Teen Emetophobes

[SUM1]

I just wanted to hear from the younger emetophobes, like the under 16 category. On the forums I've seen a lot about how parents cope with emetophobia with their children, and other adult cases of emetophobia, but not as much have I seen cases of teenagers and children. I'm a 14 year old male and have emetophobia. For me, it's not actually much different from what older people have. I have the same compulsions with germs and being near certain people, I don't like being in any situation that may make me feel sick like a plane and I also don't like places that I won't be able to get out of if I feel sick. This includes a much larger variety such as crowds, open spaces, certain modes of transport, classrooms, anywhere near a group of people, being far from any help such as my house (where I can make myself ginger tea or other remedies, etc.) or even bathrooms if it gets to that extreme. I have also seen a LOT more females on this forum than males, so it seems I'm in two of the minority groups. I'd like to hear from other younger people, especially young males to see if their ways of thinking are similar to mine.

[Ana Bellini]

Hi SUM1. I'm turning 15 this month. Female, sorry. I'm a weird emet. I don't care too much about germs. I only eat certain foods, hates the possibility that I may not reach the bathroom in time. Sorry I can't help more.

[unilhexium]

I'm 18 so I don't quite fit the under 16 category, but I do know what it's like to suffer from emetophobia as a young person.
I agree with you a lot that the worst situations are places that you can't get out of. For me, the absolute worst case scenario is being on an airplane, because not only can't you leave, but there's the possibility of motion sickness as a bonus. As I'm starting college soon there's going to be a lot of flying in my future, which is kind of terrible.
We're also on the same page when it comes to people. Just hearing someone's voice, even if I can't see them, makes my *n a lot worse. When my emetophobia strikes, my first priority is to get away from everyone.
BTW, I'm also a male. Go us! Emetophobia is significantly more common and women, but there are plenty of guys out there with it too. Even young guys. We're definitely not a lone.

[Elie]

I'm 16 and I use do a lot of those things when I was younger. I don't stay away from certain foods anymore and don't really have emet compulsions. I'm use to people not understanding though. Most people think it's ridiculous.

[SUM1]

Oddly enough for me people don't find my phobia ridiculous when I tell them, probably because I only limit who I tell to people I trust or know well, but even then most teachers at my school (and my piano teacher for that matter) seem to think when I say that I have phobia of being sick, it's like "well no one likes it" or "oh yeah it's horrible" but they don't seem to understand the meaning of "fear". I am scared of being sick, it's not that I hate it.

[spilled_milk]

I'm 22, not under 16 but I have had this phobia since I was a baby so feel free to msg me and I can tell you about how I handled it

[emily33]

Hi, I'm 14 and I have had this phobia for about 7 years. My parents have always thought it completely ridiculous, but more so now that I am becoming more and more anxious about it. However, I look to my mother for reasurrance basically everytime I feel nauseous. This is good, sometimes, because she is so easily accessible and it stops a lot of panic attacks before they start. However, it sucks because I'm scared to go places that I used to love (sleepaway camp, overnight trips, etc) because I won't be able to call her for reasurrance. So, in that way it is kind of ruining my life.
I'm also terrified of boats (but whoop de doo, guess who is going on a cruise in January? We'll see...)
Emetophobia is ruining my life. I may not have the guts to go to camp with my friends, because that is a whole month of not being able to ask for reassurance or anything, which i could have easily handled a few months ago but I'm not so sure anymore.
I have also had strange superstitions; because of episodes of v* in my past, I refuse to eat certain foods (for example, tilapia) and I am extra nervous on Tuesdays, because last time I threw up was a Tuesday. I actually used to make my mom feel my forehead and smell my breath, to ensure that it didn't smell like bile or anything.
Distracting myself is usually what helps the most with nausea...watching a movie helps a lot.
Hope this helped

[SUM1]

emily33 I feel EXACTLY like you do! I never go to "camps" or any school trip that involves staying overnight, but it really isn't a big deal for me, and it shouldn't be for you. Just don't go. You don't have to if you don't like it. I don't. I always need my mum close when I feel very sick. I don't like boats at all (I did go on one ferry once when I was very young and I ate a lot of pain au chocolats in the onboard patisserie and I didn't even feel sick, but on recent smaller boats like a Thames riverboat cruise and a sea life boat with an underwater viewing area, I did feel VERY uncomfortable), and I have superstitions like you: February is my least favourite month because I've had the stomach virus twice in it, once in 2008 and again in 2010. That 2010 one was the last time I've been sick as of now. Also I don't like being in the same rooms or light settings as I was in when I've been sick and I don't like wearing the same clothes I was wearing at the times I've been sick.

As far as I know I've had my phobia for as long as I can remember, but I only realised it was a phobia about a year or 2 ago. I've always been scared of being sick though, all my life. I've just never understood it as well as I do now, as I was young. I think people get that mixed up sometimes, and think they started the phobia when they realised it was a phobia, when actually they've had it for much longer.

