Making It Work: Emesis Bags

   Sometimes life isn't ideal. Let's face it, most of the time it isn't! So, we do what we need to, to make things work. In my "Making It Work" posts, I share life hacks and ideas that have helped me so that maybe, they can help someone else too. I hope you enjoy!

  In past hospital stays, I had been given a puny, almost worthless little "kidney shaped emesis basin" when I was nauseous. 

 Needless to say, these don't do much to contain mess and are fiddly to try to hold when you're very sick. During my tenure at the hospital (several different ER visits and stays, including nearly 2 weeks in the neuro ICU) over the course of my three brain surgeries in 2023, I became acquainted with a much more practical, useful tool, the emesis bag. In part 14 of The Whole Story of my Brain tumor and surgeries (really the story is ongoing, but this is the name of the series), I mentioned my use of "green bags" as well as a funny happenstance where my husband and I both felt the need to order some from Amazon* at the same time (giving us, what I hope, is now a lifetime supply!). 

 While the bags from the hospital, and the ones my husband ordered*, are, in fact, green, I found that the blue ones* were just as useful, and much cheaper! 

 If you want to be really fashionable, you can even get them in purple*!

 So why do I bring up something so niche, something that I used during a particularly miserable season of my life? Because the reality is, everybody pukes! It might be a stomach bug or food poisoning or car sickness, but sooner or later it'll happen to you. Have you ever been driving down a windy road when you hear from the back of the van, "I think sister is going to puke!" Yep, those frantic pull-overs and standing on the side of the road with the will-they-won't-they kid. Or maybe you're driving a sick person to the hospital (as we often were) and it's an even greater likelihood. Having one of these handy in your purse or glove-box can be a life-saver! 

 To put not-to-fine a point on it, how exactly do these little gems work? I've got a diagram for that!

1. You take the little circle and gently "punch" your hand through it to spread out the compressed bag. 

2. Holding it carefully up to your mouth, you use it as needed. It is so much easier to hold and aim into than those kidney shaped basins!

3. Twist the bag to secure the contents inside

4. Slide the narrow twist into one of the notches on the rim to lock it into place. Now it is held until you can find an appropriate trash receptacle without smelling up the vehicle.

Here's the Thing: These little beauties have truly changed my life. My Mom can tell you awful stories of sitting for hours with me in the bathroom as a kid. As an adult, even more neuroses have come into play, like needing to clean the toilet before I throw up in it! And then, pardon the details, but sometimes you need to sit on the toilet while vomiting. Lord willing, I will never throw up in a toilet again!

* I am an Amazon Associate and when you purchase something through this link I will receive a small bonus. This does not change your price at all, it just helps support what I'm doing on the Salty Zebra Blog.