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

Thinking about the location thing, when we lived in Oxfordshire we were constantly plagued with bugs. DS1 went to a nursery and was constantly ill. We now live in a bigger town but nearer to Wales and we're now more northern. There are still bugs of course every year but not quite as many as I remember when we lived in a village in Oxfordshire but isn't Oxfordshire in a dip? Perhaps the bugs accumulate there. DH's asthma was worse there too, it cleared up when we moved.

reastie I doubt you will catch what ur pupils have if they wernt sick and if youve washed your hands and not touched ur face I'm sure everything will be fine :). But if you want to take a extra measure perhaps wash the clothes you were wearing on a temperature at or over 65

And I can see where your coming from but I've never had food poisoning but I don't cook chicken. I don't worry too much about that I tucked it away in the back of my mind apart from when I've seen sick then is start worrying about it again but I never seen sick in the highlands so it very rarely poped into my head. I used to work in a kitchen up there and I cleaned the kitchen and seen everything that was made and that the temperatures were right so it reassured me :)

Stef the clothes have already been washed . I didn't do them over 65 but I used halo washing powder - it kills bugs including noro. I did touch my face but I didn't stick fingers in my mouth. I know logically I should be fine, so why can't I just relax .

DD has her soft play gym class tomorrow. We are all paid up for the next month already for it but I'm going to keep her off for a few weeks as I'm so anxious about her catching something. I hope I'm making the right decision as I feel really guilty for DD. Just have to think of lots of fun energetic games to do with her at home

Re: scotland and being in the middle of nowhere, I think my point was that if we knew we probably wouldn't catch a tummy bug, we'd find something (or I would anyway!) to worry about. Like does that milk smell off? Did DD just touch that bit of animal poo outside and not wash her hands before sticking her fingers in her mouth? Will she get ill from swimming in the sea? etc etc. You see my point - maybe I'm just particularly worrysome in my behaviour but I always look out for it in everything.

I used to be really bad about worrying about food poisoning but I've got less so for some reason, since having children at least. DH and I once had food poisoning from milk lollies that were out out date. This was pre-children when we could lie in bed and groan. I used to obsessively worry about chicken, wouldn't eat it if someone else had cooked it. I still won't eat shell fish, ever, ever. I rarely order chicken in a restaurant so perhaps I am a bit obsessed still :(

Where do you get halo washing power? And I personally didn't worry as much when I lived in Scotland I think it was because I wasn't exposed to it don't get me wrong I was still scared and worried it just wasn't as much

You sure it was the milk lollies? How long had they been out if date?

Went to pick dd1 up from school and she asked if she could go to an after school club, i tried to talk her out of it (dont want her being there any longer than she has to be) but eventualy gave in, this is the first time i have let her got to an after school club in the winter.

Spoke to dd2's TA (who's dd has the bug) and she asked if my dd2 would be back at school tomorrow? she wants me to keep her off so she can have the day off to look after her dd, i know i shouldnt have to keep her at home but if i send her in and ta has to work dd2 may come in contact with the bug (if TA is carrying it) so its a good exscuse to keep her home tomorrow.

Stef not 100% sure but we'd both eaten them (from my sister's freezer and she said they'd been there for ages (no box). We hadn't eaten anything else the same that day and we both got d&v (just d and a few nearly vs for me) at the same time.

Maybe it was a bug

I cant beleive this thread. I am so glad there are more people like me.
I can totally understand all of you, i have a dd who is 7, her school is full of a sick bug at the mo, me had email from the school, i would so love to keep her off til after xmas. I avoid so many events, places and gatherings. I constantly question her when she comes home from school. I dont feel i can go to my doc as embarrased, can u buy anti sickness stuff over the counter, and does it stop u being sick if you have noro and if she gets it can i prevent me getting it.

Yes, you can buy the anti sickness pills in boots, they might not always work (say if you had a bad case of noro), last time dd2 had noro i took them when i started feeling poorly and i was not sick, i still felt very sick and i doubled the dose (took 2 tablets at a time insted of 1), i like to think it helped. Its best to get them from your gp though as they cost £5+ for a small pack of 10 from boots, if you are going to take them often (like i end up doing in the winter) then it will cost you quite a bit but if you just want them in the house for an emergany then get them from boots .

I would use them as a preventative if dd got it i would take them. If it is in school does that mean all kids will get it. How can i prevent it.
I bath her as soon as she gets in, keep telling her to keep hands clean, i put some anti bac gel in her bag and the teacher told her off as she said tell your mum you dont need it.
Anyone know how its spread.

