A few questions

[surfer777]

Hi guys,

Last time I posted was about 6 months ago (ish), I was dating someone who became ill and didn't understand emetophobia and essentially told me to get over it. So I cut all ties with her. Anyways, my reason for posting now is that my sister threw up earlier this week, my parents are telling me its because of a reaction she had with a new pill she took for a headache.

She was sick for a few days after the incident, but not throwing up. I guess she had stomach cramps or something, but no diarrhea or vomiting, and she just overall felt crappy. So my question to those of you who are well informed on this topic is...do you all think she had a stomach virus, specifically norovirus? I'm inclined to believe that she did, only because I'm paranoid. But looking at the facts, rationality says that she didn't have the virus, only because she threw up one time and that was it. But I guess that's why they call phobias irrational fears.

Anyways, thanks for the help folks. I'm really struggling with not only vomiting but also being around anyone who is sick in any form...I guess the phobia is developing further. Lovely. I've been hiding in my bedroom for the past few days because I'm unsure of what my sister has, hopefully you guys can ease my nerves and say its not norovirus!

Thanks again!

[Skittles04]

you seem to be handling it better than i would! but its still really scary when there's someone sick. ok so i'm not at all an expert of any kind, but i highly doubt it was noro. noro is really vicious- if it was noro, she would have vomited many many times, as well as diarroeah. so you can definetly rule that one out! besides, your parents said it was just a reaction, although i know it's hard to believe rational things like this, especially when your anxious. if your still worried, the best thing you could do is distract yourslef- watch a movie go to a friends house, go for a walk, anything that will distract you! hope this helps.

[gumdropper1]

Surfer,

If I were you I would not have cut ties with that girl. She is emetonormal, like most people. It would have been better if you had helped her understand your emetophobia instead of simply cutting her off when she wasn't immediately accepting of it.

I don't think your sister had a virus. If she had, she probably would have infected others in your family by now. So you're safe. She only expelled her stomach contents through her mouth once, and that was days ago. If she takes special pills for headaches, I'm guessing she has migraines. Migraines cause vomiting too. So right there you have two possible causes of pukage that are completely non-contagious. Instead of treating your sister like a leper, why don't you tell her you're sorry she barfed and that you hope she's feeling better.

Doug

[surfer777]

The reason I cut ties with her was because she told me (and I quote) to "get over it," and proceeded to tell me my phobia is more important to me than she is. So really, it wasn't emetophobia that caused me to cut ties...it simply exposed an underlying problem. I'm not allowed to have issues, but she is? I'm not going to be a part of that relationship.

Thanks for the positive information. Glad to hear more than just my folks saying it was just a reaction. Its not that I'm trying to treat my sister like a leper, (and in my opinion, I'm not...I just want to be away from something that freaks me out. Rather normal, I feel.), its just how I react to vomit. I'm certain there are many others on here that react in similar fashions. I feel bad, but its an irrational reaction...one I have yet to control. When I can control the reaction, I feel like at that point I would have conquered the phobia.

[Skittles04]

i would have cut ties with her aswell by the sounds of things! doug, thats so not fair, avoiding someone who is sick is just a way of coping with a scary situation. i do it myself whenever anyone's sick!