Emetophobia - Am I the only one?

[hughjackmanswife]

Hi everyone

I'm really struggling at the moment. I hate this time of year because of all the bugs etc that are flying round. I have a 3 year old DS who goes to full time nursery and I work in a Primary School, and I'm constantly exposed to all kinds of illness. I'm terrified of sickness bugs. It's getting to the point where I'm having a panic attack if my DS says he has a tummy ache, or if someone in school is sick. I'm convinced every time that this is going to start a full blown epidemic and that I'm going to catch it. I've worked with talking therapies and have been signed off from them and was getting better. I do have good days and fewer bad days, but now the bug season has started, I'm a bit of a wreck! Am I the only one? I feel like no one gets it.

No, you’re not the only one. I absolutely dread winter and its bugs. I go into instant panic mode if I hear a child in my DD’s class was sick.

Nope, definitely not just you

Nope - same here, every year!!

I feel like I can't relax, and look forward to all the lovely stuff happening at this time of year as I'm always worrying I'm going to be woken in the middle of the night by me or my DS being sick. It's ridiculous, like I'm living from one day to the next and not really being able to enjoy life.

Have you seen the book "Cure your emetophobia and thrive" by Rob Kelly.

I used to be the same as you. Now, the feelings are still there in a tiny way, however they have reduced by so so much and I can now enjoy my life so much more.

I tell you this though, it was hard work and I had to put a LOT into it. But it was worth it. So worth it.

A kid in DS's class was sick a few weeks ago and honestly I didn't let him out of my sight for days, following him around with antibac just incase 😫

No not alone, I hate this time of year too, I'm nervous sending DS to school knowing it's going round the school, I get stressed taking DD to playgroup mixing with others and if DS ever says he has a stomach ache I start to have a panic attack.

I've had CBT which didn't work, feel like I'm just destined to be this way forever now

@Ohb0llocks antibac doesn't kill noro. The only thing that kills it is bleach, hand washing with soap and water (so just washing the virus down the sink) and there is now a hand foam that you can buy in Boots that also kills noro. Normal hand sterilisers, dettol etc don't kill it x

Yeah. I'm a CBT therapist and stuffer. I don't treat it myself, can't exactly encourage people to expose themselves when I'm freaking out.
I'm a lot better than I was, but I still hate it.

You’re not alone, I saw someone holding a sick bag (empty) and felt panicky earlier

Another one signing in here. Sushi just reading your post has made me feel panicky

Thanks for all your responses it's good to know I'm not the only one out there. My DS has gone to bed complaining of a sore tummy so I will be awake all night panicking waiting for him to be sick 😩 I hate this

Well it's happened he was sick about half an hour ago. Have done the clear up and he's in bed now with DH in the spare room so let's see how it goes 😩🤢

Oh no, I feel your pain.

I start pulling up rugs, putting anything in a splash radius in another room, and laying carpets of towels when any of my kids so much as don't feel like eating dinner. Such is the fear. The anxiety of it also makes me sweaty and nauseous so I'll be convinced I have it too.

Good luck for the night

I'm sorry OP. I also have emet pretty badly. I haven't sought treatment but I know I need to. Hand hold from me.

i’m emetophobic too, have been since i was a young child and no idea what triggered it because my siblings and i were very rarely “that kind of” sick. i’ve noticed since being on sertraline for mild depression that i feel much less anxious when the thought of sickness crosses my mind, but can’t guarantee i’d feel so calm if anything was actually happening. i probably am a lot more conscious of hand washing than the average person, and have never drank enough to feel sick from that. i guess if you take reasonable precautions to protect yourself you have a really good chance of staying healthy, and of course with your child instinct takes over to just look after them. good luck getting through the nite and hopefully he’ll feel better really soon

Well we got through the night. He was sick twice, once at 3.20am and again at 3.50am. He is now full of beans and pretty much the same as always... demanding milk and food. I'm being cautious about what I give him obviously. I'm now so worried though that me and DH will get ill. Tbf I had a bad stomach yesterday morning, pains, nausea and the runs so maybe DS got what I had, and therefore I won't get it as I've already had it...? Or maybe it was something he ate. I don't know. I am pretty relieved he has been sick though if that doesn't sound too weird as it's now happened and I coped. Anyway, thanks all for the support... have a good day I'm off the clean, disinfect and bleach!

Some idiot on my Facebook has put a status on about how her two kids and husband have been up all night being sick but her husband has still got up and gone to work this morning!!

I'm so angry, I really want to write something back to her. Are people really so stupid that they don't realise or care that they'll spread it around! I'm gobsmacked and fuming at the same time.

