I don’t get stomach flu...why?

Hi. I'm new here, and I'm still typing
my intro story, but I have a question that's always bugged me, and
perhaps somebody here knows the answer (or can at least offer
alternative theories).


I've been emetophobic to a greater or
lesser extent for as long as I can remember. I haven't vomited since
I was nine years old, in fact, and while I can understand how an emet
can keep themselves from vomiting through various methods (breathing
techniques, etc), what I can't understand is how some of us seem to
completely avoid influenza that affects our stomachs.


I haven't gotten “stomach flu” for
close to twenty years. The last time I got it, it only affected my
lower gi system. It resulted in the worst bout of diarrhea</span>
I've ever had, but it was really little more than an inconvenience</span>
compared to what the rest of my family went through.


Each year since then flu season has
passed me like a summer breeze. I get normal colds and flu just like
everybody else, but nary a twitch from my stomach. I never even get
nauseous</span> (from the flu). I guess I'm not
complaining exactly, I just don't understand what sort of mechanisms
could insulate me and others from a viral infection, or at least from
the effects of one.

Not sure if I can answer your question entirely, but I do know that the vomiting reflex is triggered in part of the brain. So...as emets...we have more control over that part of the brain than the average person. There have been a few times in my life where I have felt nauseous enough to vomit...but wanted not to so badly...that my brain wouldn't allow me to.


Also, I don't understand it, either. I haven't had a stomach bug in over 15 years now.


Welcome to the site, by the way.

Hello welcome to the site! Hmm..i too cant say for sure i'm sorry, but you're right and i wonder that too. Its like everyone else in my family gets it but it passes me *knock on wood* I havent had it since i was a baby.

I am an emet too and I got the stomach flu last week. It was horrible. I had never been so nausated before in my life, but it has been going around my college campus like a wildfire. I didn't V with it, but I wish I could have because I was sick longer because of my emet and not being able to do it when my body needed me to.


Just remember that everyone responds differently when they get viral stomach bugs. Not everyone has to V and not everyone has to get diarreaha either. Sometimes it is just constant nausea.

I recall seeing an article on a study which showed that people with certain blood types show immunity to some sv's. Also, bugs will affect differently people differently. My daughter catches stomach bugs way more often than my son, and, on the rare (and horrible) occassions that they both catch one, my daughter is a lot sicker.


Interestingly, my son is showing more signs of fearing v*g, while my daughter takes it in stride. I think it must be because if you do it less, your fear of it actually increases.

Rileyl that is a very interesting theory you have going there it actually makes sense to me. My DH vomits alot due to an overactive gagreflex and acid reflux issues and he vomits like it's nothing, he is so used to doing it, it's as normal to him as waking up and brushing your teeth and then going about your day. Ihardly evervomited as a kid(3x throughout childhood that's it) but alot of people around me did-my cousins seemed to always have tummyaches/vomit from eating too much junk food or overeating at gatherings and my mom, grandmother and a couple of cousins suffered from motion sickness.

I've heard that some people are immune to certain illnesses. Maybe not completely immune, but heres a story. My best friend was living with her boyfriend, they were together 24/7, slept in the same bed, shared drinks, ect ect. They both got colds from eachother...BUT he came down with the norwalk virus, and she slept in the same bed as him WHILE he was sick...she never got it! I was absolutely amazed that she never caught it from him! So anywho, you could try asking your doctor about it. My doctor has told me it's possible for people to stop themselves from vomitting, but you are saying you don't even get that nauseaous ever! lucky!!


Let us know if you talk to anyone about this, I'd like to know real facts!

Wow Crazybeautiful. I can't believe your bestfriend didn't catch that virus from her boyfriend. That's unbelievable. I guess some people just don't get those kinds of bugs. That's strange, but good in a way, I guess. [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

Lucky you. I still tend to get bugs, though not often. I
had one in jan of 2003. Oh, my was I sick. It was
horrible. I got sick 6 times in less then 3 hours. I slept
on the bathroom floor with my cat. But before that it had been
like 5 years. Maybe this time I can go 10 years.
Carrie

"My doctor has told me it's possible for people to stop themselves from vomitting."





