View Full Version : Emetophobia and Norovirus
The dreaded norovirus season has really kicked in big time now and I am feeling so desperate about it. I have VERY severe emetophobia (and the same with diarrhoea) to the extent I will become hysterical and a danger to myself if I'm feeling sick etc.
I'm not sure I can go through another winter of this.....not helped by the fact I work in a hospital part time. This phobia leads me to total despair and to the point of wanting to end my life.
Rationally I know all about it, know about hygiene etc because of where I work but it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference. I want to hide away in my house or stay in my car. It ruins life, I dream about it at night and everey day am tormented by the fear.
I know there are other emetophobes here:). Guys, I'm really really struggling right now and am scared:weep: .
Ellie
x
Hi.
I'm emetophobic and have had it for years. Last year there was so much hype about this dreaded winter vomiting bug and in reality, out of our 50 something MILLION population, only a million got sick. Thats an awful lot of people who didn't get ill.
I spent a couple of weeks ago worrying terribly because a kid at my sons school puked right next to him, IN THE CLASSROOM and they left it there until break time.
I can't spend the next 3 months crapping myself in case i get it. If my son gets it, then i'll worry, but as long as i keep my hands clean there is little else i can do.
The chances of you getting (as you know) are very slim and you're not always sick with it. I've had it 3 times in 2 years, but was not actually sick, i spent 14 hours heaving and having the runs (which was not pleasant) and then the next 24 hours like i'd been hit by a truck - i can honestly say the last 24 hours were the worst.
YOU CAN go through this winter and you WILL survive it.
:)
I don't know what to say except me too! Belle helped me as well on a similar thread I started. My norovirus dread is terrible - I'm as scared as if it were cholera or the plague or something. I am so scared I feel like I just can't get through this winter or Christmas. I long for it to be the spring.
I try to comfort myself by looking at it like this:
1. These viruses are around all the time, they just get a lot of publicity at this time of year.
2. Bad things seem to happen when you don't expect them (at least to me!) the things you dread often don't actually happen.
3. Even if you do get it you might just get a mild dose where you're not actually sick.... I get mildish stomach upsets where I feel sick and have a bit of diarrhoea once or twice a year.
4. And this isn't easy for me to say because I am TERRIFIED, but even if we do get it we will survive it. And be able to relax after that because you can't get it twice in one year!
5. If you're careful washing your hands etc. you can greatly reduce your risk of getting it.
I know how you feel because I am so scared too. Please feel free to PM if you feel that talking to a fellow sufferer will help. xxx
Just wanted to add I started a thread myself on this topic called 'Emetophobia is driving me to despair' - there was some good advice given to me on there which might help you. xxx
Hi Ellie,
Poor you.
I too suffer from emetophobia and am worrying a lot at the moment about the norovirus bug.
Each night when I go to bed I think about it. If my son stirs at all in the night I am convinced that it is because he is ill. he now has a sick bowl in his room every night just in case poor kid.
I seem to be more rational during the day about it but evenings bring a lot of stress.
I keep trying to tell myself that if my son gets it and we get it too then we will deal with it but it makes life so much harder when the worry takes over. I am quite fed up with it. it makes me really cross when people take their kids back to school before the 48hours have passed too.
I wish there was a way to disconnect from this. Do you have kids? I used to be able to hide from everything when it was just me, it's definately harder now. But I wouldn't be without my son of course! I just wish this extra worry wasn't tainting the good times.
I have had some exposure therapy which helped for a while and maybe I am better than before but I'm still not where I want to be (ie phobia free)- am thinking of trying hypnotherapy...
Anyway it's good to know that I'm not alone and sometimes redaing other peoples stories does help to rationalise the fears a bit...maybe.
try not to think about it unless you have to. thinking of you xx
-CrazyAngel-
15-12-08, 21:19
It's that time of the year again, when it seems like everyone around me gets sick from the norovirus.
I'm emetophobic and I have been ever since I had a tonsil operation when I was eight. I was so sick afterwards, it's pretty much scarred me for life.
I hate it when this bug goes around, I never want to go to school when there's an outbreak because I know it's spreading there and so many people are catching it. I don't like touching door handles anymore just incase an infected person has touched it too. Then I have the urge to keep washing my hands over and over again, no wonder my mum seems concerned about me ><
I'm absolutely terrified of the virus, being sick is just a living nightmare for me. I've managed to avoid being sick for nearly eight years, and my immune system is pretty good, but I'm still paranoid that the bug will get me eventually.
I thought that because the norovirus is spreading rapidly at my school, they would have closed it or at least made the place more hygienic. But they don't care at all, they haven't done anything to help, and they haven't even warned anyone about the spread of it. None of them seem to know that they should stay at home at least 48 hours after the symptoms have resolved, either.
I heard a vaccine is being developed, I hope they hurry up with it, it'll put my mind at ease!
Cbodard
I can 100% understand your fear, but don't you think putting a bowl in your sons bedroom is a little too much? If your son mentioned he felt poorly when going to bed then that'd be okay, but EVERY NIGHT? Is that not pushing your fear onto your child?? I try my hardest not to do that.
x
Hi all,
I feel exactly the same as the rest of you. I really wish they would stop talking about the norovirus on the news, I can kind of cope until I see this. I'm currently having hynotherapy for my phobia and did feel like I was getting a bit better but hearing so much about this bug has knocked me back a bit and has really started me panicking!!