Pleased your little one is picking up OP x

Yes me. I started to get emetophobia, very specifically noro, and even more specifically that my husband and kids would get it, in about 2013. It's honestly ruined my enjoyment of life. I've had almost back to back therapy, not just for this, but its always there... lurking. I hate winter and I hate xmas but nobody seems to understand. I can honestly say it's contributed in a big way to my separation with my husband.

I have it quite specifically for my loved ones getting noro. I actually don't mind being sick myself. In fact I think I'm developing bulimia (another story) and I always had morning sickness - no prob. I think it's the idea of kids waking in the night, the surprise and not being able to relax, and the wasted time the next day. I have a real problem with time-wasting and loss of control.

I think this is becoming more common among mums and I think my kids are starting to pick up on it. Hiding panic is so difficult! I am getting better with my last round of CBT (therapist was brilliant) and I feel I'm getting better. But I wish I could shake it completely. I also wish I could show this thread to my husband to prove I'm not a total freak but it's too late for that now.

It;s the hyper awareness that really impacts on your life. Sometimes just the sound of a water bottle scrunching behind me is enough to set me off. But since the last round of CBT I've coped much better. Last year (before therapy) someone was sick behind me on the train and I had an embarrasing panic attack and ran off crying. Last month someone was sick in the shopping centre and I just carried on like normal. I still had the odd flashback afterwards (so ridiculous!) but I'm definitely improving.

Have you tried another round of CBT OP? There's also a good emetophobia resource online with escalating videos of sick. I made it about 1/3 of the way through during the weeks of therapy but I think I could go further now. Also, the best therapy is actually getting the bug. You may well feel better after this week. Everything was fine and you coped! x

Thanks everybody. It really is nice to know I'm not the only one out there! I think it started with me on Saturday, and then DS came down with it on early Sunday morning. He was back in nursery Tuesday (48 hours clear) and fine in himself, but then had explosive diarrhoea yesterday morning so is off again. DH is now complaining of 'acid reflux' due to what we ate last night, says he was up all night with it, and now his belly feels 'full of acid'. Obviously I am now panicking that he has got it, is going to be sick / have diarrhoea, and that I / DS will then get it again! Is that even possible? I was hoping the bug had left the building, and that I would be able to relax again, but now I'm all panicky and anxious waiting for DH to be sick / have diarrhoea. as it's now Thursday, and DS was sick on Sunday morning, is it possible that DH can have caught it and it's taken this long to come out?

Oh..I looked here to start my own thread on exactly this..and found this one!!

I’m emetophobic. Absolutely terrified of feeling sick and being sick. Especially noro. Completely terrified!!

Anyway....after a terrible few days, I dropped my children at school and went for a walk to blow the cobwebs away. I was walking along the pavement and heard a horrific noise but didn’t know what it was. As I approached a recycling truck parked up, I realised the driver was stood leaning against his door, vomiting onto the floor!!!!! Omg!!!!!! I was about 4 feet away!! I was on the pavement the passenger side and he was leaning against the drivers side!!!! I’m seriously now going into overdrive!! Am absolutely terrified I have caught something off him!! Please give me a hand hold!! I’d already had a horrific week with awful news. Now this!! 😩

I had this phobia for years!! Do you know what cured me? A sick bug!! I was so terrified of being sick that I'd built it up to this enormous monster. Then the day I was sick, it was nowhere near as bad!!

flossie44 it's unlikely. It really depends on your personal immune system. I have only even had noro once in my life, despite years of catching children's vomit into various objects. However, my husband and kids just seem to get it for "no reason" such as touching a door handle with invisible germs on it. You just can't tell, so it's best to stop worrying. I've also notices a pattern to current bugs: most make you sick in the middle of the night as a surprise. Next common is the ones where you have a dodgy stomach all afternoon and are sick in the evening (there was one like that going round my way aug/september) and least common of all (in my anecdotal experience) is the ones where you are sick in the morning. So more likely, the bin man had a hangover.

hughjackmanswife No you can't get it again... not for at least a few months, so that the bug has a chance to mutate and reinfect you. It's a bit like flu in that respect, and some strains are more vicious than others. So if you do get it now, it would mean you didn't have it earlier. It is possible for your DH to get it at this time. But look on the bright side: your son is safe as he's had it; it's very self limiting and DH will be better very soon.

Mrs brooks - are you cured??

Sweetness - thank you 💐

I'm a terrible emetephobe, due I think to having hyperemesis gravidarum during both my pregnancies. I use the boots anti viral hand foam every day, and I'm desperately trying to get 7yo ds to improve his hand hygiene which is, at best, questionable.

It's a horrible phobia to live with, the slightest hint of paleness in my children will send me in to a panic. I'm lucky that dh will take control of any sick incidents and he has a very strong constitution and very rarely gets ill.