New and need help

[holly103]

Hi Everyone,


I'm new to this site and I really need some help. Im not gonna tell my life story, but I've been emetophobic since i was little-but not like I am right now. I need to know if anyone out there ever feels n* everyday and gets real bad panic attacks?i dont know whats wrong with me or what to do. It just comes from nowhere. all of a sudden I feel n* and i have a panic attack and feel like im going to v*. And is there anyone who can't even eat most of the time. I'm worried for my health-but I never have an appetite. The second i try to swallow food, it feels like it wont go down-almost like my throat is swollen.i just want some help

[steph77]

this sounds very familiar, holly. i've always had emetophobia and i have had multiple-year lond episodes of not being able to eat for days at a time. its scary and so bad for your health. i found the right meds to help me not obsess about the 'possibilities' of eating and, i'm actually at a weight that i'm a little concerned may be too much lol. it takes patience and time to find the right doctor and medication, but when you do, it's worth it. also,before i had a good doctor or med, i found that watching tv, doing a crossword, etc., while i was eating helped get my mind off of it. it's normal to feel bad every day when you're not eating. you must try hard to get past that because, knowing from experience, it's a snowball effect of not eating, feeling ill, not eating more, feeling more ill...come here to get help through it...this is a great site. good luck and keep us updated

[holly103]

I've tried so hard to get a DR. for this. I don't even want to go into detail about all of that. I'm gonna write my story somewhere on this site. But anyway. My DR. doesn't believe me. I'm a very thin girl-I always have been since i was little-and its because of this Phobia. So instead of really listening to me-my DR. just stuck an "Anoerexic" label on me. I've tried since I was 11 to tell them that I'm not aneorexic-I dont think I'm fat-I actually think the opposite-that I am too skinny. I tell them the REAL reason why I dont eat, and they say that I'm just making it up as an excuse. But i wont go much further into that. Let's just say I've been through Hell all because no one believes me. If I sound crazy-let me know.[img]smileys/smilies_12.gif[/img]What kind of meds are you on? I was just put on some anxiety meds because my anxiety attacks are through the roof from being emetophobic. Where can I find help?

[wing]

Hello Holly. You dont sound crazy. Really, whenI went to my doctor and she was like to my mother "She probably just wanted to lose weight." Then she says to me "You're a little too skinny, try to gainat least 5 lbs before I see you in 3 weeks"-_-I used to be fat when i was little but now i've lost most of it. My eating habits are better but not the best. Sorry I cannot help you with medicine because I never took any for my phobia. My parents didnt know about emetophobiaor anyone for that matter until last summer when I told them, but i've had this since I was really little.

[holly103]

Yeah I think Dr.'s don't always really listen to what a patient is telling them. Its not right. But any advice would be great. I'm so glad/surprised that there are other people like me. I'm just curious though-this phobia affects me everyday 24/7. I can't even complete normal tasks. sometimes i get 5 panic attacks a DAY. is anyone else going through this?

[steph77]

oh my god, holly!!! that's exactly what my docs and, well, everyone around me thought...that i was anorexic. but NO ONE said emet was an excuse!!! they just didn't know what it was.... your doc is saying that to cover up his or her own embarrassment of not knowing what this phobia is....that jerk!!!! i'm sorry, but i have no tolerance anymore for people who don't listen to and have respect for people with mental illnesses. FIND A NEW DOC!! it took me years, but i found a doc who listened to every word i said and had patience with my reluctance and fear of meds. he worked so hard for me and with me and i am happy to say that i am up from 82 pounds to 115. lexapro is the med i'm on and that helped, but moreso, a loving, understanding boyfriend and supprt from friends and proffessionals really did it.... i hope you find that.

[stella9]

Dear Holly,



Welcome to this site. You will find a wealth of support and understanding here - true understanding.



First of all, doctors are of no help UNLESS they specialize in
phobias. Emet is a phobia - an unrational fear of
something. All emets fear v*** in some form or another
either for themselves, others, to be around someone who is v**** and/or
seeing it in a movie. Oddly enough most of us only fear the type
of v**** that is contagious - the stomach virus. When we are
around someone who v*** because of something that is not contagious,
like pregnancy or alcoholic drinking, many of us seem to be relatively
okay.



What sounds like you have are very acute panic attacks that come on out
of the blue. There are some relaxing techniques that could
help. I highly recommend yoga. It helped for me and I've
been doing it for almost 12 years now!!!!



As for eating, you HAVE to eat. There is no way to slice it and
dice it. If you are thin, as most emets are, the doctors are
going to assume you are anorexic and treat you accordingly which is not
going to help you at all. That is why I think the best doc for
you is one who specializes in phobias.



In the meanwhile, you have a group here who knows exactly how you feel and can support you along in your healing journey.



Stella

[holly103]

Thank you so much everyone. I'll be on here often because I really need some help with this and I never even knew there were other people like me.I'm so thankful for this site. I do force myself to eat, but its so hard sometimes because I feel like I'm going t v*. It's so weird because sometimes i will swallow one bite of food-and that's it, I'll start to feel n*. any one on here can PM me anytime. I could really use the advice and I have some advice to give too.

