how bad r u

[jen1903]

I was wanting to know how bad everyone else's phobia's are cause as i was reading the info about emet i realised i still have a problem but not as much as some people.


I don't feel the need to clean clean clean all day or open doors with gloves on or with my elbows, i don't check foods for dates everyday.


My phobia and fears are just people being sick or myself and having to deal with it, but if someone told me that there was a major sickness bug going about and if you left the house you would catch it, i would not be stepping one foot out the door until i knew that it was safe.


How bad does everyone suffer?

[katsamsmom3]

me getting sick and seeing others getting sick. i lysol the house everyday.....i wash my hands too much and use hand gell on the,


i am always on my kids back to keep there hands clean as well.

[5cats]

I mostly wash my hands a lot, but I'm not super-fanatical about house
cleaning since we're always kicking up dust from our restoration
projects. My husband rarely gets so much as a cold, and we don't
have kids, so that also helps.

But I still like to eat out, go shopping, and even spend time with our
friends who have a toddler, so I guess I'm not in the advanced stages
of emet.

My big issue is night time. I sleep well, but I pretty much pick
at my dinner. I'm fine at breakfast and lunch, but I will not eat
a big dinner. After my last panic attack in October, I've lost 5
pounds, probably because of reducing my portions. I'm very
paranoid about overeating at meals, because one time this summer I had
a sudden strange mouth watering, like one gets before v*. It was
followed by d* so it wasn't anything major, but enough to scare
me away from large portions at meals!

The whole sv news during the winter time tends to make me worried, but
it's so overwhelming that I simply shrug and give up.

[chicajojobe]

I definetly don't clean my house all day. As a matter of fact I'm pretty much a terrible housekeeper.

I wash my hands more than other people, but not too much.

I have some trouble going out because I have panic attacks about v*ing in public, but I still do it anyway.

[kellybean]

I sanitize the counters once maybe twice a day


I wash my hands way too much


I won't go out to eat right now


I feel comfortable around people until they get too close or touch me. I'm very uncomfortable around kids.

[daffodil]

I wash my hands waaay too much. I use hand wipes all the time when I am out and there is no sink. I avoid public bathrooms, and bleach shopping cart handles and seats when I bring my kids with me to the store. I'm pretty paranoid. I am a horrible housekeeper, though.[img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img]

[katiepool129]

I'm like you Jen, its mostly other people and myself. I've never felt the need to clean clean clean. Its being around drunks or things like that that sets me off.

[silver]

I am generally bad with the cleaning, hand washing during sv* season. Other than that I am clean, but not overly clean (if that makes sense). After someone has been sick though, I will lysol the place like no tomarrow. I feel tense about eating out or going places this time of year, but I make myself do it anyways. I do experience anxiety, but I refuse to let it keep me housebound or anything. Work gets to me the most because we have high contact with the public and a lot of kids coming in and out. Generally, the mothers only bring their kids here if they are sick which adds to the fun. I am pretty bad with my emet this time of year, I do admit though.

[swiftette]

I'm okay with watching V*on t.v, saying it, reading it, even cleaning it up AS LONG as it is'nt contagious v* . If someone v*s in my home, I clean that spot daily over and over again for weeks and even then, I look at that spot as a reminder and avoid walking over it or touching it ever again. I had a really nice leather 9 west bag and my daughter had as sv* and V*ed on it-I threw it and most of it's contents away in the trash. Only the money I kept and unfortunatly I just came home from the bank . Imade my mom come over and hand washand lysol each bill-it looked like we we counterfeiting money. In the winter Ikeep bins under my kids' bedsand remind them that they are there if need be from time to time. I can't stand for anything to be on there floors of their rooms because if they were to be sick, I'd have to throw even their favorite toy away.

[nicki77]

I fear both myself and others. I can read it, say it, see it on tv...that doesn't bother me. I wash my hands after coming home and before eating and am on the kids to keep their hands clean. I am not the best housekeeper, I maybe clean the counters once a week and the bathroom only if someone's coming over[img]smileys/smilies_12.gif[/img]. I eat out way to much(by my wallet's calculations). I don't let fear of the sv* keep me at home. I consider myself a pretty rational person until I hear "my tummy hurts", then that rationality flies right out the window. I can't be around someone, even my kids, when they are sick. I fly off the handle if I feel n*. I have been known to scream, cry, scratch myself and hyperventilate. I won't go on any rides at the fair/ amusement park.I do try to allow my kids to be as normal as possible...I only place those limitations on myself.

[new.slang]

I definetly don't clean my house all day. As a matter of fact I'm pretty much a terrible housekeeper.

I wash my hands more than other people, but not too much.

I have some trouble going out because I have panic attacks about v*ing in public, but I still do it anyway.

Yeah, pretty much the same. I fear both me vomiting and others.

[christianne]

I would definitely put myself in the mildly phobic category. While I'm still afraid of myself v*ing a bit, I do not worry constantly about myself or others doing it like I used to.

