Emetophobia - my worst nightmare

[zonedout]

Ds1 goes to a school set on several different sites. Today one of the sites has been closed for deep cleaning due to norovirus wiping out hundreds of children this week. There are loads of siblings in ds1's building/class and 8 of his classmates were off today.

I am a single parent (really outing myself here!) and terrified of what feels completely inevitable right now. I was awake all night last night, waiting. Shall be doing the same again tonight.

You know, I feel like I have improved a lot with my emetophobia recently. I am no longer worried about the odd v. It's the awful, debilitating violence of noro that terrifies the life out of me.

The waiting is utter torture

[Marne]

I hope so, sometimes she does get these random high temps so fingers crossed its just that. She must be tired too as she was awake at 4.30am. Will get her to bed early tonight and hope she's ok tomorrow.

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

Sure after a good sleep today and tonight she'll be fine

[Marne]

She's flat out on the sofa, temp of 39.4 but no tummy ache.

[Marne]

Panic stations here

Dd has been led on the sofa for over an hour (she never stays still that long), says she feels poorly, is a bit warm but saying 'nothing hurts', she looks pale but has had a slight cold (yesterday had a bunged up nose). Please please let it just be a cold, a ear infection or anything that does not involve V !

I am now stressing, dh is trying to calm me down by saying 'dd2 is never sick and she will be fine'. I have given her lunch early to see if she eats it (if its noro then she wouldnt want to eat rite?).

I just want a good christmas this year, feel so stressed trying to make everything right for everyone, please let us be bug free for the big day.

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

She's had toast still complaining she's hungry and is very pissed off she can't have her advent calendar chocolate today.

[Marne]

Glad she's ok, if she's keeping food down then probably not a bug (most people i know who have had noro seem to be poorly for at least 24 hours and can not keep anything down). Hope you can relax a little and enjoy christmas (though i know its hard).

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

Marne I think your right, she wants chocolate now think it was just a one off she can still live on apple and dried toast today though.

[Marne]

InNeed, i would say if she feels fine now and was only sick once in the night then it probably isn't a bug. My dd1 did a spectacular V one night when she was younger (think she was 3 years old), luckily i was asleep downstairs and didn't hear a thing so dh delt with it, he said she was quite sick, anyway she woke the next day and was fine (ate breakfast and was happy), we put it down to her having a heavy dinner and going to bed to early after eating, no one else came down with anything.
If anyone else does get ill you can still rescue christmas, last year we had a rubbish christmas day (we went to my dads and dd2 covered her face and cried all day due to her Autism, i came home and cried as it was such a auful day), we did christmas again on new years day (invited my mum over, had turkey, played games with the dd's) which saved christmas a little .


Well my Tescos order arrived and the man said 'theres one item not in stock' my hart sank as i thought he was going to say 'the turkey' which would mean me having to go out, luckily it wasn't and all is ok .

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

Sorry no relatives aren't staying. I'm staying over my mums christmas day night though and everyone's coming here boxing day. My nans just told me my auntie and uncle might pop round but my uncle has bone marrow cancer, he's had it for 3 years now and I don't want it to be a bug that sends him off lol.

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

I didn't have gloves but mopped it up with hot bleachy water then straight bleach and have chucked mop and bucket out, then used other mop and hot water and harpic and washing up liquid for the rest of the house where dd had walked and her bedroom again. Everything I touched I touched with an inside out bag, also had another bath after once I cleaned it up. Don't have any bleach yet but used parazone toilet wipes for door handles and taps last bit of harpic went in the loo to.

Luckily (or not) apart from a drop on the bed sheet and a bit on the bottom of her pjs it was over the floor.

Because I don't have any bleach now or washing powder to do the towels (when I washed dd down what she had to stand on while I cleaned up and the one that kept her warm while I cleaned up) my house still feels dirty to me but I'm hoping I did a good enough job and once ds is awake will pop out for washing powder and bleach to do it all again.

[devilinside]

I need, so sorry, that sounds grim. However, I do find that we are particularly good at avoiding catching noro when cleaning up after sick children (latex gloves are the key item!) I only ever succomb when DP has it.

I'd say if you dd is only sick once, then you should go ahead with Xmas. Are your relatives planning to stay? that would be the thing I couldn't cope with as there would be no escape, but if they are just coming for the day then I would be tempted to go ahead as planned.

I have found (due to extensive research and total paranoia) that the easiest way for the bug to spread is by sharing a bathroom with someone who has 'D' Quite often children don't seem to get the 'D' bit

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

santa I can only speak for me but why I get so scared of it is the lack of control I think. Not just me being ill but other's being around me giving it to me and theres nothing I can do about it. It's also that your stuck for 48hrs after, it's not like a cold you can't just get on with it I hate being ill anyway but this isn't a simple sore throat it's sick.

