Emetophobia (fear of vomiting) Support

[ColoradoK]

Kristin-

Not sure how old your son is but you guys might have problems once hes ready to visit the dentist! I'm a dental assistant for the hygienists so I take the kids xrays and such and some of the kids (and even adults) who have bad gag reflex get really freaked out about the xrays. Also every visit the kids get fluoride treatment which is a paste they place in a foam tray and it has to sit in their mouth for one minute. Alot of kids get sick because they dont like the texture or may swallow it (which hurts their tummys). Our dentist office allows parents to request if they want flouride 1x a year instead of 2, and you can even ask for xrays every 2 years instead of every year. Just thought I'd let you know what to expect if you have not yet been to the dentist with your son.

He just turned 6...and xrays were indeed a problem! We have not been back in a long time because I no longer like the pediatric dentist we were seeing. Not many specific to peds are on our insurance. Gotta get on that. But thanks for the tips about those requests!

Tara, how did DS do in the night?

I just read the facebook status of some of our close local friends and it said, "Isn't there a law somewhere that says mom and kids can't be vomiting at the same time when Dad is out of town?" Ack!!!! My worst fear! The tummy bug is still strong in our area

 

[TaraPA]

Kristin - everyone was fine last night - as usual it was just my mind in overdrive. I could come on here every night & tell you reasons why I think they will be sick during the night, and most of them are ridiculous!

The stomach bug is really bad around here too. The wrestling team has passed it around every single week. When DH is away for work I find excuses to keep the kids home from practice - just because I don't want them getting the germs. I guess you could call that one of my OCD rituals - avoiding paces where they could come in contact with the stomach bug.

DS13 has vomited at the dentist at least 3-4 times. DS10 hasn't yet - but going there is a huge source of anxiety for me - solely for the reason that I'm afraid they will vomit.

A whole other topic - who has survived teenagers? Man I am really disliking my 13-yr-old this weekend & it's stressing me out. DH & I just went in his room to lay down the law for today & all we got was attitude & back talk. Man my mom would have slapped me across the face for talking to her like that! DH took his cell away for the day for the big mouth - which just caused him to give us more attitude. Don't teens get it - follow the rules, be respectful & we won't have to punish you?!?!?!?!?!? Those are my only requests - follow the rules & be respectful. He can't do either & wonders why he's always in trouble!!!! He's only 13 - I have many many years ahead of this! A lot of it is CONTROL issues - which goes back to the emet - I feel the need to control my 13-year old, and he of course thinks he should control ME. It's a viscious cycle!

 

[lukenick1]

Tara.....my 10 year old and I butt heads big time! I'm sure it will only get worse from here on out. He cannot understand why we have a problem with him playing xbox all day???

 

[ead79]

Oh no, Tara!!! I'd be doing the same thing as you! Totally.

Let me ask you this...do you try any "techniques" to help your anxiety when this stuff happens? I have a few things I try but even if I'm not running through all the "what ifs" in my head, I still feel tense when days like you're having come up. I first contacted my therapist right around Christmas and she couldn't see me till the new year but took the time on the phone to tell me a few things like the obvious deep breathing a few times a day even when not feeling anxious...didn't help ME much (I don't think) but still thought I'd mention it on the off chance you haven't tried anything in the last 4 years LOL. She also mentioned "thought stopping" which you could probably Google and it total common sense. Like you, the scenarios I could run through in my head would drive me mad. I was so terrified the week before Christmas that we'd all be sick for the holiday. My husband was like, "whats the big deal? so we're sick" He doesn't get it! Anyway, none of these techniques are a total cure, of course, but I am doing a lot better than I was when I'd be moaning in bed every evening not able to eat dinner or bathe my children and who knows why. Could be that stuff in combination with the EMDR adn the talking to a therapist...and now you guys! I'll take whatever I can get!

My big coping mechanism was hand washing. But over time it stopped calming me down, not to mention my hands were all cracked and raw from being washes so many times.

The whole deep breathing thing didn't work for me at all--I couldn't stop my mind from running through a list of every possible way that I could've come in contact with the sick person. Fortunately my therapy has helped a ton with that, so my mind doesn't run through a huge list of things automatically anymore.

One of the first things I did in therapy was to make a list of everything that scared me germ-wise. Stuff like not having company over in case they brought in germs, not touching stuff at the mall when shopping, etc. We started with something I thought I could handle, and the success in facing that task helped me move on to bigger stuff over time. We would periodically re-number my list of how much different things bothered me (on a scale of 1 to 100), and it's amazing how much stuff went down from successes with small stuff.

