Eating phobia...

[Hodgebodge]

I'm hoping someone might be able to help ... I've been having this weird anxiety for some time now that whenever I eat food or drink anything, even stuff I'm very used to, that I'm allergic to it. It can come out of nowhere - think "drinking some water" and then bam! My throat feels swollen, my stomach reacts terribly. I can't finish meals. It feels like there are lumps in my throat, cheeks hot, throbbing feeling in the back of my head.

Anyway - today we've had a lovely lunch - all fresh, home-cooked etc, I know all the ingredients well, and it's happened again. I'm sick of it.

Now, I've had IBS for years and react dubiously to spicy food and nuts, so I'm used to having odd feelings about food, but this is getting a bit too much. It's also been a rough year in many ways and I'm planning to start some anti-anxiety/depression medication in the new year, so maybe that will help things.

For now though, I need help. Usually I have to wait it out, practice deep breathing, have a bath or a sleep or something. I can't do this all the time and especially in the Christmas meals this weekend.

Has anyone else ever had this? How did they stop it?

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

No. You probably should see a professional.

In the short term, this will be difficult but try to stop thinking about it. I have mild tinnitus and virtually the only cure for tinnitus is to stop thinking about it. It's hard to consciously stop thinking about something but it can be done and works for many tinnitus sufferers.

[lostinmiddlemarch]

This is probably something that gets worse if you panic in response to it. So accept the feelings, accept they're unpleasant but are not going to harm you. Don't do distraction techniques as a way of running from them. It sounds horrible but more of an inconvenience rather than, say, a painful condition. I doubt there is anything posters can tell you that will be a quick fix psychological 'cure'. Terrible time of year for it though

[lostinmiddlemarch]

But, I should have said, feel free to do distraction techniques as a way of managing the feelings, as you'd take paracetamol for a headache.