To Emetophobia sufferers

[BabyRachel]

Ive had emetophobia for many many years, since I was a little one. I 20 now and i recently out of no where struck me back and I was sooooooo scared of being sick. I was constantly taking anti nausea pills and got a prescription for nausea/vomiting medication. I couldnt do anything without taking these pills I was just so scared. I'd eat the blandest foods, cut dairy out of my diet/ caffeine/alcohol. At the same time I had very bad panic anxiety and IBS. Now I have been seeing my doctor who has prescribed me with lexapro and after a few changed dosages Ive noticed a big difference in my anxiety. LEXAPRO IS A GODSEND!
I have also been seeing a psychologist who is helping me with my phobia and anxiety. In regards to emetophobia she has explained to me that during cave man times they had a big fear of being sick because it was more threateneing for them. It meant they had eaten something bad and as they did not have medical treatment like we do, it wasa much more dire situation. This phobia is sort of imprinted in some of our brains. It is the same as being afraid of spiders/snakes that sort of thing. She also got me to think about what would happen after I was sick. Say the worst happened and I was sick - what then? She said okay it would probably be uncomfortable and you would feel sick but you would probably feel better after and relieved you had done it.
I really suggest anyone with this phobia sees a psychologist/doctor. I know how debhilitating it is! It can ruin your life. I felt like it was ruining mine. I've only started to feel better this week and I'm putting that down to lexapro.
x

[BabyRachel]

Also please feel free to message me if you need support..

[Baldy]

Hi everyone,
I have posted somewhere else about this phobia, but didn't know there was a specific thread for Emetophobia.
I've had this phobia for as long as I can remember, but I havn't been sick for 27 years, when I was 16.
The strange thing is that when that happened I didn't have any panic or fear about it.
I do go out of my way to avoid things that may make me ill, no alcohol, drugs, tobacco, fairground rides, spicy food, etc. It is getting worse as I have got older and some of the therapies out there are just not for me.
Flooding or exposure therapy is definitely a no go, I've had hypnotherapy sessions and EFT but nothing has worked. Like a similar sufferer posted before, I have had a chat with a guy that has worked with Paul McKenna and he says exposure therapy is useless and not necessary. he tells me that he can cure my phobia in 2 or at most 3 sessions with NLP. But it is quite expensive so I will have to save up.
I go along with the idea that you only have to recondition the mind/subconcious to alleviate a phobia and this doesn't mean having to physically confront it.
I have found it is very difficult living with emetophobia, as soon as my wife doesn't feel 100% I start to panic and will just leave the flat if she starts to feel worse. Even reading about a tummy bug in the papers that is going round several hundred miles away gets me all anxious.
Now winter is approaching and I am getting nervous about catching any of the bugs that go round, but fortunately I seem to have a very good immune system, although that doesn't stop me from getting anxious.

[SharonDerby]

Hi Baldy and everyone
I am exactly the same as you Baldy cept for the wife bit as i'm a female but my story is exactly the same as you even to the last time i was sick etc and it not frightening me back then i'm 46 now.
I'm going through a very rough time at mo with winter approaching i'm getting petrified of Norovirus/stomach bugs, to my absolute horror family came last night and one of them had been up all night being sick...........THE TERROR it has instilled in me is dreadful, i'm only coping by telling myself that when he was here he ate a huge sunday lunch a fruit pie a toffee apple and managed to polish off at least 1/2 a bottle of coke so i'm assuming he had a few too many on sat night, altho he says not he had less to drink than he normaly does on sat night and hes certain it was a bug.
Either way i can see myself going downhill rapidly, not good as i'm already ill with thyroid problems at the mo so i'm finding life very diff, any help or advise is always good to hear.

Love Sharon xxx

[Shadow_of_me]

hey all!!!! this phobia is runing my life.... I cant go anywhere or do anything because every lil grumble/ feeling i get in my stomach i turn in to the thought that i am going to be sick even no i no that absolutly daft!!! I have this constant turning, "not right" feeling in my belly which never goes away and just wondered if anyone else gets this and it is just focusing so things that really dont need to be focused on!? My anxiety has changed now from months n off feeling like i was going to vomit there n then its now turned into a alllll day nausea feeling and a weird empty feeling after every time i eat. dunno which one i prefered lol! I take domperidone every day sometimes just because it puts my mind at reast and also take my pepto bismol on a regular basis which i no can be doing me no good!!! Sorry for the rant... i just dont understand why i feel this all the time and it wont go away. its gone past jus being scared of being sick now its effecting every day and every lil feeling i have :-(

[Angelai]

Stupid stupid stupid phobia and I DON'T WANT IT ANYMORE.

[belle8707]

I have been dealing with this phobia for about a year, but have only just been diagnosed, probably because i was in denial. But this phobia is ruining my life. I am now on 10mg lexapro a day, started 3 weeks ago and am about to begin hypnotherapy. I am so happy to find this site as i really felt so alone, like i was the only person ever to suffer from this horrible fear. The worst part is, i know it is TOTALLY irrational, but i just cant help it. Everywhere i go, i fear i will vomit. I feel sick nearly everyday, and it makes the simplest tasks so difficult, especially going to work. I have had to cut my hours back drastically. Has anyone else had some relief from lexapro? I havnt noticed a huge difference, but my doc said it could take at least 6 weeks to really notice any change. Or maybe i need to change the dosage. I just want to feel normal again and be able to do normal things.