Emetophobia (fear of vomiting) Support

Thank you! It is definitely nice to know that I am not the only one who lives with this fear.

I can not wait for school to let out for the summer. We have a pool so we don't leave the house much except for our end of the summer Disney trip. It gives me a few weeks to feel semi normal without all the worries about public places and germs.
 
WELL..It finally happened...my dd 13 threw up. SHE is the one with the fear of vomit.. I had her in therapy about 2 1/2 year ago because of it...her fear was so bad. This is the first time she has thrown up since 4th grade. She did amazingly well...she is not anxious over it at all!! I swear the therapy really, really worked!!
 
WELL..It finally happened...my dd 13 threw up. SHE is the one with the fear of vomit.. I had her in therapy about 2 1/2 year ago because of it...her fear was so bad. This is the first time she has thrown up since 4th grade. She did amazingly well...she is not anxious over it at all!! I swear the therapy really, really worked!!

That's GREAT that she handled it so well! YAY!!!!! :cool1:
 
That's GREAT that she handled it so well! YAY!!!!! :cool1:

Thank you!! She threw up 2 more times since that. I can't tell you how proud I am of her. I have told her that too. She has come such a long way. I even emailed the therapist (who she has not seen in over a year) to let him know!!
Yes I feel like a dork being so proud of my dd throwing up!! LOL!!
 


Thank you!! She threw up 2 more times since that. I can't tell you how proud I am of her. I have told her that too. She has come such a long way. I even emailed the therapist (who she has not seen in over a year) to let him know!!
Yes I feel like a dork being so proud of my dd throwing up!! LOL!!

:thumbsup2

Early this morning was my turn. And I'M the one with the emetophobia. But, this was almost the first time ever in which I DID.NOT.CRY. Huge step for me. I'm feeling better now- sipping on a homemade electrolyte formula. About to get a refill, actually. If anyone ever needs it, I think I have posted it here before, but here it is again! (my blog)

http://anniessimplelife.blogspot.com/2011/04/it-strikes-again.html

Time for a refill. Hang in there, everyone!! One of my favorite songs when I'm feeling down or uneasy (about anything, but especially this and when I'm just generally anxious) is Pantala Naga Pampa and Pig by the Dave Matthews Band. Hopefully this helps you all!! XOXOXO :grouphug:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic9-qXuW1WQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUlHcehNRPQ
 
:thumbsup2

Early this morning was my turn. And I'M the one with the emetophobia. But, this was almost the first time ever in which I DID.NOT.CRY. Huge step for me. I'm feeling better now- sipping on a homemade electrolyte formula. About to get a refill, actually. If anyone ever needs it, I think I have posted it here before, but here it is again! (my blog)

http://anniessimplelife.blogspot.com/2011/04/it-strikes-again.html

Time for a refill. Hang in there, everyone!! One of my favorite songs when I'm feeling down or uneasy (about anything, but especially this and when I'm just generally anxious) is Pantala Naga Pampa and Pig by the Dave Matthews Band. Hopefully this helps you all!! XOXOXO :grouphug:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic9-qXuW1WQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUlHcehNRPQ

((Hugs)) good for you not crying!!!
Feel better!!
 
Hey Everyone,

I just saw this thread for the first time and wanted to say hello, and that I also suffer from this phobia. I will do anything to avoid throwing up, and I freak out when others do so or even just say they feel unwell.

My biggest problem, is that I am about to start my final semester of nursing school (in August) and vomit kind of goes with the territory. So far, I've only had a few patients who have vomited, and it hasn't been bad/projectile, but the panic I feel each time is very strong. I don't know how to deal with this fear, I love EVERY other part of nursing and can deal with the nastiest wounds, the stinkiest poop, the most horrific of surgeries, etc. but not nausea/vomiting. I deal with it as best I can, because the patient depends on me to help them and I can't run screaming out of the room (although that is what every cell in my body wants to do!) when they are sick. It's a nightmare, but I'm trying.

I've been dealing with this since I was 10 years old, and I'm 37 now. I actually have improved, I used to be a lot worse with the panic, but it's still a huge part of my life and all of my avoidance techniques take a lot of energy. I wish this phobia would just go away!

Thanks for letting me vent.

Alie
 


Another new DIS-er who fits the bill! Been emetophobic for as long as I can remember. Major anxiety (on top of all my regular anxiety) whenever I feel even vaguely nauseous. Never leave home without Xanax & Dramamine! Don't want to share stories because thinking about it too much makes me start to feel queasy; just wanted to say hi! :wave2:
 
I am back. We are heading back down to Disney in November with the whole fans. Disney is the one amusement park place I feel safe because I have yet to run into someone getting sick or V. We will be driving down again. 15 hrs in the car. Last drive down is when we found out our 5 year old gets motion sick. I am going to ask the doc if there is something more we should do other than chewable Dramamine. I am a little worried about how he will handle the rides and such. I won't let him ride anything I don't think he can handle like the tea cups or Star Tours. Luckily I don't panic as much when it is my own kids that are sick. I still panic, but not nearly as bad because that whole mommy protective thing kicks in.

