Scenario:
You are in a meeting or some other group of people where you are face to face and talking.
You cough or sneeze, and a chunk of mucus comes up your throat and into your mouth.
You don't have a tissue anywhere nearby.
What do you do?
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haha...so I voted "swallow it", but I have also sometimes jumped up, grabbed a tissue, turned to the wall....and spit. haha...equally gross,
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I just lol at the Dr's office in which a cough brought up more phlem than I'd like to share. I've had to swallow on more than one occasion. At least I have a mask on at work to hide the really bad times (snot running down face)
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Swallow or cover your mouth (and said grossness), say excuse me, and get a tissue ASAP
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I cough like I'm dying and run away.
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Umm... I always swallow it even when I'm alone...
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In front of people, I swallow it (ick). At home, I spit (ick). Better out than in though.
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Ok guys, I just have to say I am BLOWN AWAY by the votes. I never knew swallowing it was a common thing. This goes back to the first time this happened to me, in middle school.. during a timed math team meet competition I coughed one up and I couldn't get up because I didn't know where the bathroom was and was too shy to ask with a huge lugee in my mouth. Haha. To this day every time I have to swallow one I go back to that moment and wonder just how disgusting I am... now I know I'm normal!!
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@snowjewelz: Hah, me too!
On the same note, what do you do when you sneeze into your elbow in public, and get snot on your shirt?! This has only happened like once, and I have no idea why it escaped, but it was so awkward...
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Definitely swallow!
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@mrs. wagon: DH recently yelled at me too and said you're not supposed to swallow it back! But I've swallowed it my whole life! I just thought my stomach acids kill whatever is there anyway?! lol!
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@snowjewelz: So for the longest time I thought swallowing was bad because it was putting it right back into where it came from... but then I realized, it comes from your lungs and you're putting it into your stomach, so that's ok. right???? haha!!
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@mrs. wagon: This is a very interesting discussion hahaha! DH & I both had a bad cold and he tries to cough out all his phlem everyday and he was appalled that I just swallow it. And meanwhile I never understood why people spit it out... To me, it's more gross to let it travel into your mouth (ugggh gag just typing this), vs stopping it in the throat and just making it go away right then and there. Ah I'm so grossed out right now, lol
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Swallow. But typically what happens is I will sneeze and the lougie will fly out into my hand while I'm talking to someone I then have to shake hands with. Then what?
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If there is no tissue nearby I will swollow it but I hate doing it and avoid doing it at all costs
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This thread is making me gag.
I voted swallow. But I don't even know.
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I couldn't finish this thread...I'm torn between laughing my butt off and gagging
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Definitely swallow.
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So.. I always swallow it bc spitting it out makes me puke. Seriously. Dh thinks I'm grid. I think hrs gross bc he is constantly spitting when he is sick. Lol
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Bahahaha. This thread is hilarious and stomach turning all at the same time! I always swallow it. I had no idea that people find that gross... I find spitting WAYYYYY grosser. I can't even watch people spit their toothpaste. Makes me gag just thinking about it. lol
@Mae: Me too! Totally agree with you and same with DH! I am always yelling at him to just swallow it (between my gags of course
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I voted swallow, but yuck!
I knew a guy in high school who would always sneeze into the inside of his shirt, like, pull open the neckhole and sneeze onto his chest. I think that's super gross!
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Swallow, stomachs are well equipped to deal with much worse and honestly, I'd rather not risk seeing it!
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*cringe* I've done it. I swallow it. Yuck! Gross! Kinda wanna throw up in my mouth thinking about it.
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@snowjewelz: LOLZ. me too.
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OH MY GOD!! So many of you guys said swallow?!
I would have totally said "One sec" with a lugee in my mouth, spit it and came back with "Delicious."
Seriously, LOL I ride with it.
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@snowjewelz: Yep. Every time.
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@Mrs. Tiger: I've seen guys do that too!
I would prefer to spit it out because I find the thick mucous irritating to my throat, but if I can't get away, then I swallow.
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This is anatomically and physiologically completely normal. Under normal circumstances everyone has what is known as the mucous elevator, where mucous from your lungs moves up your airway through your trachea and eventually into your esophagus to your stomach (aka you swallow it). This process happens without the person aware of it happening. This process is designed to trap pathogens in the mucous to prevent them from getting in the airway and put them into the stomach where the acidity of the stomach is likely to kill them.
When you are fighting off an infection you have an over production of said mucous and thus you can cough it up into your mouth. Your body would naturally swallow it anyway so if you swallow it it is 100% ok and normal
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I normally swallow it, except in extreme circumstances. For instance, two weeks ago I had bronchitis. Whatever I was hacking up may as well have been pieces of my lung....it was GROSS. I used up 3 boxes of tissues spitting that crap out.
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@PinkBee:
Thank you! Very informative and makes me feel way less gross. Kinda.... -
It never seems to come all the way up into my mouth so I swallow. If it did, I'd try to spit it out.
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Thank you! Very informative and makes me feel way less gross. Kinda.... Reply
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30 comments