Washing hands is the best way to prevent it, hand gels do not kill tummy bugs (they just kill bacteria leaving a nice clean surface for tummy bug/virusis to land on).

If its at school it does not mean she will catch it, quite often i have seen half a class wiped out with it but sometimes only a few children will catch it, realy it depends on if parents stick to the 48 hour rule and keep there kids at home, also it depends if a child is sick at school and if it is cleaned up properly.

Its spread through vomit and poo (basicly if a child does not wash their hands after using the loo, if a child licks their fingers or gets too close to another child), traces of vomit can survive in the mouth for 24-48 hours (hense the 48 hour rule) so often that is how its passed on.

Just make sure your child washes there hands before eating and after using the loo (using soap and warm water).

Just signing in. DS has been unwell tonight and I am trying and failing to talk myself down from awful anxiety.

You know, if you could buy a vaccine for Noro, I would pay thousands for it. Really. I don't even know if it's Noro, he was coughing quite a lot beforehand and it might be the coughing that did it - I think we will soon find out.

I hate it. Hate it. Hate it.

The worst thing is - I am only actually phobic about getting it myself. Apart from the washing, the broken nights, and feeling sorry for them (the children), if it wasn't contagious I wouldn't be the least bit bothered really. That makes me feel really guilty too

He has been ill again. I am officially freaking out a bit now Fuck.

See what he's like in the morning the coughing may have upset his tummy a little

So sorry you are going through this Magi, fingers crossed it was only the cough that caused it. Dd2 has been coughing for a few days, now i have a bad tummy (just painful and had to run to the loo this morning) probably just IBS caused by anxiety. I'm keeping dd2 home for the rest of the week as she is coughing non-stop and i dont want her picking up the tummy bug on top of the cold she has.

I would pay £1000 for a vacine too, i am the same as you, i can handle the kids being ill if i know i'm not going to catch it. I can now clean them up but will shake with the fear of me getting it.

oh Magi . How is he this morning? I am most phobic about myself being sick, but it has also transferred to anyone else too. I have barely been able to be in the same room with DD when I've felt she might be sick, and DH has had to deal with all the washing etc - I just hid in the bedroom crying

I am once again at the parents at the school I work at. It's a small school so it's normal for us to get specific emails about students going home ill/to keep an eye on etc. Just got one saying a student went to the office complaining of feeling sick, receptionist rung parent to get them to collect child and mother refused saying she thought her DC was fine so said sick child has been sent back to lessons . Honestly, I can't ever imagine my Mum saying such a thing - if a school rung to ask to collect a child as they were ill parents would go, not question and refuse. Either times have changed or I was lucky

It's not the cough, he was repeatedly ill overnight but none for a few hours now. I just hate the waiting for everyone else to start, esp me he's a bit hot, pale tired but not too bad. I am quite stressed obvs but ok at the min.

Such a stupid thing to worry about. FFS. I wish I wasn't bothered. It makes me feel stupid.

:( magi. I'd offer hugs but I don't want to catch it.

I would also pay for a noro vaccination. I know there are a lot of strains but they managed to do the flu ones.

I feel stupid too, keep trying to tell myself 'its nothing to worry about' but i'm petrified. Felt in total panic this morning after Dd2's TA text me to say her dd1 was still being sick (day 2), i'm glad i'm keeping dd2 at home, dd1 is now poorly with a UTI, i got her to school and she stared complaining about needing the loo every few minutes to i was told to bring her home. Tempted to keep them both home tomorrow too. We have the christamas fair on sat, dd1 and i are helping, i'm getting anxious already even though there are not any known cases of d&v at the moment (TA'a dd goes to high school but worried her younger dd will come down with it and then pass it on at school).

Magi-i hope you manage to avoid it, dd2's TA's kids often get it but she always seems to avoid getting it herself. Keeping my fingers crossed for you xxx

Thanks Marne, I have spoken to you before on emetophobe threads. I am just getting it off my chest because I can here basically. It's the anticipation that's killing me at the moment. Like, just everyone have all right now then it's DONE.

Thanks everyone else as well. It does help that I am not the only one. What would help even more was if I had a tumble drier right now but we are coping with radiators on and ploughing through about 5 hot washes.

DS has managed a few small drinks of water and a round of toast and looks ready for mischief now, so that's good.