About vomiting in public

[Beingsickoutside]

If you are unwell and need to be sick and this comes on you quite suddenly, what’s the equitette? Is there one?

It seems really horrible to leave a puddle of vomit on a road or car park but what else can you do, realistically?

I've done it twice. Once when I was pregnant and had no warning. It was 8am and I was walking dd to nursery. I made it to the bin 3m away. Other time I was on holiday and walking down a lovely street near the beach and felt a bit peculiar. I sat down on a wall for 5 minutes and it didn't help. I felt worse and was very sick in the gutter while DH and the DC tried to work out wtf was happening. The loveliest woman came out of her house with water, a hand towel, bucket and a folding stool. Her DH came and swilled everything down the drain. Turned out I had noro and one by one, we all came down with it over the next 2 days.

Puke where possible and try to do it on the floor as someone who had severe morning sickness for 9 months.

Just do it!
We know someone whose wife died because she felt nauseous whilst shopping in a department store. She tried to not vomit (presumably to avoid embarrassment), collapsed choking, inhaled and died a little later.
So very sad.

I was at a party and suddenly felt sick. Couldn't find the loo so in desperation I was sick out of a window. On looking down I was horrified to see I'd vomited all over a policeman. Luckily I was in a mews cottage so by the time he might have worked out which door I was long gone. Taught me never to drink homemade wine. That stuff was toxic. I had a three day hangover.

My ds was horribly car sick once. Wr pulled over and he vomited on the pavement outside a house. So we knocked on the door and explained and asked if they had a bucket they could fill with soapy water so we could wash it away.

They did and they were really grateful!

DS was recently sick in public, I nipped and bought a bottle of water to swish away what I could. He’s a teen but it was so sudden he had no warning

I threw up on a moving underground escalator once. I think it was at Euston station. I still shudder when I remember the look on the attendent's face as he watched the pool of vomit reach the top of the escalator before he could hit the emergency stop button.*
Someone behind my friend on an escalator chundered into her hair < not envy

I used to suffer from acute vertigo caused by Meniere’s and I took to carrying a plastic bag with me everywhere on the basis that it’s more dignified and less unpleasant for other people than just randomly upchucking.

@SilverBirchWithout

Just do it! We know someone whose wife died because she felt nauseous whilst shopping in a department store. She tried to not vomit (presumably to avoid embarrassment), collapsed choking, inhaled and died a little later. So very sad.

Jesus. That's tragic, and definitely not the way you want to go.

I had hyperemesis in two pregnancies. Of course I did my best but occasionally vomited in less than ideal places.
I had to leave the house for appointments so couldn't be helped.
I was admitted to hospital with it and they gave me these things like a bag with a frame to keep them open for vomiting into so I used to carry them with me.

If you know you might be sick carry a bag. Otherwise bins/drains

My DH used a bin in a city during surprise Quornmageddon 😂

I would try to hit a drain, but if there's not one close by then definitely grass/soil over pavement. If I'm on a bus etc. And can't get off in time then I've empty out a shopping bag to use, fortunately had one without holes. It did mean getting off at the next stop with a bag full of sick in one ahand, whilst trying to keep the shopping balanced in the other.

Urgh, this has happened to me twice and it was so embarrassing. I managed to make it to the side of the road and vom into the road both times. The first time was a sudden migraine attack on my way home from work and the second time was with 'morning' sickness on my way home from work. I just about made it off the tube that time and up onto the street, so my one consolation was that I made it outside and didn't vom on a packed rush-hour tube. Nothing like an innocent vom emergency to make you feel like a drunk

Try to find a bush or drain, so no-one (or their dog) treads in it.

One of my most embarrasing moments was throwing up on a train on the underground after feeling unwell at work, it was my only way of getting home. People looked at me with such discust but there was nothing I could do. This was 20 years ago and I still shudder at the memory!

@DonLewis How considerate, you're more than welcome to throw up outside my house anytime.

I’ve vomited in public a few times...

One time I ran to go to the bin, but it was one of those that had a side opening not a top, so I ended up being sick next to it. (I had no time to go anywhere else)

I’ve been sick on a shop floor, but I was working there and I was running to go to the toilet, but they had bolted the back exit to count the safe and again I had no time to go anywhere else

Another time I aimed for the drain as I was outside at the time

Honestly, as long as you aren’t just puking up in the middle of the street, I think it’s common sense to aim where people can’t walk through it

Yes, outdoors I would say bushes / drain if possible. Anywhere people are less likely to step in it/ get it on them.
My peeves are the people that throw up in pubs / restaurants, say nothing and leave the mess for staff to find and deal with. At least apologise and offer to clean up 🧼

When I was younger I witnessed a man throw up on a busy tube. I was really impressed by how he captured it all in the newspaper he was reading, rolled it up and stepped of the tube at the next station. I wish to be that dignified when I'm puking

You just do your best with the options available - bush, drain, bin, gutter, or at least by a wall or something. Avoid people's shoes.

I once had to get off the London Overground at Clapton station to speed-puke an unwise morning cup of fruit tea (3 mths pregnant). There was no cover, and a train full of spectators 🤢 - all I could do was turn to the station wall.

And the train was held for ages, so I then turned and walked past several carriages of horrified commuters, as if I were leaving the station. But instead I jumped back into the front carriage. No point being late for work too.

Nothing like an innocent vom emergency to make you feel like a drunk

So true! I had a headache on Melbourne Cup Day once, tried to power through and went to the movies with a friend. I felt so sick after the film, came out and sat on the edge of the pavement and vomited into the gutter. The pubs were packed with revellers and I felt like such a loser. I’d been at work all day FFS!

I got the worst morning sickness, brought on by driving and happened any time of the day... I started carrying a sick bag around with me after coming all over the pavement once as I parked up and couldn’t hold it in... of the look I got but it couldn’t be helped

My daughter sufferedhorrific travel sickness and I've spent far too many journeys with sweet corn and carrot soup com swirling around in the foot well and me having to run into Asda for emergency clothes etc. I got my first brand new car in 2014 and the first thing I did was buy sick bags on Amazon. By a french brand and they are called sack vomitoires. Nifty little heavy duty draw string bags with an absorbent pad in them. Each door pocket has two and touch wood she hasn't needed them .

Oh god. I have to confess I once when young had an absolutely appalling hangover after being plied with whisky (in fact it was so bad, it was the last time I ever got properly drunk - never again!) - and I went to the corner shop for some cures and was assailed by the smell of their deli meat counter and felt horribly sick. I ran outside and started retching over a bin and a nice lady came to my aid –and I told her it was just morning sickness because I was so ashamed

However later when actually pregnant, I was on a very crowded tube and was about to be sick. As the train came into a station I yelled "let me off let me off I'm going to be sick" and the crowds parted like the red sea - and a couple of people actually came to sit with me and got me some water. People can be lovely.

I think a bag or bin is the best option if you can.

In early pregnancy, I did the morning sickness morning hurls. Once I had to stop a bus so I could chuck in a layby...full bus audience. Bump wasn't showing, I was feeling too ill to explain I wasn't doing cold turkey. Took plastic bags with me from then on...until I discovered the cure, ginger biscuits, ginger tea, ginger beer...my son should have popped out looking like a gingerbread man!