newbie.. confused

[katm]

Hey all.. I'm new to the site but I"ve had this fear since I was a little kid.. it has seriously made me feel like I have an old ball and chain attached every day of my life! if only I could just have a medication that would just be able to make me not vomit ever again, I would be completely free of anxiety for the rest of my life! the thought of it makes me feel like i'm in heaven! lol.. any suggestions on how I can cure this?

[sage]

Hi Katm,


Well, there is no medication you can take or procedure to make you not vomit, but that shouldn't actually be your goal anyway. You goal should be to have no fear. It's the fear that's ruining your life, not the possibility of vomiting, although I understand how it seems to be the latter.


You can go to the treatments thread - and at the top are sticky posts with lots of information about treatments, info to give your dr, therapist or family, and info about how to get professional help.


Good luck!

[sunshine16]

Hey there, Katm, and welcome to the site!

There is no 'quick cure' for emetophobia, its simply a process of
overcoming fear overtime, but don't we all wish there was one! This is
an amazing group of people and were all here to support you with your
goal of beating this phobia, because we all know how it feels, we all get</span> it.

Anyway..hope you find comfort in knowing you are definatly not alone.

Welcome once again.

Laura</font>

[ontariogirl]

Too bad about the pills! My Grandmother would say to me, Rhonda when you feel sick you should just let it come up, your body is telling you that it needs to get rid of the bad stuff; she was a RN for 40 years. God love her but at that age I couldn’t agree!


Now that I am older this phobia isn’t as strong as it was say when I was a teenager. Back then I obsessed everyday and it was hell. My past still haunts me. I have learned that hand washing is the key, and I take medication to stop the nausea. I still freak out when I feel sick but I don’t do the things as I have done in the past such as biting my nails till they bled, pulling at my hair and some times hurting myself and of course praying to God that I am not sick. I take my pill and try to relax, I do freak out but not to the point when I was younger. I pace and I pace, I cry and scream. When my kids are sick it was hell and it is still hell. I don’t think I will overcome this fear.

[katm]

thanks all.. its so wierd.. i'm glad I finally found ppl with this problem for years my family all thought I was crazy!

[meercat]

Nope, if you're crazy, then we're ALL crazy hehe!! I'm close to 38 and have had this phobia since i can remember. I honestly thought i was the only one on God's green earth who suffered with this!! It's truly a comfort to know how NOT alone, i really am :-) Everyone here is SO supportive!!! There is nothing you can't say, or ask on here. You will never be laughed at or called rediculous because we are all in the same boat. There are people of all age ranges on this site, yet our similarities (regarding our phobia) are simply uncanny!!!

Since discovering this website, i check in here on a daily basis...sometimes for reinforcement, sometimes looking to help anyone who needs it, or simply because it's become a comfort zone for me...like visiting my family, cuz a family is supposed to be loving, understanding, and supporting...and you definitely have that here!! :-)

God bless you and welcome!!!

Paula

[reese]

I, too, didn't realize that this was so common until today when I was
looking for the correct spelling of emetophobia and this was the first
place that came up on my google search. I am 24 and this overwhelming
fear is pretty new to me.

As a child, I was never sick. I had chronic ear infections and throat
infections, but I never was stomach ill. Once... when I was 6... and that
was it. As a teenager, I found myself being nauseated EVERYDAY.. and I
would cry and shake. I went home so often that my high school counselor
actually called my dad and told him that I was pregnant!! The feeling
subsided, and I rarely thought much about it. The only time I've ever
actually been ill since I was 6 was from drinking a couple of times.

A couple of years ago, I went to meet my fiances family for the first time
and I was SO NAUSEATED. It was embarrassing. His mother actually went
and bought me some coke syrup. I felt fine the next day. Panic averted. A
couple of days later, I went out of the country. I felt fine when we first got
there... but that evening, I started feeling sick. For the rest of the week
when I was there, I was SICK. I did not eat all week. One evening, I spent
an ENTIRE night heaving and gagging. I was never actually ill, no matter
how much water I drank, nothing would come up. From then on, I have
been battling nausea and the fear of being ill. I went to the Dr. and she
told me that I have anxiety. She gave me Ativan, and it helps GREATLY. I
have anxiety and etemophobia, and I think that the 2 feed each other and
its a vicious cycle.

When ever I feel nauseated, I shake violently. It's HORRIBLE!! I also have
IBS, and when ever my belly acts up, I always fear have I'm getting a
stomach virus and I end up taking a whole mg of Ativan and a phenergan
to treat any symptom that I might have, and it knocks me out. I drink
outrageous amounts of vitamin C and B12 daily. I feel like a crazy lady!
Everytime I spend time with kids, I come home and drink a ton of Vitamin
C. I've made the decision that I don't want kids because I can't deal with
them being sick or possibly bringing home germs. I'm afraid of morning
sickness. If someone tells me that they are sick, I ALWAYS ask if they were
*V*. I feel like I'm crazy sometimes!!!

[murphy]

Reese,


Welcome to the websight. You will find plenty of support here. I want to tell you that you are exactly right about it being a vicious cycle. I too am emetophobic and have anxiety disorder as well as IBS. Anytime I have any sort of twinge in my stomach I get afraid I am sick. I have learned to recognize different feelings and not worry myself into an anxiety attack. I also experience terrible trembling experience with an anxiety attack. It is very scary. You are not alone. You are not crazy either. None of us can help this. I promise this site will help you. Take care.


Murphy

[gubba]

Reese,


Welcome and I want to tell you that you have truly found so many others just like you. I must admit that when I was your age, I swore I would never have kids. I didn't even like playing with my nephews for fear that they would be sick or give me something that they were contagious with. I now have a 3 year old son and I will tell you I would not give him up for the world. I did not like being pregnant for fear all 9 months of being sick and I never was. I felt a little N* but not much different than usual...I feel that way at some point daily.


When my son V*'s it is difficult, but I have a wonderful husband who steps up and does the job. If he isn't home, I manage it, and move on. It doesn't last long for kids. I wash my hands a lot and I can't tell you the great joy that he brings. He can even sometimes get my mind off a lot of my anxiety.


I know it is a relief to have found so many people who feel the same way you do and I hope you take advantage of the great support that people here give.