So my boyfriend and I have been trying to inflate his belly for about a week now. The first night we tried, he inflated, then released, and we repeated the process about 3 times, which he was fine with. The next night, we did the same thing, again, about 3 or 4 times. Then, the other night when we tried it, he got a few pumps (maybe 4, when he had been taking about 6 or 7 before) in and had to run off quickly because he threw up. He said he hadn't eaten much that day, but he had had SOMETHING to eat, so it wasn't as though his stomach was either totally full or totally empty so I don't think his food intake is the problem. He scared me that night, but convinced me to let him try again one more time the next night and promised to be careful, go slow, and not try to push his limit. I let him do it, except I pumped this time to make sure I was going slowly and taking breaks, and I made him swear to me that he would tell me exactly when to stop. I pumped a few times, asked him if he was ok, and he said yes and told me to continue. I did, and I asked him again if he was ok. He said yes, but that I should stop because he didn't want to push his limit. I asked again if he was fine and he said yes, just that he felt full, but not terribly uncomfortable or anything, and that he could have taken in more air but wanted to play it safe. Again, about 2 minutes later, all of the sudden he threw up again. He told me that he literally felt perfectly fine up until the exact moment he threw up both times, but I don't want him to hurt himself. I made him swear to me that we wouldn't do it again until we figured out what what going on....But I need to ask you guys....Is this normal? He doesn't usually hold the air in very long anyway, and it wasn't as though he overdid it. I'd really like to know if anyone else has had any experiences like this or even somewhat similar to it? I'm worried about him and I can't figure out why this is happening.
Concerned and Curious if Anyone Can Help
Any thoughts at all or tips or anything in general would be appreciated! :) Thanks guys!
I've had this happen to me a few times. Honestly can't figure out what causes it. I've inflated countless times, but every once in a while I get the same symptoms you've described. I'm perfectly healthy though and have been doing it for like 5 years.
I wouldn't do it with food in my stomach at all nowadays, though i used to. When i've triggered vomiting, it's clean and just air, so it's more like a sudden, dramatic burp than actually throwing up. It sounds like you did everything else right though. I would say do less than five litres at a time and leave several minutes between each pump. You can judge how much air is going in by trying it with your lungs first and then your stomach because the vital capacity of the lungs is close to the capacity of the stomach. I'm assuming you're doing it orally here. If you do test it with the lungs, make sure you don't apply positive pressure.
An example: suppose you're using a manually-operated pump. Breathe out completely then start pumping and inhaling until your lungs are as full as they would be when you've taken a deep breath. That number of pumps will be about the same as the capacity of your stomach. I presume the same is true of something like an aquarium pump - the time taken to fill the lungs will be the same as the time taken to fill the stomach, but i have no experience of aquarium pumps so i don't know how fast they are. A balloon filled with a single deep breath will similarly contain the same amount of air as the stomach can.
Sudden distension of the stomach triggers the vomiting reflex. I always leave ten minutes between stages of inflation.
All of this assumes oral inflation. If you're doing it anally i have no clue i'm afraid.
This advice comes from personal experience and trial-and-error. Hope it helps!
If you are trying to inflate anally, I've found it to be normal (well, as normal as anal inflation can be :P) if you're really pushing yourself.
Air forcing it's way up your intestines can trigger the vomiting reflex, similar to how ninteenthly explained the distension reflex.
This only happenes to me when I'm upright and inflating. I find the most comfortable, painless and rewarding position to lie in is on my side, facing the right. In this position, the air will not rush through as quickly, but be warned that if you stand up while really full, it can still trigger the vomit reflex.
When I started, I inflated (again, anally) on all fours, as this is the position with the least amount of pressure on the intestines (could be wrong here, I'm not a doctor. Personal experience!).
Hope this helps, and have fun!
I think sometimes the distended colon might sort of flop the stomach around in a way it "doesn't like" as it haustrates (pulsates). And i second the thing about lying on your side. In fact, i'd say you should alternate between sides to work the air along.
he usually lies on his back, if that helps anyone out...
Does he eat or drink anything milk-based or anything with cream, butter, or lactose? Rich foods/drink can also cause those symptoms prior to inflating (even within hours).
Good point, though i wouldn't say it was the lactose but the fats and oils. Anything oily or fatty might do it, e.g chocolate or mayo. I almost always leave it at least five hours and usually do it first thing in the morning, i.e. over twelve hours since i last ate.
Any thoughts at all or tips or anything in general would be appreciated! :) Thanks guys!