Surprised at Myself

[giff1949]

[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]
I don't do alot of posting but thought I would talk now a little about my week.

I have been an emet for a very long time and it has caused great distress during my life. I won't go into detail because it is just like what all of you have gone through. I will say that I think I am the worst emet I have ever heard of and people would be appalled if they knew some of things I have done in the past.

I am still very much an emet but have not had to face any situations for a while because my children are grown. I do, however, have a 9 year old grandson and have been hesitant to even babysit with him because of my phobia. Well, this week has been his Spring Break and I VOLUNTEERED to watch him so he would not have to go to daycare. I was a bit scared at first but decided it would be good for us to spend some quality time together.

Monday and Tuesday were great!But, would'nt you know that when he came yesterday he had a stomach ache. I tried to remain calm, but then he came and told me he felt like he was going to "v". I still did not panic too much but I just had him go to the bathroom and stay there a while. It turned out that he did get sick. I just could not believe it. I called his mom and she came and got him.

I do have him again today (before, I just would have totally refused to be around him for days after he got sick). I am trying to be calm and think that I won't catch what he had, but I was with him all day every day this week. But, I am really doing ok with it. We have played and been close all day.

I am not writing this to upset anyone or to remind people that these sv things (if that is what it was) may still be around. I just want everyone to know that someone who used to be so out of sight with panic has actually done something which was very hard, had the worst happen, and remained relatively calm and lived through it.

I want this to be an encouraging post for people to draw strength from. It can be done. The world did not end. I panicked a little, but life is continuing. I hope it can give someone hope that although the phobia continues, it did not overpower me this time and if I can react this way, so can you. It takes time and therapy for some. I am not cured or over this phobia. I was just able to put it on the back burner and try to enjoy my grandson, even though the worst (for us) actually happened.

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted people to know that a long-time sufferer was able to handle a situation that I thought would have been impossible. I took a step of faith by watching him in the first place and when the worst possible thing happened I handled it calmly and am certain that he was not at all aware of my problem with it.

I hope everyone is having a good day and looking forward to each new day as it brings us closer to good weather and good health.

Take Care,
Debbie

[jennyleigh1975]

Debbie, I am sorry that your posted so long ago and no one has seen this yet. I think that it is great how you handled things with your grandson. I have often thought, well atleast when my children are grown, I wont have to worry so much about vomiting and them getting sick, ect. Then my grandchildren will come along, I wonder if I will be any different with them. I would want to be able to help my children out with their children, but I just wonder if I will have conquered my emet fear by then and be able too. I think that it is great that you were able to take care of your grandson like that. He will remember this quality time you spent with him and how well you took care of him when he was sick!!!!

[ontariogirl]

Sorry Debbie I didn't respond earlier. I think of the days when I will become a grandmother and I hope and pray that I will be like my grandmother and how my mother is to. My grandmother watched my cousins every year in October for 2 weeks while and aunt and uncle went to Hawii and it never failed they always had the stomach flu, didn't bother grandma at all. My mother is a great mother and grandmother, she watches the grand kids when they are sick, she doesnt think that she may catch it. I want to be like that. Maybe I will one day. You are aninspiration to me!![img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[rileyl]

Debbie - As a mom (and presumably, a grandmother later) with emet, your post really struck a chord. You should be so proud of yourself. You have shown that you are caring and very strong. Right now, I am not sure that I will be up for dealing with v'g grandchildren because I am right in the thick of child rearing right now and have to face my phobia every day. I hope that as my kids get older and have kids of their own that I get some perspective on this fear. You are an inspiration.

[giff1949]

Girls!

Thank you so much for responding to my post. I know it was probably too long, but I was excited about it. When I post in the future I will try to be more brief.

It is wonderful being a grandmother but as we all know being an emet grandmother is not easy. I still worry about all the things I did when my own children were young, but since I am not faced with it every day, it has gotten easier.

One of the hardest jobs in the world is being a mother and an emet mother is the hardest. You are all doing a great job of coping, and I think dealing with an emotional issue like we do makes you even more sensitive as people and more sensitive to your children's needs. Even though you have problems in this area, I am sure you more than make up for it in other areas.

Thanks again for posting and keep up the great work!

DebbieEdited by: giff1949

[secret fear]

Debbie, that is absolutely wonderful! I can only hope that since your post, you haven't come down with the bug yourself. Sorry, just my emet mind at work! *sigh*


I am a new Grammy myself, she is only 7 months old. I have already had those overwhelming fears of "what if" and I am constantly harrassing my daughter about who she lets her be around. In fact, a couple of months ago, the Daddy had a terrible bug, was v*ing for 2 days .. may have actually been food poisoning, but my daughter kept the baby around him, and he even kissed on her! I was appalled, and frantic at the same time. Thank GOD, the baby didn't get sick, or my daughter, who was staying with me still at the time with her baby. I dodged it that time, but I still panic about every day from now on. I hope I can be as strong as you were.


Kim

[giff1949]

Kim,

Just to ease your mind, I did not get sick from my grandson. I guess he either did not have something contagious or my handwashing, etc. payed off.

Please try to enjoy your granddaughter. They can be so much fun. I know how you feel about POSSIBILITIES happening, but remember that you can always call the parents if something goes wrong. I finally, within the last year, told my son and daughter-in-law about my fear and they were very understanding about it. My son could not believe that he grew up with me all those years and never knew. Maybe you could explain it to your daughter and she might be more aware of how these things make you feel.

Welcome to the site. I hope you find lots of good information which will help you with this struggle. There is a lot of good information on the Treatment thread. Everyone who comes here knows exactly how you feel, so you never have to feel alone. I always thought I was the only one.

DebbieEdited by: giff1949

[guineaash]

I think it is wonderful that you didn't show your fear to your grandson. I'm sure his illness made him feel embarassed and you seem to have handled the situation so that you wouldn't cause him to panic.Don't beat yourself up at all over this.. you did wonderfullyconsidering you are an emet!!