emetophobia (fear of vomiting)

[jitters]

emetophobia is a word that most people have never come across, but it is the fifth most common phobia. And it is the reason for my agrophobia indirectly. Due to my refusal to go anywhere that may cause me to vomit i.e. anywhere where there may be a sick person. and from doing anything which will make me feel ill such as drinking or going on fast rides.

Due to a severe case of irony my anxiety attacks make me nauseous so now I stopped going anywhere where I may get anxious, Luckily now I know what it is I can combat it but, why me. Plus of course if I have an anxiety attack which makes me feel ill, I get worried I may vomit, which makes me anxious, which makes me feel nauseaous, which makes me anxious I may vomit. Ad Nausem.

Duncan

[hubbub]

lol I pretty much have the same thing. Whenever I go out, I start to feel sick thus I fear actually being sick although Im not sure why. I have vomited in the past from worrying to much and I did get on with it (this was going to work experience) yet I still fear it.
I know that most of the time I wont be sick though so I try and get out there cos after about 20 to 30 minutes I feel fine.

The worst is on holidays, I rarely eat for fear of being sick and I also have a big issue with restaurants.

[jitters]

I know I really fear getting food poisoning, I'd rather lose an arm.

:cry:

Duncan

[justbreathe]

I have had this fear since I was in elementary school. Though its not nearly as intense (I faked sick several weeks of school because I was paralzed with fear! sounds silly I know) I still will get nervous and sick to my stomach. Im more afraid of someone vomiting around me because it becomes a chain reaction. I will avoid places like bars/clubs because people are always puking there and when someone pukes or I see it or smell I DO IT TOO! But I look at it this way, those places are not the healthiest of places for me to be anyways so its not so bad.

I just RECENTLY , at 23, found out Im not alone with this fear. All along I have felt like a big wierdo cuz no one else I know gets like this!

But my therapist was like whats the worst that will happen if you vomit in public? I thought it over and it wouldnt be the end of the world. Still dont like the feeling though.

[hubbub]

Im figuring that with me, the anxiety sort of started when I got food poisoning abroad (eeeeh gads!!) when I was about... 10. Well it also happened that I had to take a 3 hour bus ride, spend a day in a park, and a 3 hour bus ride back (we were already into the journey when I realised I had food poisoning)

So I think that counts into the fact I hate restaurants and eating out in general (although Im overcoming that one) I also think it comes from my nut allergy which is why going out is big deal for me. :roll:

[juliana]

if I have an anxiety attack which makes me feel ill, I get worried I may vomit, which makes me anxious, which makes me feel nauseaous, which makes me anxious I may vomit. Ad Nausem.

_______

Hi. I'm Juliana. Wow. I'm sorry other people are going through this too, but there's some solace in knowing I'm not the only one. I feel your pain and empathize with each of you. I was always a queasy little girl, got motion sickness on car trips and carnival rides (which I eventually avoided), had an ulcer when I was 12, and I would rather be in mind-numbing pain than throw up. I had a herniated cervical disk and pinched nerve for 6 months this year and the pain was intense. My doctor gave me Dilaudid but as soon as I read the most common side effects -- nausea and vomiting -- I threw the pills away and just suffered through the pain. My fear of nausea was just a minor annoyance on occasion when I was younger, though, and didn't start interfering with my life in a big way until I was 30.

I had a severe case of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo that started in 2000. It was like being seasick constantly -- dizziness, bedspins, loss of balance, nausea and vomiting. It was horrendous -- one of my worst fears becoming reality 24 hours a day. Within 6 months, I was too sick to work. I was too dizzy to shower so my sister had to come over and wash my hair for me and do simple things like fixing soup for me -- because I fell down a lot and I was too dizzy to handle anything hot or sharp. It took a couple of years for the doctors to give me an accurate diagnosis. They kept sending me for GI tests even though I kept telling them I knew it was my right ear causing the problem. The whole experience just intensified my vomiting phobia.

Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to be alone when I'm sick; I didn't even want my mum near me. I don't want any company when I'm sick. I have always been phobic about being sick in public. So, about a year into my 5 year case of BPPV, I started having panic attacks and became agoraphobic. I stayed in my flat -- only leaving for doctor's appointments -- for over 4 years. Just stepping outside on my deck would make me feel like I was choking and I would be back inside within a few minutes. Weeks before a scheduled doctor's appointment, I would be consumed with fear at the thought of having to leave the comfortable isolation of my flat and going to a clinic or hospital. I would be in tears the day of the appointment and when I got there, the nurse would usually put me in a dark, private recovery room to wait for the doctor because I was too panicked to sit in the brightly lit waiting room with other people -- unable to swallow and so afraid of throwing up. I was extremely sensitive to fluorescent lights and any kind of movement in my peripheral vision when I had BPPV. Those things would just intensify the blurred vision and the spinning and lurching feeling in my head and stomach.

I have been back at work for 2 years now and have started doing things I never thought I would do again. This summer, I went on two trips. Going to a crowded airport was terrifying, but I made myself do it. I don't want to live my life in fear. I feel like I'm in mourning for all the wasted time -- those lost 5 years when my life ground to a complete stop. I still sometimes feel like Rip Van Winkle. It doesn't seem possible that I was sick for 5 years. My friends' lives changed -- marriage, new homes, babies -- and my life just remained stagnant. Those years seem to have gone by in the blink of an eye and I have struggled with depression since I returned to a semi-"normal" life. I don't want to waste any more of my life. So, I went on 7 long flights, travelled to four states, interviewed a rockstar, went to music festivals (Summerfest in Milwaukee -- in the midst of a sea of people, I actually had a blast!) and even braved Vegas (the antithesis of my quiet, safe flat). I even got terribly ill (recurrence of pinched nerve pain, stomach flu, prolapsed eardrums, sinus infection and strep throat) while I was there and had to let friends take care of me and I learned that it's not the end of the world. That felt like a major accomplishment for a former agoraphobe. It took three shots in the ass and a friend pushing me in a wheelchair to get me on the plane home, but I value that experience. Everything I feared might go wrong did go wrong and I survived.

I'm getting my career back on track -- moving to a new position in two weeks, but I still have panic attacks. I don't know which comes first -- the anxiety or the nausea -- but it's a vicious cycle. Nausea = panic = more nausea = more panic. My attacks take the form of a fear/inability to swallow. I clench my jaw and my throat tightens. I can't force myself to get on a bus, I can only go to a crowded mall on a "good day" and I am always aware of the location of the closest washroom or exit. I'm more likely to have an attack in places that are loud, brightly lit (especially with fluorescent lights) and with lots of movement. Wal-Mart is the absolute worst! When I have to go to a restaurant with colleagues, I always order soup and it's hard for me to eat even a bit of it. I think everyone assumes I'm on a ridiculously calorie-restricted diet, but I just find it so difficult to eat/swallow in public. Cocktail parties are one of the hardest things for me to endure. When I go to the grocery store, I leave if the line-ups are long. That's one of the hardest things for me -- standing in a line or waiting in a waiting room. If I keep busy and stay in motion, my mind is occupied, but when I have to stop and wait, the anxiety sets in. I try to practise some of the techniques my CBT therapist taught me -- like attempting to identify the thoughts that precipate the attacks, but I'm not very successful. The panic hits me so quickly and it's such an overwhelming physical effect. I can't identify anything other than nausea and panic... and all I want to do is get the hell away from wherever I am and be alone at home. Of course, I can't do that. I can't just leave the office when it happens -- and it happens at least once almost every day. I try to do the deep breathing techniques, but breathing deeply and exhaling through my mouth like I'm supposed to do feels impossible because it makes me feel even more likely to throw up. When I'm having a panic attack, I can't make myself open my mouth. I clench everything and can't even speak. I don't know what the solution is.

My new job will require me to be a communications coordinator and media contact for a university. Instead of being in my comfort zone -- in my quiet office, with the door closed, focused on Photoshop all day -- I will be going to a lot of social events and interacting with many more people on a daily basis. I will be in the public eye much more often than I have been recently and I'm afraid my panic attacks will interfere with my ability to do a good job. The logical, ambitious part of myself is thrilled about the opportunity, but I'm terrified. I'm so much better than I was 2 years ago, but I'm afraid I will never be the way I was before 2000. I'm feeling like I will never be able to move through the world with the kind of ease and freedom I felt before my panic attacks started.

