New - Very worried.

[yoyo123]

Hello, i came across this forum and i was so happy to find it. Well i've come here as im worried about my friend. She has a fear of being sick and ill. There's a few things which worry me, she always says she dosn't feel well and says she always feels sick, im not sure if this is due to panic or her diet. All she will eat is 3 pb&j sandwhichs and 1 or 2 kit kats a day, is that a problem?? i don't know if thats why she feel so ill all the time, she does have a meal sometimes like mcdonalds, but she panics most of the time and finds only sadnwhich's and kit kats safe for her to eat. I really want to know how to help her as im scared because she is losing weight and becoming worse, please if theres any advice about what to do, or what i can do to help her, it would be nice, thanks.

[fifi]

Hi and welcome.


Your friends diet is not atall good. She is feeling ill due to no vitamins or protein or anything good. She must eat more healthly otherwise she will begin to feel even worse.


I would advise her to see her doctor to discuss this further and have some one to keep an eye on what she is eating- just remember you are what you eat.


Hope she gets some help real soon.

[shiva]

I just wanted to add that I think it's great that you are such a concerned and loving friend. I am glad to hear your emet friend has someone who she can count on for support.
That being said, it is common for people with this phobia to have unexplained tummy aches and not eat a very balanced diet. For 3 years all I would eat were crackers and ginger ale. And I don't know if our stomach aches are 'all in our heads', or if they are a response the the diet or daily anxiety. But these feelings she is having are real. The best thing you can do for her is try to help get her mind off of focusing too much on how she is feeling and her anxieties. Try to encourage a healthier diet, incorporating vitamins. And encourage therapy for her emetophobia.

[yoyo123]

Thank you for replying. Ok i shall have a word with her, i know its not healthy her diet, she isn't getting anything good, and she eats the same thing. Is there anything i could do when she has a panic attack to help her, or should i not say anything, i try to support her the best i can. I will tell her to go see her doctor and tell her about this site, that there are other people with the phobia, i didn't relise there was a name for it, i just searched on google. Thank you so much for your replies to my post.

[suze]

You're such a great friend to have! Remember, even though this phobia is driven by our mental side, it does manifest itself in very physical symptoms, so when she says she feels unwell, then she probably does! Her diet isn't good, and if she's losing weight then she really does need to see someone.


How old is your friend? Can you talk to one of her parents? Or if she's an adult, how about suggesting you go and visit her doctor together. It's often very frightening to admit that you have this phobia, for fear of appearing stupid, so you could do the talking for her, or at least get her to write her fears down so the doctor can read.


Finally, have a look at the treatments thread on this forum to see the steps that can be taken, and of course, mention this site to her, if she hasn't visited already. She'll realise she's in very good company and we're all prefectly normal people with one thing in common!


Wishing you the best of luck with this.

[yoyo123]

Thank you very much. She is 17, yes i could try having a word with her parents. Thank you i will have a look at the treatments bit on here. The weight issue worries me most, as i know that eating peanut butter and jam sandwhich's and kit katsfor the rest of her life, won't keep her healthy and alive. I will tell her about this site too, its really good, thank you for all your posts back, its been very helpfull and its made me see how this phobia can effect people.

[suze]

I would say when she has a panic attack to do your best to reassure her that she is safe and she'll come to no harm. For me, if I was out in public, I'd want my friend to get me out of wherever I am, away from people, to somewhere quiet. The just talk your butt off and do what you can to distract her. If she wants to run and hide, let her go but offer to go with her. If she wants to be alone, let her, she won't come to any harm and she may find it easier to cope on her own (I do!). At the end of the day, there's only so much you can do, as she needs to learn to calm herself down and deal with her own anxiety.

[yoyo123]

Thanks for the tips. Yes i will try and stay with her to help if she needs me, but if she wants to be alone, i will give her space, i think as a friend you just worry and want to know what the best thing to do is, im going to ask if she will go to the doctors about her eating though, as she's not getting anything good, just bread and chocolate, thank you for the reply.