u/PogoCat4

It's day eleven of my twenty five day water fast (no food, just water and some electrolytes) and for the past few days I've been feeling terribly nauseous. I'm not afraid or panicking, I understand the reasons why. I very rarely feel nauseous and so the thought of this sensation continuing for the rest of my fast is not comforting...

I'm just wondering whether anyone has any non-medicinal methods for comforting themselves when they feel nauseous? I'm reminding myself that this is a short term sacrifice for a long term transformation but that's just the motivation to endure - if there's any way I can make the ride more comfortable I'd be incredibly grateful.

I'm away on vacation at the moment and the property I'm staying in has a gas oven; one of the worst I've ever encountered. I got talked into cooking some chicken burgers, and that ladies and gentlemen was my first mistake.

The box said half an hour but I knew better. A friend put some beef burgers in at the same time and after ten minutes in this dastardly preheated oven (the advertised cooking time), they were still stone cold.

An hour later and I still wasn't sure if my chicken burgers were done. I came without my meat thermometer and although there was no pink meat, some parts of the burger were absolutely piping hot (excellent sign) but others were just warm (ah, crap, that ain't good!)

I rarely worry about emet matters these days, perhaps just a few times a year. But I'll be honest, this is one of those times I'm worrying. I never normally go against my emet instincts. I should be enjoying my evening away but now I'm just thinking about an emergency backup plan.

Frankly, if I'm alright it'll be a ruddy miracle! One can only hope I haven't pissed off the emet gods too badly just lately!

I had a major argument with a close friend this evening. I say "close friend" but I'm not sure that either of those labels are applicable after our last exchange. I've been progressively spiralling for reasons unrelated to emet and confided in my go-to confidant. I was uncharacteristically vulnerable and simply needed to be heard; instead, it was garnished with insults and thrown back in my face.

Now, I feel dreadfully nauseous. I'm not anxious about it, I know that this nausea is the product of my emotions; not that I can really make sense of that swirling chaos right now.

Stress is a trigger for my abdominal migraines, and lord help me if I get one of those the neighbours will think I'm shooting a horror movie. The pain of a migraine localised entirely within your stomach; the accompanying attempts to vomit that prove physically impossible—when I begin to scream from the pain, it's time to summon the ambulance.

Forgive me, I sound awfully melodramatic; no wonder my bygone friendship is no longer thriving. It surely won't surprise you to hear that "pompous pr__k" was among the bouquet of rebarbatives that preceded my departure.

And it's okay if you agree, if with even this barest of context you sympathise with my long-suffering former friend. If you surely think that I deserve the intensifying nausea that is keeping me from my bed, and the anxious waiting for it to escalate, or not.

I just needed somebody to hear me this evening; I had nowhere else to turn, I'm ashamed to say. If you've read this far then you have my sincere gratitude. It's a comforting thought to know that there's someone else out there who has some sense of what I'm going through right now; who won't just insult me for feeling sick.

Thanks for listening, Pogo