I travel alot, I eat out alot, and I never check dates on food. I drink socially and have no problem going out with friends to bars or restaurants. I can watch movies and TV shows with v* without batting an eye, but I can't stand to see it in reality shows like "Jackass". I'm also not the cleanest person on the planet! I'm not a pig by any means, but I only really clean about once a week and do a quick "pick up" every night before bed. I do, however, wash my hands as much as humanly possible, and do things like open doors with my sleeve and refuse to share drinks with anyone. I hate amusement parks and Chuck E. Cheese, but go anyways for my son's sake. He knows about my phobia (he's 9) but I do not want to pass it along to him.

[k8eb]

OMG- where do I start.


I do not eat at ANY restaurants... and I stress ANY!!!! I will not use public rest-rooms, not even the ones at my work. I use Clorox Clean up every day in my bathroom and kitchen. I was all of my blankets, sheets, pillows every week. I can not watch movies or t.v. shows where they show v*. I will not touch raw meat with out gloves on. I prefer not to eat meat, I usually eat all Boca, but at times I have to eat meat. I don't like to have visitors at my home, and do not like going to other peoples homes. I wash my hands before I do anything with food and when I am done eating I will wash my hands again. I wash all my dishes with extremely hot water and will not use the same dish cloth twice, nor will I use the dish cloth that I used to wash the dishes to wipe off my counters. Every day when my fiancée comes home from work I will harp on him until he washes his hands. I don't go to the store for anything, I have my fiancée do all the shopping. I have hand sanitizer every where, on my desk at work, in my purse, in my truck, in my kitchen, bathroom, and living room. I freak out when anyone says that they have been sick or are sick, with fear that they may have the sv*, and question them to death until I know what they had and how long they had it. My purse is a pharmacy, I have Pepcid AC, Dramamine, and my Ativan with me at all times.


If i don't feel well I will "camp out" in the bathroom until the feeling passes. Even if it takes all night. I have called into work or left work early many times because I have not felt well. I could go on and on but I don't think you all want to keep reading how messed up I am


.

[angeltearsMC]

I'm not too bad... but definitely screwed up...



*I wash my hands all the time, especially if I've been out in public.



*During sv* season (wintertime) I rarely eat out, and if I do, I order
only "safe" food... stuff that has been well cooked and not likely
touched by someone's hands afterward. Grilled cheese, fried
chicken fingers, etc.



*I avoid public restrooms unless I'm extremely desperate to pee, and
even then I don't sit down or touch anything and I SCRUB my hands
before I leave.



*If I know someone has been ill recently, I avoid them and their home at all costs for a good week or so.



*I've just recently gotten to where I cook meat at home (ground beef
and chicken.) But it has to be well done, and I use a thermometer
to make sure everything I cook is over 160 degrees F. And if I
order steak or something out (a very rare occurance) it has to be very
well done... i.e. charred.



*I don't trust anyone to clean & disinfect things properly.



*I will stop eating or drinking completely if I feel n*... even if I
know it's due to not eating in the first place. The no liquid
part can be a big problem if this lasts for more than a few hours.



*I would absolutely lose it if DBF (whom I live with) v*ed. I
don't even know where I would go but I wouldn't be able to stay in the
apartment with the germs and the threat of catching it.



*I forgot this one... anything I happen to be wearing when *it*
happens... I never wear again. Last time it was scrub pants and a
t-shirt, which I promptly threw away. I also can't eat anything
again that I ate right before *it*... last time, it was chili (which I
LOVE but unfortunately haven't been able to eat again!)



But the sad thing is... if I wasn't emet, I'd be full-blown, hardcore
bulimic. My fear of v* is the only thing that keeps me from
getting rid of what I eat (I've been ED for about 7 years now.)
So I suppose in some sick, twisted way, emet is a blessing. Not
to mention we're probably the cleanest, most sanitation-conscious
people on the planet!


Edited by: angeltearsMC

[stephiewephie05]

I'm probably mild to middle phobic. I can go to restraunts and everybody knows that I usually order something to go. I do wash my hands alot or use germ-x. My panic attacks are not as bad they come and go. Unless I hear about an sv in the area then I tend to panic alot.

[dipbomb]

i'm not a germ freak.i dont wash my hands like 8 times a day or go out of my way to clean and disinfect more then i should.i go out to eat a lot, but if i see someone v* i get really scared. if its from drinking or something, its not THAT bad cause i know i cant catch it but when people have sv's (like right now) i freak out. its constantly on my mind, im constantly n* and i have a hard time eating. when i do get EXTREMELY n*i'll hysterically cry, shake, pull my hair. my huge fear is going to sleep, waking up and v*. and everyone i know whos had a sv recently has woken up at 3 am and v*, so i havent really been sleeping much. this is just horrible [img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]

[melissarene]

i'm more paranoid outside the house then IN because I kind of know what germs are coming and going. I do keep things clean, but I don't clean every day. I do use lysol often, and lysol wipes as well especially in the bathroom. I'm mainly afraid of getting sick myself. I don't like seeing or hearing about those who ARE sick, because I go into panic mode and am afraid that I'll somehow catch it. Even if I know I'm not NEAR the person sick. But I am near someone who HAS been near them, and so the cycle goes. If someone at work isn't feeling well that day, I have been known to refrain from eating.