I know that Nov. is probably prime Noro season. One of my biggest fears is one of us getting sick while on vacation and it spreading through the entire family. This is too much money to be spending all day in a hotel room. What can I do to protect myself and the kiddos?

I know this goes against trying to help conquer my fear an completely plays into my anxiety, but what other areas in Disney should we avoid due to the high chance of coming in contact of v? We currently completely skip the tea cups. We don't even go into the mission space pavilion. We do not ride on the buses. I have taken Teppen Edo and Biergarten off our ADR list because last time we were there we shared a table with a family whose child had a stomachache. Ack. I couldn't eat and was in a complete panic the whole meal. Anything else I should be aware of? I know avoiding things just because of a chance is letting my phobia win, but we have had such a great time. Disney is the only amusement park I will visit because it feels safe. I want to keep it that way!
 
I am back. We are heading back down to Disney in November with the whole fans. Disney is the one amusement park place I feel safe because I have yet to run into someone getting sick or V. We will be driving down again. 15 hrs in the car. Last drive down is when we found out our 5 year old gets motion sick. I am going to ask the doc if there is something more we should do other than chewable Dramamine. I am a little worried about how he will handle the rides and such. I won't let him ride anything I don't think he can handle like the tea cups or Star Tours. Luckily I don't panic as much when it is my own kids that are sick. I still panic, but not nearly as bad because that whole mommy protective thing kicks in.

Have you looked into whether there's a children's version of that patch you stick behind the ear?
 
So I'm back....again! and I've been having a rough time a again with emetophobia. I'm have very little sleep lately due to having nightmares about being v****ed on and not sleeping from feeling nauseous myself. Anyway I have an appointment on Thursday to see a phobia specialist which I have waited over 3 months for! They sent out some questionnaires for me to fill in and a booklet for me to read through prior to the appointment discussing what they plan to do to help me overcome my phobia and I'm not keen at all about the way they want to approach it. Their plan of action is to make me face my fear. For example, if I had arachnophobia (fear of spiders) they would start by showing my pictures of cartoon spiders and build up each session to eventually holding a real life spider in my hand. So that probably mean they want to start by showing me cartoon pictures of v**** and build up to me being induced to v**** myself and I'm really not comfortable with that at all!! I think they are approaching the situation all wrong. They are treating it like any other phobia and I don't know how everyone else feels, but I feel as though emetophobia can not be treat the same as the others. Its completely different. There aren't any emetophobia specialists at all anywhere near where I live in the UK, so I have to settle for the phobia specialist.

Another problem I'm dealing with at the moment, like Nixie, my partner and I are also planning a winter vacation to Walt Disney World but in December for 12 days over the Christmas & New Years period, and it will be super crowded and I'm having second thoughts already. Unlike Nixie, we will have to travel all day by plane, two 1hour45minute flights and one 9hour flight. So I'm asking the same question, how to avoid Norovirus at its peak and in holiday crowds? My biggest fear is getting sick on vacation, coughs and sneezes I can handle, but v****ing and tummy pains is a no go!! I'm extremely hesitant about booking this trip. Christmas and Disney are my two most favorite things in the world and combining them would be a dream come true but is risking destroying them by falling ill really worth it? I really don't know what to do. Christmas time is the only time my partner can get off work for vacation and its just really the Norovirus that worries me.

Please help?? :confused:
 
So I'm back....again! and I've been having a rough time a again with emetophobia. I'm have very little sleep lately due to having nightmares about being v****ed on and not sleeping from feeling nauseous myself. Anyway I have an appointment on Thursday to see a phobia specialist which I have waited over 3 months for! They sent out some questionnaires for me to fill in and a booklet for me to read through prior to the appointment discussing what they plan to do to help me overcome my phobia and I'm not keen at all about the way they want to approach it. Their plan of action is to make me face my fear. For example, if I had arachnophobia (fear of spiders) they would start by showing my pictures of cartoon spiders and build up each session to eventually holding a real life spider in my hand. So that probably mean they want to start by showing me cartoon pictures of v**** and build up to me being induced to v**** myself and I'm really not comfortable with that at all!! I think they are approaching the situation all wrong. They are treating it like any other phobia and I don't know how everyone else feels, but I feel as though emetophobia can not be treat the same as the others. Its completely different. There aren't any emetophobia specialists at all anywhere near where I live in the UK, so I have to settle for the phobia specialist.

