thing a few weeks ago, DS suddenly started vomiting and it was black! Total panic, was about to rush to A&E when he proudly declared he had just had a glass of Coke! Took me about an hour to calm down! Blush

PropertyGuy · 09/07/2026 09:09

Not the point of the thread, but I don't think ibuprofen should be taken on an empty stomach, should it?

I only say this as I have been getting over a bug from the weekend and haven't been able to take it for other pain because I was only rehydrating by sipping water.

Glad it wasn't what you first thought / feared 😅

ShadesOfPemberley · 09/07/2026 09:25

PropertyGuy · 09/07/2026 09:09

Not the point of the thread, but I don't think ibuprofen should be taken on an empty stomach, should it?

I only say this as I have been getting over a bug from the weekend and haven't been able to take it for other pain because I was only rehydrating by sipping water.

Glad it wasn't what you first thought / feared 😅

No I think you’re right, I’d certainly never take it on an empty stomach myself (am v sensitive to it) but the GP said it would be much better for fever and pain (despite knowing DD wasn’t really managing food) so I thought it’d be ok 🫣
Either way I think we’ll just stick to paracetamol today, after last night I can’t face the ibuprofen panic again!

OP posts:
Floppyearedlab · 09/07/2026 09:33

I remember once being terrified as I did a dark black poo and was convinced I was bleeding.
Panicked at work all afternoon
Then I remembered we had had seafood paella with squid ink (was living in Spain), which would naturally be black.

It happens to us all OP.

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