Emetophobia in families

[katerose]

Hi, my name is Kate and I have had Emet for as long as I can remember.
The strange thing is, my mum also has it, and I think my nan does too,
although she has never talked about it.

When I was little I used to wake up feeling sick in the night, and have
nightmares about being sick. I also used to be terrified of other people
being sick in public - I still am.

My mum has exactly the same phobia and I don't know how she coped
when I was little and used to be sick, I don't think I would be able to. I
think I am more afraid of other people being sick than being sick myself.

Also, when I AM sick, nothing comes out. It's as if my body has trained
itself not to let anything come out. My doctor says it's the phobia and that
if my body really does need to get rid of anything then it will come out of
the other end.

When I was little I used to be properly sick but now I won't let that happen
and when I am sick now it is satisfying. I think that the worst thing is the
FEELING sick, not the beong sick. It's the antisipation, that's the worst.

I've never met anyone else outside my family who has emet, does anyone
else have family with the same problem?

I don't know why it's been passed down from my mum, but I find it quite
strange.

[ontariogirl]

I am the only one in my family who has this.
A friend of mine who has this phobia feels that her mother has this to. Her mom is ina nursing home now, but she is remembering when she was young how her mother reacted when she was sick, she was very mean to her. That is the only person that I know where it runs in the family.

[gubba]

I'm the only one in my family and actually I have never personally met another sole with it. Until I found this site in September, I had no clue anyone else was spooked by V*

[*mandi*]

I know this sounds horrible...but I wish someone else in my family did have this so they knew how I felt. No one understands how I feel and the fear I get fromthis.

[gubba]

Sometimes I wish someone else had it too, but really until I found this site, I thought I was a hypochondriac and I did not know that anyone ever felt like this. Now, I do wish just one other person in my family, maybe even 50 years ago had had it. Of course, they would have been declared insane back then for this. I thought I was crazy and I was just thankful to find anyone, let alone a whole community like this. I am sorry that anyone else must suffer with it, but others have it, we don't suffer alone.

[bexcelica]

I know this sounds horrible...but I wish someone else in
my family did have this so they knew how I felt. No one
understands how I feel and the fear I get fromthis.

i feel the same way. i have neevr met another emet, although i feel like i have with all of you guys.

[harmonygirl72]

I know there was someone on here whose mom had it, too...HDogg, I think? And, there were twin sisters who both had it....hmmm, redapple and bethany maybe?? Not sure. I am the only one I know with it, but I think anxiety does run in my family.


Mary

[raindrop]

By coincidence, I sat next to another emet in my English class AND
psychology class in college! The first was more spooked by other
people v* and had never been sick herself for years, she said she "just
knew" she wouldn't be sick. She told me a story which made me
laugh so bad - when she was little she went on a school trip, and her
mum told the teachers that B (my friend) hated v* and to watch out for
the travel sick kids on the coach. For some reason, the teachers
thought that B was also travel sick, so they put her at the front with
all the sicky kids. B said she sat there, her fingers in her
ears, rocking backwards and forwards like a little crazy thing, trying
to block it all out. It was a complete nightmare, obviously, but
at the time, it really made us laugh, and it felt good to share the
fear with someone else. My other friend E was more of an emet
like me, and feared v* herself. We talked about how we'd both
phone our mums and cry if we felt sick... but then, E would go out and
drink without worrying about v* and when her bf v* all over their bed,
she just freaked out a bit, but didn't worry about getting sick
herself. I was never sure how bad she had emet, or whether she
hid bits of it from me (I hid stuff myself, you never know how much of
a fruitcake you sound!).



Unfortunately, I've lost contact with both of them, we've all moved
away and I'm at uni now. However, it felt good to know I wasn't
alone, and that there were others that understood.



I don't think emet runs in my family, although I know my mum used to get panics like I do now. <!--
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[samara's on tv]

I'm the only one in my family with Emet. My sister is like the OPPOSITE of Emet she'll V* at the drop of a hat just to feel better. I know that a friend of my mom's husband is an Emet cause Once I was talking to his wife and she said that when her kids get sick he won't be on the same floor as them...he'll practically run out of the house...but I never talked to this guy so I don't know if it's true or not. It sucks being the only person I actually KNOW with Emet...I wish there was someone else out there to talk to although being on this site helps a WHOLE lot! Thanks guys!


