I've used for less than a month, mostly with a Volcano Digital. I've used a bong only once and found it unpleasant. The Volcano brings a much more potent, "efficient" experience. I disinfected both the base and filling chamber prior to first use by running at MAX temp for 30 minutes and blowing air through the filling chamber for 3-5 minutes.
Every time I use, I get dyspepsia (acid and air bubbles in the stomach and esophagus) and an unpleasant throat hit with accompanying severe cough. I manage the first with an over-the-counter antacid and the second with cold drinking water.
I had used it about 8 times with no additional problems. I pack the filling chamber loosely, not tightly, and heat 4 balloons at 374F, 392F, 419F, and MAX F, respectively. Two balloons is sufficient for one session, so one filling chamber provides two sessions.
Last weekend, I filled the chamber with a strain that I have been using for the past couple of weeks with no problems at all. The first session on the lower temps was typical. The second session, however, was a nightmare. The dyspepsia symptoms were typical enough, but this time the disassociative effect was profoundly unpleasant. My heart rate went to around 140 and stayed there for over an hour. Every thought turned into a loud, catchy song in my head. Every thought and movement of my body was on a 3-second delay, yet my heart kept beating quickly. Panic at my condition reinforced the overall unpleasantness. The dyspepsia got so bad that I began belching up stomach acid into my kitchen sink. After suffering like this for about 90 minutes, my heart rate went down to the 120's. Then over the course of another hour, I began to come out of the diassociative fog and played computer games to keep myself calm. The next two days, I felt paranoid and depressed. Since then, I'm having trouble staying awake and I'm averaging about 14 hours of sleep per 24 hours. This last part could be dehydration, so I'm now drink extra liters of ice water with electrolytes.
The only thing I remember doing differently is inhaling the two balloons one after the other. Normally, I wait about 15-30 minutes between the first balloon and the second. Since this session went so terribly wrong, I've been abstaining completely and I may abstain indefinitely. Also, I am 190 pounds overweight and on a weight loss program. The munchies I get after a session probably aren't helping in any case. I have a remarkably strong and healthy cardiac system, but I've had acid reflex and GERD-type symptoms for years.
Any thoughts on what might have triggered this unpleasant episode?
Every time I use, I get dyspepsia (acid and air bubbles in the stomach and esophagus) and an unpleasant throat hit with accompanying severe cough. I manage the first with an over-the-counter antacid and the second with cold drinking water.
I had used it about 8 times with no additional problems. I pack the filling chamber loosely, not tightly, and heat 4 balloons at 374F, 392F, 419F, and MAX F, respectively. Two balloons is sufficient for one session, so one filling chamber provides two sessions.
Last weekend, I filled the chamber with a strain that I have been using for the past couple of weeks with no problems at all. The first session on the lower temps was typical. The second session, however, was a nightmare. The dyspepsia symptoms were typical enough, but this time the disassociative effect was profoundly unpleasant. My heart rate went to around 140 and stayed there for over an hour. Every thought turned into a loud, catchy song in my head. Every thought and movement of my body was on a 3-second delay, yet my heart kept beating quickly. Panic at my condition reinforced the overall unpleasantness. The dyspepsia got so bad that I began belching up stomach acid into my kitchen sink. After suffering like this for about 90 minutes, my heart rate went down to the 120's. Then over the course of another hour, I began to come out of the diassociative fog and played computer games to keep myself calm. The next two days, I felt paranoid and depressed. Since then, I'm having trouble staying awake and I'm averaging about 14 hours of sleep per 24 hours. This last part could be dehydration, so I'm now drink extra liters of ice water with electrolytes.
The only thing I remember doing differently is inhaling the two balloons one after the other. Normally, I wait about 15-30 minutes between the first balloon and the second. Since this session went so terribly wrong, I've been abstaining completely and I may abstain indefinitely. Also, I am 190 pounds overweight and on a weight loss program. The munchies I get after a session probably aren't helping in any case. I have a remarkably strong and healthy cardiac system, but I've had acid reflex and GERD-type symptoms for years.
Any thoughts on what might have triggered this unpleasant episode?