please read, i need some help!!

[emynrosie]

hey,

so basically my emet is quite severe. and NO ONE understands. not even my best friend, nor my family! my best friend says shes scared to v* too, but obviously shes not like me cause just doesnt understand! i do, however, have a friend who is exactly like me and its nice to have someone to confide in.

basically, this is me; i worry when i eat out at restaurants that i will get food poisoning so i try and avoid eating out as much as possible. i worry in public toilets how clean they are and if someone has v* in it. i constantly worry when im out in public that i'll start feeling sick or that SOMEONE ELSE will be sick. the other day i was in a shopping center and i saw a lady getting pushed in a wheelchair and she looked really ill and i was so so so worried she had thrown up! so tried to avoid that one. but it honestly just seems to be getting worse. when someone tells me over the internet that they have v*, i have to know why. but its so severe that i start feeling sick myself when i hear people have been sick. this emet is on my mind 24/7, and i just worry all day.

but heres something i need help with!!! my boyfriend lives in a different city to me, and im going to be visiting him in about 14 days! im really excited! except, ive been on facebook and ive seen that some of his friends have been sick with some flu thing. and i spoke to one of them last night and i asked her if she had v* and she said she did. and i am SO worried that he will see those friends and then get sick from them! also, he has a roommate and i am so worried that hes roommate will get sick from someone. i dont want them to get sick, and i dont want to get sick myself!! i am just worrying so much now, because you know theres an 'incubation' period so they dont get sick straight away but they've caught it and then they get sick afterwards. AND im worried that his roommate will go out drinking and get drunk and come home v* which would NOT be good. though i dont think i would worry as much because i KNOW that he is only v* because of alcohol. then again, i would be terrified to use the toilet because he would have v* into it ew!!! sometimes i wish i could just live in a confined room where no one came in and i could never catch any illness!!! i am also quite germ phobic too, and its quite severe but definately not as severe as my emet. so i just need someone to re-assure me that my boyfriend nor i will get sick!!! and i mean the thing is, when people are sick (especially v*), they won't go out and socialize? they will just stay home until they are better right? even so, if i know someone has been v*, even when they are better i have to stay away from them for a minimum of 2-3 weeks before i can really tell myself they are v* free.

AND on sunday im seeing my friend who i havent seen in a while and her roommate she lives with has currently got a tummy bug and i asked her over facebook if she was v* but she said no that she was just d*. stil, i am very worried my friend will get it and then pass it onto me! i dont think it will happen though, but i guess as long as i dont come too close to her. can someone actually tell me HOW a stomach bug is passed on to another person?

and going back to public toilets, i HATE them! especially if i hear someone coughing in the toilet next to me i start panicking that they are about to v*. also, even if i see on Facebook that people have been sick i have to ask them what their symptoms are cause i just need to know if they have v* or not! oh god, oh god! i just thought of something!!! what if my boyfriend has been in contact with those friends that are sick, and doesnt know that HE is sick cause of the incubation period and then i go hug and kiss him and do other things and then his germs could be passed on to me?!?! someone please PLEASE help me!! i cant go visit him all worked up and worried!! he knows i have a huge phobia of v*, but i dont think he knows just how severe it actually is.

if someone could please reply asap, that would be great.

[KaydeeJayde]

You sound like a lot of people on here You're not alone!

As for the issue with your boyfriend's friends, in 14 days, they'll no longer be contagious or anything, and even if they were, you could avoid it completely, and so could your boyfriend by just keeping your hands away from your face. Plenty of people here have had people in their families be ill with a virus and managed not to catch it because they're just so careful!

I think you need to tell your boy exactly how severe your emet is. If he's supportive of your fear, then there's a big chance he'll continue to be supportive. I only think it's important he know so that you can talk about ways to manage it if there comes a time when he gets sick, or someone gets sick near you and you panic. My boyfriend and I have a whole plan of attack with me in case someone gets sick, as well as if he does.

Good luck, I hope you have fun with him! Xx

[emynrosie]

thank you so much, that makes me feel a lot better knowing they wont be contagious! i forgot abotu that, haha im pretty silly like that. but thank you so much for replying yeah, ill be sure to just make sure im always washing my hands constantly and just being 'germ aware'. its not so much the friends that are worrying me, its just if my boyfriend has been in contact with the friends and then he is ill but he doesnt actually know it and then i kiss him and get his germs which are actually getting sick.

[alisha27]

You will not get sick. The viruses will all be obsolete and you will be fine. If it makes you feel any better I'll share with you an experience I just had. I have a 3 year old son who goes to a daycare in someones home. All the kids had the stomach bug and I completely flipped out that my son was going to get it and bring it in our house. I had no choice but to take him to the daycare cause I had to work but he never got sick. This happened about 3 weeks ago. If a 3 year old who puts everything in his mouth can avoid it you can too. You are not going to be around these people long enough to catch anything. By the time you get there there will be no virus around. I know it's easier said then done but just enjoy your time with your boyfriend. You will be okay and so will he.

[emynrosie]

wow thats really lucky! im glad he didnt get sick! yeah i think it also depends on your immune system like if you are a person to get sick really easy then its easier to catch bugs and virus's but i think my immune system is high! and ill take vitamin c powder just to boost it up anyway yeah thats true, if they are sick, i certainly won't be seeing them. more so what is worrying me is that if my boyfriend has seen them WHILST they have been sick, and then he catchs it and gives it to me! but, i think i should just stop worrying cause im sure he wouldn't go see sick people right? thanks so much for the help though

[person54321]

People are only contagious for a max of 3 days, and it's definitely not airborne. The virus can live for 10 days on surfaces, maybe 12 if it's really hardy. 2 weeks is plenty of time for the apartment to be clear of virus. The incubation period is very short (12-48 hours max) so you would know if more of them were going to get it. Just so long as you wash your hands thoroughly, you can avoid it. Also remember alcohol-based sanitizers are not effective against norovirus, so wash wash wash. Also avoid touching your face. Like Kaytee said, lots of people on here have family members who get this and they avoid it (my boyfriend had it and I managed to escape it even though it's a TINY apartment). You'll be fine!

[emynrosie]

thanks so much! wow! i didnt realise it actually wasnt as serious as i thought it was. thank you so much for all that information, ill be sure to keep re-reading it whenever i get all worried again and just a huge thank you to everyone who has been replying, this honestly has helped me so much! thank you thank you thank you! its so wonderful to have people who actually understand my worry and know where i'm coming from. and i'll be sure to keep washing my hands all the time