Vomit!

[Dshell]

Hiya everyone!

I'm sorry in advance but i think that this will be quite a long post!

I have suffered from emetaphobia since I was around 9 years old ~(I'm now 25!) and at the moment I am actually pertrified as my boyfriend and his family have all come down with a sickness bug. His mother had it first, then his brother and he started with it about an hour after I left his house a few nights ago and since then I have been in a permanent state of panic that I am going to get it!! How long normally would it take for me to develop it if I was going to get it?

My emataphobia has got slightly better over the last few years as I am training to be a midwife and come accross a lot of people vomiting and I have reasoned with myself that I can cope with that as it is something that isn't going to make me sick - however, I think I am actually worse than before when it comes to stomach bugs!

Unortunately, I am not feeling too well anyway at the moment as I am full of a cold and together with the feelings of panic that I am going to develop this bug I keep have these really strong feelings of nausea which makes me panic even more! I haven't seen my boyfriend since Thursday night (when he got sick just after I left!) because I don't want to expose myself to the bug again - even though he is feeling a lot better now and stopped being sick on Friday! - (it's now Sunday!)

I know that what I feel is completely irrational but I just can't help it - I have tried talking to people about it and although they are generally sympathetic, they just do not understand that overwhelming urge of panic that I get! Today is the first day that I have eaten more than just a sandwhich or a piece of toast (just incase I did get the bug I didn't want to eat - how silly is that!!!) and I am not sure if my stomach is now hurting because of that and if I am feeling nauseous because I am hungry but I am now refusing to eat again just incase I am sick!

Please, please - if someone can help will you reply to me as I really am desperate! I hate to feel like this, I can't rationalise it even to myself and I feel completely stupid but I just can't help it! Does anybody have any good ideas that stop you feeling sick (other than taking the anti-emetics that I have been talking for the last 3 days!!!)

Sorry again for the long post and thank you in advance for and advice you give to me.

Dawn x

[honeybee3939]

Hi Dawn

Take a look at these links hun, you may find them useful


Emetophobia
EXPOSURE THERAPY... (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2712)
To Emetophobia sufferers (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2253)
1st day CBT exposure for emetaphobia = scary (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4930)
A visit to the Doctors (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5503)
CBT for emetophobia my experiences... (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5998)
Emetaphobia 101 (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7053)

love

Andrea
xxx



"If you have a worry turn it into a problem, you cant solve worrys but you can solve problems"

[KLK1107]

I know EXACTLY how you feel! I am in that state of panic everytime I hear that someone is sick... I have to totally disinfect my apartment and I am constantly washing my hands, it is horrible! If I might ask what kind of anti-emetic do you take when you are worried about getting sick and do they work? I was prescribed suppositories for my migraines, but I don't know if they are an actual anit- emetic... being an emetophobe with migraines is horrible because these horrible headaches make me very very nauseous... I see a therapist, but all he says to me is I should feel lucky that I can get rid of whatever is making me feel sick by throwing up... well telling me that is NOT what I want to hear... what I want to hear is that I can control throwing up and NEVER throw up again haha!

[Dshell]

I am with you on that hun and if I could be promised that I would never ever be sick again I would be a very happy girl!!! I am lucky in one way that I can only ever remember being sick 3 times - the last time being over 5 years ago and the time before that was when I was 8 and had my tonsils removed!

The anti-emetic I use is called domperidone which I have been prescribed as I also suffer from irritable bowel syndrome which makes me feel nausous (or it might by the painc that does because of haveing a sore stomach!!) I have never been since I started taking it and only take it when I need it, so not every day and it does work. Whether it works because I want it to though I dont know!! There are loads and loads out there though so just ask your dr!

I quite agree with you about what your therapist says - being told that being sick gets rid of things doesnt help because it is being sick that you are afraid of! Do you know what it is that has caused this fear for you? Being normally a quite intelligent and very rational person, I know exactly why I am so scared - but the fear just become totally irrational and uncontrollabe at times like this for me which just makes me feel really stupid!

I am taking a big step today though and actually going to see my boyfriend - but I wont go to his house!!! I am heading back to university this afternoon so if I dont see him today it will be ages again before I get to see him again!! I'm nearly sure that he will be uninfectious now though - he feels absolutely fine and has done since saturday evening and the last time he was sick was Friday morning!!!

Keep chatting to me please - it really does help to know that I really am not going mad and that I am not the only one with this fear!

