Is what I have considered emetophobia?

[strawberrykiwi]

Hello everyone. I'm new so I don't really know all the abbreviations yet but I'll try and use them as best as I can. I'm a 16 (soon to be 17 ) year old girl from the US. I'm sorry, this post got a little long. It's my first post and it's about some of my experiences with emetophobia- at least, I think</span> it's emetophobia, but some key symptoms seem to be missing. I'm afraid of v*ing/others v*ing, but that fear hasn't affected my eating habits, I'm not afraid to go out in public, and I don't wash my hands obsessive-compulsively. The rest of this post is mostly me putting my thoughts and experiences out there and just... trying to cope, I guess? Get over this?

As a child I wasn't sick very often and only v*ed a handful of times. I think that's where my problems started- I didn't have a lot of experience with it when I was younger. The first time I can remember experiencing anything related to emetophobia was in 7th grade- a girl v*ed in class. For the rest of the day I felt n*, and I was so scared that I would catch whatever virus she had that I asked to be sent home. Once I got home I immediately took a shower. This is the most extreme reaction I've EVER had to someone else v*ing in public- the handful of subsequent reactions have been far less extreme.

I hate watching v* on TV/ in movies. Even though I know it's not real, I still have to look away. It just makes me feel... blech.

Whenever people around me say that they feel sick, I just become worried that they'll v*. It's not... anxiety. I don't have to like, leave the room or anything. I just feel a mild sense of... uneasiness, and dread. Also, whenever someone around me makes a sudden motion that they might v*, I always kind of jerk away and my heart skips a beat.

Two years ago I got an sv. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I can remember before I v*ed- which I knew was going to happen- crying and begging my parents if there was ANYTHING they could do- take me to a hospital, give me medications, anything that could stop the v*ing. However, I did v* and I got it over with. Ever since then I think my reactions to v*ing have been less severe but definitely unpleasant.

I think I'm more afraid of the IDEA of someone else v*ing in public than of it actually happening. It has happened on three occasions- one time I had to be in a car with my friend who had v*ed (not in the car, thank goodness), two on a bus. In the car situation, I remember crying and taking deep breaths. I was so afraid that she'd v* again or that I would catch her germs- this was a few months after I'd had my sv and I did NOT want to go through that horrible experience again. But! I made it home. After eating dinner, oddly enough I felt much better. It was like I was saying to my body, "Look! You can eat and nothing is going to happen! You're fine!" A few days after that, my friend said something to me along the lines of how I cared more about myself then the actual s* person. After that I felt really guilty.

The other two times when people v*ed on the school bus, I managed to avoid going into a panic. I just stared out the window or closed my eyes and took deep, calming breaths. Luckily both times happened when I was getting off the bus soon.

Like I said before: I'm more afraid of the IDEA of it happening than when it actually DOES happen. Reflecting on the situations I mentioned above, I worked myself up into a panic- I started crying I could feel my heart starting to race, and it became a bit difficult to breathe. But when these situations actually HAPPENED, they weren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be.

So... is this just a very mild form of emetophobia? Am I slowly forcing myself to get over emetophobia, if I have it? It seems like something I'd HAVE to do if I wanted to function normally. I sometimes wonder what I'm going to do when I am pregnant/have children- I don't know what I would do about morning sickness, and I REALLY don't know what I would do if my child was s*. I don't kno

[jezebel89]

Hi! I'm sort of new around here too, and a year or two older than you. I'm positive that what I personally have is emetophobia - I'm TERRIFIED by v*... however, like you, it has NEVER affected my eating, and I don't wash my hands hardly ever - only after bathroom. I've also never stopped myself from going out in public... until recently. I had a pretty bad panic attack one night while I was out with a bunch of friends and now I'm scared to be in large groups of people. This was kind of that 'defining moment' for me when I decided to get help. I think also that emetophobia is just a general definition: a fear of v*, whether it be severe or not so much.


Feel free to IM me too Have a look around the site... I really enjoy the Success Stories, as well as How We Got Emet (which I'm still working on reading, as it's a long, detailed story thread).

[stella9]

When you write that you don't anxiety, I don't want to correct you, but you do. What you describe is a form of emetophobia which is an anxiety. Just because you don't have full-fledged panic attacks does not mean you don't have it. If your hear skips even one beat, there is a small element of alarm. That said, it sounds like you have some excellent coping techniques when faced with people around you becomingill.


Stella