:(.. really had enough now.

[Tasha'93]

Hi guys.. Sorry to bother you all with the third 'panic post' of mine within the past month or so, but I really can't think of what else to do.

I woke up with a sort of lump feeling in my throat and my stomach kept making sort of rummbling noises(before anyone asks, I've had a pretty full on day of eating so it's not hunger) and just felt a really over whelming sickness feeling and i'm not going to lie, pretty petrified right now

I've been doing really, really well with when waking up in the night with these symptoms just ignoring them and eventually getting back to sleep without getting out of bed and wandering around the house but this is just too much and I really don't know how much more I can take. I'm trying to help myself but I feel like im failing so much. I know my anxiety probably plays a part in this, but does anyone else suffer from sudden waves of sickness during the night/morning? I just hope i'm not the only one, I don't feel normal anymore

[cinque]

Throat-nausea is pretty much always an anxiety symptom, I think. Noises from one's stomach do not indicate illness; they're quite a normal thing! I think they're from air or something in the system. Nothing to worry about.

Waves of nausea are quite common amongst emetophobes, especially during times of increased anxiety. I have experienced them. You are normal, don't worry! You are just suffering from a phobia. Things will get better! Have you spoken to a doctor or anyone about your phobia?

[Tasha'93]

Throat-nausea is pretty much always an anxiety symptom, I think. Noises from one's stomach do not indicate illness; they're quite a normal thing! I think they're from air or something in the system. Nothing to worry about.

Waves of nausea are quite common amongst emetophobes, especially during times of increased anxiety. I have experienced them. You are normal, don't worry! You are just suffering from a phobia. Things will get better! Have you spoken to a doctor or anyone about your phobia?

Thankyou for your reassurance! I need to just calm down & not get so worked up, but it's very much easier said than done is that.

I've seen my doctor who has put me through to a therapist. I was on a waiting list but I now have my date through to start CBT which is at the end of May. I can't wait because I need something to help me get through this, it's so exhausting. Have you ever been for therapy or some sort of help?

[orton99]

Hi guys.. Sorry to bother you all with the third 'panic post' of mine within the past month or so, but I really can't think of what else to do.

I woke up with a sort of lump feeling in my throat and my stomach kept making sort of rummbling noises(before anyone asks, I've had a pretty full on day of eating so it's not hunger) and just felt a really over whelming sickness feeling and i'm not going to lie, pretty petrified right now

I've been doing really, really well with when waking up in the night with these symptoms just ignoring them and eventually getting back to sleep without getting out of bed and wandering around the house but this is just too much and I really don't know how much more I can take. I'm trying to help myself but I feel like im failing so much. I know my anxiety probably plays a part in this, but does anyone else suffer from sudden waves of sickness during the night/morning? I just hope i'm not the only one, I don't feel normal anymore

So you've by and large been ignoring the anxiety during the night recently? Sounds to me as if you're actually doing rather well and not "failing" at all! To try and overcome something like this by yourself is extremely difficult for anyone, so to be able to make any progress at all is really good and that's what you should try and focus on, not getting down on yourself for the occasional backwards step. As long as there are more forward steps than back, that's about the most you can ask.

I know it's been helping me recently to research CBT by looking at a series of self-help books that specifically deal with it. I don't think there's one on phobias itself, but there is on OCD and a more general one on anxiety and others. It's probably not the same as a therapist, but hopefully it will help tide you over for another few weeks by getting some idea of what the therapy will entail.

Click on the Amazon link for the OCD one and follow the various recommendations for others in the series.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-O...ef=pd_sim_b_16

[Tasha'93]

So you've by and large been ignoring the anxiety during the night recently? Sounds to me as if you're actually doing rather well and not "failing" at all! To try and overcome something like this by yourself is extremely difficult for anyone, so to be able to make any progress at all is really good and that's what you should try and focus on, not getting down on yourself for the occasional backwards step. As long as there are more forward steps than back, that's about the most you can ask.