~Monica

[aguerra29]

Looking back, I think my mom was an emet. Unfortunately she died before I knew what this was. I never told her "Mom, I'm afraid to throw up" Anyway, based on memories and talking with my dad, I am quite certain she was an emet. I definitely think I "caught" it from her. It is very hard for an emet to hide the anxiety, and I suppose I tuned in on her anxiety and made it my own. I want to be cured of this before I have children.

[katerose]

For some reason, the teachers thought that B was also travel sick, so they put her at the front with all the sicky kids. B said she sat there, her fingers in her ears, rocking backwards and forwards like a little crazy thing, trying to block it all out. <!--
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That is EXACTLY what I do when I even THINK someone is being sick nearby. "Lalalalalalala" really loudly and rocking back and forth, it's horrible, and then you have to be brave enough to take your fingers out of your ears incase it's still happening.

[raindro&#112;]

For some reason, the teachers
thought that B was also travel sick, so they put her at the front with
all the sicky kids. B said she sat there, her fingers in her
ears, rocking backwards and forwards like a little crazy thing, trying
to block it all out.<!--
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That is EXACTLY what I do when I even THINK someone is being sick
nearby. "Lalalalalalala" really loudly and rocking back and forth, it's
horrible, and then you have to be brave enough to take your fingers out
of your ears incase it's still happening.

I know! Me too! I swear when someone's sick in my house, I damage my ears from trying to block the sound out!



It's just a funny image though, isn't it? When you really think about it...

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[kate1966]

My ears will become sooooooooooooo sore from stabbing my fingers in my ears when someone in my house is sick...it's awful.....we are all the same here!!

[katerose]

I'm new here so forgive me for asking any questions that have already been asked here, but has anybody here ever had coucilling or anything? I mentioned it to my GP once and she just dismissed it, saying "oh yes isn't V8 horrible haa haa haa" and then when I was seeing a psycologist for another reason I mentioned it to her and she said that we would talk about it in depth in our next session, then in the next session she said we'd talking about and she kept putting it off... then it never got discussed. I think it may be pretty horrible to discuss it to be honest.


If anybody here has had help for it, what does this entail?

[leese]

My grandma &amp; Aunt have EMET..I dont know where my GMA got it but I know my Aunt &amp; I learned it from her!

[angel13]

I think that the worst thing is the FEELING sick, not the beong sick. It's the antisipation, that's the worst.

I feel the same, kate! Though I hate both, the thing I fear most is the build up towards it - knowing you're going to do it, and not being able to do anything about it. Thats my worst nightmare.


I think I'm all alone, too, no one in my family has this phobia. Although, I think my Dad used to have it when he was younger. He says he was hardly ever ill when he was young, and if he was, it was only ever colds and things like that (he recently had a gall bladder operation. I still am too scared to ask whether he v*d or not...I hope not. I get scared of my parents when they v*...which is rarely, thank god). Also, he's about the only person in real life who can calm me down when I'm having a panic attack, so I really love him for that. I don't know what I'm going to do when he's not around anymore.

[Sun666]

I am the only one in my whole family who is an emet. And nobody understands why I fear vomiting. My granny always vomited when I was a child, so I think it was quite traumatic. My mum vomit pretty rarely , my dad too. My sister vomits a lot, but she do not has any problems with the vomitact.


And I don´t understand, why actually I am the person in the family who has this phobia and nobody else....

[katerose]

I think that the worst thing
is the FEELING sick, not the beong sick. It's the antisipation, that's
the worst.

(he recently had a gall bladder operation. I still am too scared to
ask whether he v*d or not...I hope not. I get scared of my parents
when they v*...which is rarely, thank god).

Oh my god so do I!! If my Mum was sick I dunno what I'd do... that
would freak my out. My Dad had pneaumonia in January and when
he came home he kept coughing so much that he almost made
himself sick, and me and my mum were hiding upstairs all the time.

My poor mum, who has to live with him, wanted so much to sleep in
the spare room coz she was so terrified he would *v, but he was so
ill and she felt so guilty leaving him. The whole thing was a horrible
experience.Edited by: katerose