Aaargh, it's noro season. Anxious emetophobes this way!!!

[Dottoressa]

Hello ladies,

As we seem to have reached our limit on the other thread, I thought I had better start a new one!!

We have the 'positive' one started by our lovely BB - so I suggest we keep this as the 'anxious' one (i.e. the one where we can all say "OMG, it said on the news that someone v-d 200 miles away from me - am I going to catch it?!") We can share our worries, however silly they sound, without undoing the good work on the other thread. What do you all think?

I shall start off by saying that every time DD speaks, I think she's going to say she feels sick!!!

Now that really is neurotic...

xxx

Hello all!!!

Long time no post. I've been off MN for a long time; I got anxious after being outed by RL folks, so thought a break was in order. But now I am back as Nelly (I started as Nelly then turned into Dott, for those of you who don't 'know' me).

I've been reading through the most recent posts, and am so, so, so excited to see that BB has a DD2!!!!! What lovely news. I'm sorry I've only just found this out, BB; I hope you and your two DDs are doing well.

We moved cities in summer, so my therapy stopped. I'm supposed to be registering for therapy (CBT) where we live now, but am slightly put off as it means starting right back at the beginning with GP referrals and assessments. I'm still rather hoping that someone will swear blind that hypnotherapy will work for me.

I will probably go back to the CBT. I don't think I'd tried hard enough at it, so I'm still stuck with the same old anxious thoughts (every time the DCs cough, etc, etc, etc, etc - you know what I'm talking about).

You have all coped with things that I feel would completely floor me (I feel all hot and cold and shivery at the thought). You are all fab.

I shall try to come back on here more often. Part of me thinks I should steer clear of anything to do with the phobia in case I just reinforce it - but the bigger part of me says I really need your support and positive vibes.

OMG - how have I not seen this thread? And Belgian, I don't remember you telling me that you were an Emetophobe! Although you might have done...

Can I please join? I'm not sure if mine is slightly different to anyone elses or if everyone's is a bit different.

I have an 8 month DD who goes to the CM and my SIL during the week when I work and so I am just starting on the panicking where she's concerned.

I have had a phobia of being sick since I was about 11 years old. I remember going to the chemist because my younger brother and sister had a stomach bug, asking for a bottle of Kaolin and Morphine (don't know if anyone remembers the stuff... yuk) so that I could sip it through the night.

When my DH gets a cold, he is often sick (makes himself) to clear his throat. He has to wake me up before going to the bathroom (if he needs to do it in the night) to tell me that he's going to do it, so that I don't wake up and panic.

If he actually is sick for whatever reason, he will now go outside or do it at work and only tell me weeks later that he was, because he knows that I won't be able to function if there is a risk that I might be sick.

I am absolutely fine with other people being sick, as long as I can't catch it.

During my labour with DD, I had it written on my notes in big letters that I was an Emetophobe and that as much as people said "you won't worry about it when you're giving birth" I know that I would have done and being sick would totally have ruined the experience, so they kept me topped up with anti-sickness drugs the whole time.

So, it's now been 10 years since I was sick... I almost wonder if that makes it worse. The expectation (I'm hoping) will be worse than the actual invent so the worry is bad...

Anyway, I hope you'll let me into your group!!

xxx

Dawn, of course we will 'let you in'! All emets are very welcome here. Everything you say is so very familiar...

One thing we seem to have in common is that we have only been sick relatively infrequently (she says, touching every bit of available wood!) - which makes the fear of it so much worse.

Anyway, stay around! You will find this very helpful and supportive.

Hi everyone! welcome Dawn. As Nelly says you are amongst a good group of girlies on here who will be extremely supportive to you.

I've not been on here for a while but i still think of you all! How you doing Nelly? What about you bb? How's the new addition? Hope you are all well.

I've nothing exciting to report (i like it that way!!)..just saying 'hello' ...

Hi Ladies

Things are bad here! dc3 got a tummy bug sunday teatime and was admitted into hospital 2 am monday morning (8hrs later), she was put on a drip! My ocd, depression and anxieties have gone through the roof, just when i thought i could not cope with any more this happened!

but i have contacted a hyphnotherapist and waiting for them to contact me, as to if it will help! only thing going our way is mil has had dc1 and dc2 since monday at her house so fingers crossed they will be okay! But my goodness my anxietys are sooooo bad, been having cbt since july for ocd, but think its getting worse!

any advice ladies please

oh mumtoo3 you poor poor thing. huge germ-free and un-mumsnetty hugs to you for the hell you have been going through. i don't really have any words of wisdom for you other than that you will get through this (and most likely come out stronger the other side). How is dc3 now? And you? So well done on contacting the hypnotherapist and for having cbt, you are taking really positive steps.