I've got 2 little ones and absolutely dread them coming down with this as I really don't know how i'd cope. I pray to god they don't see me panic as I would hate for them to get this phobia after seeing my reactions.
God I hate this time of year.
Hang in there everyone, we'll all get through this together. :)
Melissa xx
Just wanted to add I think those of you who are mums to young children and have this phobia do really well.... we'll get there together. xxx
Thank you SO much to all who have replied :-)
I cant tell you how much i appreciate them all. To have others who understand the terror is so important and helpful.
I went in to work this morning to be greeted with the news that another 3 wards had been closed over night. MY anxiety is off the scale but I'm trying to use all the strategies i know to bring the anxiety levels down.
I'm frustrated that despite repeatedly telling my CPN and GP about the severity of my phobia they can't offer any help.
I too take my hat off to all you Mums out there - you're amazing. The emetophobia prevents me from doing so many things including having a relationship and children.
Evenings and nights are worse for me too, I dream about it most nights and dread going to sleep in case i wake up ****.
Thank you everyone........here's hoping I can get through another night and day...and night and day..........one step at a time.
Ellie
xxxx
Hi Ellie
I really know how you feel as I am an emmet and also work in a hospital. I feel that everyone is a potetial carrier and wash my hands at times until they are sore.
I wipe the telephone handset, door handle and taps in my room with an alcohol wipe when I start work which may seem extreme but it is all things I have been taught on training courses.
I heard a radio article today that said that this years outbreak was not as bad as last, so that MAY give you some comfort.
I interrogated someone at work today who told me they knew of four people who had rang in sick. I must come across as such a weirdo at times, I just can't help it. But it's good to know I am not alone.
Take care and you WILL get through it, we ALL will.
I'm new to this site, i've been reading all your posts, it is comforting to know that im not alone with my fear.
I've been considering counsilling but not sure if its the right way to go about it.
My 5 year old nephew has just been sent home from school with the horrific bug, we are due to see them on Sunday for a big family xmas meal (My husbands family) but am full of panic now incase it gets passed round in his house and we catch it. My 4 year old son will be all over them so im extreemly worried! This christmas needs to be good for us as the last 2 have been terrible. (Lost my Dad first then horrid family issues the 2nd time!)
I just dont know what to do. :-(
Houston, I'm so glad you've found this site:) .
I REALLY feel for you - I wouldn't be able to go anywhere near someone who'd had it. I know that's no help for you but guess I'm just trying to say i can understand why you are so scared.
PM me anytime you want to talk.
More wards have been closed in my hospital today, the newpapers are full of it and I am at breaking point with the worry. I don't know what to do about it either.
Keep in touch...
big hugs,
Ellie
xx
Wards are closed EVERY SINGLE YEAR - all through the year too. Its only now that you hear about it.
hi all
i just wanted to say what a relief it is to finally hear that others suffer from this hell. I have suffered from Emetophobia for as long as i can remember and no one around me understands the fear involved. My parents have always told me that as i get older i will grow out of it - how wrong they were! im 26 now and things are slowly but surely getting worse. I am desperate to have a baby but just cant bring myself to do it because the very thought of being sick or feeling sick terrifies me!!! I havent been sick for many years (touch wood) but i dread the day that it actually happens.
After so many years of being too embarrased to visit my gp to ask for help i finally got the courage to do so recently and was told that my fear did not sound serious enough and therefore he was not willing to offer me any form of CBT or counselling. Has anyone else experienced this? i am now at a place where i do not know where to go for help. After reading all of your stories i feel a little bit better and think i may go back again and try to seek some help.
I would love to deal with this myself (i am always told to stop being so stupid and get on with it) but i am not quite sure where to start - any ideas? and now with this winter vomiting bug hanging around i could really use some advice.
Sorry for the long ess- i am new to this game and am not too sure how this works.
Denise
Hi
Just recovered from this nasty little bug Noro virus or winter sickness. Well my too youngest kids got it first one after the other. They wer being sick for about 24 hours then it leaves you with a headache and a sore mouth and taste buds that make even chocolate taste bad. I have to say its great for the weight loss. It took me 48 hours. No really its not too bad. I was told by my docs to get as many viruses as possible while I am young and fit as they will build my immunity for when I am old and frail. Me and my kids mix in close groups with lots of City viruses flying around. I think its great and tick a big box in my mind whenever I get a cold or flu virus as I know I cant get that one again. It also kick starts the lazy immunity system. The knack is not to get one straight after the other or they can drag over weeks because your immunity has taken a knock. Every year I suffer less and less colds and flu.
In my eyes use it or lose it. Just look at the most remote island in the world Tristan da Cuna. No exposure to viruses and the inhabitants cant leave there island.
It really wasn't bad my youngest was laughing while he was being sick as he nearly covered his dad.
Exposure is the best therapy.
Hope this helps..
Mee
Hi Mee
It is great to hear that the bug isn't that bad but for an emmt even feeling sick sets off a panic attack and hours of anxiety. It is impossile for us to rationalise it like you do by ticking off another virus. It's like a life and death situation for someone who has emmetaphobia. I know that sounds very melodramatic, but that's how it feels. You really don't believe you are going to survive.
However it is comforting to know that the bug isn't as bad as the scare mongering media make out.
