I was just thnking

[sheri-baby]

You know how you want to just stay home couped up in your safe germ free home all the time? Well the thing is it actually makes the phobia worse because you have all this time to think about it! I just had my 2 days off from work and instead of enjoying it I just constantly think about getting the dreaded Norwalk virus. I worked today and at least it keeps my mind of it, most of the time. It just seems like the sv's now are so much more powerful. like with people v** for days every hour!!! Do you think some people are just more prone to v*** than others?? That would be a little more of a relief. Just jotting down some things in my head, thanx for listening

[sheri-baby]

one more thing i'd like to add is i always would ask my daughter if anyone was sick in school today to see if there was any sv's in school but i have not done it a while because the not knowing helps alittle even when a coworker would call in sick i just had to know if they were v*** well i dont ask anymore even though the curiosity kills me but its better not to know i guess bad punctuation i know but im in a hurry so kids dont see this

[ontariogirl]

What is worse the not knowing or the knowing? I know for myself when someone says they are sick I ask the question, whats wrong? They say the flu. What kind of flu? They look at me as if I am nuts! I know for myself I am not thinking of vomiting or catching some bug every minute of the day. I used to but as I have become older it doesn't comsume me as much. If I come in contact with some who is vomiting than I am consumed with the ?'s. I used to worry about it all the time and I think it helps me out because my youngest will be 13 in November and he hits the pail or toilet. Right now my stomach is off, could be my period that is coming or my neighbour who I was talking to in the hallway and her kid was up at 3am puking. So I will go in the hallway and spray Lysol in the hallway and on the railings. This is a very hard phobia to deal with.

[shiva]

I totally agree with everything said. First, I know that the worst I've ever been with this phobia is when I was a stay at home mom. I had all the time in the world to obsess over this phobia and obsess over the health of my child. It ended up really ugly. So bad we hardly left the house. Once I had no choice but to go to work, things got much better emet-wise, I had to get out regardless of what was going on around me because I had to have money to feed my child and give her a place to live. I think that feeding into this is the worst possible thing one could ever do if they truely want to be rehibilitated. However, I also know how hard it is to stop this behavior once it had started. I simply had no choice. I had no one else to take care of me and my little girl.


Plus, each time we are exposed to someone in the outside (or even inside) world and we don't get sick, that's positive reinforcement for us to live our lives not in fear of the what' if's. How many times have we expected a family member to get sick and they didn't. And, how many times has a sv or food poisoning just completely caught us off guard? BUT, I know this is a huge challenge to face. I totally agree with trying to NOT ask the kids about other kids being sick in school. This is one thing that I am NOT allowed to do (according to my therapist), but something I have done recently. Although this time I am glad that I broke the rules and did because I was given good news and the okay to calm down and refocus myself.


THIS is definitely a hard phobia to live with. No doubt about that. I don't know if I would say the knowing or the not knowing is better. I think it depends individually. I think it depends on what you do with the information. If you let it feed your fear, then don't go searching for the information (easier said than done), but if you take the information and are able to rationalize it in a way that makes you stronger and take some power back, then by all means ask the questions. I dunno.. Just my 2 cents.[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[madisonsmom]

What is worse the not knowing or the knowing? I know for myself when someone says they are sick I ask the question, whats wrong? They say the flu. What kind of flu? They look at me as if I am nuts! I know for myself I am not thinking of vomiting or catching some bug every minute of the day. I used to but as I have become older it doesn't comsume me as much. If I come in contact with some who is vomiting than I am consumed with the ?'s. I used to worry about it all the time and I think it helps me out because my youngest will be 13 in November and he hits the pail or toilet. Right now my stomach is off, could be my period that is coming or my neighbour who I was talking to in the hallway and her kid was up at 3am puking. So I will go in the hallway and spray Lysol in the hallway and on the railings. This is a very hard phobia to deal with.

Rhonda,


That neighbors kids are always v* arent they? UGH!

[2jo2]

Oh I totally agree, and was at the point where I just wanted to stay sealed up in my house when I started seeing my therapist in December. She told me that if it did get that bad, your home would stop being safe to you, you'd think that germs are getting in on your hubby's clothes, or on the groceries, in the water pipes, whatever, but it would consume you.

[ontariogirl]

You know what Debbie, I am beginning to think something very strange is going on next door, I am not sure what but something. I am NOT very happy with her right now. Tyler left for his dads at 3:00 on Friday and I was in the hallway downstairs talking to my friend who is moving out and my neighbours kid comes down and asks me, " Rhonda will you watch me and the twins while mom goes to the bus stop to pick up my brother" I was like NO, I have to leave her soon sorry! Ok this kid that is asking me was "apparently" puking at3 this morning so why in the hec would she even ask me?????? There is something going on and I Rhonda the inspector will find out!! In her note to me yesterday morning she said that her daughter has gastritis (she is 14 months) and she said the doctor said it can last up to 60-90 days. Ok so what is gastritis? and don't you think 60-90 days is a bit long???????