View Full Version : every week the hpa release the latest stats for noro
legaleagle
28-12-12, 23:07
And this is why, on the day the stats are released, there seems to be more coverage in the media..we just need to go about our business and wash our hands as I'm sure we all do anyways.
I agree.
Although they've made it out as 'really bad' this year, I've only known ONE person who's had it so far. It's just like every other year.. No different.
nomorepanic
29-12-12, 01:57
I have never know anyone that has it to be honest. Don't stress over it.
AuntieMoosie
29-12-12, 02:06
Me too, I have never known anyone that I know to have had it :)
The media, as usual, don't help this situation, they hype it right up and cause a mass over reaction. Just stick to the usual hygiene and I'm sure it will all be fine :)
Its fun isnt it!!!
Does anybody else woth emetaphobia go out of their way to watch the news/look it up online/listen to the radio or is it just me? :lac:
Iced_diamond
29-12-12, 09:48
Auntie Moosie is absolutely right! Every year they make it out like it's the worst outbreak of all times. So, if it's the worst of all time every year-then we'd all have gone under with it, which isn't the case. Miss GS-I think you will find there are a lot of people in your position, who are emetophobic and constantly check online to see what the situation is. On the one hand, it calms you down, because you feel that way you're keeping up with what's going on, but on the other it will probably only scare you more. Do you secretly hope that you will google and it will come up saying: "No more Norovirus" or "Norovirus has now vanished off the face of the earth" ? I think secretly that's what a lot of people hope to see, but the news will never say anything reassuring, so I wouldn't bother looking. :)
MissGS ... Yes, exactly what I do, although I try to stop myself, but yes, Iced diamond, that's also true ... I keep hoping to see the headline 'Norovirus is on the decline and will not now appear again 'til the end of 2013! I also find myself looking on Facebook for friends who have it .. just to check if its in my neck of the woods. I only know of one person who's had D and V recently (don't think it was Noro as she recovered very quickly) So .... I just keep looking at your superb posting Iced Diamond, which I'm finding very reassuring and helpful. Thank You!
Iced Diamind and Grape you are 100% right! Thats exactly what I am looking for but its almost like I feel if I am 'educated' about it I stand a better chance! Very strange! When I hear about people being ill on facebook as well I want to know ALL the details, how many times were you ill? How long did it last? How long did you feel ill before you were actually unwell!:doh:
Iced_diamond
29-12-12, 13:00
It's definitely good to be informed though guys. Just know the basics things though, for example: washing hands thoroughly after you have been out, before eating and after visiting the loo, stay clear of hospitals and cruise ships (if you can), don't see someone known to have it. This is it really. Also maybe good to know what it doesn't last longer than 2 days and maybe what you should consume if you get it-those are all the need to know things though really. Miss GS and Grape-Be cautious about what friends say, because a lot of people actually say things like:" Oh yeah, I've had that bug that's going 'round..." More than likely, it wasn't actually that. More likely to be a Rotavirus, which is different or simply the after affects of a food and drink rich Christmas...Do you know what I mean? I would take it with a pinch of salt. :)
Thank you Iced Diamond .. all that you say helps. Someone rang me this morning and said 'I'm not going out today (she was going to the football on a mini bus .. there were 3 lots going) .. it's been cancelled as everyone's ill with 'flu and sickness and diarrhoea' My stomach jumped immediately but after reading your post I feel better. I'm know that some of them have over-indulged .. so I keep coming back and reading your posts (otherwise I probably wouldn't venture out if I took note of everything everyone says!) Thank You!
Iced_diamond
29-12-12, 16:28
Thank you, Grape. I'm not trying to say that everyone is lying-just realized it could come across that way. :blush: It's just that sometimes certain terms or names are overused a bit. Like when people have a bit of a cold, it's labelled "flu" or if someone has a bit of tummy pain due to maybe overeating or drinking (I don't know) it's "stomach bug". Sometimes we all elaborate on things a little bit-I'm guilty of that too at times. :zipit:But, it was a wise move maybe not to come out, if your friend wasn't feeling well.
UGH! I regret writing earlier saying that only one person in my area has had it. Now about 6 more people in my area are saying they've had it on Facebook... They're saying things like 'I've got that bug that EVERYONE is getting'. I don't even want to go out for a few months now. I'm more worried about my parents though as they have a better chance of contacting it unlike I do as I never touch things the public touch.
