New to Site & Thankful it is Here!

[sarkatsug]

I ran across this site doing research for an informative speech that I will be giving in two weeks. I chose Emetophobia as a topic because I have been living with it for my entire life. I am 35 now. When I was young it just started with me remembering every single encounter with illness and family members/friends. As I grew...so did the phobia. It is almost like an obsession. I think about it daily. I have read through some of your posts and they sound very similar to things that I face. I too am an obsessive hand washer. I have a two year old that I run away from if I think he is about to vomit. Luckily my husband is very supportive and helps when he is sick. My husband works in an ER and has absolutely no issues with it.
I find it hard to want to go places to eat. I also find it hard to go see a movie, play, concert, ect., without extreme anxiety. When I do make it out I have to survey the place to find all of the emergency exits, location of all bathrooms and plan my escape route should myself or someone else get sick. If I am going to sitting theater style, I must sit on an end if I want to enjoy the production. If I have to sit in the middle, I will spend the entire production worried about how the hell I will get out of there. If I am driving and see a car pulled over, I try my best to avoid looking but find it almost impossible to avoid.
A couple of weeks ago I was at a stop sign and a homeless man was crossing the street. Right as he got in front of my car, he slowed down and started to get sick. I started to panic! It took every bit of strength in me to not gun it to push him out of the way with my car and speed off. I cried!
I have never sought help with this but am now starting on my quest. I want to be able to enjoy my son without having the daily fear that he might get sick. I want to have one more child but don't think that I could handle the anxiety of having two sick at once. I don't want to think about it daily anymore...I want to live normally, without fear and anxiety.
BUT...where to start? How do I find a good therapist? What kind of therapist should I seek?
I hate to say this but it is almost comforting to know that I am not alone.

Also, in regards to my speech that I am giving, do you know of any good reference sites that I can view besides this one?

Thanks and I look forward to getting to know some of you and hopefully we can conquer this together!!!

[olschesky]

wow....you sound just like me minus the child .....i could NEVER go there.....i know that just finding this site and reading and writing posts have helped me immensley with the anxiety.....

good luck with your speech.....keep us informed if you find that "miracle" cure.

welcome!!