View Full Version : Norovirus panic
My boyfriend's father has had to go into hospital for a few days, and there is an outbreak of the norovirus there. Some of the wards are closed and there is limited visiting. I am in a terrible panic that my boyfriend will catch it and bring it back here. I have instructed him to wash his hands when he gets back, use hand sanitiser, not touch his mouth and nose, etc., but I still panic that he will get it. I am so terrified of this illness I don't have words to express it. Can anyone reassure me? It isn't actually on the ward his dad is in, but I still worry about it just being around, in the air etc, not to mention on door handles etc. I can't relax while this horrid illness is in existence. It makes me really angry that they could develop a vaccine and don't. For those of who are severely emetophobic it makes getting through winter a complete nightmare.
I probably sound selfish thinking about myself while his dad is unwell, but when you've got a phobia you can't just turn it on and off. My fear is off the scale, I am really suffering.
I hate having this phobia so much, I know nobody wants to get a sickness bug, but with me I am so scared I honestly feel that I would die rather than have it. It would kill me, the fear if nothing else. The last time I vomited was eleven years ago when I got a bug while on holiday. It was a terrifying experience. People say 'if it happens you wonder what you were so scared of.' Well, not me. It was horrifying, and I felt traumatized for a very long time afterwards. And the papers are full of scare stories saying this norovirus is far worse than ordinary stomach bugs, people say things like they felt so ill they wanted to die, and that they were being sick for hours and hours, and so on, and I just feel the fear is so bad that my mind will give way with it. Sorry to go on but I don't know how to live with this fear.
Hiya!
I know exactly how you feel! I have severe emetophobia and despise this time of the year as that dreaded Norovirus is around. I know someone who was in a hospital ward for a while and there was an outbreak going on there too, but they didn't catch it, and I'm not being horrible or anything but they are not the most hygenic person in the world lol.
Sorry if I am not much help but I hope that reassures you a little. :)
By the way, does your boyfriend know about your phobia?
Oh and there are over 50 million people in the UK, and below 2 million people contact this virus in the UK, even on a bad year. I totally understand why you are afraid of this horrible virus, I really do. It wouldn't be as bad if I was only sick a few times, but not for three days straight! The media likes to exaggerate on the severity of this virus also.
I suffer from TERRIBLE emet, have done since I was a young child, (now 30, haven't vomited since I was 4) and always at this time of year my anxiety starts. I'm nowhere near as bad as I used to be, I used to let the fear run my life and after much therapy I've improved so much and my life is basically normal. (other than not drinking or going on rollercoasters and making sure I burn everything I cook!).
I've heard about so many people who have this bug just now and I honestly want to lock myself in my flat and not emerge until March. I've hardly gone out this week, I work from home and thought I'd be ok. But I was staying at my dad's house to look after the dog while he took a break on holiday. He text me to say he'd be home tonight instead of tomorrow, and when he got home I asked how it was and he said "it'd have been alot better if I didn't have sickness and diahorrea!". Of course, I packed my things and left straight away. He was sick on Tuesday and last had diahorrea yesterday which makes him still infectious, though he said it wasn't too bad and felt fine now and he was making dinner when I left. I got back to my flat and have been washing my hands constantly ever since and am terrified!! I'm not sure it was noro he had since the reports I've heard, people seem to be at deaths' door!
Let's be honest though, the papers do hype things up. People exaggerate. People are not hygienic which is why the bug seems to be so widespread just now. If it was that bad at this hospital, they'd shut off to all admissions. I'm sort of hoping that because it's started early, it'll finish early. Every year I think "This time it's my turn!". Am hoping that the 15 minutes spent in the same house as my dad won't make me ill but...
JUST COME UP WITH A VACCINE PLEASE!!!
I had that bug last year. I suffered from sickness phobia when I was a child but I got over it. Obviously I still do not like being sick, who does, but I am much better now. If you did get it, it only lasts a few days, and it's not so bad as people say. Keep washing your hands which is the best way of avoiding getting the bug, and take some anti bacterial gel with you when you go out.
hey :) I was real scared of getting this bug too, and unfortunatly I caught it last week. but to be perfectly honest I'd much rather have that bug than have a panic attack. It sure wasnt pleasant but after a couple of days of sleep I felt better and not at all anxious about throwing up, having it kinda helped in that sense! Cure my phoiba a bit, so to speak.
Erm... Where did you pick it up from? :unsure:
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all your replies. I am suffering so much with this fear - I made a dreadful mistake this morning, I went on the nhs website for info about the norovirus and found myself reading all the comments underneath and all the accounts from people who've had it, and it absolutely scared the living daylights out of me. It sounds horrific. I wonder if people exaggerate a bit on those boards? When I was last sick with a stomach bug, it was horrible and frightening, as I said in my earlier post, but it wasn't as bad as people are making this norovirus sound - the whole thing only lasted about five hours and I felt almost normal the next day. Is it true that these bugs are getting worse? I wish there was more information.
The Guardian is reporting that the norovirus has peaked early, with fewer cases in the last two weeks. This has to be a good sign, surely? This has given me a tiny bit of hope, but I am still in a real state with this fear. I wish people who post all these scare stories would think about the effect it has on people with phobias.
hey again Zingara, I'm exactly the same. I've never been this afraid of this time of the year before. So quite obviously my emetophobia is getting worse. I did exactly what you did also, look at all the comments and stuff that other people have been posting, and it scared me. They make it sound like a near-death experience or something, which scares me even more!
But you're right though, last time I had this virus when I was 10, it was so awful, but it wasn't THAT bad. The only thing I hated was throwing up every hour or so. You're so lucky though! You only had it for 5 hours? Surely it couldn't have been the Norovirus then? Last time I had it I was ill for 2 WEEKS! It was definitely the virus, as everyone else in my house went down with it too. I lost a stone because of it too.
Since it started early, I'm guessing it will stop earlier. But that's just me hoping.. I definitely agree with you on the last sentence, they have no idea how much it scares people like us who are deathly afraid of this virus. As you said, I do think people tend to exaggerate on the whole thing a bit.
Roll on Spring eh?
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.