Help! So worried and can't sleep

[parie]

It's 4:20am in Australia and I haven't slept for hours. I don't think I consider myself as 100% emetophobic as I am fine if I see others vomit, provided I know it's not something contagious (e.g. Alcohol related). For me, my fear is a fear of getting sick myself and others around me getting sick with something contagious that I could catch from them. either way, we're all people on here with anxiety and fear of vomiting so I assume people here can help me!

Last night I went to the movies with friends and we had Grill'd for dinner which is a local healthy burger bar in Australia (which is on my list of restaurants I trust eating at). I felt sick during the movie, as I always do because movie theatres are so stuffy and I can't help but think of all the germs stewing around in there from other people. We saw Paranormal Activity 4 and were sitting quite close up, and plus that movie is filmed on a handycam so it's shaking all over the screen. So i was feeling really average throughout the whole movie. But I'm since home and tried to sleep but kept waking up. I'm too scared to go back to sleep because my fear is waking up with the sensation of needing to vomit. I think that's the worst feeling in the world plus i was worrying so much i had some "gastrointestinal upset" . so now I'm just watching tv and on my iPad trying to keep my mind off, but an hour ago I was an emotional wreck, feeling sick, shaking, breathing heavily and panicking to the max. I was on the phone to my partner who is usually here to help me through and is so supportive of my sickness but he isn't here tonight and I work myself up 100 x more. I rang him at 2:45 and spoke til about 3:30 (so lucky he answered). I guess I'm just on here to seek support and I want to know if other people have the same fear of catching an illness that results in vomiting and how you deal with it? Does anyone do some counselling that can share tips? I need to see someone but I just keep putting it off. I feel like not even a psychiatrist or anyone can help me so if anyone has been through that and can help please let me know.thanks for reading.

[jmoore10]

Hi parie
From what you explain, you sound emetephobic to me! emetophobia is the irrational fear of vomitting, whether it be yourself or someone else doing it.
Sorry to hear your anxiety is acting up. I struggle pretty much daily with the fear of "is today the day IT'S going to happen?". Some days are worse than others, like if someone in my home or at work has been sick, or if I'm having particularly bad stomach problems. Luckily my husband is extremely patient and understanding with me so I use him as my sounding board a lot. Sometimes that's enough to hold off a panic attack. I also have my typical distractions I use-coming on this site and asking for help, going to funny websites like FML and people of walmart (not sure if you have walmarts in Aus) to try and get my mind off
things.
I tried the whole counseling route but it didn't do anything for me. I was very straightforward with the dr-I told him I wasn't so interested in finding the root cause of my emet or to be put on anti-anxiety meds. Rather I was more interested in learning new coping and calming techniques. Instead all we did was talk, talk, talk. He wasn't very helpful on suggesting methods to cope with the panic attacks or ways to reduce my anxiety so I stopped going. However there are others on here who have had success with more intensive therapy treatments so hopefully you will have the opportunity to read entries under the "treatments" section
In the meantime I hope you can get some rest. Welcome to the forum
Jennifer

[kam00096]

Hi parie
Welcome aboard! Hopefully I'm late enough in replying to this that you've crashed out and are sound asleep by now. If not, don't worry, it defi sounds like a combo of food, the cinema and the film that's made you feel off. As far as counselling and things go different methods work better for different people. I saw a psychologist a while back and it did help (or at least since I stopped seeing her I've been much worse again). And I have gone down the medication route just to try to take the edge off the anxiety but there are lots of things you can try! Anyways I hope you've managed to distract yourself enough to get some sleep x

[loop-star]

Hi Parie! Welcome! I'm in NZ - nice to hear from someone sort of close!!

I'd totally advise seeing a psycologist. I've been seeing one for about 6-7 months now and she's taught me some really great coping mechanisms for the aniexty etc. She's also made me realise that me fear is not something that NEEDS to be cured - its more something that I need to accept and learn to live with - and since I've started seeing her I've made some real progress.

I'm one of the types thats determined to go it alone without the help of medication. There have been times where I've wished I'd had it - but I've been concious of my emetophobia since my late teens and other that a brief spell when I first started being afraid - the most I've ever been reliant on is the immodium....

[parie]

Yes after reading a few more posts from other people I have gathered that!! I see a lot of people have mentioned worrying about family and colleagues getting sick. I feel like a horrible person for it sometimes though, the other day one of the girls I work with had been vomitting the night before.. I wouldnt inhale when I walked past her, and every ten minutes I would be spraying the office with disinfectant spray! Not to mention of course I felt sick for the next 3 days waiting for it to happen to me

I am exactly the same..I always tell my partner I feel sick - he tells me its in my head - and I tell him "No but I think it's the real thing this time!" and it never is... my friends don't understand how much it messes with your head. They all want to go out to mexican and chinese restaurants and when I say I can't eat at those places (I don't trust them at all!!) they just seem really confused like.. who cares if you get sick it lasts like a day. I wish I had that mindset!

THanks for your advise though, I do try and keep myself busy and do some breathing exercises to slow down my heartrate, I have considered psychiatry but it comes down to time and money. And at the end of the day, I just feel like there's no one thats going to be able to convince me that it's fine to eat in the dodgiest looking chinese restaurant in town, only teach me ways of coping with it. haha thanks for the suggestions - we don't have Walmart in Australia however I am more than familiar with the people of walmart pics haha. They're always going around office emails

Thanks Jennifer

[parie]

Hi kam00096
Thanks for you reply... I managed to sleep at 5am and slept for about an hour and a half - but then had to get up for work
Thanks for the reassurance, I am feeling much better now and luckily didnt be sick. Does the medication work well? What does it do?

[parie]

Oh nice and close! Thats good - I have heard mixed opinions from people but I think it all just depends on the psychologist you go to.. I will have to find a good one. Thanks for your advise - It's nice to talk to people about this. I will definitely have to spend more time on here!
x

[daniela]

Hi Parie, sorry for the late reply, I do hope you see my post. I am in Australia too - Melbourne, but I totally love Perth and have been there the past two years for Summer holidays - love the weather! I can definitely recommend seeing a psychologist, I have been seeing one for about for years and it truly does help. They can give you many techniques which help with anxiety, because basically, that is what we are suffering from. My therapist said it is not the object of our fears that is important, it is the arousal and our reaction and how we respond to our fears which makes things worse. When I see my therapist I take notes and I have a journal which I write in often which helps me cope when a difficult time arises, I look over my notes and read how I coped in the past. I hope you are feeling better soon
Cheers,
Daniela

[parie]

Hi Daniela
Good to hear! I love Melbourne, have been 5 times in the last few years, favourite place in Australia
Thanks for your opinions on psychologists, that does sound good. I will have to find one soon, I want to fix this before I go to America in December 2013, because as I am at the moment I won't be able to survive thinking that every single place I go I'm going to get sick from It's really hard to go on holidays with this phobia because you never know where you can trust But yeah, I know if I go to America the way I am now there will definitely be fights between me and my partner over such a long amount of time!
Thanks for your help x