I just want relief

[ginger_02]

I feel like I am never going to get rid of this emetophobia. And I so BADLY want to be a nurse! I want relief from it. It's miserable I just want help

[olschesky]

i know there are some emet members here that are nurses or work in the medical field. sorry i don't remember any of their names, but hopefully atleast one of them will respond and help you with this

[summerdazies]

If you don't mind my asking, how old are you? Have you ever volunteered in a healthcare setting? That might be something to look into as a sort of safe testing ground, since as a volunteer you are never absolutely obligated to do anything you do not wish to.

I have some personal experience that might be encouraging to you. My parents are both doctors and my dad in particular (who is a GI) had told me for years I'd never be a doctor if I couldn't deal with vomit. Last summer I volunteered in a local ER, and to my great surprise, I didn't freak out about vomit (just the usual "gross" response, but no heart racing, no urge to flee, no more aversion than watching someone poop or something.) I can't deal with vomit in a non-clinical setting, but for some reason I'm very level-headed in a clinical setting. I have since realized I actually want to be a veterinarian but that has nothing to do with my phobia and everything to do with my own personal goals and feelings.

[emmalinda]

i want to be a nurse, so i became a dental nurse. and i can handle everything except whe people gag. its the worste. im starting treatment soon though. there are many thinsg i want to do but cant.

[DeadxxInside92]

@summerdazies, what did you do as a volunteer in the ER? What were your obligations? to the OP: you can overcome this phobia and become a nurse. I am pushing myself to become a certified EMT. You can do this!

[heydani]

gahhhh, im going to college this year, and am most likely going to change my major to nursing. I love helping other people, and am great with diagnosing them lol. i hope i can deal with this fear :/

[DeadxxInside92]

You definitely can Danielle!

[heydani]

thank you ! (:
I feel like if i occupy myself enough with helping other people, i wont have as much time to worry about my problems !

[DeadxxInside92]

Exactly. That's how I think of it. Helping others will cancel out the fear--or so I'm hoping

[heydani]

Especially with you want to do, that is such a rush ! You'll be too busy saving lives to think about anything ! I hope it works out for you, keep me updated !

[DeadxxInside92]

Thank you! I will certainly keep you updated. I really hope I can handle it.

[summerdazies]

@summerdazies, what did you do as a volunteer in the ER? What were your obligations?

It varied. Mostly just taking out soiled laundry and cleaning beds. But numerous times I would be shadowing a doctor (standing in the same room, listening/watching as they evaluate the patient) and the pt would vomit, and I knew I was within my rights to say "excuse me" and just leave, but I pushed myself and was able to stay. Once I was with a few PCTs (Patient Care Technicians) and a pt was vomiting quite loudly and I actually helped them clean it up since it was clear the pt was only vomiting from a drug overdose (i.e. not contagious). The sight, sound and smell were not pretty but by the end of the summer it was barely any worse than if someone was coughing or sneezing (I would even make myself watch sometimes, to "exercise my anti-emetophobia muscle" or something). This compared to the fact that I KNOW that if one of my suitemates were to start vomiting right now, I'd have a right sh!t fit.

[DeadxxInside92]

I appreciate your response but tonight's been so horrible and I just don't even know if I can handle this It's always been my dream to work in the medical field but I just don't know how I can handle this. People were right when they told me it wouldn't be a good idea with my phobia

[heydani]

What happened that made you think this ???

[DeadxxInside92]

What happened that made you think this ???

I made a thread containing some background info last night. I just feel very discouraged right now. PMS has my emotions all over the place though so maybe I will feel a bit more reassured I can do this once the surge of hormones dies down a bit. I really do want to pursue it. My older sister works in the HR department at her local hospital and she hires EMTs and paramedics and she told me I need to able to handle seeing some very scary, gross things. It just got me thinking....how in the hell am I going to do this?

[heydani]

It is a tough situation, I feel like it's one of those things that makes you stronger though. My mom is a nurse and she said that the EMTs dont last long, because they see so much bad stuff :/ However, when I think about it, blood, and gross things dont bother me. The only thing that would is v*, but I also feel like being around that will help us overcome our fear. We will also be too busy to think about our issues. Think about it, when youre rescuing someone, you arent really thinking about your own problems, all your focus is dedicated to saving that person.

[AmyBedford]

Hi.. I am actually studying medicine, when I started it my emet wasn't so bad, but now its out of control.. Besides missing half my classes, I'm aalways stressed with the amount of work! This year we started dissecting cadavers [dead people] which has also been really hard! I'm considering dropping down to a different degree because I'm so freightened to start work in the hospital.. [I would be fine with it except for the fact that we can't choose where we begin work.. I'm so scared I get put in emergency and then have people with stomach flu coming in and I catch it] so my advice is, think about it before you do it.. Its really tough, but there's no reason you can't do it!