I feel reassured that I am not the only person to feel this way! my hands are so sore from all the hand washing. I just had a panic attack though as my eldest came to me saying that he felt sick. all I want to do is run away and let someone else deal with it. I feel like such a bad mum :-( I also keep looking for articles on the net that I hope are gonna tell me that into is all over and that no one else is gonna get it, but of course I never do.
Was at my local shopping centre earlier and my little one needed the loo. I counted 3 women who left without washing their hands. I just wanted to scream at them that it's their fault the norovirus is going around, and that the soap is free! I scrub my and my kids hands til they are almost raw then apply anti viral hand foam. Why can't these inconsiderate people just get a grip and WASH THEIR DAMN HANDS!
Daisy I feel exactly the same, as soon as my kids say they feel sick or have a stomach ache I go immediately into panic mode. I am constantly asking my husband if he feels sick I am driving him mad. But you're right people don't wash their hands I can't believe how many people don't wash their hands after using public toilets (I'm not a secret toilet hand wash watcher). Do people not realise that this is the simplest and most effective way of reducing infectious diseases :hugs:
Iced_diamond
29-12-12, 17:55
It's true that a lot of people out there just don't follow simple hygiene rules. I am always nagging my family to wash their hands-I even bought a special dispenser that has a sensor so the soap comes out without you having to touch anything. It's like people think they're gonn miss something if they stop to wash their hands for a few minutes-it really is frustrating....
I am also guilty of looking up people's Facebook statuses to gauge whether the virus is in our area. I keep asking my Mum who nurses elderly people in her home whether any of them have the norovirus, and the same to my OH who works two jobs. They are getting very tired of it!
It doesn't help that I feel so utterly ill all the time - the nausea is really awful at the moment.
Missybct I'm with you on the nausea..constant in panic mode due to these bugs,and me eating in general..
It's just an hourly battle
Luckily I do have a good support network around me but I still keep my attacks secret incase they start to get annoyed with me..it's only when I have a major panic then I share it because I need help to calm down
Missy and Haylea if you don't mind me asking how do you alleviate your nausea, do you take anything for it? :hugs:
I suck a lot of mints..it's calms the nausea down which then calms me down..
I always carry polos,extra strong mints or chewing gum
I also ask my Mum or Dad whenever I think they look ill or anything, but all they have been is tired. They get tired of me asking and get frustrated with me. It's annoying because while I do not WANT to hear about people in my area contacting it, I also want to know so I know who to avoid. But knowing about it just makes me anxious even more.
Missy and Haylea if you don't mind me asking how do you alleviate your nausea, do you take anything for it? :hugs:
I used to be prescribed Cyclazine (I think that's how you spell it) which is an anti-emetic, but I haven't taken any of it for years. I might ask my GP whether I can be prescribed some again, but I'm on such a catalogue of medication I'll be a walking medicinal cabinet!
You can actually get something called Motilium (again, spelling not sure of) which you can buy from a pharmacy counter. It's supposed to help alleviate nausea.
Other than that, I drink tea - for some reason, drinking tea seems to be my "comfort blanket" - normally peppermint as it aids stomach issues. I also suck on mints. Sometimes I nibble on chocolate digestives - when I am really bad (in regards to eating), it's the only thing I can actually consume.
We are having a Chinese tonight (traditional thing after Xmas) and I'm panicking it's going to give me food poisoning. That kind of thing never really bothered me...
Its fun isnt it!!!
Does anybody else woth emetaphobia go out of their way to watch the news/look it up online/listen to the radio or is it just me? :lac:
NOOOOO. No no no. You need to focus AWAY from the problem. Distract yourself when it comes to mind. As I'm sure you are away, focusing on it is just going to make you worse. Of corse this doent mean ignoring it since unfortunatley it's a facct of life that there are germs about.
But the thing about conquering fears/phobias is learning new ways of dealing with them. The moment I realise someone's on about this irritating virus, I switch off. I change channel if its on TV or radio. Leave the room if its a conversation (within reason as I cant just suddenly run away every time). I limit my reaction to it. You could spend hours & hours obsessing over this when actually you could be spending time doing more enjoyable things. Thinking about something more enjoyable.
The thing is you have the power to change what you are thinking about.
