How do you react when someone tells you they feel sick?

[JessalynV.]

Like if I'm with a group a friends and one of them says they feel like they are going to be sick, I tend to try to avoid them at all costs, like backing away and making an excuse to go do something else. What do you do?

[Keeley]

Well when someone says they feel sick I ask What kind of sick? and if its v* i avoid them at all costs!!!

[gumdropper1]

Jessalyn, you said two different things. In the headline you said "feel sick," which can mean anything from ice cream headache to period to impending doom. In the body of your post, you said "going to be sick," which almost always means vomiting.

When someone says they're going to be sick, I will sometimes ask why and help them find a bathroom. I am relieved when they say it's because of drinking or a bad burger. When someone says they feel sick, I ask what their symptoms are. If they reply something other than nausea, I am relieved and offer sympathy and aspirin. If they say nausea, then see above. I like being relieved and dislike hearing the sound of retching.

Doug

[chocolategirl]

I jump as far as possible away from them like today in the car, my cousin who is four said her tummy hurt and i was right next to her, i freaked and jumped over onto my other cousins lap lol. later i found out she did it because she wanted her window open

[JessalynV.]

oops, sorry about the confusion thing, was typing to fast to get my idea fully and properly out of my brain. But I meant, "Going to be sick".

[shootingstar]

I instantly feel all hot & my legs turn to jelly -must be an instant fear & panic that runs through my body.
The next thing I do is ask what sort of sick & why. Then keep asking them how do they feel now.

[PinkP]

If I`m with a group of friends, I try to avoid that person. If it is someone I`m alone with I often "remember" that I have something really important to do that i "forgot" and I run away.

[sunnyskies]

"Oh. Um. That sucks."

Which I mean sincerely, for both their sake and my own. Hahah.

But I usually ask them how they feel sick, and it isn't always going to be stomach related. So knowing how they feel sick can help you determine whether or not you can handle being around them. If it is stomach related, you can try to make a considerate offer like, "We don't have to see the movie now." or go/do whatever. Odds are they might want to go home anyway and then they won't feel bad for leaving.

[JaneGoodallFan]

go away to my room all day

[Orchid]

I immediately panic. I've been in this situation before. Sometimes you can't get away, if you're in a car so I just sit there and panic. It's awful. I feel bad for the person feeling sick too but they're probably not emetophobic.

[Naketa Parham]

Im outta there,no matter what,just cant do it,every second i would be looking for them to *v,and what makes it worse is that i would swear right then that i have contracted whatever it is thats making them ill,u kno guys our minds are powerful!

[haylz113]

If someone tells me they want to be sick, I would haul ass out of there straight away. No way I am sticking around to see that. I would either make an excuse or just sneak off depending on the situation. I would FREAK out. I just can't be around it.

[meir446]

I sneak off and If i am with buddies say I gotta go.

[hmw2000]

When someone says they feel "sick," I usually ask them what hurts. Try to hint around and figure out if they mean that their stomach is upset. If I think they mean they are going to v*, I either get away from them, or if they are in MY SPACE, I tell them to get away from me! I am not afraid to tell them that I can't handle it!

[unaware27]

If it's v*-sick then I give them a few tips and then stay away from them. I dont touch them or anything near them. And then I go sanitize and wash like crazy.

[jet1550]

I wish I could have more empathy and not seem so rude when somebody near me says they feel sick

Last year, in the middle of winter (noro season) I was on a long distance bus trip and a little boy sitting opposite me was complaining about feel sick, and then v* all over himself and the seat. I instinctively shot out of my seat and moved to another part of the bus.

Ever since I've found myself very alert to people using the word "sick", and on more than one occasion I've mistaken similar words (like suck, or sock) that I misheard as sick. How embarrassing.

