My Story: Australia

[HarryJM]

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Hello my name is Harry,

I am 19 years old and i live in Sydney, Australia

I have just become aware of this site and it shed much needed light on my perception of my phobia

My phobia started around 10 years ago when i had surgery on my ear. After the surgery i was severely disorientated, dizzy and nauseas... which then led to the inevitable. Since that operation i have lived in fear of getting; food poisoning, the flu, concussion (can lead to v**) and the list goes on.

At the age of 12 i suffered severely from emetophobia, i would compulsively wash my hands and sleep with a bucket next to my bed because i would convince myself every night that "The dinner my mum cooked will make me sick"... they were a tough few years, but as i grew older i became more efficient at dealing and managing my fears.

My phobia goes through different stages of intensity, some days its all i think about... other days it doesn't even cross my mind.

I have seen numerous psychologists and 2 of Australia's leading psychiatrists... both gave me the advice of assessing situations in accordance to their perceived risk.. i.e If i were to dine at a nice restaurant my trust in the food should be strong, however if i were to eat at a 'dodgy' or suspicious looking restaurant i should asses it with a high level of risk (which 'any normal person would do') with this i went out and tried testing myself... i couldn't even get takeaway Chinese from a recommended establishment. I then tried hypnosis... which i can safely say didn't work.

I am cautious of hygiene, however sometimes i am slack... it is those times in which i take it out on myself for not feeling more cautious

I felt i was left with no choice but to face the fear front on and initiate v**... and we all know that is like telling someone with claustrophobia to jump into a closet. It wont work. However, in the last 9 years there has been numerous times where i have come extremely close to v**... i have managed to refrain, most of the time the though of being sick has created anxiety which as ironically made me feel allot more ill. In holding it down i thought to myself, is it possible to train yourself to restrain from v** ? i researched it and there has been cases, however i cant help but think that if i get a bought of food poisoning then i will have little control over my natural defence mechanism.

My phobia has stopped me from travelling and has impeded on my relationships and study. I live at a university college and i am always cautious of 'stomach bugs' going around campus. I am getting to the point where i need to get on top of it before i miss out on many once in a lifetime and life changing experiences.

after little research tonight i found this website (i cant post it for some reason???) i t is reasonably expensive, however i would pay whatever it took if i knew there was a chance in getting rid of this huge cloud which hangs over me.

This is my first ever internet blog, so i hope i haven't ranted on for too long or given to much information on my personal problems. from the posts i have read i can tell there are some amazingly strong people out there and hopefully we can all defeat this and move on for a more bright and experience filled future

Cheers everyone

Harry

[daniela]

Hi Harry, I am so sorry you have been suffering with this phobia, as you know, you are not alone! Welcome, and I am from Australia too - Melbourne. I am a long time sufferer, and I am 46 years old, but I am only now trying to overcome this phobia as when I was younger, nobody knew this phobia even existed. There was no internet, no google etc. Please don't let my age put you off hope, as I said, there is so much information available now that just wasn't available in the 70's, 80's. Imagine those poor people who have suffered even before that - our ancestors maybe! To give you more hope, I have not been *sick* since I was about 8 years old. That's right. That's about 38 years and counting (lol!) knock on wood!!! I am only just facing this phobia now and have made some progress. I have up and down days; everything you have been through I have been through too, as have many others on this site. I have found that taking Zoloft has helped me lead a normal life, but I still have what I call anxiety episodes which are triggered by stress or major life events, eg. moving house, changing jobs, basically anything that can stress you out! I am only now finding out how beneficial practicing Mindfulness (please look this up) is and or Meditation. Making yourself vomit will not cure this phobia, so don't go down that track! It is much more complex than that. I am considering purchasing the Emet Recovery System - as long as there is no exposure involved! It is very interesting - I have been very close to *V* through panic attacks, funnily enough, but have had SV's and not *V* and took antiemetics with the onset of any possible SV straight away, just in case. If you go to a good GP and explain your phobia you should be able to get antiemetics to take in emergencies. I have Maxalon at hand, but rarely take it, only in extreme cases. You don't need to over wash your hands, after the loo, before eating, after touching anything in public, always wash with soap. I have learnt through experience that travelling in a plane wont make me sick, an you can learn this too! Please let me know if I can be of any help; you can PM me and I can give you my personal email if you want. I hope this helps! Cheers, Daniela

[HarryJM]

Daniela, you are a life saver ! i am unable to send a complete reply at this time. however i will be in touch as soon as possible ! Thank you so much. means more than you know.

Harry

[daniela]

Not a problem Harry, I'm here to help:-) we Aussies have to stick together! You can beat this thing! Do keep in touch and take care, Daniela

[KaydeeJayde]

Another Aussie! Hey Daniela

HarryJM, thanks for sharing your story. Was the therapy that you got from the psychologists/psychiatrists you saw ongoing? I saw some one off counsellors and psych professionals on a one off basis, and it did nothing. It was when I developed an ongoing relationship with a therapist that the programs started to help me. I was doing CBT with a therapist that I saw for a couple of years. Either way, it's great that you've found the forums and a group of like minded people

[HarryJM]

I went about 3 times, however it was during the period of my final exams so i kinda got caught up with other things and neglected it. i have heard that building a relationships with a therapist is really important in making a great deal of change. The man i saw was responsible for getting Geoff Heugill back into the pool after his stint of depression and numerous other issues. i found him extremely helpful, he bases his practice allot on hypnotherapy. If anyone wants his details i am more than happy to find them and post them. i know for one thing his practice is in manly, and that he charges around $500 per session

[daniela]

Hi Kaydee, and Harry :-) Aussies unite :-D I just wanted to recommend a couple af amazing books to help with this phobia, The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, you may have this Kaydee? It's excellent, nothing about our specific phobia in there but everything in there can just be applied to this phobia. And another book, this one a classic published in 1953, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie, what a legend! I love this little book, it's my 'Bible' for anxiety. Some amazing true stories in that book, it is truly uplifting! :-)

[KaydeeJayde]

I do indeed have the first one! My very first therapist gave it to me as a gift

[momof5]

Daniela,
Long time emet too, 39 and haven't v since I was about 12. I am looking for help I can afford. Money is well, non existent, so I am searching for help here
It does help reading how others cope. It has become difficult to leave home. I have 5 children and want to give them a fuller life. I picture myself so muchdifferent if i could get rid of this. Its strange that i consider childbirth less scary than v.