Hiya, Ive got emetophobia and i've had it for, well... since i can remember so thats quite long. I now have a daughter too and it absolutly terrifies me at the thought she will get ill. Shes been ill twice since september, and was very very sick and i was soo scared. Last night my boyfriend had the shivers and was VERY VERY violently sick, the sound of him throwing up made me so nervous that i got a bad stomach ache and couldnt sleep. I am now scared im going to catch it, although he thinks its a bad sausage he had from the chip shop but i think its a bug. Last year was horrible too and i cant bare the thought of having this year. I live on my own too cus my boyfriend doesnt always stay. Ahhh what to do.!! I need to be cured .. :(
How are things Naomi? I so feel for you.
I'm feeling really low today and just want to hide away.
Hoping things aren't too bad for you
Ellie
xx
SharonDerby
18-12-08, 22:12
Hi all
count me in this too, i am in so much misery right now i can bearly function.
I work full time in a huge store worst of all in the kids bit, today someone bought their child into the store and he/she(didn't stay long enough to discover what lol) was sick all over the shop floor, i just went into a blind panic, i hated the mother for bringing her child out ill ( i hate myself now for hating her) but this norovirus is just too much now i cannot cope much longer i want to quit my job (cant afford that) i want to hide in my house and come out when it's over but i know i can't do any of these things........ im so desperate and isolated i want someone to tell the newspapers how much this hurts people, how close to the edge this can make people like us i want to scream but i doubt anyone will listen :(
Why did i never hear of this virus up untill about 5/6 years ago?
Why do people enjoy telling everyone how sick and how terrible it is?
i wish i had an answer a cure, anything that would help me through this cos right now i got nothing, i can't/wont eat, i can't sleep for fear of waking up in the night.
Sorry guys just terrified right now.
Hi SharonDerby,:)
I think you are so brave to be working in a large store, what a nightmare it must have been when that child was ****.
Know you aren't alone with this nightmare.... I too feel like hibernating and nearly decided to yesterday. The stress of being out and about is proving too much. people dont understand how stressful it is do they?
I'm getting obsessive about it (and all the other cold and flu bugs) - wont walk near anyhwere i hear cough, dont wany any physical contact with people, don't want to use buses, eat or drink out in public. all i want to do is stay in my home and not let anyone in.
Even peoples FaceBook statuses cause me angst - someone wrote something yesterday about being worried about catching the bug from the people where they work. I've got to go in that place on Sunday so went in to a major panic about it.
I can't cope with it.
Sharon, PM any time you want
Ellie
xx
Ellie..
Have you read the facts i posed about Norovirus?
You can't catch IT by going into a building.
Take a look at what i wrote..
x
Hi
I too am terrified about norovirus, but you can be in a room FULL of people with IT and not catch it. Unless one of the is sick near you, very near you, you clean up after them...not likely :scared15: and if you don't wash your hands throughly and regularly.
It made me feel alot less anxious when I found this out. It is NOT an airbirne virus, you can only get it by getting the virus on your hands then ingesting it through putting your hands in/near your mouth, biting your nails etc. Even if you touch a door handle that a noro carrier has touched you won't catch IT unless you then put your hands near your mouth. If you wash them thoroughly for twenty seconds and rinse then well you will wash the virus off your hands.
Hope this helps a bit.
I've just found this site - thank god - it's a godsend to know others are obsessed about this dreaded norovirus. I'm so scared i'm going to catch it. I work in PR and i think a slow news week probably isn;t doing us any favours. this bug does come out every year and every year i worry myself to the point of being sick!
Has anyone had it? is it as bad as everyone says? is it projectile? oh my god i would rather die that prjectile vom. i'm scared to eat my tea and i'm only a skinny little think. I'll end up losing loads of weight. I've strated carrying round those hand wipe things, but i dont want to get obsessed with cleaning my hands. Please help - is it as bad as everyone says? is it possible to just get the runs and not be sick. I can;t tell you how scared I feel
:weep:
hiya Mel,
I'm so glad you've found this site and you know you aren't alone.
I wish i had words of comfort but all i can say is that you aren't alone, i know exactly how you feel and share your fears about eating etc.
I'm a nervous wreck and really low because of it.
Keep in touch eh? PM if you want to talk more
Big hugs
Ellie
xxxxx
Hi Mee
It is great to hear that the bug isn't that bad but for an emmt even feeling sick sets off a panic attack and hours of anxiety. It is impossile for us to rationalise it like you do by ticking off another virus. It's like a life and death situation for someone who has emmetaphobia. I know that sounds very melodramatic, but that's how it feels. You really don't believe you are going to survive.
However it is comforting to know that the bug isn't as bad as the scare mongering media make out.
Sorry that i came over harshly. I understand that my flippent statements could make it seem so easy to overcome. I am on hear for a similar irrational fear so I am with you. I used to be frightened stupid about needles. One day me and my now wife decided we wanted to go on holiday somewhere tropical. Anyhow we booked it without thinking. As a Yorkshire chap loosing all that money did not even come in to the equation. We found out after booking it that we needed loads of injections.....panic hit...Do i lose the money NO!!! or get the injections so I went to the docs and panicked until I was nearly sick.. my girlfriend was with me like a mum and her child. Anyhow to cut a long story short I did not feel them. I know that that was not all it would take to cure my phobia so when returning from our holiday I booked in for all the injections I had missed as a kid.
