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It is so great to find something like this! I have always felt like I was the only one suffering from this awful phobia. I am a 27 year old female and have had this phobia ever since I can remember. During elementry school there always happened to be someone who v* on my school bus, classroom and on the playground - and when it happened I would stay home from school for a couple weeks. Eventually I refused to ride on school busses and my mom would have to drive me to school every day. I would get so much anxiety that I would wake up in the night feeling sick constantly and my mom would sit up with me and chat/read/watch TV to get my mind off of the n*.
Anytime I eat something that could potentially make me v*, I get n* and almost convince myself that I have food poisonning and go into a panic. I generally try not to eat out because of this. I especially won't eat anywhere if there is 1) no one else in the restaurant 2) shady looking place 3) shady looking people working 4) someone has told me they got food poisonning there. I also get my friends to try whatever it is that I eat so that later on when I feel sick I can ask them if they feel sick too. Most people think I am a little cracked.
I constantly wash my hands and use sanitizer all the time in hopes that I will not come in contact with any stomach bugs.
When I feel n* I drink lots of ginger spice in water and gingerale, and it usually settles my stomach. I pray and pray that I will not throw-up and I feel like my prayers get answered. I would much rather get diarrhea, which my husband cannot even fathom, but usually it comes out that way and I am happy.
My husband does not understand my phobia, but he also prays for me which has been very helpful. He washes his hands when I tell him to and he has gotten used to using hand sanitizer on a regular basis as well. He also does not share food or drinks with other people.
I have recovered somewhat since my childhood. I dated a guy that would v* on a regular basis after getting extremely drunk (which I have never done because I don't want it to happen to me). He sensitized me to v* somewhat, and I am now okay if other people v* as long as it is not contagious. If a drunk or pregnant person v*, I don't care... but if someone v* and could potentially be contagious, I panic. I worked in an office with a girl that kept getting the stomach flu and it caused me so much anxiety and I was constantly n* but luckily I did not v*.
For whatever reason, people tend to v* around me all the time and it NEVER happens to anyone I know that is non-emet. ... A couple examples... I recently had a baby and a friend came over to visit when he was first born. About 30 minutes into her visit, she got up off of my couch and said she felt like she was going to faint, and she was really pale, and than she said she was going to be sick and proceeded to my washroom just outside of my kitchen. She ended up v* for about 20 minutes. I had to try and act normal but I was freaking out more than anything. After she left, I went to the store and bought a bunch of sanitizers, bleach etc and I sprayed the whole downstairs of my house and openned the windows and doors to air the place out. I sprayed the bathroom down and closed the door for a week before I went back in to clean it. I wore a mask and gloves when I did go back into it.
Another incident that happened a couple weeks later... I took a road trip with my husband and his sister about an hour away from home. His sister was feeling sick (hung-over) the whole way there and back, but said she would be fine. She looked like she was feeling pretty sick, so I was feeling some anxiety that she may v*. Knowing my luck she would, and she did. We were literally a 3 minute drive from dropping her off at her house, and she said "pull over I think I'm going to be sick"... We pulled over and before we were even pulled over she put the window down and v* out the window. She openned the door and was v* out the door, and I told her to get out of my vehicle so finally she did, but I was beyond upset. I haven't sat in the front seat of the vehicle since. After it happened it went through my mind so many times, it was awful.
Anyways, I am so happy to find something like this and to know that I am not alone with this phobia. Glad I found this site!!
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