I'm really needing some help and guidance right now.. My boyfriend came down with a SV this morning, and I was with him last night. He started showing symptoms a couple hours ago, but the last time I'd been around him was almost twelve hours ago. My mind has convinced me that I have it now.. my stomach hurts, I can't stop burping, I've been crying and panicking for an hour now. I would rather die than V or contact a SV; I'm new to this forum, I didn't know where else to turn because nobody in my life understands how truly serious and debilitating this phobia is. I feel like I am losing control, like I've lost my mind. It gets so bad that I refuse to spend time with anybody until a week after their symptoms disappear.. The minute I hear a SV is going around, I scrub my hands endlessly throughout the day until they're cracking and bleeding. I don't want to be like this anymore, but I don't know how to get rid of it. I need some reassurance or something, I need coping mechanisms to get through times like this.. I need to know that I'm not alone and that there are others who deal with it as well. If there's anybody who can talk me through this, who can show me that I'm not alone, I would appreciate it like no other. I don't want to endure this endless struggle any longer.