The thoughts of the anxiety are the worse experience the actual event is nothing in comparison. In this case try to manage the thoughts so you can experience the event so you can prove to your mind that it is all unfounded.
I feel sometimes you can hinder yourself by talking about your phobia too much. You are giving it the power it does not deserve. I want to calm the nerves not excite them. If you notice I post a lot more to problems I do not have as I find helping others with problems I do not have helps take my mind off my own. Win Win.
Dont forget its the thoughts that are our enemy not the actual illness.
Love to you all.
Mee
SharonDerby
20-12-08, 23:15
Another very very bad day for me.
A grown man came into our store, promptly threw up, then decided to walk a little further round the dam store and be sick again.....WHAT WHY i am so bloody frightened i don't know what to do, can't think straight, can't eat,sleep drink...... i'm so out of it now i am at my wits end, i just want to hear this dam virus is over with, please oh god please let that day be soon
Sharon, what a total nightmare for you:ohmy: and why on earth didnt that man get out of the shop ....aaagh:mad: .
I know what you mean when you say you're at your wits end - I very much feel the same. I've got to go into hospital in a short while and am so so tempted not to go. I'm getting desperate and my anxiety is off the scale. All i want to do is hide away in my house for the next few weeks.
I dont know what to do anymore and am very scared I'm going to lose it completely.
Thinking of you Sharon,
Ellie
xx
Another very very bad day for me.
A grown man came into our store, promptly threw up, then decided to walk a little further round the dam store and be sick again.....WHAT WHY i am so bloody frightened i don't know what to do, can't think straight, can't eat,sleep drink...... i'm so out of it now i am at my wits end, i just want to hear this dam virus is over with, please oh god please let that day be soon
You never know, he might have had a hangover. if this virus is as bad as they say he wouldn't be out shopping! I'd be worried too but i would just try and think he'd been out for his xmas party and had a big whopping hangover!
I know i'm anxious because i keep having dreams bout sick and that's how i know. I'm just trying my hardest not to think about it x
SharonDerby
23-12-08, 23:03
Hi all,
still suffering badly, hope anyone else is feeling better, had another bad day at work, a colegue was fine one min the next was very ill, scared me to death she literaly was ok one min then the next whoosh sick, it is the most terifying moment in my life i have no idea how i'll cope now, i was very close to her at the time we were working within a few feet of each other, is this it now is this the time i'll catch it? i was right close to her.
I was starting to feel slightly better as 3 days had passed since the incident with the grown man on sat, so i was kinda hoping to make till tomorrow when i break up for 4 days, but NOW i'm thinking it's going to be Christmas day when the 48 hours are up and i might get it then (48 hours the time you sposed to be ill from time of getting infected), oh my god i will never get through these days now, what an absolute nightmare christmas this will be .
On the bright side, i do wish you all a happy Christmas and an even happier 2009 :) x
Hi everyone,
I too have Emetophobia and have done for as long as i remember, its the worse thing in the world. and 3 years ago i was suffering severe depression and anxiety, and as you can imagine the two don't mix. Panick attacks make you feel sick which in return makes the panick worse as many of you already know! i feel for anyone who suffers with it...
I used to see a phsyciatrist (sp?) because of my nerves, it was preventing me living my life, and a lot of time when i had been lying in bed for weeks with only a few hours sleep a week, i really did feel like dropping off and not waking up. Its just horrible.
I first heard about the norovirus when i was in school, and because of it left 3 years early, it got to a stage where i couldn't even go near the school with fear of catching something, and as you younger members know kids go down with things everyday in school! its terrifying.
I spent a couple of years in the house, i did virtual schooling on the net and never used to leave the house in fear of getting ill.
and although i had an initial fear of physically being sick, what made it worse was the though of getting ill while out in public rather than the safety of my home, and moreso if alone...
For some reason drunken sick doesn't effect me, i can go out and drink and be sick without batting an eyelid, but i think its mainly because i know i am not ill and that its just a one off so to speak (or maybe i was just too drunk! lol)
anyway up until 2 days ago, i hadn't been poorly sick for a few years.
But on saturday last week me and my partener attended a wedding with 24 other people, we did the registry, had a meal at a pub then went back to the groom and brides home.
24 hours later, sunday evening, we had just stuffed ourselves silly with a chinese takeaway, when about 10 mins later my partener had violent runs and was sick, i panicked breifly but i though he may have eaten a bad prawn in the curry.
an hour after he went down, i had the runs and severe stomach cramps.
and then i got a text from the Bride saying 'are you guys feeling ok?'
as you can imagine my heart is palpatating...and by now my partener had been back and forth from the bathroom.
after a few exchanged texts i then got a reply saying that everyone who attended the wedding had now come down with it!!!
These people had come over from wales, ireland and places over england for the wedding and gone back with it (not good)
My assumption, it could have been the pub door or someone working in the kitchen who brought our meals out to us??
anyway, by midnight that night we was getting the worst of it.
I must say to my poor partener, he suffered twice as bad as me, i was sick 4 times and had the runs 3 times, whereas he was gone every half hour for about 12 hours non stop.
yesterday morning we felt better and drank water and had a bit of dried toast, mine went straight through me an hour later and my partener was sick again and had runs throughout the night.
We slept well last night and today feel practically normal, though we are eating carefully and sticking to clear fluids for now as not to upset ourselves again.
