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  1. #1

    Default Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    I've been so anxious the last two to three days that I've barely been able to eat. My sister suffers from IBS and wasn't well over the weekend she had n* and d* Saturday but no v*. My family has an alternative healer we go to, he can pick up on all sorts of things in all sorts of strange places and 'remove' it from your energy. Anyway my sister and I went to see him yesterday(monday) and he found noro virus in her pancreas. I was already anxious and that just made me terrified. I hadn't been as diligent about hand washing or anything over the weekend, because I just assumed it was my sisters IBS. I'm now scared I could be infected, if I am I know I can't do anything about it. But it's a lot of stress and extra worry when I've already been so on edge for so long. Today I'm really tired and fatigued, I have a sore back and belly (constipation I think). And I think it's just all the stress and anxiety and lack of food taking its toll. But I just can't relax, I'm going to be completely on guard until Thursday (I figure if she had the virus until Monday but was pretty much asymptomatic I could still get sick within the next 48 + hrs)

    I just really need some kind words and support I guess. I'm so sick of having this phobia. I don't want it any more.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    3,143

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    If you keep your hands clean and avoid touching your face/mouth prior to washing hands then you will be just fine. Don't cause yourself to lose sleep over it. If your body is telling you to rest then you should rest. Hang in there.
    I wanna feel the change consume me,
    Feel the outside turning in.
    I wanna feel the metamorphosis and
    Cleansing I've endured within
    My shadow




    Disclaimer: **I try and answer posts to the best of my knowledge but unfortunately, I am not a medical professional so take my advice/recommendations with a grain of salt.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    Thank you. I've been very diligent about washing my hands since yesterday. I ate a banana about 45 minutes ago and now have stomach cramps which is really scaring me

  4. #4

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    Although if I am logical, the cramps are probably just due to the constipation. They come and go and I don't feel genuinely n* or anything. Just really anxious.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Washington State
    Posts
    621

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    The cramping is likely that your digestive tract is FINALLY moving if you haven't been eating. The constipation and lack of food very easily explain this.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    I just went to the toilet it was an easy bowel movement despite the constipation. But now I'm panicking even more because it was so easy. I feel hot and really scared.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Washington State
    Posts
    621

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    Haha it's GOOD that it was so easy! I have that sometimes after constipation.. it's 50/50 whether it'll be difficult or easy. Stop your worrying The banana may have just been the final amount of fiber needed to get things moving. You may go a few more times, it's not a sign you're sick. It's just your body clearing out!

    The feeling hot is definitely anxiety. Just take deep breaths, you are fine, and this is just your emet being it's usual crazy self.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    Thank you, I'll try

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Edinburgh
    Posts
    26

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    Hi Crimson,
    I get this lots. As soon as I know someone might be ill with anything to do with n*, v* or d* I totally freak out. I know deep down inside I'm probably not going to get ill myself but it terrifies me. I use so much sani-gel on my hands that they are rough and dry.

    I can go days without eating and that makes me feel ten times worse. Bananas are excellent when you are feeling a bit rubbish, I eat 2 or 3 a day. (They are also on my safe food list) I find that when I am worrying about v*, I get d* and that makes me feel even more n* and its a vicious circle!!!

    Just keep your chin up and try to relax a little (I know its hard)


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Yorkshire, UK
    Posts
    30

