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!

bound even!

Annoyingd: how very, very scary. I would have freaked out at that one!!!! I hope she's okay today and that there have been no more incidents.

Eek: hope all is well on the Eek front!

I survived today's party, but gave the lunch a miss - all looked a bit undercooked to me. I stuck to bread and chocolate cakes - fortunately nobody was interested in what I was eating, as it was a buffet. I had a panic when DS went on the bouncy castle directly after lunch (I normally impose a ban on after-meal bouncing), but nothing untoward happened - thank goodness!

Waves to everyone else! xx

Hi Nelly, I forgot you didn't i chick? nothing personal hun! Glad you ok. x

Helloooooo, am still here, slightly frazzled. Poor DH still not feeling good today. Thankfully he went off to yet another job today at 3.30pm, won't see him until Tuesday morning (feel awful saying that!). Sounds strange, but now I wish he had had a 24 hour d&v thingy, cos now I'm beginning to worry about more serious underlying ishooooos. Ha ha! never thought I'd say THAT out loud.

Annoying - how horrible for you! My dcs say they have tummy ache all the time and it does my head in. My 4 year old DS also always eats his food too fast (he's perpetually hungry) and sometimes spits it out on the plate cos he's put too much in his mouth. Am not too fond of that little habit, as you can imagine.

Anyone hear about John Prescott's secret health problem in the news today? At least I can be fairly confident that's not an ailment I'll ever suffer from!!!

Belgian - if you pop back in - can you link to your Mnet "survey" about v'ing?

I had to turn the news off when it came to the John Prescott thing. The image is just too awful to begin to contemplate...

Eek - I hope your DH is feeling better soon. I can understand your concern, and I do hope it's just a strange bug. Some tummy aches can go on for days with no other symptoms. Anyway, I'm still thinking of you!

Anti-v vibes to everyone (and special wave to wiggle for the extra mention!!)

Hi everyone,
Just been reading this whole thread over the past couple of days as I too am an emetophobe. Have been since I was about 5. I have found, though, that I have been tons better since being on anti-depressants. I went on them originally for depression but they've been so fab in reducing my anxiety issues that I don't ever want to come off them. I still get anxious about 'v' if actually feeling ill, or if the DCs are, but manage much better with everything else. I actually had the noro virus last November, in fact the whole family had it which was my utter worst nightmare and actually it really wasn't as bad as my fears. Damned annoying that it still doesn't make the phobia go away but I do still tell myself over and over again that when it really happened, I thought to myself "this is OK, really nothing to worry that much about."

Anyway, Eek, just wanted to say that back at the end of Feb/beginning of March I had bad stomach ache for a week or more and at first was terrified I had a bug but went to the Dr and it turned out to be gastritis - an inflamed stomach - which could have been due to stress or to a virus, but it didn't make me 'v'. Hope (iykwim) that's what it turns out to be for your DH. Simple anti-acid pills sorted it out fairly quickly.

Will be keeping an eye on this thread now I've found you all!

Hi everyone. we are all OK so far i always relax after 72 hours after a posible exposure so only another 28 hours to go !!!

Try not to count the hours schmoo! It doesn't change anything ... (easier said than done, I know).

Thank you BlessThis. If you stick around on this thread you will encounter a very friendly bunch of Mnetters indeed. No judgement here.

My silly old DH is a worrier and has high cholesterol and is overweight with heart disease rife in his father's side of the family. He's on statins and daily gaviscon. I read on his statins prescriptiion today that a rare side effect is stomach upset so have told him not to take them for a few days and see how he goes.

Thanks everyone else for your concern . I'm not going to see DH for a few days now as he's off filming in Ireland and Exeter. Tis a blessed relief, am ashamed to say !

Hello and welcome Blessthismess - you are amongst kindered spirits here!!

Hey Wiggleit. I am crap at posting lately hey?! How are ya? Hope you and thr family are all in rude health lol xxxx

Eeek - how worrying for you. I reckon if it was something sinister your DH would have V'd by now. When I am under a lot of stress I get a rumbly achey belly which used to scare the living crap out of me! Now I am able to recognise the symptoms and know it is not the onset of V. As Blessthismess said, do you think it could be gastritis or something?

I was in Meadowhall on Sat Nelly like you and nearly freaked when we went to the Oasis and I caught DS licking his finger, rubbing it on the counter at Harry Ramsdens and then licking it again (trying to eat the salt). He is fine though thank god. How is your DD after her toilet floor episode?

BB - how are you? Your posts are a godesend - keep em coming!!!

Schmoo - I am not surprised you are worried. How is everyting now?

Ad - how are you?

Hope everyone is ok. Am off to bed now ready to face yet another working week. Where on earth do the weekends go?!

Thanks all - hope everyone's feeling healthy and good. Didn't sleep very well last night after reading this whole thread - kind of stirred everything up, but practised my relaxation methods and was OK - just could feel that inner tension.

Anyway just thought I'd encourage you that, although I've always been careful with food hygiene, I've never been that fussed about general hygiene e.g. I always forget to get the kids to wash their hands before they eat, because I generally don't (although always do before preparing food!), and I've never been one for the anti-bac sprays, never worried about using public toilets etc, and have really not been particularly susceptible to catching illnesses. Prior to last November's little episode, I think the time before that when I v'd was about 10 years ago due to a strange gut motility issue, and prior to that it had been 15 or 20 years with no 'v'.

Hi there hope you are all enjoying the sunshine. We are all still OK so life go on till the next panic.

Belgian - thanks for the link to your survey. I wondered how I could possibly have missed it and then noticed the date ... it was the day of DS's major stomach bug/vomiting hell experience. How funny! I was too busy to get on Mnet!

