How often do you catch a stomach bug/vomit?

[User1110]

Hi, I have emetophobia and would like to just see how common my biggest fear is!

As an emetophobe (fear of vomit) I don’t tend to let myself be ill very often. I think I had a stomach bug of some sort over last summer, but was not sick but probably needed to be as I felt really unwell.

Everyday I wake up and am paranoid that it will be the day I vomit/come down with a bug.

I am veggie (I think this means I’m lower risk of food poisoning, at least). I drink kefir everyday and am keep my house hygienic. Plus am fastidious about hand washing!

I don’t have kids (yet) so would also like to see how much more likely it is to catch bugs if you have kids bringing them home from nursery and school vs no kids.

With norovirus doing the rounds apparently, I’m getting in a bit of a flap thinking it’s everywhere and on every surface I touch. When realistically, it’s probably less than 1% of the population that get it in a year, I believe.

So basically - when did you last vomit, what was it from? And when was the last time you had a stomach bug?

Thank you!

I’ve only vomited from alcohol and after my c-sections. No morning sickness or vomiting bugs despite 3 children. And a v messy house. Each child went to Creche, do lots of outdoor and water activities and has vomited perhaps once (eldest is 12).

I've had one sickness bug in the last 8 years, and one in the 12 years before that. So not very often. In fact I am rarely ill so must be doing something right

user1110 I keep looking at those ginger tablets in H&B, I will definitely get some thank you.
I am going to get my dd some therapy, probably cbt before it gets too bad. She freaks out if she so much as hears if someone related to a friend may have a v&d bug or she will cross the road if anything even resembles v on the pavement. She once wanted to throw out her school shoes as she was convinced she had stepped in something resembling v. It turned out to be wet tissue paper but she was inconsolable.

Several bouts of food poisoning over my life. Pregnancy. During labour. Vaccination and some medication. If I'm too bunged up due to constipation.
It's a good week if I don't have my head over the toilet.
Never had any type of stomach bug even when my dc's had them or it's ripped through work. Weird I know.

The last time I had a bug must be over 24 years ago because it was in my previous house.
I have been sick once since, as part of a chest infection - basically coughed myself sick. That was about four years ago.
So, to answer your question - infrequently!

In 2005.

I might add that I used to have a vomiting phobia but my last pregnancy put paid to that as I couldn't help but be sick regularly.

Previously, I would do anything but throw up and ended up feeling more rotten and panicky. During those years, I was rarely sick but definitely could have been more frequently if I'd let it happen.

Nowadays, I won't put up with feeling as sick as a dog and let it go. I do think that, if you don't fear it, you vomit more often but it is less hideous because you are not waiting until you are very unwell until you let it happen, in which case, when you are sick, it's always violently and thus you are creating a vicious circle