I'm not making that up and do speak from my own experience. I still have the phobia & cant change that but I can change my way of thinking & how I address the situation.
also it wont work 100% of the time. I put a panicky post on here xmas eve as my phobia got triggered big time. I knew at the time I was over-reacting but it was hard to control my feelings in the moment. Since then I'd say I've gone back to a more normal way of thinking about it.
Right now I'm going to have to stop posting becasue I'm spending too much time focusing on the phobia. So I'm off for now & will prob. take another look at the emet posts tomorrow......
Wishing all u fellow emets well.... bye.
I always worry about food poisoning. I've had a pizza tonight and have convinced myself Tesco have put the wrong use by date on it. Yes I know its stupid, but this is the way my brain is working at the moment. Thanks for your reply xx
I went for a Chinese on Xmas eve and could eat hardly any if it as I was panicking ALL the way through!!..
I constantly worry about food poisoning..
Ordered a dominos pizza tonight and just has cheese and tomato as I know not much can go wrong with that and if I'd have done kind if meat on it,it might not have been cooked properly!
With the sickness,Motilum is good..I used to pop them when I felt nauseous but then I put it down to panic attacks so I was just popping Motilum as "piece of mind" so now I just use Rescue Remedy herbal drops and I just suck mints.
thanks for your advice its really helpful. I brought some motilium last week but been too scared to take any as I read the side effects :(
I always panic about side effects..that way I stick with the herbal stuff..
No way of it making me ill :)
Haylea what herbal stuff do you use?
I have cyclazine from the docs and buy motillium but it does produce a less than attractive side effect in me!
Sparkle1984
29-12-12, 23:22
I only know of one person who's had it so far this winter - my stepbrother's daughter last week. We didn't go into their house because of it - my step-dad just handed the Christmas presents to them, standing on the doorstep.
It's called Rescue Remedy
The drops I use are in a yellow bottle and you can buy them from Boots,Superdrug and Holland and Barretts
They have a whole range if herbal remedys for sleeping etc but I have the drops
It's a little glass pipette in the bottle which I squeeze half of the pipette tube on my tongue and its calms me down..aswel as breathing and telling myself "it's just a panic attack and everything will be and over with soon"
They also do chewing gum for anxiety so it's better if your in a public place but I haven't tried it so I don't know what it tastes like
It's interesting that few of us 'emets' are online .. I feel better if I can stay awake as long as poss ... just in case I start feeling sick! Stupid isn't it. Are any of you in the Lancashire area?
I'm wide awake..I can't seem to fall asleep unless I've been crying and my eyes are heavy and stingy and today has been a good day up until now as I'm working myself up over nothing as normal..just gotta keep my brain occupied
I'm going to play the games on here ... to occupy my mind! Night everyone ..
haylea, I'm wide awake nearly every single night. I cannot fall asleep until around 6:00 AM in the morning because I feel anxious all night and nauseous, it's horrible. It's also ruined my eyes as they're always purple now.. I'm glad it's not that noticeable. I know exactly how you feel.
I agree with keeping your brain occupied, it definitely seems to help me. I like to draw and animate in my spare time and whenever I'm stressed/anxious. Being anxious at night is the worst, especially when you're trying to sleep.
Oh, and I always seem to get anxious for no reason as well. Like yesterday for example, I was just lying in bed and started worrying about nothing in particular but I've heard that even if you're not worrying about something, it's still there at the back of your mind.
Oh I believe I will always find something to worry about
Right now I'm anxious because I have minor stomach pains and I thinking oh god have I ate something wrong but it's prob just cos I haven't been to the toilet since yesterday morning..and I have to keep telling myself that...
And I'm playing games on my phone whilst trying to make myself tired..I think I possibly could be in for a long night!
I always worry about food poisoning. I've had a pizza tonight and have convinced myself Tesco have put the wrong use by date on it. Yes I know its stupid, but this is the way my brain is working at the moment. Thanks for your reply xx
i know where you are coming from... i'd be the same. soemtimes though the date is immaterial. i once had some tartare sauce (in the days when i ate alot of mayonnaise type products) & discovered afterwards it was about 2 months out of date. i'd only bought it that day but the shopkeeper hadnt taken it off the shelf. ok, i had a day or so of worry but it didnt do anything to me.
i think its natural to worry about use-by dates but some stuff is ok after the date.i dont eat meat actually & partly the reason for giving it up was that it (chicken especially) might make me ill.
theres nothing wrong with sticking to food that appears fine providing the habit doesnt take over & stop you eating a normal, healthy diet.