I can honestly say it wasn't as bad as i ever imagined, though i didn't get it very badly which i guess is always the fear...
It came on so sudden that i didn't have chance to panic, i'm glad i got the text after and not a while before it happened!!!
Since recovering this morning from it, i had 48 hours to shut myself in the house, maybe just enough time to get a xmas with my family, though i'm scared i'm going to spread it, as my grandad is very old and i have a lot of much younger cousins who might not take to it too well :/
I have been round the house today, disinfected the loo and sinks, wiped switches and door handles etc, even our mobile phones and other things like that!
But i guess i need to do it again in a few days to make sure.
My biggest fear is contracting it again i'm so nervous.
But i hear you cannot catch it twice in one year? though it says immunity only lasts a couple of months and it hasn't even hit peak time yet :unsure:
This was the first time i've ever had it , i could probably cope with another dose but not for a long time, but i don't think i could have it as bad as my poor partener did, the thought of that worries me, big thumbs up to him for coping as well as he did, bless...
I should stop babbling now, i could go on about it all day, but i'll only get it back into my head, i need to just sit back and relax i guess and be glad i don't have to worry about catching it over xmas or new year :wacko:
Come on guys, stay strong, the way you have to think of it is, it last 60 hours at most, you can't die from it, afterwards you can go back to living your life, just a minor set back, its not terminal, and you still have your health, your being and your wonderful families and thats the most important thing in the world :winks:
Forgot to change days and hours there, i wrote this yesterday morning and posted just now, so should only have about 12 hours before i can leave the house, so xmas has been saved! :)
also where it says yesterday means Tuesday and so on, so you know i'm not cutting corners to make way for xmas, i wouldn't put that risk upon my family!
xx
You coped, which is what anyone would do in that situation i believe :)
Hope do you think you contracted it? Apparently according to all the information you have to touch something that has been touched by the infected person OR be near them when they puked or had the craps.
Interesting.
when everybody gets sick like that it was probably someone at the wedding in the kitchen with poor hygeine that had it
im petrified of this virus, honestly. i will wash my hands again after unlocking MY bathroom door and turning off the light. its dreadful, every night i feel sick from anxiety about this. every pain ill relate it to sickness. i cant deal with this " every 30 mins youll be sick for 24 hours ish" norovirus. omg! i went on a train a week or so ago to a nearby city. the journey was an hour and a half. i sat satisiziing (sp?) my hands constantly whislt keepin a scarf over my face - even though its not airbourne. please please someone bring out a vaccine. i shall be on the edge til easter time ish! id prefer to die that to be sick once..and that be it even for the whole of your life!! :ohmy:
SharonDerby
28-12-08, 22:31
I agree
what you had sounds more like food poisioning than noro, everyone contracting it is pretty unlikely all together.
Im with you Cureme, i'm feeling every bit as dreadful as you, i know that doesn't help but i am exactly the same as you hun, i do hope this dam thing passes and soon.
Sharon xxx
I know us emets are really struggling with things at the moment. I thought i was doing slightly better until today when it's all kicked off big time again - so much in the local press about noro and the flu virus..... i've not seen anyone for a couple of days because i don't want to risk catching anything.
I so long for the noro to peak but it's not - or not in my area anyway :-(
i am a nervous wreck who is terrified of life and ruled by the emet despite my best efforts not to be. i hate it soooooooooooo much.
Sorry for the rant guys..... am here for you too.
Elllie
xx
Hi Ellie
Noro has just become less of a worry for me as I have found out I'm pregnant. Emmetephobia is crippling me with fear. I have even considered not having this baby because of it, then hated myself cos we planned it for so long.
I am determined emmetephobia is not going to ruin my life. The norovirus was becoming a real obsession with me but now I have bigger things to worry about. And I'm terrified.
I hate this phobia so much to, I wish it would just go away. But I'm trying to tell myself if I practice good hygiene etc then I am doing everything I can to stop myself catching it. What more can we do????
TAKE CARE
SharonDerby
30-12-08, 21:45
Hi Andrea
congratulations on your pregnancy, please try not to worry not everyone whos pregnant gets sickness, i didn't at all, didn't even remotely feel sick, neither have three friends of mine who have all recently had babies.
As for the noro, my place of work is ramant with this dam virus as in 3 or 4 a day are going home with it, how i am coping i have no clue, i'm on the verge of a breakdown.
Kind thoughts to all of you wishing you all a happy 2009
Sharon xxx
hi everyone. I've always had this phobia (ever since my cousin threw up on my flip-flop feet in the car) but it has recently started to become worse. I have 2 children, 3months and 18 months. Well, recently my entire household became ill with the norovirus. It started with my mom who lives downstairs. The first time we had her watch the 3 month old while my husband and I took 18 month old to see christmas things and she was violently ill when we returned. My 3 month old is the only one who didn't get it which shocked me b/c my mom pretty much threw up on her the illness came on so suddenly. Well, I disinfected as best I could but me, hubby and 18 month old all got it.
I was just getting over the illness when hubby and son got it. I didn't get it so bad, only vomited once. I felt horrible b/c when my son was sick I had to make my sick husband deal with him. He had never thrown up before and had no idea what was going on. I really had no problem at the time cleaning up but now I lay awake at night listening to the monitor. I make my husband go check on him if he starts crying. He can't tell me when he feels sick yet so now I fear every cry is a tummyache!
