FML undercooked chicken

[Nogodsnomasters]

My son & I had gluten free frozen chicken dippers tonight cooked in the air fryer, I've made them before for the exact same time and temperature so I'm not sure if the air fryer is maybe on the blink. Anyway they were warm but not piping hot, tasted a bit different, I ate two and gave the other two to the dog. My son ate 1 full one and half an another before saying to me that it tasted different - I pulled his apart and they were slightly pale pink 😭

I am a severe emetophobe. I've spent the last 2hrs shaking like a leaf and have had a panic attack. Neither of us have ever had food poisoning before. I don't care about diarrhea, cramps etc I only care about throwing up.

What are the chances we won't throw up? I'm crying writing this.

God that sounds awful 😞

Is that really true? If it takes longer to manifest it will be milder in nature?

For those mentioning a meat thermometer I have purchased one on Amazon today it'll be here tomorrow but I doubt I will touch chicken for a while after this scare.

@fivebyfivebuffy how long did your temperature last?

A full week, it did come down with paracetamol but only to 39 which is why they sent me to hospital

Most people with food poisoning won't need the hospital or get dehydrated. Couple that with the fact that you high likely won't even get food poisoning I wouldn't worry. There's no point analysing it all. Deal with it if it arises and it's highly unlikely to be an issue. You can spend your life worrying about stuff that won't happen - what's the point?

For what it's worth I got pretty bad food poisoning about 10 years ago. I didn't get dehydrated, I didn't need a doctor or hospital. I felt rubbish but I got through it because that's what you do.

Did you use a meat thermometer?

Ignore that last comment. I can see it's been mentioned

Oh god that sounds awful. I can't bear fevers either. I also have health anxiety in general.

There's some great advice on this thread but the real issue here is your phobia.
I mean this politely, but most people wouldn't care at all about something like this and certainly wouldn't be spending several days not eating.

Nobody likes being sick. Difference is those who aren't scared of it, know it's part of life, it only happens every now and then, it's a miserable day or two, then it passes and life goes on. Why? Because they accept the uncertainty, and know what they'd cope if it happens.

You would cope as well, but you don't think you would, so you panic.
What you're actually afraid of is yourself and your thoughts, not the act of being sick. You can tell yourself 'god this is awful, I just want to die', or you can tell yourself 'urgh, this is rough. I'm off to bed with a bucket. Hopefully I feel better soon'. Your thoughts are in your control.

I've been there by the way. The Thrive Programme and The Emetophobia Manual both helped. Slightly different approaches but they all help.
I'm still not cured but I'm way better at understanding my thinking patterns. I know it's just the way I'm thinking about it. It doesn't have to rule over me.

We are a recent coeliac house too so if I can occupy you by messaging recommendations and finds then please feel free to DM if it might help distract ?

This is very kind. Is it one of your children diagnosed?

35 hours and counting. If it was just me I think I'd be coping a bit better but it's the fact that it's potentially my son too, and the thought of trying to care for him while being ill myself and I have another child too (my foster daughter) to sort out, my husband works full time and he's great when he's here but I'd the bearer of all that misery if it were to happen.

I've also got a stinking heavy cold all week so I'm already run down and feeling sucky. I think this would just send me over the edge.

I am now 61hrs past eating the chicken. I am so nervous for today being day 3 but once I hit the 72hr mark does everyone reckon I can consider myself safe? Sorry to dredge this up again but it's still constantly on my mind and I've barely eaten for 2 days.

You really need to get some help for your anxiety. This would be a completely non event to most people. I'm not criticising but just saying it can't be easy to live with that level of worry.
You'll be absolutely fine. You'd have been ill before now. You are fine.

Honestly I've tried, I'm on citalopram, I've had CBT, I've done hypnotherapy, I've done talking therapy. Nothing helps me, and it's not just the emetophobia there are many other mental health diagnoses as well - health anxiety, PTSD, and two other phobia's. It's soul destroying. I do try, honestly. The fact that I have a few physical conditions and so does my family doesn't help matters as we're always managing our health so it's a big focus.

You're safe sweetheart. You're not going to get ill.

Definitely see your GP if you can about your anxiety though as you don't need to live with it.

I had a fear of throwing up. No idea were it came from as didn’t have a problem as a teenager, but then I wasn’t sick for about 20 years and I think I just built it up in my head. Then a few years ago I was randomly sick one night. It was a shock but I realised it wasn’t actually that bad at all. Then I caught Norovirus and was sick a lot (awful virus that is!). Being sick has actually cured me of my fear, weirdly. It’s not that bad at all. Oddly I’ve found that I’m rarely actually sick when I feel that awful nausea. When I’m sick it’s usually quite out of the blue and a bit of a shock because I wasn’t expecting it 😂

Do you ever occasionally do those wet burps? Just remind yourself that being sick is just like a slightly bigger wet burp.

Fear of vomiting is crippling, I don’t think people quite realise how much of an impact it has on everyday life.

Good luck with it OP x

Thank you for your kind message. I think I know deep down that there's like a 99% chance that I'm safe from this but my brain just won't accept it. Maybe I should see the GP about upping the dose of my citalopram.

I take propranolol for anxiety and it's lifesaving for me, it really settles me down.

It might be worth talking to your doctor about a change of medication. Certraline or propranolol maybe better for anxiety.

Thanks I have propanolol to use as and when needed, it only controls my physical symptoms of racing heart, shaking and sweating, its helpful when I'm out somewhere and don't want to be seen as a nervous wreck.

How’s it going @Nogodsnomasters ? Do you feel reassured now more time has passed?