Hi Everyone,
I just registered to this wonderful site. I never even considered that there would be a site dedicated to this awful fear. I have read some posts and feel like I am "home!" I'm Andrea, I am 35 years old and have suffered from emetophobia since I was 10. It started with a bad flu which my doc treated with codeine. I was ALLERGIC to codeine, which made me sick, very. It was that loss of control that has stuck with me my whole life. This fear has ruled my life off and on since then. I have been hospitalized twice because I couldn't eat (nerves!) and lost too much weight. "THey all thought I was anorexic. I do have 2 children, 8 and 3 1/2 but the first three months of pregnancy almost killed me and I only got sick once or twice (too much). It was the constant worry and nausea that was sometimes unbearable. Now as a mother, I totally feel for all moms with this (I read Sheri and I feel the SAME way). I go into total panic whenever my kids even look tired. And I constantly ask them how they feel. And I monitor the junk food they have for fear of eating too much. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who can tolerate me and the sickness when it occurs. I am also very superstitious like some of you. All the psychs I went to tell me it is anxiety and that this phobia is just a piece of it. No, it is ALL of it.
Sorry this is long but I just want to introduce myself and tell you how grateful I am to meet all of you. I have never used a chat room before so forgive me if I goof somehow. Thanks again for listening. Andee