Glad I’m Not Alone!

[5cats]

Hello!



I just found this site last Friday, the day after I had my first ever
panic attack at work. Fed up with everything, I decided on a whim
to do an Internet search about fear of v* and lo and behold, it's an
actual phobia! It sounds wierd, but I was so excited that I had
to tell my husband, who thought I had lost my mind.

I have been an emet for about 24 years now. I don't know how my
phobia started, but I remember being scared to t*u* ever since I was
12. Now I am 36 years old, and like many emets can count on one
hand how many times I've actually been that sick.

For me, I can pinpoint certain times when I'm likely to have panic
attacks. Usually it is when I experience a lot of stress, long
workdays, that sort of thing. That's what I think led to my
attack at work. I teach college at night, but I managed to pull
it together enough to do the class, take my mind off of my fear, but on
the drive home I was a nervous wreck! After I got home, I
explained what happened to my husband, took a shower, and finally fell
asleep after an hour and half of tossing and turning. Usually I'm
very exhausted after a panic attack, though mine aren't as debilitating
as others I've read about.

For me, nights are when I tend to panic related to emets. For
some odd reason, mornings and day time are not an issue at all.

I also have a cycle of mild IBS and sinus issues, which on a moment's
notice I interpret as the end of the world. The sinus issues lead
to mild diziness, which I immediately interpret as vertigo (equally
feared as much as t*u* even though I've never had it or migraines) and
then I get nervous, aggravating the IBS. It's like they all feed
into each other.

I can go for days not even thinking about being an emet, but then a
cluster of attacks will occur and I'll be focused on it rather
intensely.

Thanks for listening. I'm just glad to have found out that I'm
not alone- I am amazed at how many of us are out here!

[Galadriel]

Hey 5cats glad you found us! This is a great place. Your situacion sounds a lot like mine, I too have very mild IBS, but when things are going stressful it all seems to feed into each other (emet and IBS) and its a vicious cycle that can be hard to break. Welcome!

[daffodil]

Welcome, 5cats![img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]