where have u been all my life?

[little1]

OMG! I never knew this site existed let alone a name for what's been haunting me my ENTIRE life!!!!!!!!!!! I honestly thought I was the only person in the world who was scared to death of v****. I was reading the strange activities list dying laughing because that is soooo me! Am I a Lysol queen...I wipe every door knob, remote control, phone, cell phone, computer keyboard, toilet, sink, handle....pretty much anything that my whole family uses EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. I stay up until 2 in the morning doing this. If I don't I'm afraid of what germs could be lurking. Everyone I know laughs at me. It doesn't bother them...at all. But they respect me. For instance at my job...I walk in not knowing my boss has been b***ing in the trash can all day. They kept it from me to keep me from freaking out. Well, I found out and the person that ratted got in huge trouble! I went Lysol crazy!
Then I start grilling everyone...ok...when did it start..do you think it's a virus?...then I'll stay panicked for 3 days until I feel any virus would have passed by then.

I'm terrified of v****ing, but even more terrified of seeing it, hearing it...ick...I think about it non-stop. If one of my kids tells me they have a stomach ache I panick. I stand 20 feet away and ask them...do you think you just have to go potty? Please tell me that's what it is. I'm so terrified of my kids getting a stomache virus again. That was the most horrible experience of my life and I'm not the one who was sick! But all 3 of them and my husband as well were very violently ill all at once. I wanted to leave the state!

Can I ask if anyone else suffers from OCD? Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? It ties in so much with me. I feel like if I don't totally sanitize and disinfect my home daily then someone will get a virus. I am so scared of that happening again. I would rather someone shoot me in the leg to ever see, hear about or actually do "it" ever again!! I mean that literally. I'm so tired of having my kids "pre screen" movies for me. Are there any p*** scenes??? Yes? Nope, not watching that movie.

I'm so glad to have found this board. I'm excited to know I'm not alone and there are many people to support each other. This is the most wonderful thing ever! I look forward to "meeting" all of you.
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[penny77]

Hello little 1, and welcome! I too, was so happy when I found this site. I actually cried reading the posts because I was glad not to be alone anymore. You will find everyone here very supportive and kind.

I do many of the same things you do. I use bleach, and wipe down EVERYTHING that is touched a few times a week. My boyfriend says it smells like a pool in our house. LOL.

I do suffer from a form of OCD. Mine has more to do with things I use. Like if I buy a new bottle of shampoo, I have to mix it with what is left in the old bottle. I get scared to use the new shampoo because I worry it will cause me to v*!!! I think "well, I didn't v* while I was using the old shampoo". So I "mix" it with the new one to "pass over" the good vibes. Weird, I know.

Welcome again![img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img] I'm glad you found us.


Edited by: penny77

[little1]

Thanks for the warm welcome Penny! We are NOT weird! I realize that now. I thought it was just me..honestly. Reading how others feel and think like me is so refreshing. I have no one else to talk to. My husband doesn't believe in disorders like these, my friends feel for me but do not understand. I'm hoping to gain much needed strength through these boards and hope to offer help in any way as well.
Thanks again!
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[sage]

Hi little1 and welcome. Everything you describe is shared by most other emetophobes - although of course there are some variation in symptoms. But OCD is another anxiety disorder, so many folks here with phobia have other forms of anxiety as well.


You can find some excellent information about emetophobia and how to treat it, as well as scientific facts about norwalk-like viruses at my website at www.emetophobiahelp.blogspot.com Feel free to print it out and give it to your doctor or family to help inform them.


Take care and feel free to post questions or come here for support at any time.

[lgood22573]

Hey- welcome to the group!

[madisonsmom]

Hello and welcome.

yes... we go through leaps and bounds to avoid it! We share a lot of the same habits. My goal is to get over it... [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

Look forward to getting to know you!

[seventhquest]

Hi little1 Isn't it just amazing how many emets are out there?!?! I also that I was the only one in the world until I found this site....such a relief to find out that I wasn't crazy (or maybe that we are all just crazy together??? lol...i'm only kidding). It's so great to find people who understand!


The OCD thing is pretty common, I think. I struggle with it, but luckily ony mildly. I always think to myslef, "If I don't do ____, then so and so will v*". I'm finally at the point where Ican usually tell myself that it's just the OCD talking and things will be fine....but it is crazy annoying to go through that several times a day!

[bigemet]

Welcome


I honestly think that this fear is only abnormal if it's excessive and overpowering. Because fear of throwing up is not as unusual as fear of pickles or something, u see what i mean? I don't feel bad about having this phobia, if other ppl are surprised and try to make me feel down, I just say "the hell with you". It's understandable for someone to have this phobia, throwing up is not a pleasant thing, you lose control of your body and the nausea is just the most dreadful condition a human could ever go through, even non emets say it's a horrible feeling of weakness and spinning...argh. So yeah, we're here. [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[little1]

Thank you all for your warm welcomes! I can't express to you how relieving this is for me. This is nothing I've ever expressed to my doctor, I think now I will.
I have so many questions for all of you! Reading thru some posts I see that many actually suffer from nausea daily? I don't get that at all. I actually have a fear. You know when your driving down the street and you realize your getting pulled over? Your first reaction is panic, your heart races and your shaking. That's how I get when I see or hear about "v". UGH! It ruins my day! I shake all day and go home and Lysol everything thinking that I'm going to catch something.

I feel so horrible to even say this, but I'm a manager in a grocery store. A while back I was up in the office and a co-worker must have been looking down at the sales floor and said "great, there's a kid b***ing on the floor". What do I do? I look! Why did I look?? I knew better. Of course being in charge it was my responsibility to get someone on cleaning it up. blech... I offered the poor kid a $25 store gift card if he'd do it because there was no way on God's green earth this girl was going to do it! I had to go downstairs and the mother is there with her kid who I would NOT look at for fear of ....well...you know. The mother is apologizing and all I can think to tell the lady is "why would you bring your kid into the store if she wasn't feeling well?" That was not what I'm supposed to say...but I did and felt so guilty.
I can't walk by that spot anymore, and when they come in the store I run! It brings up bad thoughts and fears.

Wow it feels so good to be able to say this to people who I know understand and won't look at me like I'm a nutcase! Thank you all so much for your support and I look forward to getting to know each of you!</span></span></font>

[penny77]

Oh, your experience at work was awful! I have worked in the food industry for years and have seen some pretty bad things that made my panic level rise as well. I was a delivery driver at a Deli for many years ( I delivered food to people's homes and offices) I had to go to a pediatrician's office everyday to drop off food for the doctors. I hated going in there. I would watch the kids in the waiting room to see if any of them looked ill, and would always look on the floor for "stains". I saw many kids sitting with plastic bags!!! [img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img]

I also had to share a delivery car with the other drivers. One of them got a sv*, and I had to use the same car he was in the very same night he v*! I actually bought bleach and wiped down the whole car.

And please don't feel bad or guilty for the way you handled the situation. Being an emet is not something you can control, and neither are your first reactions when something triggers your fear.