[stef]

hey holly,

i only just read ur post on this site even tho u posted it months ago..
u sound like u hav exactly wot i hav... anxiety.. just to tel u the
story first.. i v* for the frist time in 15 years about four months ago
and since that day i was constantly nauseous.. i went to two different
doctors, had a gstroscopy, a hida scan (radioactive scan) an ultra
sound, was treated for giardia, camphlabactor, esophagitis, and the
nausea didnt go away... i was nauseous for four months straight and so
depressed as i was living in fear due to my emetophobia and was living
on anti-emetics as i was so scared of v*ing... it wasnt until i started
recognising other symptoms that we started to work out wot was wrong
wit me... i wasnt sleeping, had strange eating habits, had severe
panick attacks when out of the house, and eventually became agoraphobic
because everywhere i went i had a panick attack and though i wud v*...
i had to pull out of uni for this semester and move home and leave
work... its been a long road for me but i am now on arapax (an
anti-depressant) for my depression and anxiety and am seeing a
psychiatrist... i am slowly getting better.. im actually going bak to
work tomorrow! my panick attacks are exactly like urs where i get so
worked up i feel like im about to v*... yet its all just anxiety making
me nauseous and the nausea makes me anxious.. so its a viscious cycle
for us emets that develop anxiety because of our phobia... and i feel
nauseous 24/7 like u... u realy should get help... i know uv tried and
i had the same problem wit doctors.. i am also very skinny and he
immediately labelled me as 'anorexic'... then my mums firends started
saying stuf like 'maybe shes bohlemic and is making up that shes scared
of v*ing to cover up that she actually v* everyday' and this infuriated
me... no one wud beleive me.. my mum just kept saying 'snap out of this
this is ridiculous u can go into the shop!' but i cudnt snap out of it
and i cudnt bring myself to go into the shop witout feeling like i was
going to v*.. when u hav anxiety u cant just snap out of it.. its a
chemical imbalance in ur brain.. thats wot anti-depressants do, they
fix those chemicals and help u deal wit the phobia.. because ur
situation sounds so similar to mine id love u to email me:

[email protected]

and tel me how ur going now.. hav u found help for it yet? if u havnt i
might hav some good advice cos iv been through the hardest of it and
might be able to guide u in where to get help... id also love to talk
to someone who's so similar to me! there is hope out there.. its just a
matter of geting it and u will be a normal person again.. i know i stil
long to be normal again and not feel nauseous al the time.. its such a
horrible thing to go through this emet-related anxiety but im getting
better and so can u!! id love to talk to u!

-stef

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[kel12347]

Welcome, Holly! Start taking the anti-anxiety meds, and start looking for a psychologist or a social worker. They don't have to have a ton of experience, or specialize in phobias, but a background in anxiety is good. Most of all, find one that is nice, and someone you like. Print out Sage's INFO sheet (go to the Treatments Forum) and give it to the therapist, and talk to them about it until you are sure they understand what your problem is.


In the meantime, start doing some relaxation every day. Hot baths, guided relaxation tapes, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, whatever works for you. Also, you may want to by the Anxiety and Phobia workbook by Bourne, and start working through the exercises. There are some relaxation techniques in there, and tips for coping with panic attacks. Five a day is way too many.


As for eating, try those nutritional shakes. Keep trying to eat regular food, but supplement with the shakes (which should be easier for you to swallow) so you can get some nutrients.


I just went through this same thing for about a month, and I got on meds, and sawa hypnotherapist (but only for relaxation, not for a cure). It gets better, I promise. Just hang in there!

[jenspiffer]

Wow, what good timing for this post to resurface. I've had this fear since I was 12 (25 now), and at first it was pretty bad with nausea quite often. But suddenly, it just kinda went away to the point that I only panicked when I was actually sick (though I still never v* those times) and could live my day-to-day life with little worry. In the past year, it has come back with a vengeance, however. I noticed that I was getting bouts of nausea more often again and then the past 2 weeks, it has been every day. I've been taking Zofran (anti-emetic) and Ativan when I need it (though I haven't had to in over 24 hrs - knock on wood!), but I don't want to keep relying on that. I had blood tests done last week and am going to the gynecologist this week to see if it could be my birth control (even though I've been using it 4 months), but I know it's not out of the question that it could allbe due to free-floating anxiety I'm just not aware of. I mean, I'll go all day and feel better and actually hungry and then out of the blue, like you said, I get REALLY n* - and of course, I panic and then it gets worse and so on. I have always been thin, but I definitely have a little extra on my tummyfrom lack of willpower with snacking and the like, so it also concerns me that I randomly have had little appetite for the past 2 weeks- and onlywantedcertain foods- makes me think it's more than just my anxiety which never caused this many consecutive days of nausea before. I have an appt with a psychologist (in addition to the other docs) next week - do you think I should push being put on an anti-anxiety medicine (more long term than the quick Ativan fixes) and see if that helps or just do the cognitive stuff? Either way, I know I need new coping skills so I will see her for that, but I just am at a loss at this point of what is causing everything! Anyone have anything wrong physically that causes this (I know most of us have lower stomach ailments!) much nausea or do most of you believe it is all due to this stupid phobia??


Glad you guys are here!


Jen