How bad is your emetophobia?

[Dante1709]

Just curious how bad your phobia is..
I get panic attacks if somebody gets sick near me, or if I believe I may be sick..and my panic attacks feel like I'm going to get sick as well, so it makes it even worst..I often carry a Gravol with me to school, and I always have peppermint tea available at home.

I also tend to avoid foods which have made me sick in the past..I used to never eat Mexican,hotdogs and now I get a bit nervous about burgers.I often check for expiration dates.

[umbietoo]

Luckily mine doesn't keep me from doing things I want to do like eating out, riding rides, going to parties, buffets, things we emets typically avoid. I've lived with this my whole life, I am 45. I have been determined to live a normal life in spite of it. Not at I haven't worried myself to death at times and I look back at all that useless time spent worrying and nothing happened. This is such a cruel phobia as sickness is part of beig alive and people love to share every little thing they have ever had nt knowing how sharing sends us into panic. For me, emet is a villan I constantly battle but I manage to live with.

[Murder-my-soul]

It was worse a year ago. It's starting to get better and better. Back to how I used to be... not caring obsessively A year ago it was a constant thought and annoyance and I couldn't do ANYTHING even going through the drive thru sent me in a panic.

Doing a lot better. I have panic attacks if I think I will be sick or sometimes after I eat.

[AoD]

Well, I mostly just freak out if someone v* near me or in my house where they'll contaminate everything. I had a nervous breakdown a few weeks back because I was on an intercity bus and some guy was violently ill for most of the ride. I kept my cool in the bus out of pride but I was panicking inside and as soon as my parents picked me up I was a total mess (uncontrollably sobbing, shaking, etc.). Took me the whole 48h exposure countdown before I could start to actually function again. I usually can rationalize and not worry, but if the symptoms fit noro (sudden, violent illness) I lose it. Other than that, I live a normal life. I go out, I eat out, I travel (and try new restaurants in new cities). Even went on extended boat rides in nasty weather, figured I might as well know for sure if I had seasickness (and I don't). Of course I am careful about washing my hands before I eat and when I come home, and I check expiry dates and don't eat food that has gone bad. But no more than any other "normal" person. I used to think I'd get sick all the time, I had a bad phase when I was younger where I would feel nauseous all the time and would constantly have gravol on me and often took some. But I got over that as I got older (I'm 28 now). So basically my emet isn't that bad. It doesn't stop me from living a normal, fun life. As long as no one decides to puke next to me because of a contagious disease.

Obviously I do worry about potential exposure scenarios, like if I think someone v* but I'm not sure.. but the worry doesn't stop me from doing things like eating out and the such. I'll still do it without a care most of the time, and just worry when something potentially suspicious happens. Then get over it and tell myself I was being silly cause nothing happened and I should stop worrying.

[wendyt3570]

I feel like a nutcase and I drive my boyfriend crazy as well! I have become antisocial my emetophobia is so bad. I used to be able to go anywhere, anytime and around anybody or anything and not worry about getting sick. Now I feel like a hermit!

I also avoid foods that have made me sick.

I check expiration dates ALL the time.

I mute and/or look away when someone is sick on television.

[Valen]

Pretty bad..i think as bad as it could possibly get. Once, a couple yrs ago, my lil bro got sick and i sprayed a can of lysol all on my face and arms, etc.. i thought it would kill the virus..lol.. I will create big white spots on my carpets, from pouring straight bleach on it if anyone v*.. I avoid people for weeks at a time if i know they have been sick. I always check expire dates on everything. i will check the same one over and over again- looking like a crazy person. and if i know i am sick, I just wanna cry and freak the hell out. I dont mind seeing others sick, as long as i know its not contagious..but if u tell me im gonna v*, i can say i would rather die. Yeah, its that bad.

[LivelyLucy]

My emet is so bad my family are complaining im ruining their lives..

[hairyfairy]

I`m not too bad, but just reading about noro makes me paranoid, for instance, I subscribe to a paper callrd Norovirus News, I get regular E mails from them. Today I read all about a rugby team called the All Blacks, & they`ve been knocked for six by this bug. I`m thinking that if a bunch of strapping great rugby players can`t fight this thing, then what chance have I got if I come into contact with it?

[batmansgirl]

I can deal with someone v* if its because of alcohol and I know that's why.

If it's fp I can usually deal with that too as long as I know I haven't eaten the same thing.


Now, If someone has a sv* I freak out! Cant be near them, terrified even if someone has d* when they are round at mine.

I check food expiry dates, I cut open my food before I eat it(especially if its meat), I don't eat at restaurants that no one has eaten at before and I avoid alcohol, really spicy foods and I used to avoid eating spag bol because I v* after I ate it when I was little.



It doesn't stop me going out, doing things but I guess when I do normal people things I'm a bit more cautious than normal people.