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    It makes me so sad to read about people suffering due to the stress and anxiety this phobia places on us. Ive been through the same thing and it is so stressfull, the constant fear of if you will start to feel ill too actually makes you feel ill just from stress. Just keep vigilant on your cleanliness; I know you will. That will help you avoid picking up any actual bug, but in the mean time you need to work out a method of destressing yourself so you can prove to yourself that it is indeed just the anxiety manifesting itself physically rather than anything I guess more serious. When I was suffering really badly I read about a really good relaxation technique. You lay on the floor and start by concentrating right down at the bottom of your feet, and you stretch them out for a few seconds and then relax. Then you do your ankles, and relax, then bit by bit work your way up tensing and relaxing your muscles til youve done all the way up and down your arms and even everything in your face you can feel to move - yep, ears too! Take your time and concentrate on steady relaxing breathing while you do it, and by the time youre done you should feel loads better. It really worked so well for me. In fact it is a recognised technique but I forget what they call it! It totally used to take me back to zero and the physical ill feelings from stress were totally diminished. Just as a phobia grows into a psycological knee-jerk reaction to stimulus, you can make relaxation happen if you work to establish it a bit. I used to have peppermint tea that I told myself would make my tummie feel better, and I had it in a special cup that I told myself made me feel better, and a floppy jumper I put on that I told myself made me feel comforted and all these things used to in the end really calm me down. You can be careful and avoid bugs, but when symptoms start happening due to psychological reasons having your own pattern of things that youve worked on to destress you will help the suffering when youre anxious. Personally I dont believe in the more mythical types of alternative healing and find it hard to understand how this healer knows there is a virus in her pancreas (!?) and I think that kind of talk will actually exacerbate your problems by making you fear there are viruses there you might also now have when I doubt there will be. Every time I felt ill I worried that it was a bug and I was sure I was going to get ill, and every time it was only anxiety and I started being able to manage what was actually just stress and the more I proved to myself "hey look, it wasnt a bug again after all! just my own crazy brain!" I felt ill less and less and less. If your sister has IBS she might need her own methods of relaxing as as much as I dont believe in a lot of alternative therapy, its amazed me from experience what your own brain can do physically to your body, and maybe she can find a way of relaxing her body through her mind and help her tummy systems calm down. Then you can help each other! Sorry for rambling. Theres nothing much we can do if we get ill, we dont have to make apologies its just the way our little bodies are, but I do rather expect your symptoms are stress related and its something you can start to manage which will greatly lessen the phobias hold on you. Please try the peppermint tea and tell yourself its magic tea, it worked for me! XXXX

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Yorkshire, UK
    Posts
    30

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    Quote Originally Posted by crimson_petrichor View Post
    Thank you. I've been very diligent about washing my hands since yesterday. I ate a banana about 45 minutes ago and now have stomach cramps which is really scaring me

    ^^ honestly, you seem to be going through exactly what I was suffered at my worst. I felt hungry, then ate and had terrible cramps and hot and cold flushes for about half an hour and eventually I stopped eating as I felt ill when I did and ill when I didnt. It sparked off a massive downward spiral that involved me selling half of a business I owned and not working for 6 months, completely losing my appetite and two stones in weight and being put on anti depressants and sent for an endoscopy. And at the end of it all, it was all stress related from the phobia. Seriously, please try to establish a pattern of relaxation. It can be anything you choose it to be as long as you try and believe in it. It really worked for me; I hate to think anyone else would go through what I went through at my worst. I had no one to give me advice back then and had to learn this the hard way. XXX feel better XXX

  12. #12

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    Thank you for all your kind words. I'm going to work really hard to find things that relax me and help me deal with it. I am already on anti-depressants for anxiety and am presently increasing the dose because the minimum is obviously not cutting it anymore. Stress is a horrible horrible thing. As I say this I am currently stressing about having eaten a subway sand which that had mayonnaise on it because I'm worried about fp*. Which deep down I know is so ridiculous. But such is the life of an emet I guess.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Yorkshire, UK
    Posts
    30

    Default Re: Haven't been able to eat properly in days

    Quote Originally Posted by crimson_petrichor View Post
    Thank you for all your kind words. I'm going to work really hard to find things that relax me and help me deal with it. I am already on anti-depressants for anxiety and am presently increasing the dose because the minimum is obviously not cutting it anymore. Stress is a horrible horrible thing. As I say this I am currently stressing about having eaten a subway sand which that had mayonnaise on it because I'm worried about fp*. Which deep down I know is so ridiculous. But such is the life of an emet I guess.
    I used to eat really well done steaks etc but now I love them really rare!!! Putting yourself outside of your comfort zone slightly bit by bit and realising that its extremely unlikely that anything bad will happen gains you lots of confidence with every little success. I dont worry too much about a lot of things now though there are still certain things I cant as yet do without lots of anxiety. I dont worry too much about bacteria etc on surfaces as I have good habits that stop me putting fingers in mouth etc etc to prevent any secondary infection things. I just make sure I clean up lots if Ive been somewhere some one might have germs and am more vigilant if I know there are bugs about. The more you risk a little the better you get and you stop worrying about things bit by bit. We are all on a different part of this long road though, and its nice to share and support. Hope youre feeling better and so is your sister XX

 

 

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