You probably don't recognise my name, i am an old poster who just occasionally pops back to read and say hello. i have actually had the most hellish winter in terms of my v phobia and also with a very poorly ds2 who has spent a lot of time in hospital with breathing problems and viruses. every single night i go to bed in a state of high alert and every where i look seems to talk about that blasted, evil norovirus. i am praying for a vaccine! i truly can barely deal with living in my head at the moment, i am finding the phobia all-consuming and am sure my handwashing thing is going to affect my ds's . on top of all his other bugs my poor ds2 got a nasty stomach bug a couple of weeks ago. i found it extremely frightening at the time but on a positive note it did pass quickly with no lasting effects.

hello to all my fellow emets, hope you haven't been suffering too much this very long winter. and sorry for the ramble!

Hi mumtoo3. How are things now at yours? Obviously a week has passed so hopefully things should have settled down? Was everyone else ok? Did you get any help from the cbt and hypnotherapy? Hope all es well with you now hun.

Hi Zonedout - I remember you! I don't go on here as much either but i do a bit of lurking and occasionally come on and say hello. Sorry to hear you have been having a hellish time of it. Hope ds2 is on the mend, poor little mite. Lotsa love

Hi to everyone else! Hugs 'n' stuff xx

Just thought i would post as i'm feeling anxious, does anyone else get really anxious when they hear that someones child is off school with D&V bug from your dc's school? We all had the bug 3 weeks ago and it has been going around the school for over a month, today around 6 children are off with the bug and i'm so worried we will get it again. Is it possible to get the same bug twice?

Also wanted to ask if any of you manage to get anti-sickness drugs from their GP to keep at home if you get ill? When i had the bug i was given Anti-sickness drugs (sadly dh couldn't pick them up from boots quick enough) and i was thinking 'if i had some at home i would be less anxious because if i felt sick i could take them'. Will the GP think i'm mad for asking for some?

haven't visited for a while, but dd had awful bug oct 09 from the children next door as they all had it as well.

now one of the girls she has seen her brother has d & v, i am in panic mode again.

she didn't touch her and stood approx 2-3 ft away in the garden, i am starting to anxious and terrified again.

please try and put me in reality.

Arrrggg

We were driving into the local supermarket and just about to stop the car and get out when the kid in the car opposite, opens his door and is violently ill all over the floor and car next door

Im terrified that the droplets may have come into our car as the fans were on

Although the kid didnt seem hugely ill, i.e. he just stood by the car whilst we drove off as there was no way I could stop or get out after seeing that

So sorry for not being on here befoer dc3 was okayish, she finally ate 5 days later (a mcdonalds - not going in for mother of the year!) she then got a bad uti! i then fell down the stairs (great fun at 19 weeks pregnant!) then dh had an accident at work, so he is off work at the moment! Oh my the worst few weeks ever, and then to top it off last week at 21 weeks, had my scna and have a low lying placents aaaahhhhhhhhhhh

hope eveyone is okay and sending out loads of v free vibes

mt3 x

Hiya mt3. We survived that incident last week and all was calming down until I went to fill the car up with petrol and the kiosk smelt of "that smell".

I couldnt see any sign but of course Im now on high alert again

sighs

Will it ever end?

And now my counsellor wants to discharge me as Im over the worst, but Im still a paranoid wreck every time something like this happens

Oh no thats horrid, i know that panic only too well!

I have just ordered a hypnosis cd especially for this horrid phobia, and am trying it at the moment, this is the first cd i have found specially for this phobia and not just general phobias

if you are not ready to be discharged then tell them, i am sure they will understand, have they given you any strategies for coping?

mt3 x

Thanks Mt3. I survived the petrol station fiasco, only to be confronted by another worse one, I had to take my elderly mum to the Dr's yesterday and a mum with a young toddler came in, and proceeded to talk to her mate about the child had spent the morning, doing that thing we all fear.

So Im in panic central, didnt help all the doors and handles my mum had to touch to see the dr and back again that could be contaminated by this family - do they not care about other? no I thought not

And of course, when they came out, the Drs had just told them to wait and see as it was nothing serious

I definately will tell the counseller Im not ready but my options are going onto more serious counselling - pyscho type - but although Im high functioning (I can go to work etc) the worry is driving me mad, and just as I get past one, another one appears on the horizon

I am really struggling at the moment. Just returned from 4 daays at center parcs and was on high alert the whole time. On the way homw DS went very pale and I freaked and got out of the car. He was Ok but I just hate feeling like this just want to be able to relax and enjoy life

Hello - can I join you?

I have had this horrible phobia for years since childhood. It's mostly a fear of myself being sick but I don't like it when others are, mainly because I worry about catching it.