[maverickgirl1218]

Hi there! My name is Sarah and I'm new. I'm both happy and sad to see that there's a group this large of emetophobics...happy for the support, sad for the reason that we're all here.
Anyway, what brought me here is something that happened last night. My partner and I were relaxing, watching tv, and she told me to go upstairs and leave because she was going to v*. I grabbed my car keys and went to the store to get her some soda and Pepto. I called her and told her to come get it from the garage because I was scared to go into the house. I did end up going in there eventually, but it was to get some belongings because there was no way I could stay there.
I'm over at my best friend's house now...and will be here until my partner can go 24 hours without v*. She was bad enough to go to the hospital last night, and my best friend took her, but it made me feel like the most awful person and biggest failure in the world. I know that if the tables were turned, she would have been there for me and I just couldn't possibly do that.
I spent the night having panic attacks and crying from fear, worry and guilt. I wish I could get over this.
All that said, my symptoms are as follows: I can't be around anyone who has or feels like they may v*. I am obsessed with food safety, including endlessly checking expiration dates, throwing away anything that I feel looks "odd", and checking temperatures in everything. I do go out to eat from time to time, but there's always this gnawing fear in the back of my mind that someone may not be as careful with food safety as I'd like. I feel helpless and want so much to be better.
Thank you for listening.

[ewilkins]

Mine tends to ebb and flow. It generally doesn't keep me from doing things I enjoy such as eating out and being around other people. I do get panicky if I think someone is going to get sick near me, but not as bad as I used to be. Now if I feel nauseated, I will go into full blown panic. It's not uncommon for me to go the ER for them to give me anti-nausea however, after reading posts on this board, I'm thinking I might build up my own anti-nausea toolkit to prevent ER trips. Thank God it doesn't happen often though. Sometimes my emet has prevented me from riding roller coasters and such. I will not go on anything that spins. Period. The roller coaster thing ebbs and flows too. I'm 40 and have been emet from as long as I can remember. I don't even know what caused it.

[ashley26]

Mine is pretty bad but I still go out to eat and go out to see friends but honestly inside I am panicking the whole time and am not really present or enjoying myself but actually most people don't even notice since I am pretty quiet anyways or ill be so anxious and I will talk the whole time to distract people from the fact that I'm not eating :/ it's so terrible. I feel like I'm a drug addict sometimes because I lie and hide things from people and I am constantly going to the doctor so I can get more zofran. And I've lost a lot of weight because I constantly feel sick and I'm scared to eat. I hope to get over this one day

[Rls1994]

Oh, my emetophobia is AWFUL. It's practically taken over me now, something I promised myself not to let have control over me. If I get invited to a party, I make up some lame excuse not to go because I just KNOW it will involved alcohol consumption, then people get carried away with it and well.... You know what happens from there. However, if I know that the reason someone is v* because of travel or alcohol then I don't freak out as much, but if it's a sv* then NOPE! I'm out of there in a shot. I cannot be in the same vicinity as someone who has the sv* or I'd have a full blown panic attack, especially since I know it's contagious. I feel SO selfish because I should be caring for that friend that has it, not worrying myself sick saying stuff like 'WHAT IF I CATCH IT?!' or 'Get out of there before you catch it!' UGH.

I've had this awful phobia since the last sv* I had. I had it for 2 weeks and lost almost a stone because of it. Nope, not going to experiene that ever again! (Well, hopefully not.....)
However, mine only got WORSE this year, back in August time and it's been terrible ever since. A year or so ago and the rest of the years haven't been so bad. I'd only panic if I saw someone throw up, otherwise I'd be completely fine during the day. But now, I feel sick everyday and it's driving me nuts.

[LeviKing]

Mine leaves me pretty much housebound, I have really bad nausea anyway due to (what the doctor says at least) IBS and general anxiety, so the fear of becomming ill, catching something, or whatever makes my emetophobia so much worse.

I hate being stuck at home all the time, eugh.

[g6princess]

I am to the point now where this is my day:
Wake up at 8:20 AM, get to work by 8:30 AM (luckily I only live about 3 minutes from my employer, which is nice on so many levels); work with the public and their money until my lunch at noon, go home for my hour lunch ( I don't usually eat lunch), go back to work until 4:30 PM, go straight home and do nothing until my boyfriend gets home, then we fight about what to do for dinner because I am indecisive about it pretty much every night, eat some crappy fast food meal, go to bed at like 2-3 AM, get up and do it all over again!
My weekends consist of sleeping in until 4 PM, then doing nothing until bedtime. No one invites me out anymore because they know I'm going to say no because I feel safe at home. My emetophobia has caused me to lose out on so many opportunities it's sad... I am a true hermit, slowly dying inside each and every day..

Meanwhile every waking moment I am feeling sick and tired and stressed, constantly thinking about the possibilities and the odds of being sick, with every decision I make