 

[ColoradoK]

Last night was rough for me. My almost 4 year old said, "I don't want to eat my dinner" and "my tummy hurts".

Immediately I was on high alert and so anxious...I start shaking and get nauseated myself and have to hit the bathroom a few times. I went to bed right after my kids did just to keep myself from thinking so much.

I'm anxious to get to therapy this week.

 

[tiink3rbella]

A whole other topic - who has survived teenagers? Man I am really disliking my 13-yr-old this weekend & it's stressing me out. DH & I just went in his room to lay down the law for today & all we got was attitude & back talk. Man my mom would have slapped me across the face for talking to her like that! DH took his cell away for the day for the big mouth - which just caused him to give us more attitude. Don't teens get it - follow the rules, be respectful & we won't have to punish you?!?!?!?!?!? Those are my only requests - follow the rules & be respectful. He can't do either & wonders why he's always in trouble!!!! He's only 13 - I have many many years ahead of this! A lot of it is CONTROL issues - which goes back to the emet - I feel the need to control my 13-year old, and he of course thinks he should control ME. It's a viscious cycle!

I hate to admit it, but I myself was a handful as a teen, never did drugs or drink but it was me sneaking out of the house, boyfriends who weren't up to my moms standards and my attitude that would have my mom pulling her hair out and threatening to send me to live with other family members. However now that I am 22 it has gotten better. I see where she is right and know better and my mom is now one of my best friends. I wish I didnt cause my mom all the trouble I did but thats part of being a teenager

 

[NixiePixie]

I never knew there was an actual name for this!! I have been scared of people vomiting my whole entire life. I went to school to be a nurse (LOL), but have put it on hold because I have yet to find an area I can work in that doesn't involve people vomiting. I wanted to be a lactation consultant , but was warned that I would come across women that were sick from the meds after a csection. I am not sure I will continue the certification process. I have tried to desensitize myself by watching videos of people vomiting on Youtube. Hasn't worked. It practically gives me a panic attack. I cannot be around someone who is going to vomit. I completely panic. I have to get away. If I couldn't get away from the situation, I am sure I would completely freak out. I go to great lengths to make sure I am not in that situation. I don't go to bars. I don't go to amusement parks. I refuse to ride in a car with people who say they get carsick. We do have an up and coming Disney vacation planned. I am completely nervous that I will be around someone that gets sick. I am not letting my family ride rides that I think could cause motion sickness like the teacups or Mission Space. Just thinking about this is starting to get me panicky. My family thinks I am crazy and makes fun of me, but I truly can't help it.

 

[lukenick1]

I never knew there was an actual name for this!! I have been scared of people vomiting my whole entire life. I went to school to be a nurse (LOL), but have put it on hold because I have yet to find an area I can work in that doesn't involve people vomiting. I wanted to be a lactation consultant , but was warned that I would come across women that were sick from the meds after a csection. I am not sure I will continue the certification process. I have tried to desensitize myself by watching videos of people vomiting on Youtube. Hasn't worked. It practically gives me a panic attack. I cannot be around someone who is going to vomit. I completely panic. I have to get away. If I couldn't get away from the situation, I am sure I would completely freak out. I go to great lengths to make sure I am not in that situation. I don't go to bars. I don't go to amusement parks. I refuse to ride in a car with people who say they get carsick. We do have an up and coming Disney vacation planned. I am completely nervous that I will be around someone that gets sick. I am not letting my family ride rides that I think could cause motion sickness like the teacups or Mission Space. Just thinking about this is starting to get me panicky. My family thinks I am crazy and makes fun of me, but I truly can't help it.

Welcome!!! I am just like you. I am petrified of someone vomiting. I automatically get that flight response and I run! I have no control over it. Its just my immediate reaction. I feel horrible that I run away from my own children if they are sick. I think my oldest has developed this fear from seeing my reaction. I have tried so hard not to let them in on my secret but my body language alone is a dead give away . I will eventually tell my son who is now 10 about my phobia so he understands why i am not able to comfort him when he is vomiting. Can you handle yourself being sick? I have shear panic when I feel like vomiting too. I also avoid amusement parks, emergency rooms, car pooling, boats, etc. Not a good way to live because I become a hermit all winter long while the stomach bug is out

 

[NixiePixie]

I am not too bad if I am sick myself. Of course, I will do everything in my power not to get sick because I hate the feeling of vomiting. I will repeat in my head over and over "mind over matter", take big deep breaths, try and convince myself I am not sick, etc. to try and not get sick. In the end, I probably end up making myself sicker.

