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

Hi everyone

Stef hope you're ok.

MArne it's good I guess these things are being discussed on this morning - the fact they say half of cases could be prevented by handwashing is reassuring to us (as we wash our hands alot) and also good to get the word out in the hope people are more vigilant.

Roundabout hope your DD is still OK and no repeat performance of yesterday.

Went to the hospital this morning to get blood tests done. I did well as I'm still in the same clothes now I wore to the hospital - recently I've been changing clothes as soon as I'm home to feel decontaminated. I found it hard but I know I have to break the habit and try and get better. Saw the psychologist the other day. She seemed nice and I'm going to put my trust that she will help me. It's very expensive and it's not like we have alot so I need it to help as apparently the NHS can't refer me where I want for help.

Has anyone got week end plans or are you all tucking yourselves away at home? I have a friend over tomorrow and then family time on Sunday.

Still feeling off I'm hoping its a cold my stomach did feel funny but now my head feels really muggy and I feel weak

How are you this morning?

How is everybody this morning? Everybody seems fine in my house (fingers crossed) thanks for asking reastie

All ok in our house (so far), still lots on the news, seems a lot of hospital wards are beingt closed to contain it, i'm hoping people will watch it and start washing there hands more and being more careful about the 48 hour rule instead of going out and spreading it around. May be they will hurry up with the vaccine now more people are falling ill with it?

Hello everyone, I've recently admitted to myself that I am an emetophobe :(

I work in an A&E and regularly have to see people with D&V. It's not so much the physical acts, it's the fear of catching it that I'm finding difficult. I'm not eating because I don't want to be sick and I've started losing weight again - last time I was bad around march I lost about 3 stone in 4 months because I was avoiding eating/limiting my diet to "safe" foods.

Anyway, DS randomly projectile vomited on me this afternoon so now I'm anxious as hell that we're all going to be ill. He's had d for a few days but is on antibiotics for an ear infection so I had put it down to that :(

Spanner my dd2 has vomited with antibiotics before (a couple times) and always has D whilst taking them so it may just be a reaction to them, some children vomit with a high temp too. Hopefully its not a bug .

He's been puking loads so I'm pretty sure it's a bug. I heard him crying and went and hid in the toilet because I thought he'd been sick :( I'm a terrible mother!

We're cuddled up in bed now with lots of towels, cbeebies on the iPad and a bowl :( poor boy.

hello.. I'm new to this thread although have posted on older ones on this topic, under this name and others..

I have this fear. Badly.

DS2 woke up and was sick about an hour ago. Luckily I have a friend staying with us and I called her right before it actually happened and she took care of everything and is taking care of him now. Said it was quite watery. Hasn't happened again yet. Does this sound like the start of norovirus??

Another friend who we saw last night and this morning also vomiting tonight.

I might need some handholding tonight and over the next few days. Sorry IA.

Poor him spanner and poor you. You're not a terrible mother, I feel like running away if I think my child's going to be sick.

Where in the country are you?

Also reading the news reports, v scared about the spread. Does anyone know if the London area is affected?

(but from a distance) to all of you with poorly dc's.

Dancergirl-i think noro is everywhere at the moment, we havn't had many cases at the dc's school, 3 weeks ago some of dd2's class had it (luckily my dd's were off with flu), quite a few of the villages and towns near us have has cases but no more then this time last year (last year half our school were struck down with it). We are down South and there seems to be more thurther North. Please remember that there are other stomach bugs, not all cases are noro, most younger children will get rotravirus (sp) and most children will get this 2 or 3 times before they are amune to it (symproms are similar to noro). Now people are more aware of noro (thanks to the news at the moment) maybe people will be more careful and stay at home if they are poorly, hopfully cases will drop over the next few weeks?

I hope we can all get through the last week of school bug free, i'm giving the dd's extra vitamins and probiotics and restricting fatty food (but this will be hard over christmas). Come friday our doors will be closed other than a trip to visit my grandparents who never get ill as they dont go anywhere.

So sorry to hear of those of you with sick dc's & the stress of it yourselves. I am seeing it on fb graphic details of kids being ill, not that I should worry to much as none of them live any where near me at all! I had a bad night with bad stomach cramps & today just feel drained. I took paracetamol & motillium to ease the pain & discomfort, there was no nausea but really really painful cramps. Dd1 had a flu type bug started two weeks ago & then was bad again this week which works in exactly the same time scale as me as I felt really bad last sun/mon. Seems a strange virus though as is coming & going all the time. Of course I feared/assumed the worst & thought it was noro arrived but I dont see how it could have been.
marne - I too am counting down the days til schools break up, unfortunately there are lots of school things on this week and so of course I think more germs, especially with the dd's class parties when all the parents send some food in. I am trying not to obsess over germs being in food as I really dont want dd1 to pick up on it. They both are very good at hand washing which is good but so far haevn't picked up any anxiety thank goodness.

roundabout-i'm dreading the school parties on thursday, all those home made cakes and sandwiches (luckily i only have to send in some biscuits and a bottle of squash), i am hoping because theres a lot on this week that it will go fast and we will get through it bug free. DFd1 is good at handwashing (as i keep on at her) but dd2 isn't due to her autism and not really being bothered, her hands are often black , luckily her TA takes her to the loo (i think) so makes sure she washes her hands and the same before lunch. We have been the same with this flu thing.

