diff --git a/src/node.cc b/src/node.cc
index 73cd19aca2..c54489d89e 100644
--- a/src/node.cc
+++ b/src/node.cc
@@ -180,6 +180,8 @@ static Cached<String> immediate_callback_sym;
 static struct {
   uint32_t length;
   uint32_t index;
+  uint32_t in_tick;
+  uint32_t last_threw;
 } tick_infobox;
 
 #ifdef OPENSSL_NPN_NEGOTIATED
@@ -969,6 +971,15 @@ MakeDomainCallback(const Handle<Object> object,
     }
   }
 
+  if (tick_infobox.last_threw == 1) {
+    tick_infobox.last_threw = 0;
+    return ret;
+  }
+
+  if (tick_infobox.in_tick == 1) {
+    return ret;
+  }
+
   if (tick_infobox.length == 0) {
     tick_infobox.index = 0;
     return ret;
@@ -1017,6 +1028,10 @@ MakeCallback(const Handle<Object> object,
     return Undefined(node_isolate);
   }
 
+  if (tick_infobox.in_tick == 1) {
+    return ret;
+  }
+
   if (tick_infobox.length == 0) {
     tick_infobox.index = 0;
     return ret;
@@ -2383,7 +2398,7 @@ Handle<Object> SetupProcessObject(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   Local<Object> info_box = Object::New();
   info_box->SetIndexedPropertiesToExternalArrayData(&tick_infobox,
                                                     kExternalUnsignedIntArray,
-                                                    2);
+                                                    4);
   process->Set(String::NewSymbol("_tickInfoBox"), info_box);
 
   // pre-set _events object for faster emit checks
diff --git a/src/node.js b/src/node.js
index e9bcd0bcd8..f5411cffdd 100644
--- a/src/node.js
+++ b/src/node.js
@@ -315,19 +315,18 @@
   };
 
   startup.processNextTick = function() {
-    var lastThrew = false;
     var nextTickQueue = [];
-    var needSpinner = true;
-    var inTick = false;
 
-    // this infobox thing is used so that the C++ code in src/node.cc
+    // this infoBox thing is used so that the C++ code in src/node.cc
     // can have easy accesss to our nextTick state, and avoid unnecessary
     // calls into process._tickCallback.
-    // order is [length, index]
+    // order is [length, index, inTick, lastThrew]
     // Never write code like this without very good reason!
     var infoBox = process._tickInfoBox;
     var length = 0;
     var index = 1;
+    var inTick = 2;
+    var lastThrew = 3;
 
     process.nextTick = nextTick;
     // needs to be accessible from cc land
@@ -335,11 +334,6 @@
     process._tickCallback = _tickCallback;
     process._tickDomainCallback = _tickDomainCallback;
 
-    function Tock(cb, domain) {
-      this.callback = cb;
-      this.domain = domain;
-    }
-
     function tickDone() {
       if (infoBox[length] !== 0) {
         if (infoBox[length] <= infoBox[index]) {
@@ -350,7 +344,7 @@
           infoBox[length] = nextTickQueue.length;
         }
       }
-      inTick = false;
+      infoBox[inTick] = 0;
       infoBox[index] = 0;
     }
 
@@ -359,12 +353,12 @@
     function _tickCallback() {
       var callback, nextTickLength, threw;
 
-      if (inTick) return;
+      if (infoBox[inTick] === 1) return;
       if (infoBox[length] === 0) {
         infoBox[index] = 0;
         return;
       }
-      inTick = true;
+      infoBox[inTick] = 1;
 
       while (infoBox[index] < infoBox[length]) {
         callback = nextTickQueue[infoBox[index]++].callback;
@@ -383,17 +377,17 @@
     function _tickDomainCallback() {
       var nextTickLength, tock, callback;
 
-      if (lastThrew) {
-        lastThrew = false;
+      if (infoBox[lastThrew] === 1) {
+        infoBox[lastThrew] = 0;
         return;
       }
 
-      if (inTick) return;
+      if (infoBox[inTick] === 1) return;
       if (infoBox[length] === 0) {
         infoBox[index] = 0;
         return;
       }
-      inTick = true;
+      infoBox[inTick] = 1;
 
       while (infoBox[index] < infoBox[length]) {
         tock = nextTickQueue[infoBox[index]++];
@@ -402,12 +396,12 @@
           if (tock.domain._disposed) continue;
           tock.domain.enter();
         }
-        lastThrew = true;
+        infoBox[lastThrew] = 1;
         try {
           callback();
-          lastThrew = false;
+          infoBox[lastThrew] = 0;
         } finally {
-          if (lastThrew) tickDone();
+          if (infoBox[lastThrew] === 1) tickDone();
         }
         if (tock.domain)
           tock.domain.exit();
@@ -421,7 +415,7 @@
       if (process._exiting)
         return;
 
-      nextTickQueue.push(new Tock(callback, null));
+      nextTickQueue.push({ callback: callback, domain: null });
       infoBox[length]++;
     }
 
@@ -430,7 +424,7 @@
       if (process._exiting)
         return;
 
-      nextTickQueue.push(new Tock(callback, process.domain));
+      nextTickQueue.push({ callback: callback, domain: process.domain });
       infoBox[length]++;
     }
   };