I was so glad to hear this!!! I think i believe init too [img]smileys/smilies_13.gif[/img]I haven´t done it in 15 years and i´ve had stomach-bugs/diarrhea. I don´t allow myself to v**it, ever.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rileyl

I recall seeing an article on a study which showed that people with certain blood types show immunity to some sv's.* Also, bugs will affect differently people differently.* My daughter catches stomach bugs way more often than my son, and, on the rare (and horrible) occassions that they both catch one, my daughter is a lot sicker.


Interestingly, my son is showing more signs of fearing v*g, while my daughter takes it in stride.* I think it must be because if you do it less, your fear of it actually increases.

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I don't think it has to do with how often you are sick. Because as a child, I never ever got sick. I didn't v at all as a baby until I was three years old. And then after that, I barely was ever sick. Emetophobia is one of those phobias that result from a specific trauma. It doesn't necessarily have to do with actually being sick.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crazybeautiful

I've heard that some people are immune to certain illnesses. Maybe not completely immune, but heres a story. My best friend was living with her boyfriend, they were together 24/7, slept in the same bed, shared drinks, ect ect. They both got colds from eachother...BUT he came down with the norwalk virus, and she slept in the same bed as him WHILE he was sick...she never got it! I was absolutely amazed that she never caught it from him! So anywho, you could try asking your doctor about it. My doctor has told me it's possible for people to stop themselves from vomitting, but you are saying you don't even get that nauseaous ever! lucky!!


Let us know if you talk to anyone about this, I'd like to know real facts!

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Just wanted to say that the Norwalk virus is not contagious. It is a foodbourne illness and can be passed on by stool, but not by kissing, etc.

I hate doing this to people who post,GutterGlitter,but there is clinical evidence to show that Norwalk,and viruses of it's kind,can be airborne in transmission.


It's more unlikely and you have to be within close proximity of someone who V* with it but it is possible.It's easier to catch,however,via the fecal-oral route.


http://www.nhsetrent.gov.uk/ph/ph_co...00/evidence_fo r_airborne.htm


I don't think my post is going to help anyone and may even upset a few but I have always felt that it's better to be educated about what scares me the most than live in ignorance.

I've read that the Norwalk virus and virus' of it's kind can be airbourne also. Especially, if a person is close to someone vomiting b/c of the spores in the air can get in that other person's eyes, nose, or on their mouth. That's what I read though.

I agree, Norwalk is a disease most often transmitted through contaminated food or water, likely by someone who is ill and prepares the food. But just like with all those cruise ship illnesses, people were catching Norwalk from pushing the same elevator buttons as sick people and then touching their faces. Norwalk is super contagious, which is why it spreads so readily through nursing homes, cruise ships, schools, etc.

HI My name is Nicole. I am a newbie. I am TERRIFIED of vomiting! I have had several really bad experiences. I always end up in the ER on IV meds and I will even vomit after a couple of doses of Phenergan. I am not sure why that is! When there is a stomach bug going around I always run aroudn the house cleaning like crazy, disinfecting things, send my kids ot school with hand sanitizer etc etc. I frequently air the place out but I am still paranoid becaue I know that at school I can't stop my kids from contracting the illness especially when they are in such crowded places. I dread that cry in the night that could possibly mean my kids are even sick. I get this bug once a year now it seems. Before it would skip over me for 5 years at a time. We recently went on a cruise so I was a little nervous about the Norwolk bug that frequents cruise ships. We were okay though. I feel like i always get sicker than everyone else though. I will throw up a LOT at first and feel better afterwards but instead of continuing to feel better, I always get sicker and sicker and it lasts longer than everyone else. Is this my nerves or what?

I've only vomitted once in my life as far as I can remember, at that was when I was three years old and had simply overeaten. Somehow I always manage to escape from stomach flu "epidemics" at school,yetmy immune systemproves to bepathetic against upper repiratory infections (not a good position for us singers to be in). I'm an obsessive hand-washer, a vegetarian, a religiousavoider of human saliva, and at times I think I becomemildly anorexic--I'll eat half a slice of bread for a meal if I don't skip it altogether. Perhaps this all plays a part in my luck against stomach viruses. Then again, maybe it's luck alone. Whatever it is, I thank God.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by barefootanjel

I hate doing this to people who post,GutterGlitter,but there is clinical evidence to show that Norwalk,and viruses of it's kind,can be airborne in transmission.</font>


