Am I strange for being scared of vomit?

[Lolly122]

So just want to know if I’m being unreasonable. This might sound a bit strange but I need to know that I’m not going crazy. Basically I am terrified of vomit. I’ve felt this way since as long as I can remember and it effects me greatly. But the problem is that my partner is very unsupportive towards it. He says I’m putting it on and it’s made up. For example, last night he woke me up being sick. I ran downstairs, got on the sofa and put a blanket over my head. I was shaking, sweating, crying, had my fingers in my ears and I even considered getting in my car and driving somewhere. The only reason I didn’t was because it was 2 in the morning. I slept on the sofa all night and in the morning he was having a go at me saying I’m pathetic and being dramatic. It effects me in every way possible. If someone on TV is being sick I have to look away even though I know it’s not real. This is another thing he has a go at me about. It’s something I just can’t deal with in anyway and as I said before, it effects me greatly. He says I need to go to the doctors and get help with it, which I agree, but he doesn’t mean it in a supportive way. I just want some advice on how to get him to support me with this rather than him making me feel like I shouldn’t feel this way. I know it may not seem like much of a problem to some, but at the end of the day, this is a genuine fear of mine and I’m being made to feel weak/weird/pathetic by the one person that should be supporting me. I guess I just need to know he’s the one with the problem, not me. Thank you for reading and listening to my crazy self

Think I’ll try and get in at the doctors soon

@Lauren83 Sounds just like me. I’ve heard it all “there’s nothing to be scared about, it can’t hurt you” and “get over it, it’s life it happens” but people just don’t understand

I used to have a strong reaction to people vomiting when young (I’d also vomit) but my
Mum became unwell with HG when I was about 14 and that sorted it.

YANBU and your partner sounds horrible, but it’s a limiting phobia and I’d suggest getting help for your own sake.

My toddler is recovering from a vomiting bug and he needed me to be able to look after him. If I still suffered it would be very difficult.

I don't think people see how you can be scared of it as it can't actually harm you like snakes or heights etc, when I had hypno they told me it's something trapped in the unconscious side of your brain so it's taught to fear it and you can't rationalise it in the same way you cant control your dreams. I also ask everyone if they feel sick, I went on holiday last month and had to take diazepam for the flight and was watching everyone around me to see who looked unwell, everything someone rustled a newspaper I thought it was a sick bag!

I worry more about other people being sick although I'm terrified of being sick myself, I haven't been since I was 11 thought and I'm 36 now! I had a c section this year and last year too and had to be sedated I was flapping that much about being sick or seeing someone be sick in recovery, luckily they gave me my own room which I was mega grateful for

My cousin has this phobia. She now has two kids and at first any illness and she had to either go to her mum's and get her mum to hers to deal with it, or send the I'll kid to her mum's. Over the years she has much improved, so it can ease for some people.

" I just want a little reassurance off him and for him to say sometimes “yes I’m fine, don’t worry” rather than the usual “don’t start”"

It's not really fair though that if he's ill then he has to worry about how you might react to that. I'd probably tell you not to start too if I was feeling like shit and was being questioned about it.

Sorry I should have made myself clearer. I don’t mean when he’s actually ill. I was just trying to elaborate on how much it effects me. Just by him saying he has stomach ache etc it sets me off.

I think my dd has emetophobia. She starts to get panicky at the mere suggestion that someone might be sick.

I was the same when I was younger. My mum said whenever someone used to say they felt sick, I would apparently look at them for a long time with a panicked look on my face. Obviously back then I didn’t have a clue I was doing it, but now it makes sense

Omg my sister is exactly like you! She may even be on here and comment. I think she had some therapy for it and it seemed to stem from our mum making a huge fuss if either of us was going to be sick in an inconvenient place. Odd as I'm fine with my being sick or looking after my little boy if he's ill, no problem. I couldn't deal with a stranger's vom tho!

@Caramelblonde70 When I was about 4/5 my mum and dad had bought me a bike for Christmas. It had a little bucket on the back of it. On Boxing Day my dad got really drunk and thew up in it I think that maybe where it’s come from with me. Luckily, I haven’t had to deal with my son being properly sick yet, so I can’t comment on how’d I’d react. Most likely not very well. But I’ll have to deal with that when it comes to it. I will definitely be making an appointment at the doctors though for my sons sake

I'm exactly the same, I have trained ds to stay away from me when he vomits & clear up if he doesn't manage a bucket or the toilet. I can fight of throwing up myself if I am ill & it takes a lot for me to throw up. I've just been diagnosed with autism & my consultant says the level of distress & fear I have is entirely normal for being autistic.

Oh OP, I feel for you. I used to suffer very badly as a teenager, and it probably peaked in my early 20s when I can hand on heart honestly say that I would have rather died than be sick.