I know the feeling of being "on high alert". My oldest son had/has a very weak cardiac sphincter (top valve on stomach that keeps it closed). If he eats too much or too fast, it can all come back up. There have been numerous times where I have sent him to the bathroom "just incase" because I thought he looked slightly green.

I wish I didn't want to run everytime my kids get sick. I wish I could be one of those moms that hold their heads or bring them a cool, wet rag. I just can't.

 

[TaraPA]

Welcome to our club Nixie Pixie LOL!!!!!

While we were watching The Grammy Awards on Sunday as a family my sons were looking at the huge theater & said wow wouldn't it be fun to be there....I swear to you my VERY FIRST thought was "OMG no way one of them would throw up in that huge crowded theater."

I also have anxiety on buses, in crowds (YES especially at WDW!) at kid's birthday parties, sporting events, etc. I am constantly watching and scoping everyone out to see if they look funny, are eating too much junk, etc. I make sure I know where the bathroom is, where the nearest garbage can is, etc. It's like my mental ritual. It's draining.

 

[ColoradoK]

I never knew there was an actual name for this!! I have been scared of people vomiting my whole entire life. I went to school to be a nurse (LOL), but have put it on hold because I have yet to find an area I can work in that doesn't involve people vomiting. I wanted to be a lactation consultant , but was warned that I would come across women that were sick from the meds after a csection. I am not sure I will continue the certification process. I have tried to desensitize myself by watching videos of people vomiting on Youtube. Hasn't worked. It practically gives me a panic attack. I cannot be around someone who is going to vomit. I completely panic. I have to get away. If I couldn't get away from the situation, I am sure I would completely freak out. I go to great lengths to make sure I am not in that situation. I don't go to bars. I don't go to amusement parks. I refuse to ride in a car with people who say they get carsick. We do have an up and coming Disney vacation planned. I am completely nervous that I will be around someone that gets sick. I am not letting my family ride rides that I think could cause motion sickness like the teacups or Mission Space. Just thinking about this is starting to get me panicky. My family thinks I am crazy and makes fun of me, but I truly can't help it.

Welcome Nixie Pixie! I just want to say...I worked on L&D/Mom-Baby etc for YEARS before I became a SAHM and it would be very very very rare for a mom to still be nauseated by the time a lactation consultant would see her. LCs get to do a lot of outpatient visits too. I had 3 C-sections myself and took care of a bazillion C/S patients and unless they had general anesthesia, pretty much no one puked. And generals are rare...at least at my nice, low risk hospital that is soooo pro-breastfeeding I felt bad for the moms who chose formula. Also, if you got a job as an LC at, say, a Children's Hospital where the moms aren't even the patients (so, they're not going to be on a lot of drugs). My son was in the Children's Hospital NICU and the LCs there were amazing. Lots of help and support with our special circumstances and helping me with pumping and my questions, etc. I would absolutely love to be a lactation consultant one day when I have to grow up and go back to work.

 

[NixiePixie]

Oh thank you for quelling some of my fears!! Being an LC has been a dream of mine. I think it would be a great fit for me. Once my newest little one gets old enough, I will def. have to look back into getting certified.

 

[NixiePixie]

Welcome to our club Nixie Pixie LOL!!!!!

While we were watching The Grammy Awards on Sunday as a family my sons were looking at the huge theater & said wow wouldn't it be fun to be there....I swear to you my VERY FIRST thought was "OMG no way one of them would throw up in that huge crowded theater."

I also have anxiety on buses, in crowds (YES especially at WDW!) at kid's birthday parties, sporting events, etc. I am constantly watching and scoping everyone out to see if they look funny, are eating too much junk, etc. I make sure I know where the bathroom is, where the nearest garbage can is, etc. It's like my mental ritual. It's draining.

I think I am going to make it very clear to DH that if he notices someone getting sick at Disney to make sure I and the kids are distracted. Hopefully, I will be soo tied up in what my fams is doing, I won't notice anyone else. I know I am gonna freak out on the kiddos after they go on Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, etc. They are gonna get the barrage of questions: "How do you feel?" "Do you feel okay?" "How is your stomach?" "You aren't gonna be sick, are you?" My poor kiddos!!
It was a thread on here that freaked me out. Something along the lines of how many people have seen other people get sick at Disney. I guess the biggest hot spot is Epcot because of people trying to drink themselves around the world. I shouldn't have read the darn thread. I upped my own anxiety twenty fold.

 

[lukenick1]

From one Emet to another.....avoid the area of mission space if you can. Most people get sick from that ride. Ugh. Also I avoid public bathrooms like the plague. I actually keep my ipod with headphones in my purse to wear into the bathroom so I won't hear anyone getting sick. Nothing worse than being trapped in a stall having to listen while someone is puking in the stall next door. I will avoid drinking anything when we go out so I won't have to use the bathroom.