My anxiety is so much worse at night. I don't know if it will lessen on it's own gradually or if I should seek help? I'm on maternity leave now but the worse thing is that I'm a nurse and have to deal with vomiting all the time. I'm usually fine at work...it's when family is sick that really brings on the anxiety. Hubby works in retail and getting him to frequently wash his hands has been tough. I have hand sanitizier everywhere. He doesn't see the importance of frequently washing. I have streaks of lysol running down the walls under all the light switches.
I don't want to be afraid of being sick! What are the treatments for it?
Hi teresaB, I don't know if this will help, but:
When my son was about a year old he was really s*** in the night. I was woken up by him crying and as I walked through his bedroom door the smell hit me. I put the light on and he was sort of on all fours, covered in it, and obviously upset. I could do nothing, not even go over to the cot (let alone pick him up and give him the comfort and love he needed). It was about 3 am and I was on my own with him. I closed his bedroom door, rang my mum in hysterics to come and 'sort him out' then waited on the doorstep OUTSIDE. I couldn't cuddle him for 2 days after that. So, you're not alone!
I've had this phobia for probably 30 years and it seems to get better, then worse depending on what's going on in my life. At the moment it's REALLY bad, worse than ever in fact. Right now I can't drive more than about 5 miles without the panic starting, and hate being away from home. Shopping is getting uncomfortable. The handwashing and bleach use has risen! I just keep telling myself that it won't always be this bad, there will be times when I can still live a relatively normal life, even if it's not completely phobia free.
I tried analytical hypnosis 2 years ago (cost me a fortune!) but no improvement. I'm now waiting for another referral to the mental health nurse to discuss the dreaded cbt... (haven't tried it before, but am terrified of having to confront the fear).
It's so hard for people to understand this phobia when they don't have it themselves. Maybe you could show your husband some of the stuff on here, especially about our odd behaviours and rituals! It might help him to appreciate how important it is to you that he keeps his hands hygenically clean and avoids anyone who is/has been/might be ill ;) I know this is encouraging you to give in instead of fighting the fear, but you really need someone on your side to help you through it.
Sorry for the long reply! Hope you feel a bit better soon x
HighwayMiles
24-01-09, 17:41
Hi, Teresa. I'm sorry! I have one daughter, almost 5, and I won't have another because I'm afraid of s*** kids and it's hard enough with just one. I'm pretty sure Lysol doesn't kill norovirus, not the kind available at stores anyway. Lysol Professional might. Very few things kill it. Maybe if you explain that to your husband he'll be more willing to wash his hands. My husband is a restaurant critic and I just know he doesn't wash his hands before eating every time, or if he does he touches the sink handles or door handle and negates the effort. Drives me NUTS!
I used to work in the infant room of a daycare and didn't have any problem with s*** kids, but then my daughter got rotavirus and it messed me up. It really traumatized me. It reminded me of when I was in a car accident because I kept thinking about when it happened and re-playing that in my mind. The Psychiatrist told me I'd probably get better when she got s*** again, but last December she got it twice, just two weeks apart, and now I feel like we have targets on our backs. Even with all the Purell and wipes and sprays, she managed to get it, and she wasn't even in school! HOW did that happen!?
Anyway, it's hard to fear something invisible because it could be anywhere! I don't know how to handle it. Meds helped me with physical symptoms, but my brain refuses to give up on the obsession. I'm in a really bad way right now. This is a rotten time of year. I see all my friends falling ill and I'm just waiting for our turn. I'm really suffering.
I wish I had advice, but as you can tell, I'm not anywhere near recovered. I just want you to know you're not alone. (hugs)
~Laura
Ours was deffinately norovirus.
We rang food standards as we could have put a complaint to the pub for food poisoning, btu they said it was not food poisoning as everyone ate different things, and besides the symptoms were all that of norovirus, but i can glady report everyone was well and recovered and eating again just 48 hours later, so no one missed xmas!
My theory, someone in the kitchens at pub must have just been getting over it, but not done their 48 hours quarentine time after recovering, and therefore brought the plates and food out to the table and spreading it, either that or someone who had entered the pub and left an infected hand print on the door that we all touched as we entered and exit...
But either way it was confirmed norovirus. I'm glad i dont' have to worry about it for a few months, but when the immunity wears off i'm going to be in a state again later on this year :/
xx
emmahathaway
04-02-09, 16:57
I know how you all feel, my parents have recently had this s***ess illness and as i'm living with them i'm very worried in fact to the point of panicing. I've had to sleep out when each parent was ill but still worried about getting it as i was with them before they were physically ill. i don't know if people are contagous before they are ill or just after so i can't stop worrying.
I'm glad others understand cos my dad just thinks i should control it and get used to it, doesn't he think that if i could i would, it's not my choice that i'm scared!!!!! yes i know i'm 27 and had for over 20 years but it still doesn't get any easier!
I'm glad to have found this thread. I have been soooo worried about this virus for a couple of months now.
We had norovirus last year and the year before and it was horrible. I am emetaphobic so I always freak out about stuff like that....but this year is even worse because I am pregnant and a week overdue. I am so scared that I will catch this bug and then go into labor and be very very ill. Also, I already have 3 kids, one who sucks her thumb, another who can't keep his finger out of his nose, and another who puts everything in his mouth. I am constantly using hand sanatizer but from what I've read that doesn't kill it. I try to wash their hands, but they never do it long enough.
