Advice needed desperatly!

[honeybunxo]

Hello everybody!
I'm a new member in this site, and i have no idea where to begin.
I honestly thought that i was the only person in the world who suffered from this phobia. It started when i was a little girl, roughly 4 maybe 5 years old. I got a stomach bug horribly and i remember it play by play to this day. I couldn't breathe and it scared the crap out of me, i literally thought i was going to die. So i stopped eating, my parents couldn't get me to eat to save anyone's life! BUT i started eating again.

Then about 3 years ago, i had recently gotten my heart broken by a guy and i thought the only way i could stop thinking about him, and "numb" the pain was by drinking. So that's what i started doing. It worked for a while, and then one night, he decides to come visit me, to give me closure. I drank so much and i couldn't handle my liquor anymore. After that night, i quit drinking.

Later on that year, i had a pregnancy scare and all i could think about is morning sickness. I didn't want to tell my parents, so i kept it inside thinking i was without taking a test. Eventually i broke down and told my mom, come to find out i wasn't.
My anxiety started horribly after that, i couldn't eat, i couldn't sleep, anytime i did eat i would feel nauseated. Found out a month later, i have acid reflux disease. I started taking medication, and it seemed as if after so long the pills would stop working, then i come to find out i'm lactose intolerant.

For the past year and a half every single day of my life i'm completely nauseated, i have panic attacks at least 4 nights out of the week. I'm in a relationship, and i'm getting to the point to where i can't hardly see my boyfriend because of my phobia. As soon as i think about leaving to go some place, i automatically think "what do i do if i get sick?" "nobody is near me, in case i need help" and when it comes to visiting my boyfriend i think the same exact things. This phobia is effecting the way i live, my ability to drive. I'm terrified of blacking out while driving from being nauseous. I can't work, attend college. Schooling has to be done online. I can't go into crowded places of the fear of someone getting sick. I can't see it, smell it, hear it, NOTHING, I can't even sleep in my bedroom anymore. I have to sleep on the couch and no matter how cold it is, i have to have a fan on high at all times. This phobia is really taking over my life. Sorry for blabbing on and on, but i needed to get it off of my chest, Emetophobia doesn't exist to the people i'm surrounded by.

If anyone wants to share any stories with me, or give me any advice to help me get over this, or at least cope. Please let me know. I'd appreciate it.

[olschesky]

welcome to the forum.....you certainly are not alone in those feelings.......i've had them all myself.....now i'm to the point where i work everyday with little problem.....but going out socially ...around lots of people is still hard.....especially during the sv season....thank god that's over.

hopefully you will find some help in here. are you on any meds? i take prozac which totally helped me stop obsessing so much about the n and fear of going out........i also have a script for valium if i do have a panic attack.....but i'm even doing well dealing with them now without the drugs.

i use lots of distractions when i get panicky.........i go online to live trivia rooms where you really have to concentrate.....it takes over so the anxiety has to move on out......play cards, do a crossword or soduko puzzle.....anything to get you mind off the n.

good luck in here.....lots of us to help when you need it

[x...RaChE...x]

Well, welcome
Your emet seems much worse than mine but this forum is a great place to go for support. I never used to understand why I constantly worried I was coming down with a stomach virus but after a while on here I've realized that Im not alone which then helped me stop nauseous everyday and stuff. Even though I do still panic, its good there is people on here who can totally empathize.

[crd08]

You are not alone.

Emet can be really hard to live with, especially when it's severe. Hopefully knowing you aren't alone gives you some comfort.

Really you just have to face this fear head on. You have to take it one day at a time. When you start to get anxious try to find something else to occupy your mind. It can be hard, but it can be done. I find writing things down help me a lot. I write what I am worried about and then I write why that's so silly to be worried about. I kinda write myself an inspirational letter haha It does help a lot though

Does your bf know about your fear?

[cntrymn1121]

for a long time, i too thought i was the only one who suffered from this debilitating fear. it started when i was a young child and quite frankly - i still struggle with it 40 years later. when i was a child, my mother would scold me for becoming sick - yelled at me about how it ruined "her" night and she had laundry to do (i threw up in bed) and yada yada. she never comforted me - in fact, she used to stand behind me at the toilet and perform the heimlich maneuver so that i would "get it all out" so that she could go back to bed. to this day, a little nausea sends me into full blown panic and many times i have to isolate myself from the world in order to be able to deal with it. i actually leave home or work and take myself somewhere that i know i will be undetected........as in your case - i spent many many many hours obsessing about the "what if's" - it has ruined a good chunk of my life. i wish i had an answer for you (and me) - i am just beginning to make little progress steps. i hope to be able to get this ugliness under control so that i can enjoy life. i pray for all of my fellow emet sufferers as well.

[tman563]

There are a couple things that I think you need to take into consideration or look into:

1. Openness and communication about your fear. It doesn't sound like people know about your fear. There is nothing wrong with it, and it is not something you need to be embarassed about. When other people know about it, it will help your anxiety because others will be able to help you, rather than it being you vs the world

2. Anxiety never helps a situation. What percent of your anxiety actually is over something that takes place? Most likely, 95% of your anxiety is over something that never comes to fruition. Anxiety can actually cause physical problems like nausea! For this reason, I would strongly recommend asking your doctor about anxiety medication