Myself, I have had 3 bouts of v'ing since my PFB came along (7 years ago). 1 bug caught from DD, and I think 2 bouts of food poisoning because on those occasions no-one else in the family got anything. Including DS who I was bfeeding at the time.

Am not worried about choking/not breathing AT ALL myself. Its the sound/sight/mess (in that order) of vomit that really bothers me. So we're all different, hey?

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hello belgiun bun and everyone.

bb - that's a really interesting post and I've printed it out - there's real comfort in knowing the actual facts ...

Blessthismess - do you mind me asking what type of anti-deps you are taking please? I've been advised to take them and am resistant to the idea ... but your post pricked my interest ....

Hi to everyone! I've been busy all week so haven't had time to post on here but you've all been in my thoughts. Welcome blessthismess!! You're in good company on here. It is a great comfort to many of us this thread. BB is especially fab xx

bb - are you around?sorry to keep bothering you with little queries but you do a great job in making me feel stronger about this phobia and that helps me act more normal (i use the word normal loosely!!) .. I'm giong out tonight with my friend into town, and one of my big problems is worrying about germs in crowded places. It takes great effort for me to actually go out at all. I haven't been out since last year into town coz of my fear of germs. Am i blowing it all out of proportion?
I will be extra careful all weekend after i've been out as in how much i eat etc just in case i've picked any bug up. Am i toturing myself unnecessarily?

Also, my sis had a d&v bug a couple of weeks ago, and as usual i was asking her 20 million questions to try and work out how she became ill, she had no idea, she said to her knowledge she'd not been in contact with any ill person and like me she is hygenic as in washing hands etc. Her DP didn't succumb though. Like souvenir i question how these bugs come about when you've not knowingly come into contact with any d or v or an ill person. I know like you say nothing is risk free, i suppose we just have to accept that, hard as it may be.

When you said to schmoo about symptoms normally presenting themselves after 48 hrs after contact, when are you most likely to become ill then? I always used to give myself 48 to 72 hrs and then feel 'safe'..when should i feel safe?

Sorry to go on bb, but you are my mentor!! (like it or not) I hope you are on here before i go out so i can go out and have a good night without too much to worry about coz i have total faith in you that you will say something that will put my mind at rest.
Thank you bb ...loads hugs xxxxxxxx

Hi Notalone how you doing mate? Have missed you, and yes you are a bit crap at posting on here lately but hey i forgive you! Our paths have probably crossed coz i occasionally go to meadowhEll, (when i'm feeling brave and its not so busy!)

Hi to everyone else NELLY (won't forget you this time hun!), funny, souvenir, schmoo, eek, bless, counting and anyone else on here..lotsa love xxxx

Oh thanks so much bb, you are an absolute diamond! Really appreciate you taking the time out to humour me! I'll try and enjoy myself but it will be in the back of my mind, but like you say, anyone who's that ill shouldn't be out and any sign of anyone v'ing, i will be hurtling off in the other direction at 100 mile an hour! My friend is unaware of my problem though which might make it a bit hard to explain my behaviour should the worst happen.

Hope you enjoy your nights out chick, shame you're not near me, i'd buy you a drink to thank you! sending you a massive hug! xxxx

Hello everyone,

Wiggleit - hope you enjoy your evening out and forget the fear for at least some of the time!

BB - thank you again for going to the trouble of sharing all your info. I'm no less phobic about the whole v thing than I have ever been, but I did let DD use the spoon she'd put on the table in the M&S cafe today, which is a minor miracle for me (can't see myself doing that in the Ikea cafe in any kind of foreseeable future, though!!)

I do find it terrifying that we could be struck down by a random v bug a la Souvenir, and I do know that our turn will come at some point. But I have to say, I find it quite liberating in a way to know that I'm really not increasing our risk by using cutlery from one of those cutlery boxes in restaurants without submitting it to antibac spray before use - my normal technique!! Part of the agony of all this is that I feel trapped in obsessive hand-washing and sterilising, and the only word I can find for BB's info is that it's liberating (to me, at any rate). As I say, the phobia is still there, and if anyone so much as looked peaky, I'd run a thousand miles. I don't think I'd touch a barbecue even if I had 50 years of therapy, and I will still not buy ice cream cones which have been touched by human hands. But allowing DD to use an unsterilised spoon in a public place is definitely a bonus!

All that said, I have a bad weekend ahead: DH is going away tomorrow for a whole week.

I am very nervous!

Nelly - I am not sure if this will be of any comfort to you or not, but feel the urge to post this anyway.

My emetophobia reached its peak last spring, this was when I felt compelled to go to GP for help. I waited 6 months for CBT so by the time it started we were well into the Autumn term at school. All through Autumn/Winter terms we were all quite literally surrounded by other children and adults with vomiting bugs. I noted them all and did the counting days thing. I was bordering obsessional about washing hands and giving dcs pro-biotic yogurts etc.

When my DS got vomiting bug a month ago, no-one in my social circle, or his social circle, or nursery, or other random friends had been ill whatsoever! He was absolutely perfectly fine when he went to bed at 8pm and was sick by 11pm. The bug just came from nowhere (and none of the rest of us got it). So, as discussed with my CBT therapist at great length in our most recent session, none of my "preventing" strategies helped.

That sounds quite depressing but it isn't meant to. I'm coming round to understand that, just as you cannot prevent these bugs sometimes (as per Souvenir), it is also true that MOST times you and your dcs will not get the bug, whether you wash hands/disinfect everything they touch or not.

(I think in a nutshell this is what BB is saying too atm).

Hope you understand what I mean.