---------- Post added at 09:40 ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 ----------
It's interesting that few of us 'emets' are online .. I feel better if I can stay awake as long as poss ... just in case I start feeling sick! Stupid isn't it. Are any of you in the Lancashire area?
I sympathise with you all but for me I love sleep so much i couldnt possibly stay awake all night. Sleep is an important part of life so you dont want to be denying yourself something as helpful as that. You simply HAVE to listen to this advice - it WILL help:
First & most importantly: The more you think about it, the worse it will get. I can guarantee that even people who are not emets would find themselves feeling nausea if they continually think about getting sick or think repeatedly about anything related to it.
Let me ask you this.... if someone stood in front of your scratching frantically, scratching their head, their arms, their body..... before long you'd start to feel all itchy & start scratching too. What happened is that this person's behaviour triggered the first thought in your mind about itching. Then that lead to scratching & so on. I just scratched my head because evening thinking about this is making me itch.
What happens is that simply one negative or horrible thought is leading to another and another...... YOU NEED TO BREAK THE PATTERN OF THOUGHTS. Every time it comes to mind, BREAK THE PATTERN & CHANGE THE SUBJECT IN YOUR MIND to something more healthy and pleasant.
So yes, playing computer games, listen to music, draw, write. If you're at work, get stuck into something all consuming. Whatever it is, the moment you feel the trigger - fill your mind with something other than these negative thoughts. It is recognising & changing the way you behave when you notice that initial trigger. That trigger point is when you need to act.
Before you think I'm just saying this to make you feel better - it has worked for me. For example: I used to lie in bed waiting to fall sleep & then the thoughts would begin. Like a film strip every night. Exactly the same sequence of gross things I'd seen or heard, all in relation to "you know what". That set me up brilliantly to lie there awake trawling my mind for more & more horrible things I remember happening in relation to my phobia. Adding to the burden of it all.
These days when I'm just falling asleep I have far more intersting things to fill my mind & think about now. True, substantiated real life things in my mind & not a load of fear fuelled speculation.
Of course I still have the phobia but I deal with it now as best I can. Wherever possible I dont let it dictate to me. Sometimes I cant immediately do something to distract myself, particularly if I'm in a situation where I can change my surroundings. There have been occasions when I've been in a trigger situation where I've needed to use techniques that block all my thoughts totally. If my attempts to change the subject of my thoughts dont work, then I move onto step 2: Repeat words over & over in my mind, obliterating all other thoughts. Usually I'll repeat "brick wall" over and over and over. Its just a temporary fix of course & usually if I do that for a minute or whatever is needed. Once I've been able to change my situation & I am no longer feeling triggered then I try to get on with my day in a normal way. Most often I succeed in ridding myself of the obsession & go back to usual.
I would love to guarantee to everyone that they wont get sick but as we know (and what fuels the fear) is that we know it can happen. Therefore its up to you as individuals. You need to decide for yourself that you are no longer going to let the phobia dictate to you. You can change thought patterns but its necessary for you to make that decision & take control. The more you learn to deal with the phobia the less it will have an affect on your life. But it is up to you.
Thank you Tessar .. I know that all you say is so true. I must admit that last year I was so much better (also know that the noro wasn't as prevalent) but I went to more social events and it didn't particularly worry me too much. This year I've had a few months of depression (I know the reasons and it's up to me to get myself out of it) .. and from past experience I've felt worse with my phobia when I've been like this. (I've only just realised this) So now .. I'm trying to lift myself out of the depression and I'm going to follow your advice (I've already chosen my words!) ... and I WILL stop reading all the negative reporting in the papers!! This forum is also helping me a great deal so thanks to all :)
That's really good, Grape, I'm pleased that the forum's helping you. Its been a boost for me too. It's an important realisation that your phobia's worse when you are depressed. I'd completely agree with that in my case as well. The trouble with depression, even if you do know the reasons behind it, is that lifting yourself out of it can be a difficult task. Some of it is an uphill struggle but I'm hoping the advice (and your chosen words) will help in some way. Fortunatley I have learned to avert my eyes/ears from negative reporting. If the news comes on tv, I often leave the room. Otherwise all I do is obsess over what I hear. Anyway, I hope it goes ok.
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