Scared.

[BigCityDreams]

Okay so no one replied to my last post, that doesn't surprise me. But this phobia is controlling everything I do. Its 4.30 am in the UK, and I've been up all night, panicking, thinking I'm going to throw up. It's like this every night though. I think I'm hungry, I hardly ever eat because I'm terrified I'll eat something that will make me ill. I don't eat meat, I live off pasta. But like I said in my last post, my weights plummeting. I'm 18, 5ft 2, and only weigh 91 pounds. This can't be healthy. I don't have an eating disorder, I've always been skinny and ate healthily. But now my emetophobia has been bad over the past few months. Does anyone else have trouble eating and sleeping with this phobia? I really need to talk to someone about this.

[wanted]

you have to eat! And don't be afraid to eat! If something is unsafe,you'll notice it.
And if you are really hungry,that can cause n*

[olschesky]

not eating can definitely make you n. find some foods you feel comfortable with and snack on them. try and find some good distractions for your brain......crossword or sodoku puzzles or some trivia game on the internet. if this is happening every night you know it's not a sv......so keep telling yourself that....it's definitely your anxiety in overdrive.

try some meditation.....you can find videos on utube to do relaxation breathing, etc. to help clear your head.

you can push through this.......we all get this way from time to time......but it doesn't last forever....

deep breaths

[out_of_order]

Not eating enough and living off only pasta (long term) will cause you to be deficient in essential nutrients and that in itself can make you feel sick, so please eat. I know it's so hard for you right now because I was where you are several years ago. I completely stopped eating and would only allow myself to take literally a bite of this and a bite of that. I became very underweight, my doctor misdiagnosed me with anorexia nervosa, I became anemic and I was so weak, dizzy all the time, horribly nauseated all the time... all my usual anxiety symptoms became much much worse. I was so afraid I was going to die, so I forced myself, with tears rolling down my face, to eat a sandwich. It took me an hour to eat a sandwich! And it felt like I was eating poison. But I did it, and I didn't get sick even though I was panicking big time. The panic eventually subsided as it always does, and from that moment on I just kept forcing myself to eat a little more and a little more, adding more and more foods, until I was eating a proper well-balanced diet. So maybe you could try that too? Oh and I should mention that at the time I was seeing a psychiatrist who suggested I take 1/2 a Gravol (over the counter motion sickness pill) before eating a meal, in order to have "psychological insurance" she called it, that I wouldn't throw up. It worked. After a few weeks of doing this, I no longer needed the Gravol to eat.

And if you can't sleep and none of the usual relaxation/distraction tricks work for you, talk to your doctor who can prescribe a mild sedative short-term. While you don't want to have to use sleeping pills all the time, there's nothing wrong using them short term to get some much needed rest.

[HeatherD83]

When my emetophobia was at it's peak, I was 5'7" and weighed 117 (which for my frame is sickly looking). I couldn't eat anything because I was too afraid to have food in my stomach. I ended up eating a small bag of Gardettos throughout the day and I lived off of those for a month or 2. I know this isn't the picture of health, but having a dry snack that I knew I wouldn't get food poisoning from helped a little. I never ate much at a time, a piece here or there throughout the day. But it was something. What about having pretzles or something with you and just trying to eat one or 2 and see if it helps the nausea? Now I eat a ton with no thoughts of V but back then I could never do that. Start slow, see if something small makes your stomach feel a bit better and add a little more and a little more. You won't throw up from clean (non-toxic, non-contaminated) food unless you stuff yourself.

[BigCityDreams]

Yeah I eat pasta because I think it's the only thing that can't really make me sick, like if there's ham or something in it, I just won't eat it. I can't remember the last time I ate something other than pasta for dinner! That sounds horrible, my parents think I'm anorexic or something, think I'm trying to lose weight, which I'm not, I want to eat so badly I just cant! I'll try forcing myself to eat other things then, I'm terrified of making myself ill, or becoming any thinner. How do you go about seeing a psychiatrist? I've been to my doctor about this but he just kinda shrugged it off.. I'll look into getting gravol and stuff, thanks so much for your advice!

[claire43]

Dont let your dr put you off seeking help. Tell him you want to be referred to see a psychiatrist and dont let him fob you off!! You'll probably have to go on a waiting list (thats the NHS for you!) but at least its a start. I agree with out_of_order, try and push yourself to eat healthy foods. I also found myself in a similar situation several years ago. To start with I lost my appetite due to stomach issues but then I got used to not eating & my stomach shrank which was a vicious circle. I always felt n*, lightheaded & lethargic. Very slowly I began eating more, always bland foods and small portions but gradually my snacks became meals and before too long I was eating normal amounts of food. I know its scary to take these steps but you can make changes just take things at your own pace & dont feel under pressure. At first just take baby steps, stick to your safe foods but why not try some boiled potatoes instead of pasta. Thats just an example but you see what Im getting at.

[BigCityDreams]

I'm gonna phone the doctors and get an appointment for next week then! Yeah I always feel nauseous, lightheaded and lethargic too, I never feel good, I don't know if this is just me thinking I always feel horrible though, 'cause usually when I think of feeling sick, I end up feeling sick! I'm trying to eat more and more, its just hard, I always feel full up after taking just a few bites of food. Thank you, I'll try some different foods!

[claire43]

Let us know what your dr says.