Emetophobe in a panic

[Steala]

My son says his tummy is "tired and feels cold". Will he be sick?

Have you tried any therapy Tatties?

I am on a waiting list

For?

BB, the only comforting thing I can think of to say in your situation is that whatever made dh sick was obviously not that strong a bug if he was only slightly sick once. It doesn't sound like a gastro bug, and even if it is, if a non phobic person is only slightly sick with it, a phobic person such as yourself will probably manage to resist it completely.

Of course, none of that carries much weight with your dd.... sorry Will creep off now with tail between legs.

"Isn't it weird though cos everyday is a possibility of ALL SORTS OF THINGS - many of them unpleasant but we don't worry about them!" - yes BB you're so right!

DG I am not sure what type of therapy I will get yet, I have only just been referred by my GP, so I think it will be decided after I have had the initial consultation. How about you?

My old GP referred me for some sort of counselling (don't know what as we moved before I heard from them). Then new GP referred me to a CPN who was hopeless - made me tell my whole sordid story then said I was not depressed and she could not help me. (WTF?)

Went back to GP in a total panic earlier this year (dh was going to be away for 2 weeks and, as I said earlier, the "what ifs?" plague me more than anything else, hence me in a panic). GP referred me to a stress management course which I attended and which was 100% useless (not intended for phobics).

I have since also been contacted by a self help group who I contacted myself a couple of years ago. I was put off them because they use desensitisation techniques, but I am beginning to realise I might have to face up to this and give it a go, despite not thinking it will help at all. The way I see it is, if I don't try everything that is offered me, I can't really go back to the GP and ask for anything else, can I?

I was asking about your therapy because I am on a constant search for the best therapy to try. NLP is supposed to be best.

my god, well done belgian
thats sounds like hell
good on you for giving it a go

Oh good grief. Is the ultimate aim to make yourself sick?

I can't think of anything more horrendous (or destructive)

Good luck with it though.

What is NLP? I will let you know how I get on if I ever get an appointment through!

Oh yes, the response "well no-one likes it" has been the bane of all our attempts to come to terms with our phobia, I suspect. It took me some years to work out I was truly phobic and not just a wuss.

NLP is Neuro Linguistic Programming. I don't know much more than that but I guess you could google it if you want to know more.

This is really really interesting. I never knew it was a recognised phobia.

I have to say, mine is lessening the older I get but I CANNOT deal with other peopl being sick, I can just about handle DS (8 months) but am concerned how I will handle it when he is older and it is 'proper sick'.

I used to be terrified of restaurants/crowded situations and the like in case I was sick but appear to have got over that.

Holidays are a real bane cos I am so terrified of being sick whilst abroad.

Are these normal reactions for this phobia then?

I am shocked it has a name (have never come across anyone that felt the same way)

Yes Wilkie, you sound like a fairly average emetophobe to me. I would say welcome to the club, but who wants to be part of this?

It sounds like you might be overcoming your phobia though, which is great.

am amazed but heartened that I am not a freak!

Holidays are the worst cos I am terrified and won't go long haul. Canaries is the furthest I will go but DH wants to go to Cuba but I've heard tummy upsets are quite common out there so I don't think I can cope with that. I feel so dull bless him although we do have a young DS so Cuba is kind of on hold for a few years thank god.

I know how you feel. I am not generally fearful for myself because I have rarely been sick, so I have never had a problem with eating out, etc, but I know there are some countries I would not want to travel to because of the danger of being ill. I kid myself that I am not interested in going there anyway, which might be true of some countries, but is not true of all.

I was really poorly in January with food posoining after the birth of my DS. Was really really awful but I survived! Just the thought of being abroad terrifies me

Belgian - India and Egypt for me too. And Dominican Rpublic. I would go to Oz and NZ because they are native english speaking (and for some reason that makes a difference) no idea why.

DH cooked sausages for tea yesterday that had been out since Tuesday, I panicked all evening that there would be something wrong with them that would make me sick.

So stupid.

I don't think I am as extreme as some of you on here though and I do feel for you - it is so horrible.

BB how are you?

Wilkie I was also amazed to discover this is a recognised phobia. Like you, I don't feel I suffer as much as some people, but since having ds it has affected me more than I ever could have imagined.

Wel, DH came home in such a state last night after drinking at a golf do, and disappeared into the bathroom for AGES. I stupidly went in to see what he was doing and he had been sick, massively, in the sink.

I spent the next 15 mins retching downstairs and getting hot/cold flushes.

I then made him bleach all the bathroom surfaces this morning even though it wasn't a virus but drink related.

I think it's safe to say I am an emetophobe.

Tatties - ATM, I cope fine with DS because he has reflux and is sick constantly but I'm not sure how I will cope when he is older and it is 'proper' sick.

Oh Wilkie I would have been hiding under the duvet. I have a big problem with dp having more than a drink or two because of this.