I hate the cycle, but I don't think I'm in any advanced stages of emet. I don't tend to overwash anything...My OCD tendencies are at a minimum.

[hairfixer35]

I can use public bathrooms but I put paper on the seat and wash wash wash my hands and use liquid hand santitizer. I wipe the inside of my car and car keys with clorex wwipes because of bringing germs in from the store. That means steering wheel, all knobs, door handles ect. I wash when I get home and use clorex wipes on my counters once a day unless I am preparing alot of food then I will wipe more often. I use them on light switches, kitchen and bathroom sink faucets, micro wave and refrigerator handles. I stay away from crowds right now and usually shop at night when traffic is low. If my husband caught the sv* I would stay far away from him. If i hear about people I know who have a sv* I get scared becasue it is too close to home.

[domino2006]

I am more afraid of getting contaminated than of other people actually vomiting. Seeing someone do it in real life or on t.v. doesn't bother me since I started sailing in college and was overly exposed to other people getting seasick on boats. At school when a student vomits it doesn't bother me to see but for the next week or so I will FREAK OUT that I will catch it.

I have nightmares about myself doing it, regularly, and I hate eating at restaurants. I have many foods that I will refuse to eat because I think they will make me sick. I dream about it often and sometimes will wake up in a cold sweat. I am afraid of the pain of it and of anyone hearing or seeing me do it. I have gone through cycles during which I wouldn't worry about it for a while, and then the anxiety will come back. I have lost collectively about forty or fifty pounds since starting to feel this way strongly about nine years ago. Some years are good, others are bad. I've been on some really weird diets to try to avoid getting sick. I've been accused of being bulimic (unthinkable) and anorexic and been tested for everything from bacteria to allergies with no positive results. I finally find this phobia and it makes perfect sense.

I was raised by germ-phobic and emetophobic people so what I might think is normal behavior might actually not be, so I might be worse or better than I think I am. I don't know.

I also come from a long line of OCD people and I am a compulsive cleaner and organizer.

[punchbuggy]

I am mostly afraid of myself getting sick...actually im DEATHLY afraid , i think i would rather die than have to do it. im not much of a cleaner though just handwashing before i eat and at random times of the day when they feel dirty. I hate , hate , HATE the thought of getting the flu or tummy flu its just disgusts me and if i think about it to much i satrt to freak out. I cant be around anyone who says they feel sick or has a tummy ache, if i must be around them then i constantly monitor them to see if they show any visible symptoms of getting sick ie. pale, sweaty, cold, uncomfortable etc. In general i fear myself being sick the most like i said before i would rather die than get sick but i have come a long way since my worst point. Panic and anxiety i have a control on just anything that has to do with me doing it freaks the HELLLL out of me.

[sheryl81]

It sounds a lot like many people here might have OCD in addition to a phobia- I was wondering if anyone has been tested or treated for this? I bet it would help a lot in making progress!

[shiva]

For me it depends on the day. There are times when you would never guess I had this phobia. I don't think about it- I just go on as normal. (these are few and far between and usually in summer and when life is going well, but they do exist) And there are times when I should probably be committed somewhere because I can hardly imagine breathing the air around me. For the most part I just see myself as an aware, germ conscious individual whose hands are dry as hell from washing and whose tummy is generally queezy from all the vitamins and supplements that are supposed to help keep me healthy.


[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[calibmom24]

v* doesn't bother me if I can"t catch it. During the winter I am a total freak lots of handwashing, cleaning, and telling the kids to wash their hands and not touch their faces!! During the summer though I am alot more relaxed!!

[lilsunnymama]

I guess I am not the WORST...I would say I am of a medium panic...

~I wash my hands a lot, but I don't think it's excessive.

~I wash my hands a lot while cooking and use as hot as I can stand water, especially if I have to touch meat.

~I eat at restaurants a lot and I drink sometimes too...but not to the point that I get sick. If I buy a sandwich with beef or chicken in it, I always tear it in halves or quarters to make sure it is cooked all the way.

~I can handle saying it, and if my kid gets sick, I am freaking out inside, but I always manage to help him and remain calm. I don't panic if I see it on tv, but it does make me get a weird feeling in my stomach. I can't watch other people get sick...even my husband...I freak out, get the shakes and sweat.

~I only freak out about sv if it seems to be going around my office or family. Then I panic, especially if I have recently been near the person, hugged them, or if it's at work, I get very concerned about touching the phones and computers.

~I will never share a drink with anyone. Last week my younger brother took a sip of my ginger ale and after that I just threw away the whole can. This may sound goofy, but I WILL share a drink with my husband. My weird logic is that he works with only two other people doing remodeling and isn't really exposed to other people very much. He rarely (knock on wood) gets sick, but if he would, I would go and sleep in my sons room with earplugs so I wouldn't have to hear it.

~I 'knock on wood' a lot if people talk about being never being sick. lol Stupid supersticion, I know.