I know it's been helping me recently to research CBT by looking at a series of self-help books that specifically deal with it. I don't think there's one on phobias itself, but there is on OCD and a more general one on anxiety and others. It's probably not the same as a therapist, but hopefully it will help tide you over for another few weeks by getting some idea of what the therapy will entail.

Click on the Amazon link for the OCD one and follow the various recommendations for others in the series.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-O...ef=pd_sim_b_16

I am failing though because I should be moving completely forward & yet i'm not

- Cheers for the link though Andrew, I'll check it out now.

[AmyLloyd]

Its really interesting to read how other people cope with this sudden feeling of nausea in the middle of the night as I suffer from this often! I always just try and think to myself: 'you never feel like this in the daytime, and if u did feel sick in the day you would just get on with things, so why are you panicking now?'

It really does show how anxiety can take over us and our bodies! For me, its almost always only during the night when I wake up, theres something about the nightime that makes situations worse!!

My boyfriend tried to explain to me that all of these feelings we feel in our stomach/throat etc are normal everyday feelings, that we elevate with our anxieties... When this happens we just need to try to calm down and think rationally - I know its hard but when I do this, sometimes it distracts me enough that I start to feel fine soon after

[Tasha'93]

Its really interesting to read how other people cope with this sudden feeling of nausea in the middle of the night as I suffer from this often! I always just try and think to myself: 'you never feel like this in the daytime, and if u did feel sick in the day you would just get on with things, so why are you panicking now?'

It really does show how anxiety can take over us and our bodies! For me, its almost always only during the night when I wake up, theres something about the nightime that makes situations worse!!

My boyfriend tried to explain to me that all of these feelings we feel in our stomach/throat etc are normal everyday feelings, that we elevate with our anxieties... When this happens we just need to try to calm down and think rationally - I know its hard but when I do this, sometimes it distracts me enough that I start to feel fine soon after

I'm glad you can sometimes manage to cope with it, makes you a little bit stronger than the average emetophobic really! It does happen to me through the day aswell which is annoying. It tends to come on mainly when i'm just sat around or deep in thought, if I get up really early in the morning and get out at an early hour it's pretty distracting but then as soon as i'm home again and not doing anything it comes over me & it's pretty scary/worrying at times.

I don't know why it gets worse at night though, I mean can your anxiety actually wake you up? I thought maybe when you slept your body had a break from it at least

[orton99]

Its really interesting to read how other people cope with this sudden feeling of nausea in the middle of the night as I suffer from this often! I always just try and think to myself: 'you never feel like this in the daytime, and if u did feel sick in the day you would just get on with things, so why are you panicking now?'

It really does show how anxiety can take over us and our bodies! For me, its almost always only during the night when I wake up, theres something about the nightime that makes situations worse!!

My boyfriend tried to explain to me that all of these feelings we feel in our stomach/throat etc are normal everyday feelings, that we elevate with our anxieties... When this happens we just need to try to calm down and think rationally - I know its hard but when I do this, sometimes it distracts me enough that I start to feel fine soon after

I agree with Tasha that you sound really calm for someone with this phobia. Some people on this board have been good enough to say that I sound quite calm in my posts, but you? Wow, impressive!

You are right with your "body feelings" point though, absolutely. Our bodies have all sorts of quirky little aches and pains all the time, but the curcial difference between someone who's phobic about this and someone who isn't is that the first person will worry about the feeling until it goes away, while the second won't give it a thought. End result is that it usually goes away without incident anyway, but the phobic will have had a good few hours of worry and anxiety first. I am trying to think rationally, arguing with myself that if every twitch and gurgle was a stomach bug then I'd end up being ill pretty much every day (which is of course utterly ridiculous) and the logic is calming some days and others...well, as you say, it can be hard.

[AmyLloyd]

I agree with Tasha that you sound really calm for someone with this phobia. Some people on this board have been good enough to say that I sound quite calm in my posts, but you? Wow, impressive!