[jocelynnsmom]

I immediately ask what they mean. If it's an upset stomach, my anxiety starts, my heart races and I make a mental note of all exits depending on where I am

[KaydeeJayde]

I wish I could have more empathy and not seem so rude when somebody near me says they feel sick

I completely know what you mean. My immediate defensive reaction is to turn into a total bitch and I appear so cold and heartless, but I'm not really like that. I just ask a lot of questions and I think I even border on mean. I can't help it though.

[bex]

My partner has just text me saying she feels sick - I hate to say this, but thankfully we're not spending the weekend together so I know I won't have to deal with anything hands-on. But we spent all of yesterday/last night together, so whatever it is surely I could have contracted in that time? Oh

[4077girl]

I guess it depends on who the person is, what the cause is, and how urgently they mean it. I mean, I have one friend who always says she feels like she's going to throw up and she never does, so when she says it, I just keep an eye out. But if it's someone who would only say that if they meant it I'd probably ask them a million questions about what they ate, and tell them to go to the bathroom. If someone is literally about to throw up, and they're not drunk, I would run away. If they're drunk, I would plug my ears and try not to get it on me!

[kaiilyn_23]

Whenever somebody says they feel sick, I usually quiz them a little... & ask symptoms, etc. I've realized that I'm really good at diagnosing things... anyway, I usually stay a couple of feet away from them but don't "ditch" them until they've actually puked- which for the most part, nobody who says that to me does! In front of me at least.

[itschrissy]

I instantly feel all hot & my legs turn to jelly -must be an instant fear & panic that runs through my body.
The next thing I do is ask what sort of sick & why. Then keep asking them how do they feel now.

me too! most of my friends know, so i dont think theyre too weirded out at this point

[fixxxer2012]

Like if I'm with a group a friends and one of them says they feel like they are going to be sick, I tend to try to avoid them at all costs, like backing away and making an excuse to go do something else. What do you do?

same here.

[person54321]

I'm like Doug. I ask them questions about it because almost all the time it's NOT a stomach bug and then I can not worry about having been hanging out with them that day. Most of the time when people get sick it's not a stomach bug.

[katherines6]

when someone feels sick i ask them how and if they say anything about v*ing i let them know not to breathe on me touch me or anything until they feel better. only one knows i am emetophobic, the others just consider me a germophobe. but to avoid freakouts and akward things in case a friend is sick i would suggest letting them know of your condition so that they know if they feel ill you are NOT the one to go to. which is not to say you dont care or anything, its just bad for your peace of mind and health if they come near.

[CrazyGirl1123]

When someone tells me their sick I immediatly ask them ""what kind of sick" and if they say that they feel like their going to v* my heart will start to race and my mind will go crazy! I start using my hand sanitzer constantly! I try to distance myself from them without hurting anyones feelings. Like, when my husband is sick, I feel so bad when I am unable to take care of him the way I should but now that I know that as long as I wash my hands and dont touch my face and all of that, I feel better!

[Claire-]

My friend said it today.
I said "Aww," and patted her shoulder, stayed with her as long as I could bear and then just slowly dissapeared from the situation ^_^

Mind you, the other time it happened, I legged it in the opposite direction and panicked for the rest of the day, lol.

[Emily42]

I quiz them about "what kind of sick", and if they say v, then the panic ensues!!
If I cannot get away from the situation (for example if I am stuck sitting beside them in a lecture or something), then I just sit there with my heart pounding, getting hot and cold flashes, sometimes I feel like I will pass out, and my thoughts are racing.
Once I can finally get myself out of the situation, I panic for the next few days! And the next time I see the friend, I ask them if they feel better (and pray that they say yes and that they never got sick in the first place!!)

[stacey74]

I usually ask what kind of sick. If it involves n* or v* I'm out-even if its my kids (poor things). Usually I just remove myself from them. Not scared of getting it....just getting it on me

[Autumn]

Initial reaction: instant fear and rising panic
Then: I ask what kind of sick. I try and talk/rationalise it with them and try and convince myself it's okay. If they say something like 'indigestion', then it's all good. If not, I really go panic, and do everything I can to get the hell away from them as fast as I can, and for as long as I can.