Emetophobia - terrified of this sickness bug

[nellyraggbagg]

This sounds so stupid, but I'm completely terrified of the children (not to mention DH and me) catching this Norovirus that's doing the rounds. I've been emetophobic for as long as I can remember, and it has become even worse since having children. Every time they open their mouths, I'm terrified they're going to say they feel sick. When I go to bed at night, my last waking thought is: "Oh my God, what if they're sick in the night?" My DH is working away a lot at the moment, which makes matters even worse (he is good at dealing with sick, thank goodness!!) I have dealt with both children being sick (I have found that manic cleaning helps very slightly to take my mind off the blind panic), but am rigid with fear following newspaper reports of this current bug. How will I pick DS up from school if DD and/or I get it? My Mum is miles away, unfortunately. And what if DH gets it? I don't know how I'd cope if he were sick. Please, please help, someone - even if just by saying that I'm not the only person who feels like this!

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Hi everyone. (I lurk on this thread and post intermittently on this subject.)

Well done Dumbledoresgirl if/when you read this for facing the fear mid-air and for embarking on the flight in the first place. Not sure I could do that (to OZ I mean).

Hats off to you Belgian Bun for going through the therapy and thanks for posting link. Can't believe that poor woman was struck off a doctor's list for attention-seeking!!! Crikey!! No-wonder finding the right treatment is so difficult although I suppose medical doctors would be the last to understand in a way as by definition I guess they are unlikely to suffer from emetophobia. She was v. brave to talk about it on natioanl tv. Thought the point at the end was interesting about the emphasis on learning to "be well" rather than focusing on being sick etc.

Don't worry about droning on Souvenir - that's what these threads are for!! Your situation sounds really tough - poor you - I can really sympathise about it affecting your dd because I have the same worry. My fear is slightly different because I'm more worried about other people v-ing in my presence rather than v-ing myself (I'd do anything to avoid it happening to me but can cope better with that - as long as I am in private). This makes me feel really selfish as far as dd is concerned because I find it hard to be with her when she is ill although I am getting slightly better as each incident occurs ... (I hope).

I've had help for general anxiety but not specifically for emetophobia as the shrink's view was that these phobias "don't come about in a vacuum" ie he was against CBT alone (although he used some CBT techniques) because he felt it treated the symptoms and not the cause. Not so sure about this because the therapy helped me in other ways but not particularly with emetophobia.

I'm beginning to think about other practical causes to be honest. Feel free to call me mad (my dh does!!) but I'm wondering if emetophobes just have a better sense of smell than others. This thought came to when this morning whilst trying to locate a mouse that has died somewhere beneath our floorboards!! I was gagging away (sorry if tmi) but dh, who said he couldn't smell anything, was completely unaffected! Also, sickness in pregnancy is sometimes much worse around food and other strong smells. Just a theory ....

sorry - meant to say - heightened sense of smell meant to be protective mechanism during pregnancy

Hi everyone! bb thanx for all your contributions..(again)

souvenir - you sound a bit like me. I've had this phobia for as long as i can remember and have had several treatments for it, all to no avail. The therapists all think my fear is so deeply rooted that nothing will work and it's a case of learning to live with it than cure it. I would be most interested in what you have to say about psychoanalysis or anything for that matter. I've found bb's accounts very helpful.

How are all my other mateys? Funny, notalone, nelly (how you feeling?), eek and everyone else. xx

Hello all. (Its me, Eekamoose, previously Daphne. previously TwoIsEnoughMum. Will go back to Eek but accidentally logged on tonight with yet another namechange from a couple of days ago).

Can't believe this thread has been so active and I've missed it. Clearly not on Mumsnet often enough LOL!

Am sorry to hear about DDG's "event" on the plane, whatever it was. When I first joined this thread I sort of missed DDG as she was on one of my very early emet threads, 2 or more years ago. She's lovely and I hoped that her non-appearance here meant that she was getting over the problem. Or maybe she was just tired of going over and over it again. Another "famous" emetophobe is Califrau. We used to chat a few years ago too, but I noticed she's avoided this thread. Perhaps in the end you decide you just don't want to talk about it any more.