I was fully prepared to seek help as the impact on my day to day life was getting too much. My biggest fear was being randomly sick in public. For one reason and another I didn’t get any professional help at that time, then I don’t know why but over time I gradually felt that I could begin to rationalise my phobia more. I intensely scrutinised my feelings and rationalised they over and over. I also had a period where I could 2 or 3 bugs over the course of a couple of years which again allowed me to realise when I actually felt sick rather than feeling nauseous though anxiety, that was a big one for me. Then I had DCs and I found that in the beginning I would obsesses about them being sick, especially when we’re out somewhere. To some extent I do still worry about that, but after multiple sickness bugs I do feel another level of relief that I can actually handle things. Even though my hand washing and bleaching routine probably looks a little over-zealous to an outsider!

I think I was lucky though being able to do this myself. I wouldn’t hesitate to seek out some help via your GP. If you can afford it, I would probably seek some private therapy, making sure you find someone that specialises in emetophobia.

Good luck OP, this is something that you can overcome I’m sure.

Another emetophobe here 🙋‍♀️ I'm 38 and been like it since I was around 13. But it has taken over my life and got so much worse when I had my twins. Somehow I got through pregnancy but I'm on constant red alert and you can find me hiding over in the corner clutching my Clinnell wipes.

I am similar.

Any time on a busy train I'm looking round for signs someone is going to be sick. I have a bucket in my daughters room permanently incase she feels sick. I have to get my husband to deal with it when either child is sick. I'm always wondering when their next sickness bug is going to be (they get one or two a year). Once my husband was sick with food poisoning and I just couldn't go near him for a few weeks as every time i saw him i remembered him being sick and felt sick myself.

I just wish it didnt take up so much headspace

You could send him some links and ask him to read them? Phobias arent something people can control or just 'get over'

I’m just feeling like a really rubbish mum. Since writing on here I’ve actually had time to think about it properly and I’ve realised I’m not alone with this phobia. My son woke crying the other night, I was asking him what was up but he didn’t reply he just kept crying. Then all of a sudden I had this horrible thought “what if he feels sick” then like I mad woman I started asking him “is your stomach hurting?” “Do you feel poorly” eventually he fell back asleep, must have been a nightmare. But afterwards I felt so guilty and ashamed. And that was the moment I knew I ha to let all of this off my chest because I knew that if he was poorly, I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself. I know that sounds horrific and I feel terrible and if I could change it, I bloody would. I’m definitely going to book in with my GP especially for my sons sake

Have you tried Hypnotherapy? A genuine pghobia isn't something you just get over. Do talk to your doctors.

@GettingABitDesperateNow I think I would probably be the same. As I’ve said I’ve not actually had to deal with any sickness bugs with my son yet. But I know I eventually will. Nice to hear you have a partner who will do that for you, unfortunately my partner isn’t that supportive of my phobia and would probably leave me to and and tell me to stop being silly. I think I’ll have a long chat with him and show him some websites

You're not alone. I have it bad and sadly my 5 year old does too. I feel just awful like it's my fault.

I know how horrible it is to worry irrationally about it every day. So it has forced me to be more realistic about it all.

That being said I'm in no way cured.

I drove past a guy throwing up violently the other day.

Since then I won't walk (or even drive) anywhere near that road. And I won't be visiting my friend whose house it was near for a good couple of weeks. Thank goodness it's so rainy at the moment!

I’m the same. I find flights a particular nightmare and I drive my OH mad. I’m on constant alert to anyone looking pale, unwell & get very twitchy about whose sat around me on a plane. A small child or drunk person close by can send me into total panic!

I was like this for 25 years. It was a standing joke at times. It started when I had morning sickness with my 2nd pregnancy, well it was all the time for months and involved hospitalization. I went to great lenghts to avoid such and still do. Although a few years ago dh and I were abroad and both took a bit of food poisoning. I less severe and I was able to look after dh and deal with things. We did not want a dr and made the best of it.
You are far from alone as you can see and it has a name.

Don't worry about what'll happen if/when your son gets sick.

It's been round this house a few times and it's surprising how well I can cope. I guess mama bear mode wins over the phobia.

If my husband has it though I make him sleep in another room.

I do bleach EVERYTHINGGGGGG though.

Forgot to add I keep zoflowera everywhere and have been known to use it neat on my hands, and everything else.

@MaryPopppins that sounds so like me! A few years I was on a ferry, the sea was a bit rough and there was a guy just ahead of me throwing up. Never will I ever go on a ferry again. It’s hard to explain isn’t it. So to speak it “puts you off” that place

@blue25 yeah same here. I get terrified going on planes, like you I get nervous if I’m sat near a child or a drunk person. I actually get a bit insulted when I see sick bags I’m like “why is there sick bags here? Does that mean someone’s going to me sick?” Total nightmare