You are right with your "body feelings" point though, absolutely. Our bodies have all sorts of quirky little aches and pains all the time, but the curcial difference between someone who's phobic about this and someone who isn't is that the first person will worry about the feeling until it goes away, while the second won't give it a thought. End result is that it usually goes away without incident anyway, but the phobic will have had a good few hours of worry and anxiety first. I am trying to think rationally, arguing with myself that if every twitch and gurgle was a stomach bug then I'd end up being ill pretty much every day (which is of course utterly ridiculous) and the logic is calming some days and others...well, as you say, it can be hard.

I think Im so calm because, well for one, its the daytime and I can happily talk about this kinda stuff in the day (as soon as it gets dark I cant even mention the work s**k!) and another reason why is probably because I know what Im doing is irrational, and can explain it fine when I dont feel ill, but its impossible to feel this way when I actually feel ill and anxious etc. Ive been living with this for 20 years, that its just part of me and who I am; I see being a phobic as a tiny animal inside my head who happily sleeps away for most part of the day, and who then suddenly becomes this giant monster who I cant control at night/when I feel ill.

The reason Ive gone to uni and am studying Neuroscience is to try and sort out whats going on in my crazy little brain hehe but until someone finds a cure we all have to stay strong and continue to fight I guess...

[AmyLloyd]

I'm glad you can sometimes manage to cope with it, makes you a little bit stronger than the average emetophobic really! It does happen to me through the day aswell which is annoying. It tends to come on mainly when i'm just sat around or deep in thought, if I get up really early in the morning and get out at an early hour it's pretty distracting but then as soon as i'm home again and not doing anything it comes over me & it's pretty scary/worrying at times.

I don't know why it gets worse at night though, I mean can your anxiety actually wake you up? I thought maybe when you slept your body had a break from it at least

I really dont know why its worse for me at night... all bad news seems worse when heard at night dont you agree? Or maybe thats just me aha . If i feel ill in the day I am usually distracted enough to forget about it... unless I wake up feeling ill and then feel ill all day, as that makes me think that I have a virus and then will be anxious and panicky all day and wont eat anything! Its strange how our minds process this information in different ways.

Waking up at night feeling ill also makes me feel like I have a virus, and waking up feelng ill in the middle of the night happens quite a lot to me (usually because im wrapped up in bed and get too hot - im really sensetive to heat and it makes me feel ill and fainty instantly)... so even though i know ive woken up because I am hot, i think its because I have a virus and thats when the fan comes on, the freezing cold flannel comes out and I start pacing around my bedroom panicking.

But like I said, I do try and think rationally, but it all depends on my mindframe at the time, and how light/dark it is outside!

[Tasha'93]

I really dont know why its worse for me at night... all bad news seems worse when heard at night dont you agree? Or maybe thats just me aha . If i feel ill in the day I am usually distracted enough to forget about it... unless I wake up feeling ill and then feel ill all day, as that makes me think that I have a virus and then will be anxious and panicky all day and wont eat anything! Its strange how our minds process this information in different ways.

Waking up at night feeling ill also makes me feel like I have a virus, and waking up feelng ill in the middle of the night happens quite a lot to me (usually because im wrapped up in bed and get too hot - im really sensetive to heat and it makes me feel ill and fainty instantly)... so even though i know ive woken up because I am hot, i think its because I have a virus and thats when the fan comes on, the freezing cold flannel comes out and I start pacing around my bedroom panicking.

But like I said, I do try and think rationally, but it all depends on my mindframe at the time, and how light/dark it is outside!

I agree with you on if you feel sick on a morning it effects you for the rest of the day and makes you think the worst, because i'm the same.

Do you suffer with nausea at some point everday? & do you at all feel full very easily even after eating something considered as a normal amount? I do, and it's annoying :|

[orton99]

Some of that sounds so like me it's scary! Yes, night (or rather late evening, after I've eaten) tends to be the time I'm more likely to get anxious because all the incidents of illness I remember (bar one) all happened between about 8-11pm.