And BB - I must say it is incredibly handy that your therapist knows so much about microbiology! Sounds like its really helping you.

All the eeks are well, luckily. Now that both dcs have been sick within the last month, I sort of feel like we are due a bit of a breather IYSWIM.

Souvenir - very very for you.

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You don't sound like a lunatic at all...if you do then all of us on here are lunatics too!! xx

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Oh souvenir, know how you feel..but it was probably just motion sickness she was feeling,she was ok at yours wasn't she? If it were me i know i'd be worrying too and i'd make an excuse up to phone the said friend tomorrow and see how her dd was...probably fine but it just puts your mind at rest doesn't it? I know after they'd left i would have dettoxed everything though!!

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Souvenir - I am in rib pain and need to go to bed, but have to say that you are not - repeat not - a lunatic. We are all emetophobic on this thread, and we all have our own particular things that make us feel better or worse. There are millions of people just like us (poor things...), and I am so glad I've found this group of lovely people who are so kind and supportive. Stick with it and we won't be able to 'cure' you (if only!!!), but we will always be able to sympathise with you wholeheartedly.

(hell bb, wiggle and eekadaphne!)

Hi all and welcome to the newcomers.

Souvenir, your story is very sad and you have made me realise that there are people much more badly affected by this phobia than me. I have never been unable to eat (except in the throws of a bug) and, unfortunately, have the waistline to prove it!

However, I completely understand where you're coming from . V'ing in public is my number one fear and it's down to loss of control and humilition. Unlike others on here, choking has never even crossed my mind.

I have also had 'noro' twice since DD started toddler groups, and some of my fear of v'ing has subsided. Unfortunately, I remain just as terrified at the thought of the dc vomiting and that fear haunts me every night.

Which brings me to my next point....tmi alert....Toddlers both have the runs. Please someone tell me it's just a mild 'd' bug and they won't throw up.....

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Souvenir, if it was just nausea (no 'd' or 'v') then it's not likely to be that contagious - unless you were in very close contact.

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I'm no medic annoyingdevil but fwiw my dd has usually v-ed FIRST and the runs have always followed afterwards (when she's suffered from both that is) so you are probably in the clear. Hope your dc feel better soon.

[Btw just wanted to say sorry re earlier post. Hadn't in fact posted on this thread before (got confused about which one I was on - there have been a few emetophobia threads on here recently - and I only post from time to time!!) but really helpful to read so thanks all.]

Sorry, BB, eeekadaphne and wiggle - the 'o' went missing off my 'hello'!!

Annoyingd - both my dcs have had countless episodes of d without v. I can only think of one instance where d was joined later on by v, and that was with the dreaded rotavirus. It seems on the whole that v bugs start with v. I hope their runs are short-lived, and that you escape it!

BTW, who'd have guessed that Eamonn Holmes was a bit of an emetophobe as well?! If the statistics are true, we probably know loads of them in real life, but nobody ever talks about it for fear of being seen as weird!

'Phew' we seem to be in the clear. No 'd' during the night and both eating this morning. DS that is. DD picking as usual.

Souvenir, how is your DD?

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Sounds like it was just something really mild then, and hopefully you and your DD will be fine.

I think ours was a mild bug too as both dc were affected. DD's past the teething stage anyway as she's three next week. Just grrrrr at myself as I had yet another sleepness night worrying about it.

Hope everyone else is well and bug-free!

Hi everyone! Souvenir, how's things? Is your DD ok? Sounds like it was some sort of bug that your friend and her dd had..but mild by the sounds of it..phew!! Hope all ok at yours. Thinking of you. Am with you on the not eating thing...my friend and i (who's also an emet) joke, when we've been in contact with something/someone ill that we'll be on water and crackers for the next week!! Not funny though. But have to say it keeps our figures in check!

Hi annoying - everything ok at yours? Hope so!

Hello to nelly, funny, notalone (where are you, miss you!), and eek-daphne-terrible....(getting v confused now eek,who are you again?) and bb (have a fab time at the wedding! don't overdo the booze though! x) xx

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