To be terrified of child getting sick...

[bracketbrace]

My DS is 4. He was in ICU with a brain injury as a baby (you'd never know now but hugely traumatic at the time & I'm still having therapy)

I've always been anxious around health & this made everything 10 x worse.

Over Xmas he was plagued by bugs.. flu, a couple of sickness bugs, croup, just inundated.

I never used to fear the sick bugs cropping up but now I do. Ever since he had a couple of them close together. I don't fear the vomit itself, I fear almost the feeling it gives me of feeling helpless & like there's something more sinister going on underneath actually causing the sickness.

He said this morning he felt sick, then said he was joking. He has a cold & conjunctivitis but fine in himself. He said it again this evening. I'm now terrified he will be sick in the night & we have a 4 hour drive tomorrow. I've laid towels down just incase. I don't even know why I'm posting, just hoping someone will tell me I'm not mad or alone I guess.

I have no magic wand but I just wanted to say I TOTALLY feel the same way 💞
we’ve had our run of scary stuff and latest one last year took its toll on me (we thought my dd had a rare syndrome that would be incredibly serious).
It’s left me……hyper vigilant and a little mad if I’m being honest. If she says her tummy hurts, feels sick, something is sore, I automatically assume the very very worst and can feel the panic spreading all through me. If she is poorly I can’t sleep, I sit up monitoring her and I actually have to force myself to not take her temperature repeatedly. It’s awful. I constantly look at her wondering if she’s pale, looks thinner, the words, it’s an exhausting way to live. i just wanted to let you know you’re not alone and I think it’s a form of PTSD from when your baby was so poorly with a brain injury.

@wobblymum1 thank you for your message. I'm sorry you're the same as me.. it truly is exhausting & you have my sympathies. For what it's worth, I'm the same when DS is poorly, panicked & constantly monitoring. I keep telling myself as they age & become more robust hopefully it'll ease but I wish I could stop my mind doing what it does, the days are full of catastrophising & worry x

I feel the same lovely. I’m absolutely exhausted with all the worry x

So nice to know it’s not just me but I’m so sorry you all have it too xx

Same here, always had a sick phobia. Then my 2nd child had major surgery as a baby and then was diagnosed with an unrelated genetic condition. Dread it when they complain about feeling unwell and always feel like I'm just waiting for something else really serious to happen 😞

hi everyone
I too am going through something similar- the feeling is almost crippling. My DD has a sickness bug at the weekend and now all I am doing is listening for every little noise, or checking if she has eaten, or if she is pale to see if it is signs it is coming back. It is exhausting - my stomach is constantly in knots but it seems to get worse at night time. The thought of her being sick again in the night terrifies me. Any advice?

It might be worth speaking to your GP. Health anxiety is a very real thing and given your history not entirely surprising.
There should be some for of self referral CBT like therapy available. The specifics are probably region specific.

I was on a ward with a women who got so panicked that her baby's chest moved when he was lay down. Diagnosis baby is breathing. It can completely twist normal symptoms to something terrifying and regular illnesses a scary illness. You have seen a lot mumma reach out for help x

I was never like this.
then my son had a subdural haematoma
now I am.

I think the only thing we can do is choose their happiness above our anxiety.