[xxsophiaxx]

I am 21, joined this forum when I was 15, and first truly realized I was scared of v* when I was 9

[Skittles04]

hey SUM1, another girl, nearly 17, but i'm also terrified of being in places where i can't 'escape'. the examples you used were identicle to mine. school was also a huge trigger, to the point where i've had to take a break, and go back to yr 11 next year :/ theres actualy alot of teens here, but like you said, a huge majority of us are female. i'm guessing because generaly mental illness affects more females than males? i dunno.

[TheNonchalante]

I'm 15, and yes, a girl, but people call me a tomboy so... Haha anyway. I've know of my phobia for only about a year and a half, but honestly in that time I have been suicidal many times..
I am exactly the same as you. Germs, crowded or public areas, anywhere where the chances of catching something becomes slightly more. And although I haven't had the phobia for long (feels like forever), it has totally ruined my education, relationships with my friends, and even family, and my health. I eat as little as I can to avoid any reason of 'it' happening.
I have so much sympathy for anyone with this phobia. And it may just be the emet talking but in my opinion its on of the worst phobias to have. If you have a phobia of heights, you can simply not go high up. If you have as phobia of dogs you can stay in side, or go everywhere in a car. But with our phobia, its what's in our body, and we can't run from that. We don't have control of our phobia.. Think that's why I'm so scared.
But a mix of peppermint teas, motillium, hand sanitizer, hand wash, clean towels, obsessive use by date checking, and a load of other clean and obsessive stuff, helps me cope. And I haven't been sick since my phobia begun!
I hope you manage to shoot every inch of your phobia in the face. Twice.
Happy Easter!

[chris_alice]

Just as an FYI, we have an "Emetophobic Teens" forum here: http://forum4.aimoo.com/LetsGetBetter

[LostNoob]

I'm 18 (also male) so not really a teen any more (well kinda) but I have been emet since I was a kid so I have experience of being a teen emet although it was only recently that I found out my fear had a name.
emet can ruin teenagers lifes due to the effect it has on education.

[SUM1]

emet can ruin teenagers lifes due to the effect it has on education.

This sentence could not be any more correct.

[Thatgymkid]

15 year old male emetophobe here...

I've had it for about 5 years or so. It's been so much worse for the past few months though, because of winter and mostly because my dad got noro a month ago. Thankfully I'm homeschooled (not because of noro, just a happy coincidence) so school isn't a problem for me. But I'm a gymnast, and I'm in the gym with kids ranging from 4 to 18 years old for about 8 hours per week, which exposes me to all sorts of germs. I wash my hands after I get home from absolutely anywhere, and I just recently (because my dad got sick) started not touching my face if at all possible. I also check 'use by' dates a lot. My parents do their best to help me, but after saying 'guys, I'm scared I might v*, because of blah blah blah' for the 10th time in a day, they tend to get less understanding, lol. I also get nervous whenever I can't talk to someone about it. If I'm scared, I have to talk to someone, but only someone that I really trust. So I guess I feel trapped in a sense too.

I guess you and I aren't so special after all. :P

[holtkm]

I'm 16 and a girl... Sorry about te gender difference. Ha. I feel the exact same as you. I cannot wear clothes I have v*ed in before, eat foods I've v*ed before, and I get very nervous on dates that I've been sick. Throughout the whole months of November, December, and January, I was a nervous wreck. I would never touch my face (I still try to avoid doing that, force of habit) and I would eat less at every meal than usual. I also would drink a glass of grape juice every single day, just in case. It helped calm me down sometimes. Being a teenager with emetophobia is horrible. It cuts into your daily life/ social life. What's worse for me is that both of my parents are in the medical field and think its no big deal and I'm just a baby. It sucks feeling like your family doesn't understand.
My anxiety has gotten better recently, however. I'm still trying I be careful though. I think it's getting better because I know that flu season and noro season are almost over. Just gotta hang in there a little bit longer.
Message me if you ever need to talk!

[Katari]

It sucks feeling like your family doesn't understand.

I completely agree!! I feel the only one I can really talk to about my Emetophobia is my Dad. He helps me calm down and is always with me. He has helped me a lot with my fear and understands. But the thing that really annoys me is that my Friends and some Family thinks my fear is stupid and pretend to get sick. It just makes me panic more. And my education is hard to because I am constantly stuck in a room with kids who could be sick at anytime.

[Ghost_oftheSun]

I'm 15 years old. And I have awful emetophobia. Whenever someone at my school says that they feel n* or that they had sv*, I freak out. I don't eat anything so I won't have anything to v* and I won't sleep because I fear waking up at like 3 am and being sick. I try to talk to people about my phobia but they don't get it. They always say "Everyone hates v*. Get over it." They always think I'm overreacting. Even my therapist says "You're frightened of something else but covering it up with emetophobia." The only person I can talk to about emet is my grandma because she has it too!