 

[TaraPA]

Boy do we all have rituals or WHAT?!?! OMG OMG I DO tend to search the area around Mission Space!! Last year my kids were obsessed with RnR I won't ride - so I waited at least 25 times at the exit - and I scanned every single person getting off that ride for signs of someone that might throw up! The 1st time DS13 rode RnR he was dizzy when he got outside after the ride - I almost had a panic attack! I made him sit by some bushes in case he got sick, and then I made us all go back to the hotel - and we were at The Dolphin so we went there by boat - OMG I had my hand on my ziplock bag in my purse and must have asked him 100 times on that boat ride if he was ok. He was SO annoyed with me. I also made us sit outside on the boat & it was FREEZING - but I just wasn't taking that chance that he'd get sick inside the boat. Of course, he was FINE. It was all in my head.

Public restrooms don't bother me one bit - isn't that odd? I'm so glad they don't! It's just my kids getting sick that I obsess about. ALL THE TIME. 24/7.

 

[NixiePixie]

From one Emet to another.....avoid the area of mission space if you can. Most people get sick from that ride. Ugh. Also I avoid public bathrooms like the plague. I actually keep my ipod with headphones in my purse to wear into the bathroom so I won't hear anyone getting sick. Nothing worse than being trapped in a stall having to listen while someone is puking in the stall next door. I will avoid drinking anything when we go out so I won't have to use the bathroom.

I will def. keep that in mind. I just looked at an Epcot map and am happy that it looks like it is in a space all by itself. We won't even venture there!! How good is Disney about cleaning up things? Are they pretty quick about it? Gosh, can ya tell I am soooo anxious about this trip. LOL The ipod trick seems like a really good idea. I have never put myself into a theme park situation before, so I never have really freaked about public bathrooms. I am sure if I were stuck in a stall with someone next to me getting sick, I would freak. I am not even sure exactly what I would do. Thinking about it makes me want to climb the walls right now.

 

[NixiePixie]

Gosh this is such an irrational fear. I mean, really, what would it do to me if someone was getting sick near me. Nothing. It isn't like it would cause me true physical harm or kill me or something, but that is exactly what my brain thinks will happen. I also have a fear of heights, dead things, and spiders. Those are pretty easy to deal with. I stay away from high places. I stay away from dead things. I try and stay away from spiders. If one happens to find its way into the house, I run and scream and make my DH handle it. I feel like even with all my precautions, I still might run into someone getting sick, therefore I am always kinda on "high alert". Some days are worse than others. Some situations worse than others. I know my brain shouldn't be like this. I have no idea how or if I can change it.

 

[TaraPA]

I am with you 100% Nixie - I KNOW this fear of my kids vomiting all the time is irrational - and like you said - so they throw up - big deal - no one dies - but my brain just tells me it will be HORRIFIC. For me it's just the constant anxiety of if, when, where, etc. Like someone else said, it's rooted in control issues. I CANNOT control if, when or where they throw up, so I do rituals & have constant anxiety in my mind trying my hardest TO control it.

WDW is awesome at cleaning up "protein spills" as they call them. Twice I had people vomit right near me in WDW (one in line for Lights, Motors Action, the other time strolling through Germany). A CM was there within seconds & both times they pulled a bag of sawdust or whatever it is that they use, out of their uniform! They cover the mess with the sawdust stuff, then another CM was right there within a minute to sweep up the mess. If you weren't right there you may have totally missed it.

Another time (I think I told this story on the other vomit thread or at the start of this one) - a kid threw up right outside the ladies room door while my friend & I were in the bathroom at Prime Time. We all stayed in the ladies room until we were sure it was cleaned up - and it was done within 3 minutes.

Now I've seen horror stories about people vomiting on the buses - that they do NOTHING about it. OMG I can't imagine. I just know that will happen to me with my kids. I carry a ziplock bag in my purse AT ALL TIMES in WDW. (I also keep one in the seatbacks of all of vehicles.) Yep, another ritual! I actually already have anxiety about my family trip in March - DH and the boys will go to Disney Quest til midnight one night - and then take the bus back from DTD to Dolphin. After a long day in the parks, eating junk & lack of sleep - to me that's a lethal combo that will make one of them sick (irrational yes, but explain that to my brain). I'm already anxious that one of them wil throw up on the bus back. I'm trying to convince DH to just pay for a cab back to the hotel that late - but even that doesn't really help me. They can still throw up in a cab!

I hate this!!!

