New to the site - so glad I found it!

[kb212]

Hi All,

Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm a stay-at-home-mom of 2 boys (a 2.5 year old and a 7 month old). I've always been very scared to v*, but now that my older son is more into touching things and eating with his hands, etc. I've gotten 100x worse. Especially this time of year. I keep hearing from friends that their whole family is sick with sv. Every time I would hear or read or see something sv related, I would panic. I spoke with my doctor (homeopathic) and he suggested I take arnica album (sp?) once a day and take rescue remedy when I'm feeling panic-y. So far, they are working really well. I think my fear of v* truly deals with lack of control. For a while, any time my son would cough, or say he didn't want to eat anymore, I would panic. I'm getting better with that. But, although I don't fully panic as much, I'm still obsessively cleaning. I think that anything that comes from outside the house is dirty. I wipe down everything with Wet Ones. My hands are cracked and bleeding from constant washing. I wipe down all groceries before putting them away. My poor husband is dealing beautifully with this crazy behavior. He had to go the the DMV and I made him change his clothes when he came home!

That's my story in a nutshell. I hope I can get over this, as I don't want to pass on my behavior to my kids. I'm sure no one likes to v* but, I want my kids to have a healthy take on it, and not fear it. The fear only makes it worse, as I'm sure you know!

I do have a couple questions I'm hoping someone can answer.

1. are there OTC anti-emetics that are safe to take that I should have on hand?
2. I've read about how sv's are transmitted, and it seems like they shouldn't be so easily caught, but why do they become so common this time of year? Does NO ONE wash their hands properly? How do they spread through households so easily, if the answer is hand washing and thorough cleaning of the bathroom? I'd like to believe that its unlikely to catch one, but it just doesn't seem so.

Thanks for reading!

[paulinek]

Hi and welcome

Your story sounds very familiar, it's all pretty typical emet behaviour. It's great your husband is so understanding and supportive.

There are lots of emet mums on here and i think one or two may have emet kids but most don't - I don't think it necessarily goes without saying that an emet mum who is anxious about vomiting in front of their kids is going to pass it on as it is a lot more than simply fear of being sick, it's a whole combination of things that together can cause someone to become emetophobic. Thats why some kids can have a traumatic vomiting experience but not go on to be emet and other kids can never have a traumatic vomiting experience and have parents who are totally cool aout vomiting but become emet.

As for your questions, yes there are OTC anti-emetics but I'm not quite sure what they are called in the US, I think they are marketed as travel sickness pills, I can't for the life of me remember the name of the actual drug either, there is one you can get here OTC but its prescription only in the US - sorry i'm not being much help, i've had 3 glasses of wine too (it is christmas eve, thats my excuse!) I'll post again when it comes to me.

Click on the following link for all the facts on stomach viruses and how they are and aren't transmitted http://www.emetophobiahelp.org/norovirus.html

I'm sure you'll find plenty of support and good advice on here

[paulinek]

It's Diphenhydramine! I think they are called benadryl in America?? In the UK they are called Nytol but i'm sure the US version of Nytol contains a different drug. The other anti-emetic is Promethazine (Phenergan) but that is prescription only in the US although I understand you can order it online form Canada, although i have no idea what would be a reputable website, i think it's really dodgy buying drugs online so unless someone else on here can recommend a site i wouldn't try that.

Just one thing, be careful with anti-emetics, i got some from the doctor after i had noro a couple of years ago and ended up finishing the bottle within a couple of weeks, it was only when someone on here pointed out the body gets resistant to them if taken to often and may not work when really needed that i realised that it's not right to over rely on them, so now i carry mine everywhere but have used about 6 or something in the last 2 years, they're more a safty blanket than anything. I only take them if i genuinely believe i may be about to be sick not just for panic nausea.

[tinky2]

Hi,

I too am a mom. I have two teenage daughters. About a month ago my oldest one was sick with the v*ing. She spent her time on the couch. After she was better I sprayed the couch with Lysol about 5 times. Only once have I been able to sit on the couch. I cleaned the bathroom with bleach more than once "just to be sure". My hands too suffer from all the hand washing. I know what you mean about the "control" issue. Whenever I hear anyone say they have been sick with the you-know-what I go into panic mode and my blood pressure skyrockets. I'm divorced so my kids have to deal with my "crazy" behavior. After this last incident clearly I can see I am getting worse not better. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and get help. I just started seeing a psychologist. Only two visits so far.....not sure he is the right doctor for me...if not I'll try another. Also, taking prescription anit-anxiety helps, works for me. If I don't get help I'm going to end up living alone with just me and my cats. Sadly that doesn't sound all that bad, that what worries me.

We're in this together. Let's help each other.

[kb212]

Thanks all for the replies! It's nice to know I'm not alone!

[ann32]

you are not alone and i am the same exact way. my boys are 5 and 3 and I panic all the time...I hate it. I dont want them to play with friends or go to b-day parties bc of what they might get...i hate being like this. welcome to the forum

[5.0ben]

It's Diphenhydramine! I think they are called benadryl in America?? In the UK they are called Nytol but i'm sure the US version of Nytol contains a different drug. The other anti-emetic is Promethazine (Phenergan) but that is prescription only in the US although I understand you can order it online form Canada, although i have no idea what would be a reputable website, i think it's really dodgy buying drugs online so unless someone else on here can recommend a site i wouldn't try that.

Just one thing, be careful with anti-emetics, i got some from the doctor after i had noro a couple of years ago and ended up finishing the bottle within a couple of weeks, it was only when someone on here pointed out the body gets resistant to them if taken to often and may not work when really needed that i realised that it's not right to over rely on them, so now i carry mine everywhere but have used about 6 or something in the last 2 years, they're more a safty blanket than anything. I only take them if i genuinely believe i may be about to be sick not just for panic nausea.

How effective are anti-emetics when used for noro/nausea...?
I was prescribed Zofran but never needed to use it and it expired. I plan on getting another antiemetic and will not abuse it.