[rrosedawsonn]

I'm 18 now but my emetophobia got really bad when I was around your age, well I was in grade 10 so I was 15. I never told anyone which is the worst decision I've ever stuck with. It got so bad I couldn't stay in school, because I felt trapped, like I needed to get out and I didn't want to be trapped and be sick. The same goes for our mall, or any building. Unfortunately my coping techniques back then were to stop eating all together and taking maalox, and yeah it worked for a while until my body went into starvation mode. It basically eventually rejected the food or seemingly did, I never got sick because I never ate enough to but I felt terrible all the time and it was so dangerous. Anyways, in these past three years whats helped best for me, was talking to a psychiatrist and telling him exactly how I felt, unlike I've ever told anyone, even my parents. And even though I'm completely against pills he gave me some for my appetite and anxiety. Which I've stopped taking. I know its hard, but things like eating only things I make, cook, check the date on is what I trust. Know your body and what it can and can't take, just keep breathing. As for telling people, know who cares, and I've found with my clueless parents, they listen most when they know you're vulnerable and afraid. I can't say to know what to do about teachers though, unless they really care or try to understand they'll always think 'well nobody likes it, its uncomfortable but quick' Just let them know that you'd like to be able to leave if you absolutely have to to take a 5 minute breather.

[MaxW]

Hi I've just joined the website and I'm a 13 year old male
I've been reading through the thread and I share some symptoms with you but not all, like I'm not scared of school or anything, I'm just worried if I'm near someone that's vomited recently. I also have a really bad diet, like I have no fruits or vegetables, I only have them rarely. I'm also quite a fussy eater and I don't really like to try anything new. Because of my bad diet I have suffered from constipation which makes you feel nauseous, but you don't vomit. Almost every morning I feel sick but I never am, but I've just got back from holiday with my school (I'm also not worried about going places without my parents, I just like them to reassure me) and I've got this chesty cough where phlegm comes up. I also have a runny nose and I'm scared that I'm gonna vomit from swallowing the mucus. I'm trying to spit it out now but it's really hard to get it out from the back of my throught. Will I be sick?

[WoofGirl]

I just turned 18, BUT I have had it ever since I can remember. High School years are tough. All your friends are going on trips and to parties and sleep overs. And I'm just over here like, eww... Don't touch me I don't know where your hands have been lol

[Skittles04]

High School years are tough. All your friends are going on trips and to parties and sleep overs. And I'm just over here like, eww... Don't touch me I don't know where your hands have been lol

story of my life

[AmericanAdam]

I just turned 17. I've had it for at least 10 years. It got significantly worse when I got a sv when I was 15. My mom works at a hospital and she caught it, v* at Disneyland and the whole 60 mile drive home. I v* 2 days later. That's when my phobia REALLY took off. I had forgotten how it felt like to v* before then because it had been 8 years, but now I know

[Laursax1]

I'm 13 I'm most likely the youngest one on this site. My fear began when I was around 4 years but didn't start affected my day to day life until a few years ago. I'm a female.

[kaiilyn_23]

I just turned fifteen last month. I've been on here since I was twelve and had this damn phobia since I was about three. I'm a lot better now in comparison to about eighteen months ago, but it's still here. Grade seven was a terrible year for me, and the summer leading into it. I could not control my anxiety and fear. I only started to notice change after I turned to Zoloft to help my anxiety.

My emet wasn't always so bad, it was only that summer going into grade seven, and the year of grade seven. I've always been petrified of vomit, when people are sick I would cry and leave the house, and I would cry when I felt sick and panic. But it became obsessive and it was always on my mind. I stopped eating and functioning, missed a lot of school, stopped being social, etc.

Just the other day, I was with a friend. My emet is 10x better now, but she was feeling nauseous and because I couldn't tell whether she was sick from a flu or just ate something, I panicked because she was about to be sick. For me, the worst kind of "being sick" is the whole flu. I can't take that. I just can't. I can't be around it.

My phobia began when I was three. I had the stomach flu but I didn't care, I was fine, I was only sick twice and woke up the next morning feeling back to my three year old self. My family, they weren't so lucky--they caught it, and it was horrific, and it scarred me for life. I don't know why I'm so lucky when it comes to my flu tolerance and vomiting resistance, but I'm happy.

It turns out this is such a common phobia. I always thought I was just weird, and then I found this site when I was home, panicking because my mom was ill. I was twelve and my phobia and fear was at it's peak. I found out that not only did the fear have its own name, but other people too. And this year, my two best friends actually suffer with this phobia, too.

[Luuucy72]

I am a 16yearold teen emetophobe and just found your thread. It's great how similar we all feel and how understanding we can be of eachother when nobody else understands us. Xx

[chixy]

I am 19 but have had the phobia since I was around 15 or 16 so I can relate to anyone this age as well!