I am just soooo freaking out. If they get it, surely I will get it and that could be devestating to being in labor. I am so scared. I don't think we'll leave the house again until after the baby is born. I'm going to make my dh wash his hands like crazy when he arrives home. If I can make it through the birth I will still be scared of catching it, but at least it won't be terrifying because I won't have to worry about going into labor with it.
Ugh, I hate feeling this way. I keep waiting for someone to throw up. Every cough in the middle of the night or weird noise makes me instantly panic thinking someone is throwing up.
Why does this have to be so hard? :weep:
HighwayMiles
07-02-09, 06:24
I'm glad to have found this thread. I have been soooo worried about this virus for a couple of months now.
We had norovirus last year and the year before and it was horrible. I am emetaphobic so I always freak out about stuff like that....but this year is even worse because I am pregnant and a week overdue. I am so scared that I will catch this bug and then go into labor and be very very ill. Also, I already have 3 kids, one who sucks her thumb, another who can't keep his finger out of his nose, and another who puts everything in his mouth. I am constantly using hand sanatizer but from what I've read that doesn't kill it. I try to wash their hands, but they never do it long enough.
I am just soooo freaking out. If they get it, surely I will get it and that could be devestating to being in labor. I am so scared. I don't think we'll leave the house again until after the baby is born. I'm going to make my dh wash his hands like crazy when he arrives home. If I can make it through the birth I will still be scared of catching it, but at least it won't be terrifying because I won't have to worry about going into labor with it.
Ugh, I hate feeling this way. I keep waiting for someone to throw up. Every cough in the middle of the night or weird noise makes me instantly panic thinking someone is throwing up.
Why does this have to be so hard? :weep:
I'm sorry. My kid is a thumbsucker, too. She won't stop and it drives me crazy! I'll be thinking of you and hoping you'll stay healthy until your little one gets here. Chances are you'll be fine. I think you're very brave for having more children. I'm too scared to have another. Hang in there.
~Laura
penny_croft
15-02-11, 16:35
I am so glad to have found this thread. I work in an office and about half the people here have come down with the dreaded virus. I hate coming in to work this time of year because I hate using the public washrooms; so many people don't wash their hands! Every time I feel even a little queasy I start to panic that I've caught the virus. I had a really nasty bout of it this time last year and I keep replaying it in my mind. My boyfriend and my parents just think I'm being dramatic, but the thought of being s*** literally makes me cry. It's oddly comforting to know that others feel the same way; I'm so tired of feeling like I'm crazy.
We will all be fine. I have to tell myself this constantly, like several times a day. Is it spring yet???
Penny
I'm glad to have found this thread. I have been soooo worried about this virus for a couple of months now.
We had norovirus last year and the year before and it was horrible. I am emetaphobic so I always freak out about stuff like that....but this year is even worse because I am pregnant and a week overdue. I am so scared that I will catch this bug and then go into labor and be very very ill. Also, I already have 3 kids, one who sucks her thumb, another who can't keep his finger out of his nose, and another who puts everything in his mouth. I am constantly using hand sanatizer but from what I've read that doesn't kill it. I try to wash their hands, but they never do it long enough.
I am just soooo freaking out. If they get it, surely I will get it and that could be devestating to being in labor. I am so scared. I don't think we'll leave the house again until after the baby is born. I'm going to make my dh wash his hands like crazy when he arrives home. If I can make it through the birth I will still be scared of catching it, but at least it won't be terrifying because I won't have to worry about going into labor with it.
Ugh, I hate feeling this way. I keep waiting for someone to throw up. Every cough in the middle of the night or weird noise makes me instantly panic thinking someone is throwing up.
Why does this have to be so hard? :weep:
Your last paragraph is exactly how I am at night! I think I'm a lot worse and I'll tell you why!
My dad has sleep apnea and maybe once every two years, he wakes up in the night gasping for air! This is a serious matter on its own which is horrible because I keep thinking he won't get air and he will have to be rushed to hospital. It happened a few weeks ago and I was just putting my book down and just shut my eyes when this huge choking type noise arose and my heart was beating fast because for the first few seconds of this happening, you don't actually know if he's going to rush to the toilet to be sick (which I hate) or if he's having sleep apnea!
I go through the night just forcing myself to stay awake waiting for it to happen again! Of course, the next day I feel like crap because I didn't get any sleep the previous night and this makes me get the feeling that I'm going to be sick and feel ill because I might have the stomach bug!
Before two weeks ago, I was absolutely fine, on top of the world, in fact! I'm 18 and I did weigh 9 stone 12 when I thought to myself, I should really put on a little bit of weight for my age and I forgot about being sick and everything else and just got on with my life. A couple of weeks later, I weighed myself and I was 10 stone 8! Now i'm back to my usual ways and I now weigh 10 stone 4!
I would say I'm not a massive emetophobia fearer because I still go out when I have to and do what I want!