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

I do actually feel christmas is ruined

sensibly I can tell myself there is a few reasons why she could of vommed, A she has done in the past that get so excited she's sick thing. Usually before a holiday/birthday B I bought them a sideboard/toy storage thing from the second hand furniture place, had gave it a good clean but later that night I could smell it from the doorway so maybe being next to it and breathing that smell in made her do it.

she is actually fine now, she woke up at 9 saying it's christmas eve eve today and says she feels excellent. I am hoping if it was a bug she would have been sick again already?

I am still set on christmas being ruined, I'm not even excited about my asda shop being delivered because I'm thinking well whats the point having all this nice food and booze if we're all going to be ill. Need to start thinking positive that it was excitement and a one off and christmas is still on.

I get that! Where you feel like theres bubbles of it around. I have to catch the bus to work and I sit there freaking out every morning that I'm breathing it in. I have a set of gloves for going on buses, going shopping, cashpoints that sort of thing. It might be just in my head but it makes me feel better that I'm not actually touching things.

[Marne]

So sorry InNeed. My friends little girl had it a few days ago and so far the rest of the family have not got it (despite her dumping the kids on her mum the next day whilst the little girl was still being ill), the little girl recovered within 24 hours of the V stopping and is now fine so hopefully the rest of you will be ok and dd will be ok for christmas.

We are all have colds (both dd's are coughing, dd2 picking at her food) but so far no signs of d&v. I will feel safe once we get to tomorrow. Dh wants to go shopping as he hasn't got me much for christmas but i told him 'the best present would be him not going shopping' as i will then worry we will pick up noro if we go out. My christmas food shop will be here soon with Tescos and then i'm all set for christmas and dont have to go anywhere .

[SantasHugandRollintheSnow]

Bb he's 4 and was fine. Currently singing and dancing while I lie on the sofa as I'm so tired due to waking at every little noise etc.

Inneed I'm so sorry to hear about your dd. one of the biggest things that pisses me off about this phobia is we prob wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't for all the selfish people who don't stay away when they have it.

[Littleplasticpeople]

Hope you are coping ok INeed.

I hate hate hate this phobia. It peaks for me around Christmas, I'm consumed with the fear of dcs throwing up and Christmas being ruined
I went shopping yesterday in a busy shopping centre, it was as if I could see the little spiky Noro bugs floating around everywhere.
It seems to be all over the news too which isn't helping, it somehow rationalises it.

Statistics are the only thing that console me. 900.000 cases this year so far. That's only about one in sixty people. It is more likely in a hospital, on a cruise, in a school. A person is much more likely to NOT get Noro than get it.

Still terrified though

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

She picked me and dc up in step dads car instead of her own and we were in the car for about 15minutes if that makes sense?

Thank you for being here BB have had a bright idea what someone half suggested that even if christmas is cancelled we can do christmas on new years day instead. Now I just have to stress about catching bug (if it's a bug) and my cleaning instead of christmas as well.

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

Good idea to bag things up till tomorrow evening. Will do that now!

She was crying because I put her school book bag in the black bag to be chucked cos of the vom over it and I atually wrapped my arm and hand in black bags to open book bag and get it out, apart from her frigging harmonica what she was crying over being chucked wasn't even in there. I have no idea how I managed to do it but I did and it was a wasted effort.

I am 100% sure tis a bug, she said she felt funny this morning and had a stiff neck, she also hasn't really ate but I just thought it was the last part of the cold we've all had.

I'm really really fucked off (I am a bad mother I actually shouted at her a few times for not staying in the bathroom and for the bookbag harmonica thing) but I know christmas isn't happening now. My mum won't have me and dc round she's almost as bad as me and I would'nt want to pass it on to my grandma/grandad and nan.

you were lucky with the other dc not getting it!

I'm sure this happened because I'm all organised for christmas, had bought a new storage thing for toys cleared out under bed, saw the sick bowl and thought thank fuck it's never been used.

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

I won't be able to go to my mums christmas, see any family or have them here boxing day.

[InNeedOfBrandyButter]

Haven't been on here for so long, had it in my head this was what made ds sick and it also made me feel normal but right now I'm really really fucked. dd has just been sick everywhere she was sleeping in the same bed as ds as they fell asleep watching a dvd and I only had a smidge of bleach left and no washing powder as asda delivery is booked for tomorrow evening. Have cleaned up sick with the last bit of bleach, washing up liquid and harpic toilet cleaner, put sheets in on a 90 even though no powder but now I'm so fucking upset christmas is ruined.

I blame my mum to (irrationally) step dad took his dd and her dc out and her ds was sick in car, my mum swore it was just car sick and not a bug blabla when she came to pick me and dc up (had to go works meeting so couldn't really refuse as I've only recently started) and I trusted her it was just car sick and step dads dd had cleaned it all up. Now my dd's poorly and I know ds will catch it being right next to her and breathing all those particles up and christmas is going to be shit.

My hands are hurting they're so dry and I can't even clean anymore as I don't have anything to clean with.