Advice, better coping mechanisms, help?

[Emociional]

Hi everyone, I'm Amanda I'm writing this as kind of a vent/call for help kind of thing First off I'm 30, I have two daughters, and I suffer from severe emetophobia For years now I have been terrified of 'everything' needless to say. I have severely restricted my diet, which sucks because I'm a big girl, I love food, I rarely leave without anxiety attacks, every night is hell because I now suffer from insomnia from fear to sleep, I'm ALWAYS nauseated, well at least my anxiety says so. Anyways, what I'm asking for is advice on better coping mechanisms? Unfortunately I'm a cutter (awful, I know) and I always tend to turn to that when I get to feeling like this. I have OCD, so to be honest, I doubt ever being 'cured' from this horrible phobia, which is why I'm reaching out in hopes that somebody who understands the power of this phobia can help me in some way. I have tried it all, therapy, meds, hypnotism, all kinds of books, programs etc. In December 2010 I got strep real bad and the antibiotic made me violently ill, so that obviously didn't help either, made it worse I'm mostly concerned about my girls, I'm afraid that my actions and fears will go to them because they see my behavior as far as cleaning and panicking, my restricted diet, no Restaurants, my endless questioning etc. Hopefully someone can relate to this and offer some advice? Thanks to everyone who reads this!!!

[Bezza1992]

Hi Amanda , I am Sam and I have just turned 20. I am afraid I cant really help you much but I can tell you what I am currently doing to get through each day....I wash my hands after touching anything and I use hand gel as a second precaution. I also have recorded myself saying the simple phrase "not everything results in a sickness bug and food poisoning" whenever I start to panic I play this over and over until it registers in my head!! .... I also have limited my diet I don't eat any meat , dairy products etc and rarely eat out at restraunt's.
I have been prescribed prochlorperazine by the doctor as an anti emetic , so if I ever feel nauseas I take one and it takes it away , the main side affect if that they make you really tired so luckily for me I sleep most night's , unless of course I am in one of my major panic's!!
It is an awful phobia and it has affected my life so much I am on the verge of going insane.... the only support I can offer you is someone to talk to that knows exactly how you feel. I have just started CBT so I will let you know if that helps me in anyway , I will remain hopeful.
In the meantime all I can say is handwashing and handgel to put your mind at rest , a good anti emetic if you ever need it , sea band's for nausea ( non medicated ) , rescue remedy and plenty of chewing gum and mints.
Here if you ever need to talk , take care.
xxxx

[KaydeeJayde]

Hi Amanda , I am Sam and I have just turned 20. I am afraid I cant really help you much but I can tell you what I am currently doing to get through each day....I wash my hands after touching anything and I use hand gel as a second precaution. I also have recorded myself saying the simple phrase "not everything results in a sickness bug and food poisoning" whenever I start to panic I play this over and over until it registers in my head!! .... I also have limited my diet I don't eat any meat , dairy products etc and rarely eat out at restraunt's.
I have been prescribed prochlorperazine by the doctor as an anti emetic , so if I ever feel nauseas I take one and it takes it away , the main side affect if that they make you really tired so luckily for me I sleep most night's , unless of course I am in one of my major panic's!!
It is an awful phobia and it has affected my life so much I am on the verge of going insane.... the only support I can offer you is someone to talk to that knows exactly how you feel. I have just started CBT so I will let you know if that helps me in anyway , I will remain hopeful.
In the meantime all I can say is handwashing and handgel to put your mind at rest , a good anti emetic if you ever need it , sea band's for nausea ( non medicated ) , rescue remedy and plenty of chewing gum and mints.
Here if you ever need to talk , take care.
xxxx

The bolded is a BRILLIANT idea!!

Hey Amanda, I'm Erin. While I'm not afraid of getting sick myself, I can definitely understand. I am afraid of other people getting sick. I can't help with the curing the phobia. CBT worked for me really well, but many therapies don't work for different people.

As for your girls, a member on here suggested talking to them about it. Let them know that you have a fear, it's irrational, there's nothing for them to be afraid of. Explain to them everything you can and make sure they understand they don't have to be afraid, that you have anxiety and sometimes you freak out.

I hope that you find lots of comfort here. I'm also here if you need to talk, feel free to PM me

[Emociional]

Thanks guys so much! Sam great advice, I'm a gum freak already, (Ice cubes peppermint) and I have meds thank God. I never thought to record myself saying that, I will for sure try it! I'm also here if you need to vent Thanks Erin, my niece has that type of Emetophobia <-- (my spell check keeps telling me that's spelled wrong :/) anyways, she's only 14 and understands nothing about it, so I have been trying to help her as well as myself. I'm going to try and talk to my girls, I'm just so concerned, I don't want them thinking and/or feeling this way. It is absolute hell. But thanks guys so much for responding, sometimes you just need to know you're not alone.

[KaydeeJayde]

With your niece, could you help her understand a bit better? Maybe supervise her and take her on here to let her know that she's not alone and that she can get help if she needs it. Feeling alone is horrible. If you explain to your girls that they have absolutely no reason to be afraid like you are, it won't be so stressful for them if they see you panicking about it. How old are they?

[Emociional]

I did show her (my niece) the site, you could see the fear and embarrassment lift off of her. My sister has her believing she's a freak and apparently she inherited it from me :/ My daughters are 9 and 10, I have tried to explain it to them, but to be honest, it scares the hell out of me that they will get this awful phobia. It consumes you and/or your mind as if it were some kind of bad habit It really sucks bad living in fear constantly. But anyways, no more whining at you Thank you so much for your response and support, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!

[Skittles04]

good on you for showing your neice!
i was about her age when i was diagnosed with anxiety disorder, so know how she feels. i'm now 16 and am generally alot better, thanks to medication and supportive friends and family. With your daughters, try not to worry; if you assure them that being sick nothing to be scared of, they should be fine. Please tell your neice i said good luck!

[Emociional]

Thank you!