My son has a cold blocked nose and just looks under the weather wondering if I should keep him off school tommorow? But trying not to let my emet make the decision

Hope every one is managing ok. well i am once again in bed, anxious, worried and trying to understand what has caused me to be this way. Really don't want to send my dcs to school at the end of the week!! I Really do need to get a grip some how as I'm lying here listening out for any tiny noise from my dcs bed room. The funny thing is my dh is looking at holidays for next year and has asked if I'd like to go on a cruise! There is absolutely no way i could ever contemplate it!

lulu - I am exactly the same at night, but also regarding dp, not because I'm worried about him but I'm worried if he is ill I will get it. He has recently not been sleeping which is very unusual, I wake to find him not in the bed, come downstairs expecting him to be ill but is in fact watching tv with a cup of tea! No way would i contemplate a cruise!

stef - sorry your boy is a bit poorly. My dd1 isn't well (long on going illness) & I am half tempted to not send her in all week. Dd2 has a streaming cold & goes to preschool 2 mornings a week, shes had her Christmas party already, I only wont send her in if she's really poorly though. Dd1 has lots of lovely Christmassy things on this week but if she's ill anyway she wont enjoy them & then is likely to end up picking up something else which in turn will make her more ill (& probably the rest of us too!)

Lulu- no way would i go on a cruise either, my holidays involve being in the midle of nowhere, no public transport and not too many people . I was shocked how people got on that cruise ship the next day after a noro outbreak .

Like all of you just trying to get through til the weekend, and I can't think of anything worse for someone with emetophobia than a cruise on a ship where there have been noro outbreaks. There is no way I would put myself in a situation where I have so little control, and where there's no way out.

Does anyone else find the run up to Christmas the worst time? I realise my emet is making almost all decisions I make at the moment, and I keep telling myself it will all calm down after Christmas and I'll find it easier to cope. If I had dc then I would be so tempted to keep them off school this week, especially if they already had colds etc. I am really looking forward to seeing my d niece and d nephew over Christmas, but I'm finding myself stressing about it and quizzing my dsis as to when they're finishing nursery for Christmas and just praying they don't get a bug before we I see them.

Well ds didn't go to school today I asked my dp if I should take him and he said no I don't want my ds to miss out because of my emet making decisions. My ds wants to go to school tommorow but I shall see how he sleeps tonight in my head it would be better if he just went in Thursday the day of his Xmas party as anyone that is off ill he won't have been in contact with and will be less lightly to catch anything. Also hoping my dp dosent catch anything at work this week. Can't wait until Monday when everyone has been in the house for 3 days then I can be sure everyone will be ok for Xmas and i won't have to worry. How is everyone else doing?

How is everyone?
My dd's are both at home, dd2 still off colour, dd2 has got a bad cold. I am so tempted to keep them home so they dont get the stomach bug on top of it but feel bad as they will miss out on Christmassy things. Dd1 has got a theatre trip tomorrow, I was dreading her going thinking what bugs she will be exposed to, its an all day thing so packed lunches & they probably wont get them to wash their hands first. On Sun they are both invited to a bday party but I've said we cant go as last year they picked up the bug there (a soft play place) & it spread throughout the family. I really do feel like the fear rules my life this time of year.

Both my dd's are at school (trying to be brave and make it through the week), so far there are no signs of tummy bugs in my dd's classes (that i know of). School play tonight so i have to sit in the hall for an hour which i hate doing although i love seeing the dd's having fun, same again tomorrow, school class party's on thursday and friday the last day , lets hope we can make it.

Might not be belgianbun, the other child would not have been contagious until he was sick (noro spreads through contact with V or D), it fdepends where the other child got it from, was it another child at the childminders that your dd has been in contact with?

We have had noro 3 times in our house and the dd's did not have a very high temp before being sick (maybe just slightly warm before V started but not what i would call a temp), chances are your dd has something else (another virus/cold/ear infection). I would keep her home tomorrow anyway as if she hasn't got it she could pick it up from the house.

BB - It does sound as if it is from a temperature. My dc's haven't had a temperature before either with tummy things although both have ocassionally vomited with a high temperature from a virus. Can you easily keep her at home with you tomorrow?