I don't like heat/feeling hot either and if I do feel queasy then the first step is usually to open the window/go outside (regardlesss of the time of year!) to get some fresh air and hopefully feel better.

[AmyLloyd]

I agree with you on if you feel sick on a morning it effects you for the rest of the day and makes you think the worst, because i'm the same.

Do you suffer with nausea at some point everday? & do you at all feel full very easily even after eating something considered as a normal amount? I do, and it's annoying :|

I used to feel nausea every single day, especially when I was younger, usually when it came to going out somewhere with my mom and dad or having to eat out somewhere. And DEFINATELY used to feel full after tiny portions of food - but I think thats because when I was young I thought that if I dont eat that much, then I can't V* it up...

I was really really skinny until the age of about 12 when one day I felt soo ill I was certain it was a bug and was worrying all day and didnt eat a thing. Then at about 6pm I was sooo hungry but felt so ill I didnt know what to do - surely if i eat now I have more chance of V* - i thought.

But my mom made me some potato waffles, and as soon as I ate one i felt soo much better, and I think I ate about 6 that night! And since then I put on weight, learned to eat more (but not massive amounts still, but healthy amounts) and feel much better, and also dont feel that same ill feeling every day.

But I do feel nausea most days, mainly at night, or if im somewhere thats too warm and small. I still struggle now and again to eat normal meals, but its usually a phase that lasts a couple weeks then Im ok again for a bit. I still think about V* every single day in some way, and have done ever since I can remember, but i dont know how to change that!

My advice for the meal thing is to take your time with the meal, and try not to see it as a threat, or something that you need to eat all of, as you will get yourself in a state (which is what I used to do when my mom and dad used to tell me off for not eating enough).
If you feel full, you feel full, no big deal, and if you get hungry again later have something then.

Hope that helps

[Tasha'93]

I used to feel nausea every single day, especially when I was younger, usually when it came to going out somewhere with my mom and dad or having to eat out somewhere. And DEFINATELY used to feel full after tiny portions of food - but I think thats because when I was young I thought that if I dont eat that much, then I can't V* it up...

I was really really skinny until the age of about 12 when one day I felt soo ill I was certain it was a bug and was worrying all day and didnt eat a thing. Then at about 6pm I was sooo hungry but felt so ill I didnt know what to do - surely if i eat now I have more chance of V* - i thought.

But my mom made me some potato waffles, and as soon as I ate one i felt soo much better, and I think I ate about 6 that night! And since then I put on weight, learned to eat more (but not massive amounts still, but healthy amounts) and feel much better, and also dont feel that same ill feeling every day.

But I do feel nausea most days, mainly at night, or if im somewhere thats too warm and small. I still struggle now and again to eat normal meals, but its usually a phase that lasts a couple weeks then Im ok again for a bit. I still think about V* every single day in some way, and have done ever since I can remember, but i dont know how to change that!

My advice for the meal thing is to take your time with the meal, and try not to see it as a threat, or something that you need to eat all of, as you will get yourself in a state (which is what I used to do when my mom and dad used to tell me off for not eating enough).
If you feel full, you feel full, no big deal, and if you get hungry again later have something then.

Hope that helps

Thankyou so much for your advice about meals, you've been a help! - It's nice to hear you're better about eating more regular now, at least thats a massive step forwrad to you fully getting over this awful phobia

[iNurtureTheOdd]

The throat nausea is one of my main anxiety symptoms, and mornings are the worst for me for some reason. The rumbling weird stomach symptoms are also something I experience quite frequently. Everything you describe sounds very much like all the anxiety symptoms I get regularly due to emetophobia.

[Tasha'93]

The throat nausea is one of my main anxiety symptoms, and mornings are the worst for me for some reason. The rumbling weird stomach symptoms are also something I experience quite frequently. Everything you describe sounds very much like all the anxiety symptoms I get regularly due to emetophobia.

Ah, really? I feel a bit more normal now from the responses i've had in this post! The constant nausea is just a nightmare to be honest.