Dawn x

[cscott2]

hello. i know exactly how ur feeling. i panic at the thought of catching a stomach bug yet i would be more than happy to get a terrible cold or a flu. but when it comes to stomach bugs i freak out. it wasnt until tonight that i realised that i am not the only one feeling this way. when the girls at my work got ill before xmas i avoided them. even the mention of this winter vomiting bug on the tv has me freaking out! my little sister got ill on new years eve when i was at my boyfriends house and my mum text me,i freaked out and wanted to stay at his house! (he doesnt know how i feel about this though) its a day to day worry with me. i also dont want to eat anything just incase it comes back up. i honestly dont know where these feelings come from or what caused them but its as if my feelings of worry about being sick is making me nauseous everyday :( its a relief to know that im not the only one out there.

[tammyg]

Hi Dawn,

I have this too. It is (I believe... and I'm not biased!) one of the hardest phobias to deal with as it can occur anywhere at anytime. I am the same age as you and have had it since I was very little, can't quite remember when age but my first feelings of fear about it are connected to my earliset memories.

Avoidance makes the fear worst, you said yourself that since working as a midwife you have been better. I am a teacher and the same has happened to me. I am very much like you though and still can't deal with it when it comes out of the blue.

Anyway, just thought I would say hi and let you know there are lots of us out there!

Tammy x

[Dshell]

Thank you - its so good to see that I am not really going crazy and that other people feel the same way!!! Work hasn't been too vomit filled this week but I am back on labour suite from monday and that is always good fun
(the very first baby I delivered was vomited out - i tried to hide in the corner but my mentor was very stern with me, and to be honest it was the best thing she could have done!!!) All good fun isn't it ad to be honest - as long as i dont have to touch it, hear it (yuck yuck yuck!!!), look at it or be it - I'm fine!!! hehehe!!!

Keep writing to me though and feel free to PM me any time - we got to get through this mad but terrifying phobia together!!

Hope you weekens are all good,

Dawn x

[tammyg]

Hi Dawn,
Gosh you're brave! What an amazing career. I would have loved to be a midwife but thought it was too risky at the time! Luckily I love the job I do now though so it worked out well in the end.

I agree with what you said about sounds - that is by far the worst bit. I sometimes think if people had a sound button that could be muted I wouldn't be so afraid of it! If only that were possible eh!

Have you done anything to try and get over it?

Hope you have a lovely week on the labour suite.

[cscott2]

I know dawn,that career must have helped you through this a lot. must be such a rewarding job =]

me and my little sister have been talking tonight - she suffers emetaphobia too. had a really good day today. was my first day back to school after my study leave and i hardly thought or felt ill. so im quite happy tonight! feel like im jinxing myself saying that though!! =[

hows everyone keeping?

Claire xx

[cscott2]

although hypnosis works,it scares me to think about being hypnotised =S

is that weird??

[KLK1107]

Hi everyone! I haven't posted in awhile, I have been very busy planning our wedding and with school... I am completely on the same page as all of you though! DShell-- thank you for responding to my post before and I am sorry that I didn't get back to you sooner... you had asked what I thought caused my fear and I honestly don't know myself... my mother thinks it was from when I was a baby and I drank a bottle of cough medicine and her and my dad had to give me that syrup of epicac(sp?)... my therapist thinks its because of how horrible my stepmother was to my sister and I as a child when my parents got divorced(she was the reason becasue my dad was cheating on my mom with her)... he feels that because I had no control over how she was as a child that I am trying to have control in this way... I don't know all I know is I don't want this phobia ANYMORE!... and like I said before having my therapist say "oh you should be so happy that you can throw up and get out whatever shouldn't be there" is NOT what I want to hear... I know how you all feel though and it is completely horrible. I am constantly washing my hands and I have bottle of purell everywhere I go. I felt horrible the other night because my stepdad who owns a pharmacy was short handed at work the next day and he asked me to work for him and I just couldnt work there. I just know if I would have that I would have been a wreck for the next couple of days worrying if I was going to get sick or not. I am just so tired of the constant worrying, hand washing, checking food to make sure it's done, worrying CONSTANTLY about touching doors and everything OMG its horrible!

[KLK1107]

Dshell -- I forgot to also mention that that is great that you decided to still see your boyfriend even though he was sick! sometimes I guess we need to do that stuff to prove that we aren't going to always get sick just because someone else is sick... I know my mom always says to me that with the way I am constantly washing my hands that she would eat off of my hands anyday anytime haha!

[Charmed]

my phobia of being sick is just terrible... i would rather die that be sick and ive lived like this for over 10 years. i currently am getting therapist help for it.