Frustration and some anger

[Razzle]

So lately my emet fears have spiked and since I am an anxious person/worrier by nature, I read things online.

I am just so exhausted, frustrated and angry. At who? I don't really know.

I guess mainly at the general population for being so careless with their hygiene. Or the media for hyping up thins like noro, which is my biggest fear above all else with emet.
Or the people who feed into the hype, saying things that only exacerbate my fears like "NORO IS EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME" (I actually read this on a comment somewhere) or "Oh it's just a little bug, I get it a few times a year!" - Uh, what? I had like 3 in my lifetime....you had 3 THIS PAST YEAR? Ahhh! How are people like this??

The latest one I'm reading? Blood types. See...this is new to me. If you don't already know, a Google search will help you. But depending on how you are - if you are like me maybe you shouldn't go looking for info.

But *apparently* blood types make a difference in what you catch - and I of course have type O- which means I'm screwed 10 ways to Sunday.
And I guess I can't help feel some resentment at these studies because to me, this virus is such a huge fear it's almost as if I have some hit-man out there waiting to get me every time I or my relatives leave the house. These "Studies" kind of rub that in my face, as if confirming just how screwed I am.

And I read these articles hoping for some kind of reassurance at any point and get none - instead it's "O is susceptible -BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! You also have the worst symptoms! Yay!"
Or, "There are sanitizers that say they kill noro, but they don't work because only bleach kills it! And oh yeah IT'S EVERYWHERE AND YOU CAN GET IT FROM EXISTING"

Going to hole up in the house for awhile. Cheers.

[_lorna_knight_]

Can we be cynical together? You sound like the kinda person I like (aside from the general miserableness of this fear. I don't like people experiencing this shit, they shouldn't have to).
What I don't understand is how people can bounce back straight after getting so ill. I still have flashbacks of my illness in 2009, yet there's people who get sick one day and you see them again a couple of days later right as rain. And they have the audacity to hang around you, like "oh yes I am fine now I was SO ill though". ??? Thanking you for keeping me up to date, but I can find that ignorance is bliss, buddy. I wouldn't wish this phobia on anyone, but I guess I'm jealous of how some people can just bounce straight past, but I'm living in the past as though if I live there long enough I'll suddenly find out that what happened wasn't such a big deal & I'll move on & live happily ever after. Ain't gonna happen, Lorn.

[Razzle]

Ugh yes. I know my one friend got sick a lot but she had digestive issues but she knew about my emet/germophoia/hypochondria and kept away even when it wasn't an actual illness.
I actually had a touch of something last March and the duration at it's worst lasted probably 6-7 hours, but I was on alert for about 12. But it knocked the crap out of me (no pun intended) I d* for a few hours and v* twice - and it took me two days before I could safely go out and eat again. Not because of the illness per se but because of my own apprehension.

I feel like most people who are non emet are careless - I guess it's like how most of us see a cold. Like, "Oh it's gross and inconveniencing but it's whatever" My mind CANNOT comprehend that when it comes to sv's. At all. Like, I dealt with my issue last year but from what I hear it was pretty mild. GAG.

Those who AREN'T emet but still worry over SV's are usually uneducated about hygiene and use hand sanitzers instead of hand washing. Like, when I hear about transmission I think two things: Kids get this a lot because they are social and careless overall and don't think about this stuff - plus their immune system is lower. Adults that get this have or work with said children, or are in communal places like cruises, nursing homes, healthcare facilities etc. This ALL makes sense (and also TERRIFIES me about being a parent one day to the point I question having children at all!) but what doesn't make sense is when everyone else gets it. Like it's fecal/oral...ew! It seems like it should be difficult to spread but it isn't and that is so frustrating

[_lorna_knight_]

Basically I don't tend to mull over whether or not I'll have kids. I plan to travel, mostly. So I'll never have to stick in one place for long. And my phobia won't stop me, even if I'm still as fucked up when I'm 19/20, I wanna go to uni (yes, despite the fact that living in student accommodation could equal a breeding ground for viruses) & then fuck off to different places. I've thought about getting my partner (if I get one) to look after our kids when I'm ill while I emigrate to a secluded area until the whole ordeal is over (I know right, I'd be the mother of the year, yo!) And it sucks that we fear something that's so easy to catch! I'm not invalidating other people's fears, but if someone has a fear of, say, lions, then they don't go to the zoo. If people have a fear of trains, there's other ways of transportation. If people have a fear of vomitting, they- wait? What do they do? Panic excessively because, you guessed it, they can't escape their own body! It's always there, weighting on the chest like some mutant rock. And it controls and stops us from doing so many things, because in OUR irrational minds ANYTHING can lead to that world ending sickness.

[Kelli Hart]

Yeah. All of the above!!!! I'm also type o. I rarely get sick with an actual sv....and I hate even typing that for fear that I just jinxed myself! I'm not sure how true that study is....I've read alot on it, and i don't think they take emets into account! We seem to be super avoiders! Lol! Bleach and handwashing are our best defense and i try to leave it at that in my mind!

[CMM811]

I don't know about the whole O type thing. My hubby is O and even his mom said he rarely got sick as a kid and as a adult he's gotten it 1 confirmed time, the other not sure if it was the migraine or he was actually sick. And the one time he was sick with a bug (we both had it) he only was sick once and then had 1 bout of d. Before that he said he had never had a sv. I have no idea what I am? I think B? Don't know and I've had a few sv*s since becoming a mom. It's weird I know but honestly don't google stuff. It is a whole bunch of random "knowledge" put on a webpage.

[Razzle]

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

My emet is just bad lately. Slowly I am getting better but I can't help but practically survey people. No idea why it's flared up - other than my anxiety took control and things have been snowballing.

Lorna knight - just FYI I went to Uni and lived there for 1.5 years. I had a blast! My emet crept in from time to time but it was so mild at the time I hardly noticed much. Keep in mind though I don't care if people get s* for non-contagious reasons (i.e. drinking) but overall it was a lot of fun, you'll surely have a good time as well. And good for you for traveling! I get too homesick - I'm a hermit lol but I 100% agree with it being shitty that we fear something so, dare I say, "normal" and possibly catchable. We can't run from ourselves - and it's terrifying! Sad part is, when I v* last year I could still think straight WHILE v*ing and I remember thinking this exact thing "This is vile and nasty but really not that awful.." and yet, here I am. Yay for irrationality!

Kelli and CMM: I really am thinking those blood type studies are junk science and nothing more than a way to get people interested in reading. I mean - in theory maybe there is something to it but like you said Kelli, I don't think they take other things into account like hygiene, immunity, apparently something to do with secretions as well? But the blood type thing just got me angry because it set me off. Don't even know how to describe it but it just annoyed me. Like someone telling me I am doomed. You guys definitely helped calm my nerves a bit though!

Now to just get over being afraid to have kids one day. I feel like that will be my big challenge.