I've had a bit of help with therapy - a short counselling session on the NHS which was useless. She told me to drink a glass of saltwater to make myself sick to get used to it. Forget it. Then hypnotherapy - it was v v expensive and didn't do much good. Then recently I had a few sessions again on the NHS with a therapist. I'm not sure if this was CBT or not but he was trying to make me think differently - ie see v-ing as unpleasant rather than terrifying. Was a bit helpful in theory until I am faced with a situation where the panic sets in again.

BTW I haven't actually v-ed since about the age of 10 years old - nearly 30 years. But sometimes I have v bad nausea with the usual associated panic. I read somewhere that if you don't v for a long time, your body sort of 'fogets' how to so makes it extremely unlikely. Any truth in this?

Hello Dancergirl,

Welcome! I haven't been on here for months but used to be a regular.

Your case sounds all too familiar. I too am waiting to have CBT but i've had this phobia all my life so i just can't see that i can not think like i do. I'm 40years old for god's sake! Old habits die hard!

I haven't heard the theory that if you don't v for a while your body forgets how to, but i like the sound of that!

I do believe that there are 'sicky' people out there and others who are not that type such as us emetophobes. The one common factor with us lot is that we are hardly ever ill. (she says touching every bit of wood in the vicinity!) I think some of it could be a strong mind, that we stop our bodies from doing it maybe??

I hope to start my therapy soon and i can't wait because i so want to think and behave differently...but then again will that make me more prone to getting ill if i'm not thinking and behaving as i do now? It's almost kind of a protective thing isn't it?

Anyway i'm rambling! Sorry.. haven't been on for so long i think i have to make up for it all in one go!

Hi to everyone! Hugs xx

I'm 38 I haven't thrown up properly (except once after too much vodka) since I was 16 so there must be something in the theory.

I've just heard of a friend's little boy who is being sick (status update on facebook) and even though I haven't seen them since Friday I still get that horrible stomach in mouth feeling fear. Ahhhh. It's horrible, isn't it?

I'm so glad I've found this thread, I have been an emetophobe for as long as I can remember, a recovered emetophobe I thought until tonight.
Dp, our 2 ds and I were having a take away, tasted lovely, dp said he felt really sick and I went totally crazy, I just couldn't cope and I'm really ashamed of the way I behaved.
I started crying and shouting and made dp leave the house, I took the food off my ds and threw it all in the bin.
Dp phoned me a short while later to tell me he had been violently sick and he would stay at his work office tonight(it has a bedsit/flat above it,which luckily has no tentent at the moment) he is very understanding of my phobia and all I could say was 'why have you told me?' and hung up.
I sent ds to bed (with towels around their beds and bins lined with carrier bags, telling them the sick procedure that we have gone over a million times before)
I'm now sat here, feeling ill, paranoid, scared but mostly ashamed of my over reaction.

Hi to you guys.

Welcome Becky and QueenMercury.

Queenmercury - Please don't feel ashamed of the way you behaved..you have a phobia and it makes us all act in strange ways especially at times of stress.
How did things turn out?

I hope you managed ok and that your ds's were ok. What was up with dp, was it a bug or the take-away that made him ill?

I'm different to you in that i would have wanted to know if dp had been ill or not, even though i don't want to hear it, i need to know (iykwim). I'm like it with everyone i need to know all the gory details but i really don't want to hear it because then i can't get it out of my head. (wierd i know! )

How are you all now? Sorry no-one was there for you, it's gone really quiet on here lately (which is usually a good sign of how things are out there.)

I only check on here every so often now ( I can hardly ever get on the computer tbh! )

I hope you coped and that all is well now. You will get lots of support on here (when we can be bothered to tune in! )

Take care..xx

Thanks for your concern wiggleit, maybe it was better that no one was here, it would probably have added to my hysteria.

We think it must have been a bug as we had all eaten the same and the DSs and I haven't been ill, thank goodness.

Hi Queen.

It's good to hear you were all ok in the end. At least you didn't succumb. It's worrying at the time though isn't it?

Hi to everyone! How's things? It's sooo quiet on here lately. I keep lurking now and again to check if any of you have been on. Hope this means everyone is well!

Lotsa love xx

Hi all,
Sorry, can I get a bit of support again?
ds1 has had stomach aches on and off for 6 days.
v-d yesterday.
keeps waking up writhing around in pain.
I am terrified. Absolutely cannot cope and want to die. (don't worry, am not about to do anything silly!)
I don't want to go to sleep because of the fear that he will wake up. Every noise startles me.
HOw long more can it last (in your collective experience)?
And after 5 days of on and off terrible stomach aches and feeling sick he was just sick once on SAturday - what are the chances it will happen again?
thanks

naturopath here for hand holding if it helps. Are you on your own or is there anybody in real life who can come and help

thank you disgusted. dh is here.
ds is asleep now. Have temporarily calmed down a bit.
might be back later.
thank you so much for responding - it means a lot.