It's more unlikely and you have to be within close proximity of someone who V* with it but it is possible.It's easier to catch,however,via the fecal-oral route.</font>


http://www.nhsetrent.gov.uk/ph/ph_co...00/evidence_fo r_airborne.htm*



I don't think my post is going to help anyone and may even upset a few but I have always felt that it's better to be educated about what scares me the most than live in ignorance.</font>

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Oh. sorry. I guess I got my information from a bad source. Don't be too hard on me. [img]smileys/smilies_09.gif[/img]

Sorry to rag on you glitter! But we do sort of pride ourselves here in the accuracy of information - that way people can be more reassured than made anxious.


First of all, emetophobia can come from a number of causes - specific trauma is only one of them. Since vomiting is a normal, everyday thing in the life of a child AND it's a bit frightening to all children, it depends what else is going on in your house, in your family, etc. as to why the child's anxiety will be unnaturally elevated in regards to vomiting. Everyone is different. Some kids have terribly "traumatic" incidents with vomiting such as nearly dying or being barfed on or abused while sick, yet they do not acquire a phobia of it. This is very important. There is no single cause of phobia. A number of factors, some of which may even be genetic or at the very least have family links may play a part in it.


Although I'm more the psychology expert than the virus expert, (where's Soluene when we need her) I'm pretty sure that Norwalk while not "airborne" can be transmitted by touching the spittle of an infected person, and it can live a while longer than other viruses on surfaces. So cleanliness is key with avoiding Norwalk. But I don't think you can get it by just breathing the same air as someone who has it.


Thanks for the opportunity to clarify these things again! lol!

The last time I had stomach flu was in November 2002 when my immune system was very low due to complications with my thyroid gland. I felt very sick one night but the rest of the week just couldn't eat and then had diahorrea.


The time before that was July 1994 when I was sick 3 times and have been emetophobic since. Touch wood it's the only time in my nearly 20 years of being alive that I've had a stomach bug which has made me actually sick.


In June 1996 I went on a school camp to Francewith about 60 other children. EVERY one of them apart from me got a very contagious v* bug which spread like wildfire throughout the Youth Hostel. I was terrified. I was homesick and my best friend was the first to be sick...she slept on the bunk above me and was sick all night...I heard her crying but didn't realise till the morning that she'd been sick everywhere! I spent the next 5 days living in fear because everyone else was sick. The people who were originally ill got better quickly - just a violent 24hr thing, but oh it was the worst week ever.


To this day I don't know why I never caught it. It still puzzles me and I'm glad I didn't! I just remember praying all the time not to get it, and not eating for a week, and refusing to go to the toilet unless we were outside the youth hostel.

Wow. You were lucky not to get that with all of those people sick around you like that. That's weird, but in a good way. [img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img]

I also don't get it.

I'm 21.

I remember getting it twice in the 90s (1996 and 1998) - in memory, I've probably vomited and/or had it when I was a baby/toddler in the early 90s.

Twice again in the 2000s - very briefly in 2001/2002 (dunno which year exactly) and the MOST BIGGEST, WEIGHT LOSING, LIFE DRAINING, LIFE SUCKING, DEPRESSING, LONGEST ONE was in July 2008 - oh God it ruined my life. It went for 2 weeks and I didn't vomit it at all (lucky that we emets have this technique of holding it back). I lost 8 kilos and now I'm still underweight. It was my personal '9/11'.

Since it seems like I don't have the stomach flu much I believe yes, some of us are not prone to it as others are. It depends on our blood type I guess.

Certain blood types have partial or complete immunity to certain strains of norovirus (I forget which ones).

My theory is that we emets take better care to avoid getting sick in the first place, but we can't avoid exposure completely so there's gotta be more to it. My dad (an emet) has only gotten stomach virus TWICE in my life; only once did he vomit. He and I were always the last ones in our house to get sick, IF we did at all. His symptoms were always less severe than the rest of my family's too. Grandpa (another emet) hasn't been v*ed since the 1970s and rarely gets sick at all.

The immune system is amazingly complex. I'm sure there are factors scientists don't fully understand. (I'm always baffled by the spouses of HIV sufferers who never get the disease despite repeated exposures).