Anxiety through the roof, emetaphobe and DS ill

[AllIWant8]

I don't really know what I'm asking for, maybe just some support and a distraction from my head.

I have MH issues and am an emetaphobe. DS was spectacularly sick a couple of hours ago and has been sick a bit a few more times.

I feel like I can't cope. I'm feeling very anxious to the point that I want to SH to calm down. I've cleaned everything, put washing on, been attentive to DS each time but inside I'm screaming.

I'm terrified other DC and me will get it. I can't relax or even sit down at all. What do I do if we're all ill at once? If I'm ill and clearing up won't I just spread the germs?

I need to refocus my mind away from destructive thoughts.

I'm lying awake and didn't want to leave you without a reply.

You CAN cope. You are already coping because you've helped your son each time.

I used to be an emetophobe in my teens so I can relate a bit. I still get a panicky feeling when my DCs are ill, but I can do it these days.

I have looked after vomiting children several times and not caught it myself. I get right on top of the hygiene by doing the following:

• clean toilet and sink and anywhere else the vomit may have touched every single time, with bleach or antibac. Give everything a final squirt with antibac and leave it.
• use disposable cloths or tissues to do this. Never reuse the same cloth.
• always wear gloves and wash the gloves and your hands afterwards.
• if possible and can be done comfortably, isolate the child in a different room to other people till he's better (try to avoid him sitting in the middle of everyone with the other kids touching same objects etc).
• if possible, the bathroom he is using is only for him until better (if you're lucky enough to have two toilets!)
• try not to breathe too near what you are cleaning!

Good luck and I do feel for you. It's horrible being scared like this.

Thank you for replying, he's been sick again since. He is in his own room and I have cleaned everything to within an inch of it's life but my head says I've missed a bit or it's pointless because we will all be infected already.

I know my thought process is illogical, yet I can't reason with myself when I'm like this.

Hand hold from another emetophobe.

Remember how you can and how you can't catch it. You can't catch it if you are washing your hands before you touch your mouth, it's not contagious prior to the first symptom, and it's not airborne (although if you inhale the vomit "mist" you can catch it--but that's hard to do). Do you have anyone who can do the "clean up" while you try and calm down? Do you have anything you can take to calm down (I take Xanax when this happens)?

Also, (knock on wood), remember that most of us emetophobes don't actually vomit if we catch it.

There's no one else that can clear up and I have taken some diazepam now, thank you for suggesting that, it's hard to think straight when feeling anxious.

DS hasn't been sick since 5:30 so I'm hoping we're over the worse of it now. Just hoping no one else gets ill.