Smells like teen… vomit?
June 27, 2008 by angelique
Filed under Women's Health
Okay, gross topic. I admit it. But I’m curious… have you ever met someone with bulimia who actually smelled like vomit?
I’ve read many times in “information sheets” that this is a tell-tale sign (duh!), but it seems to me that whenever I read real bulimics’ blogs or writings, they do their best to cover up the odor.
If I were bulimic, I’d be carrying around mints and hand sanitizer, I think. But I really don’t know much about it… can someone give me the down and dirty facts?
Wow. Now this is a different topic! And you’re right…its something no one talks about. Personally, its not nearly as gross as gas or umm…lets see…what happens after one uses laxatives.
I hope I haven’t become desensitized by the smell but I rarely smell it anymore. I used to be really paranoid about the bathroom smelling like vomit. But u know what? I am!!! I don’t smell it anymore…and based on comments by my mother, I’ve also stopped cleaning up “the splatter” as thoroughly as I used to. I’ve now been banned from using any bathroom except my own.
Not that I’m giving tips here…but I’m sure anyone who purges knows to rinse with baking soda (if possible…something I never do) and wash their hands MORE than once. As someone who has another nasty habit…nailbiting…I learned the hard way after going to bite and smelling the vomit is a real stomach turner. That has NEVER happened again.
I always keep gum on hand. And hand lotion. And eye drops. And I wear layers…yes even in summer, because I’ve had to walk around wearing vomit on more than one occasion and its really embarassing AND disgusting.
i heard that bulimia also erodes the enamel of the back teeth because of gastric juices that surges up the oral cavity.
Erin:
Wow — that’s more detail than I expected ! *smiles*
I’m glad you shared, though. It really made me think about all that must be on a bulimic’s mind. It isn’t just about the binge and the purge, but about the clean-up and stuff like that afterwards.
Never would have thought about eye drops… do they get red after vomiting?
Detoxy:
I hadn’t heard that… but it seems to make sense.
Ha ha.
Yeah. So the gastric juices or acid or whatever does erode the enamel on the teeth which is why you shouldn’t brush your teeth after flossing because then you’re just making things worse for your teeth. It’s also why we have so many cavities and root canals. Rinsing with baking soda neutralizes some of that…
And yeah, the eyes can be BLOODSHOT after purging. I’ve had friends who’ve popped blood vessels in their eyes and I’m always afraid I’ll strain too much and then have to walk around with the scarlet eye!
My face gets RED too (and I’m African American) so I can’t even imagine how people with fair skin deal with the purge aftermath.