Last night, I went out for a meal and I was looking forward to having my lasagne which I normally really like. I had quite a lot of onion rings for starters as well as 3 bits of garlic bread, 1 with cheese on. That was fine until I got to the main course, my lovely lasagne. The first dozen mouthfuls were great until I started to feel very full up and had to leave maybe 1/8th of it because I would be forcing it down if I didn't! This lead me to believe I was going to be sick. I wanted to walk home which is about 15 minutes just so I could try and take my mind off it. I was shivering and can honestly say, that was the coldest that I've ever felt in my entire life! I got in my warm house and felt instantly warmer and started to feel slightly better (e.g. no thoughts). Until I sat down watching coronation street on tv at 9:30pm when I started to feel ill again, but I didn't let anybody know and I just keep myself occupied to take my mind off things! When I went to bed, I took up a plastic bowl just on the slight of chance I might be sick which helps knowing I don't have to wake the whole house up by running to the toilet and being sick!
I know the reason I'm like this is because in 2009 my dad had a stomach bug and was sick at least 14 times during the night! I had to go to school on the next day, feeling like crap again because I didn't get any sleep! I ate fine all day, including dinner which I normally feel nervous but that went down a treat until 20 minutes after when I started feeling really ill and just not with it. So I went to bed praying I wasn't going to be sick and guess what, I wasn't! I woke up on thursday, full of joy knowing I hadn't been sick and started to convince myself that I didn't have this bug and wasn't going to be sick. Ate fine through the day again, just like the day before, and was fine until about 5pm when I didn't feel right, not as ill but something wasn't quite dandy!
I ate my dinner in a positive mood but after starting to feel hungry and feeling like I wanted to eat more, I almost choked my last mouthful up and it freaked me out so much that I then knew I had this stomach bug! For the next two hours I sat on the couch feeling really ill, worse than the day before! I felt better during the late evening, 22:30 onwards and I didn't take a bowl up to bed because I thought I wouldn't be sick! I went to sleep when I woke up from a dream about half an hour later and was on the verge of being sick when I calmed myself down and tried to get back to sleep but it was no good as 1 minute later I was running to the toilet and being sick!
I felt instantly better afterwards and sat up in bed wondering if I was going to be sick like my dad was, around every 20 minutes! 2 hours had passed when I was sick again, this time in a bowl that my mum brought up, so this time it wasn't as bad because once I was sick, the next time it was easy, no panic just thought gotta be sick so no problem there!
I woke up the next day feeling back to my usual self apart from I couldn't eat and wasn't allowed to until a few days later, just enough to let my stomach settle down!
In 2010, I was also sick but this time it wasn't a stomach bug because when I went to see a doctor for a routine blood test, I found out I had raised level of cells in my liver or something and that I had, don't laugh, Gilbert's syndrome! I checked the symptoms up online and found that feeling sick and sometimes being sick was the main symptom which instantly put my mind at ease! 1 year and a half later, I've only had this gilbert's thing twice and both times was when I had just completed some stressful work at college when I could relax afterwards and for the next 4 days I couldn't barely eat anything because I felt so sick!
Anyway, I hope everyone feels better soon and that being sick isn't actually that bad after the first time as you get used to it!
The bit I don't like was feeling ill before hand and everytime I feel ill now, I am convinced I have this stomach bug when I know that I could have anything else from a cold coming to the flu but I think because I feel ill I will always get a stomach bug!
Sorry for my last 3 years worth of life stories, but needed to let it all out! I'm not sure saying this has done me any good because I'm starting to think about it so much that I'm starting to feel weird again, but I know it's all in my head and just have to live my life and forget about it!
Good luck everyone and being sick doesn't mean you're going to die!
Andrew Steele.
Hi. I am new to this but suffer with emetophobia badly. I dread my daughter bringing it home from school. I take drastic action - buy latex gloves, mask, the works. Its comforting to know that other people have the same thing and I am not going mad. Please reply x
The best thing to do is to get some proper sanitization chemicals. Alcohol based gels and cleaner do nothing for viruses or spores.
Norovirus is not airborne unless you are next to someone when they are actually sick and it is splashing around.
If your daughter or anyones children get ill. Use a face mask and also keep everything clean, even door handles.
Tinkerbelltommo
18-01-17, 03:26
Please someone help me!!! I have 5 children four of which have norovirus my youngest has just thrown up on my I literally cannot cope and I don't know how I'm going to get through this!! I feel so bad because I'm unable to be near the children and all they want is a bit of love from me but I can't, I just can't!!! I really don't know how I'm going to cope if I get it too. I'm sat here currently writing this whilst wearing a face mask. I actually want to run away!! I've had a dodgy tummy since last Friday and have waves of nausea but I will do my very best to not actually do that thing. Please someone give me some advice I feel like such a terrible mum but I really can't cope
Carrie8484
18-01-17, 09:31
Hi
Are you sure it is norovirus ? I ask because a lot of school age kids get rota virus which is similar and doesn't affect adults. So this is one possibility.
I completely understand your fear as Noro is a huge fear of mine too.
So you are wearing a face mask around your kids, that's good if they are vomiting on or near you. You can only contract the bug by ingesting particles of the virus from Vomit or diarrhoea so the mask is a great idea.
Wash your hands every time you tend to one of your kids. Get them to wash their hands after every loo visit. Very important.
You may have a milder version of the bug which is why you feel off. This is a good thing! It means you don't have the full blown effects of it yet will be immune from it for the next 3 months or so.
Is there anybody who can come and help you ? Family member? Friend? With 5 kids it must be exhausting if they are all sick.
Change all your kids toothbrushes after the last sickness episode and wash bed covers too.
I'm sure you'll get through this. X
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