 

[Sehsun]

Hello everyone,
I've been subscribed to this thread for quite some time (found it when lukenick1 created the thread about v* in movies), but I felt like all the things I had to say were already mentioned. But I guess I'll go ahead and introduce myself. I feel like I've had emetophobia for a while, probably since middle or high school. I share a lot of the same things that you all mentioned, and while it is anxiety-provoking and embarrassing sometimes, it is good to know I am not alone.

What is ironic is I am a nurse. Though currently unemployed as one. I don't share with many people that I have this phobia because they would think I'm ridiculous for going into this profession with this fear. During clinicals, I remember the first time I had to face v*, but I got through it and felt that was a big accomplishment. My heart was racing, and I felt so scared, but somehow I made it through. I think I am a bit better about it when I know it's not contagious (i.e., N/V of pregnancy, nausea from pain meds/chemo/surgery, etc.). NixiePixie, don't let the fear stop you from doing what you want to do.

I am surprised that I am still able to go to theme parks as often as I do with emetophobia. I think I've gotten better, or maybe my love for theme parks is stronger than my emet.

From one Emet to another.....avoid the area of mission space if you can. Most people get sick from that ride. Ugh. Also I avoid public bathrooms like the plague. I actually keep my ipod with headphones in my purse to wear into the bathroom so I won't hear anyone getting sick. Nothing worse than being trapped in a stall having to listen while someone is puking in the stall next door. I will avoid drinking anything when we go out so I won't have to use the bathroom.

I am afraid to try the orange version of Mission: Space for this reason. If I ever get brave enough to try the orange version, I'm going to make sure I know everybody who's in my vehicle - or at least know that they have done it before and have had no problems with it. I am also not a fan of public restrooms, but I try to deal with it as best as I can and will try to make sure it looks "clean" enough before using it. It's a plus if I find one with the seat up, which means it hasn't been used yet for the day. I could go on about public restrooms, but I won't because I don't want to stray off-topic.

The last time I was at MK, I used the restroom near Space Mountain. I am very sure someone v* in one of the stalls. I don't want to make anyone feel anxious, but I'll just say that one of my 5 senses could strongly sense it. I could also see a "Caution Wet Floor" sign blocking off the left side of stalls. But.....I did okay with it, although I had to breathe through my mouth the whole time I was in there. And I told my mom NOT to use that restroom when I met her outside and the reason why. For a little while I was afraid that I stepped in it or something, but I reassured myself there was none of it on the path I walked on. Btw....does anyone else look at the floor a lot where they walk, and if they see a large stain or spot of suspicious color, purposely try to avoid stepping in it?

One thing I read from an emetophobia discussion forum was the facts about norovirus (the stomach bug people often get in winter). It was pretty reassuring. You just have to make sure to wash your hands well because it is spread through fecal-oral route. It has been said that ingredients with benzalkonium or benzethonium chloride (with 0.013% concentration) are effective against norovirus. A few products that contain these ingredients in are Wet Ones wipes and the Gold Bond hand sanitizer lotion (which I bought a bottle of and keep in my car). I am not sure of the risks (if any) for using these products, so if anyone knows more about them, please let me know.

Perhaps it would be reassuring to buy Wet Ones wipes and take them with you to the parks. Use them before you eat, if you are unable to get to a restroom where there is good old soap and water. Just thought I would pass that along! If you made it all the way through this post, thanks for reading.

 

[ead79]

Now I've seen horror stories about people vomiting on the buses - that they do NOTHING about it. OMG I can't imagine.

I agree with you that in general Disney is very good about cleaning up protein spills quickly. Since we drive down to Disney and use our car for the most part, I don't have that much bus riding experience, but I find it hard to believe that Disney would do nothing about it. I mean, it is a biohazard after all. Now I can see that it wouldn't be safe for the driver to just pull off to the side of the road immediately after it happened, but I doubt they would just leave it there.

I know it's hard to remind your rational side that the fear is unlikely, at least it is for me. But just try to remember how many thousands of people ride Disney's busses every day without coming in contact with any protein spills.

For a little while I was afraid that I stepped in it or something, but I reassured myself there was none of it on the path I walked on. Btw....does anyone else look at the floor a lot where they walk, and if they see a large stain or spot of suspicious color, purposely try to avoid stepping in it?

Welcome! It's so funny that you should mention avoiding stains and spots on the floor, as that is one of the things I struggle with. I still have to remind myself not to do it and to fight the urge. I will say that as it turns out, there's a lot more interesting stuff to look at when you don't look down all the time, LOL! It is a bit comforting to know I'm not the only one who does this though.