Did It End Up Making You Vomit?

[out_of_order]

Understandably, there are a lot of posts here that go something like this:

"I ate (whatever) and then realized it expired two weeks ago, will I get sick?"
"I ate undercooked chicken......?"
"I was preparing pork and I think a bit of raw juice went into my mouth...... ?"
"I spent the day with my sister and found out she had been vomiting all night......"
"I ate food that was left out of the fridge all night.......?"
"I touched my mouth without washing my hands.........."
"I walked by a puddle of vomit...."
"My child's friend is sick and now my child has diarrhea......."
And so on.

I'm wondering how many people ended up getting sick and how many didn't. It would be helpful if you also took a minute to post about what the concern was that did or did not make you sick.

Thanks in advance for participating in this poll.

[kyphie]

I would love to answer this poll, but it's difficult since I haven't actually vomited since 1988. I understand what you are getting at here however, perhaps trying to provide the voice of reason over the voice of panic?

[out_of_order]

Actually, I'd really like to know how often people actually DO get sick after eating something expired or undercooked, or not washing their hands, or coming in contact with a sick person, etc. I'm hoping the answers will be "the voice of reason" but only if a lot of people answer honestly will we know one way or another.

[Murder-my-soul]

I am around hospitals and sick people and I always worry I willl get sick but never do when I think I will. Nice poll. (:

[out_of_order]

I am around hospitals and sick people and I always worry I willl get sick but never do when I think I will. Nice poll. (:

Thanks! I always wondered how doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers stay healthy if things are caught as easily as we think.

[kyphie]

I work in a hospital/clinical setting. Handwashing really does count for a lot.

[cdelcourt827]

When I at the Old Chicken Stalk, I did not get sick.

Also, when my husband had a stomach virus, I also did not get sick.

[stoneskipper]

I haven't been sick in a really long time, but I've done probably millions of things I thought would make me sick, and they didn't. Of all various types - eating possibly expired or contaminated food, touching my mouth without washing my hands, taking medications, being around sick people.

[out_of_order]

I bet all of us, and I don't mean just emetophobic people, do millions of things that could make us sick and didn't. I remember a few years back Oprah had some OCD specialist with Dr OZ on her show and they were doing an "OCD Boot Camp". Basically, they took a group of OCD sufferers to a YMCA camp for 3 days or so and they had to roll around on the floor, walk all over each other's stuff, run their bare hands all over the toilet lid, and without washing their hands (they weren't allowed to wash at all the whole time) they had to eat (pizza) with their hands. Oh but it gets better - they were then taken to an inner city garbage can and they each (the doctors included) had to touch the INSIDE of the garbage can and rub it all over their faces AND put their fingers in their mouths. AND THEY ALL DID IT!!! I was freaking out just watching it. The OCD specialist said the point was to expose them to this stuff because we all do this without realizing it on a daily basis. He gave the example of taking out the garbage on the way to work, not washing your hands, and then stopping to get a coffee and a donut which you eat in the car on he way to work. He said we always have microscopic bits of everything just from normal day to day contact with the world and most times most people don't get sick. At the end of the boot camp they all reported to be over their OCD. I'm still traumatized by that Oprah show!!!

[stoneskipper]

Wow. I didn't see that Oprah show, but I read a book that said almost the exact same thing, down to the dumpster example. I wonder if the author was the specialist on the show lol. I loved his book.

[out_of_order]

Wow. I didn't see that Oprah show, but I read a book that said almost the exact same thing, down to the dumpster example. I wonder if the author was the specialist on the show lol. I loved his book.

I can't remember his name but if you google "Oprah OCD Boot Camp" I'm sure you can find out.

[ewilkins]

My wife recently got sick (about 3 weeks ago). I was panicked but did not get sick. We think it was probably food poisoning. And then several years ago I ate something that had been in my fridge so long, that I didn't even remember putting it there. It was an accident of course. I had put a leftover pasta dish in the fridge the night before to take to work the next day. Well, I heated up the dish the next day at work and started eating it. I was about halfway through it when it hit me that I was eating chili mac. I didn't have chili mac the night before and couldn't even remember when I had last had it. I went into a complete panic but miraculously, didn't get sick. Needless to say I actually started cleaning out the fridge a bit more regularly.

[paulinek]

My OH had an sv* then my baby baby got it and v*d all down my arm while i was holding him, so his mouth was literally only inches from mine - I didn't get it, i also had to clean up his v* and d* multiple times over the next few days and i never got it He has also had another sv* since where he v*d in the same room as me, including his cot which is at the foot of my bed, and again had multiple episodes of d* and didn't catch it that time either. I put this down to regular handwashing (with normal soap) and using Dettol surface spray on potentially contaminated surfaces, as for not getting it from breathing in aerosolised particles i have no idea how I dodged it but I am so glad I did!

[ruhligv]

Even when I'm freaking out having a panic attack over something like walking by a pile of v* I try to ask myself, 'and how often d
have you actually gotten sick? How many hours of agony have you put yourself through for no reason?' I get so angry with myself because I feel like I've missed out so much on life and things I've wanted to do and try but didn't because 'what if?' ... Once and a while ill push the envelope and go out of my comfort zone and try something new. Usually I'll experience some anxiety but I'm happy I did it!