Another problem I'm dealing with at the moment, like Nixie, my partner and I are also planning a winter vacation to Walt Disney World but in December for 12 days over the Christmas & New Years period, and it will be super crowded and I'm having second thoughts already. Unlike Nixie, we will have to travel all day by plane, two 1hour45minute flights and one 9hour flight. So I'm asking the same question, how to avoid Norovirus at its peak and in holiday crowds? My biggest fear is getting sick on vacation, coughs and sneezes I can handle, but v****ing and tummy pains is a no go!! I'm extremely hesitant about booking this trip. Christmas and Disney are my two most favorite things in the world and combining them would be a dream come true but is risking destroying them by falling ill really worth it? I really don't know what to do. Christmas time is the only time my partner can get off work for vacation and its just really the Norovirus that worries me.

Please help?? :confused:

Here is what I suggest for avoiding Norovirus. First of all the only way to catch it is by swallowing it. Rule #1...never ever put your hands in your mouth!!! Rule#2...Clean everything you touch in your hotel room with Lysol Brand II or III, its supposed to kill norovirus. Especially clean the toilet area well. Never use the ice bucket they provide to get ice, as a matter of fact never use the ice from ice bins. You never know who may have used that bucket as a sick bucket and you never know if someone had clean hands when they scooped ice. Even at restaurants, I NEVER get ice in my drinks. I heard of a case of norovirus sickening over 200 people from the bartender who had the virus previously and they tested the ice and it was contaminated. Try to avoid salads, unless you see the employees wearing gloves. Gloves are the best barrier between you and norovirus. These are the best tips I can give you to avoid this virus. It IS avoidable. My kids were sick one year with a stomach bug and I used gloves, a mask, and lots of lysol to clean up after them and I never caught it. The most important thing is just keep your hands out of your mouth!!!!!!! Or touch anything with your bare hands that will go into your mouth, like straws, or utensils. Go and follow these important tips and have a great time!!!!!!

I also wanted to say that I completely agree about exposure therapy. I could never go through that. I literally run if I hear someone getting sick which reminds me of another tip for you. I despise public restrooms, especially at amusement parks because people can get sick from rides. Bring some headphones and an ipod to listen to music when you use the bathroom ;)
 
Thank you so much! I followed these exact guidelines when I went to Florida in April and never got sick & never came into visual contact with it either. There were two occasions where I came into contact with v****. The first was in Magic Kingdom queuing for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We'd queued for at least 30minutes and were quite close to the front. I heard a little boy not too far in front of us tell his mommy that he felt sick (he looked very pale and I did kind of feel sorry for him) I was anxious to leave the queue and worried a lot hoping that the boy would not be in the same boat as us (cruel, I know!). Anyway, shortly after I saw the boy and his family coming towards us leaving the queue, I cannot express the relief I felt once he had past us! People must have thought I was a little crazy when I got my anti bacterial hand wash out, but I didn't care, these were just the small precautions I was taking on my trip.
Another time we were outside of Hollwood Studios waiting for another family member to arrive. We must have been waiting around 15minutes before I turned around and saw 2 Disney cast members standing with their arms out at either side of a large pile of sand waiting for someone to clean it up. It scares me to think that if I turned around minutes earlier, I may have witnessed someone making the mess. Dodged another bullet! I do have to say that Disney handled the situation very well! Any other theme park would have probably just covered it with sand and left it, without guarding it or cleaning it up, well in the UK they would anyway! Thumbs up to Disney!!
I just hope I'm this lucky on my next trip! It's just the time of year that worries me, winter is usually when the outbreaks hit!

When I go to my appointment tomorrow, I'm going to explain that I'm not comfortable with exposure therapy and see what my other options are!

Thanks again!
 
Anyway I have an appointment on Thursday to see a phobia specialist which I have waited over 3 months for! They sent out some questionnaires for me to fill in and a booklet for me to read through prior to the appointment discussing what they plan to do to help me overcome my phobia and I'm not keen at all about the way they want to approach it. Their plan of action is to make me face my fear. For example, if I had arachnophobia (fear of spiders) they would start by showing my pictures of cartoon spiders and build up each session to eventually holding a real life spider in my hand. So that probably mean they want to start by showing me cartoon pictures of v**** and build up to me being induced to v**** myself and I'm really not comfortable with that at all!! I think they are approaching the situation all wrong. They are treating it like any other phobia and I don't know how everyone else feels, but I feel as though emetophobia can not be treat the same as the others. Its completely different.
I only just saw this this morning...Good Luck on your apt today...my dd13 did go through exposure therapy and she NEVER HAD TO MAKE HERSELF throw up!! It really did work and they started showing her pictures of cartoons looking green and sick, to cartoons throwing up and it progresses as you feel comfortable about it. The therapist NEVER forced her to look at pictures. She stopped looking when her anxiety was too much..PLEASE try it before you think it will do you no good...it really can help!!
 
I only just saw this this morning...Good Luck on your apt today...my dd13 did go through exposure therapy and she NEVER HAD TO MAKE HERSELF throw up!! It really did work and they started showing her pictures of cartoons looking green and sick, to cartoons throwing up and it progresses as you feel comfortable about it. The therapist NEVER forced her to look at pictures. She stopped looking when her anxiety was too much..PLEASE try it before you think it will do you no good...it really can help!!

Thank you! I think it went quite well. This is my last resort, a few months ago I would never have considered this at all. The therapist is letting me go at my own pace. This was just a starter session so it was all talking. I have another appointment for same time next Thursday so hopefully that goes well too! :)
 
Thank you! I think it went quite well. This is my last resort, a few months ago I would never have considered this at all. The therapist is letting me go at my own pace. This was just a starter session so it was all talking. I have another appointment for same time next Thursday so hopefully that goes well too! :)

it will go well!! Have Faith!! I would not believe it could work...but I will tell you...go back through this thread here and find my posts from back in June..My daughter did get sick and threw up...she was a trooper!! She never would have been able to handle it , if it was not for the therapy!!
 
Hi all, I'm back! Freaking out because I think I ate some undercooked chicken at lunch today. Trying to relax, probably nothing will happen, took a probiotic, 2 digestive enzymes, and two oregano oil capsules.... and I'll take some activated charcoal when I get home from work. Trying to concentrate on work (obviously doing a good job since I'm trying to distract myself on the DIS :rolleyes2) but ASDFJKL it's so hard when you worry!!! Trying not to worry....whatever happens happens. Probably nothing. Probably nothing will happen and everything will be fine. ....I hope.
 
Hello everyone!

Well....it happened, I v******. Last weekend. I am a recently certified SCUBA diver, and I went on my 2nd boat dive last Saturday. I took Dramamine (less drowsy formula) about 45 minutes before we were set to leave. The first boat dive I did (in August), I took the Dramamine about an hour before we left, and I was perfectly fine.

I didn't like how the less-drowsy Dramamine made me feel last time, so this time I only took half of the tablet. Maybe it wasn't a good idea - and I should have taken it the night before, too, in retrospect.

I started feeling sick before our first dive. I think the fumes contributed a bit, too. I got sick over the boat, my eyes were closed the whole time it was happening. It was a terrible feeling. I couldn't believe it happened. The last time I v****** was on January 17, 1995.

Went on the 1st dive, I felt better when I was in the water. During the safety stop (when you remain at 15 feet for 3 minutes before you ascend), I got a bit dizzy and got a little worried. As me and my dive buddy surfaced, I felt the rocking of the waves and got worried again.

Right before our second dive (that day), I got sick again. My gear was all on prior to it happening. I had to remove it very quickly to get to the side of the boat again. Ugh. Once again, I was fine when I was back in the water. After that dive, though, I was feeling slightly nauseated again and just had my head in my hands the whole way back to the dock.

I couldn't believe it happened. But I was proud of myself for handling it as best as I could. And I was very grateful to my dive buddy and the rest of the divers for helping me out and giving me tips on how to feel better.
 
Hi, everyone. I'm not sure if anyone reads this thread anymore, as it's been a few months since someone posted. I'm 31 and a mother of 2. My ds (8 years old) had the stomach bug two days ago, into yesterday. Well, I'm a single mom, so I go to do all of the caring for him and cleaning up. My boyfriend then tells me that he has it, and he spent all weekend with us. I'm so afraid that I'm going to have it now. My bf isn't throwing up, but he has major nausea and bad bowels. My stomach was cramping and I was nauseous Friday night. My daughter was also sick Friday night. I dont' know if I had a touch of it and passed it on to my bf and my ds, but I'm afraid that since mine wasn't as long as theirs (my ds and my bf) that I haven't gotten it yet, and I'm next in line. I'm not sure why I have emet, but I do. I've been kind of paralyzed by my fear yesterday and today. I'm just waiting for it to come. Ugh. I've stocked up on anti-nausea chewable pills, and have some dramamine, which is an anti-emetic. My room is all set up just in case I do get sick.

My fear, I guess, has gotten a bit better since becoming a parent, because I've noticed that I don't have a real problem with sick unless it's contagious. Is that weird?

Anyway, I'm so anxious today. Ugh. Do you have any tips on how to quell the anxiety and just be okay?
 

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