Sorry for the length of this post. Talk about ad nauseum. :roll: I just needed to get this out. I don't talk out loud about this very often because I feel like no one in my life understands; they're so used to the way I used to be and admitting my fears is embarrassing. Close friends and family have told me that no one would ever guess that I have a panic disorder because I appear so confident and poised in social situations. I'm outgoing and talkative and I appear to be completely unselfconscious. It's a performance, though. I'm white-knuckling it and inside, my mind is screaming, "RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!" the entire time as I'm smiling and making pleasant conversation. It's exhausting. Has anyone here found ways of overcoming the nausea/panic cycle? I would welcome any techniques or suggestions you're willing to share. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Reading your words makes me feel less alone. It's a pleasure to meet you all.

[juliana]

I just thought of one thing that helps me a bit. I figured I'd share just in case it might work for someone else. I read somewhere that peppermint confuses the gag reflex, so I carry a tin of tiny peppermints with me all the time. When I'm nauseous and having trouble swallowing, I can't drink water or put a big peppermint in my mouth without feeling like I'm going to choke, but the tiny ones seem to help. I don't know why -- if it's the distraction -- but it usually calms me down a bit. Sometimes I'll have 5 or 6 mints in a row before the attack passes. It doesn't always work, but for me it's preferable to taking Clonazepam and an anti-nauseant. Those drugs are my security blankets and options of last resort, but I rarely take them. I suck on peppermints and wait for the attack to pass -- because it will pass eventually. When I'm having a stressful day, I usually opt for peppermint tea instead of coffee too. That seems to help a bit.

[jitters]

Thankyou for the reply sounds like you have been through the mill, but you havent let it rule your life and that is the important thing. Your an example to us all.

Cheers for the peppermint tip.

Stay Strong.

Duncan

[juliana]

Thanks Duncan. I like the Kirosawa quote at the bottom of your posts. It resonates with me. Cheers.

[tweakit]

Hey, new to the forum here.

edit1:

this is EXACTLY what i'm told/what i feel also.

"Close friends and family have told me that no one would ever guess that I have a panic disorder because I appear so confident and poised in social situations. I'm outgoing and talkative and I appear to be completely unselfconscious. It's a performance, though. I'm white-knuckling it and inside, my mind is screaming, "RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!" the entire time as I'm smiling and making pleasant conversation."

I have the same symptoms and problems. I've been suffering with them for 4+ years now. And for some reason they are coming back strong again in my final semester of school.

Yes, I do have a fear of vomiting... but I've only vomited twice (non drinking, young kid (7ish) and twice because of drinking alcohol.

But I can't count the number of times I felt sick to my stomach and had to leave wherever i was because of the feeling and fear.

I almost dropped out of college because of it, but made it through, then went through some therapy and am now on ativan... but things are wearing off and its coming back to me..

I am going to go back to the doctor to see if there is a different medication to try that might work better. I'm becoming immune it seems to the ativan.

I needed to vent that. nice to see people who feel the same.

thanks,
tweakit

[conceptcanibal]

Juliana and others,
Wow it's good to be home in a way, I feel, like Juliana, that I'm out of place in many ways. Most of my friends don't get it, I feel stagnant while they are growing... and they still wonder why I seem so peppy.

I was reading through some of the website's topics and started panicing becuase I fear that even if I do find a cure, it will only be temporary.
I will have to try that peppermint trick, I too suffer from a fear of vomiting, or really a fear of having anything come out of anywhere, if you catch my drift (I posted my first topic on IBS).
I guess the best remedy is to try and find comfort in the fact that the percentage of times you've actually vomited vs. wanting to vomit is low, or I would hope so at least. There was one person, I believe it was tweakit, that said they had rarely puked in their lifetime. I myself also rarely puke ( I went something like, 7 years without throwing up once, until I got Viral menengitus and the medications made me severely sick) but often feel the urge to puke. I have been a full blown indoor agoraphobe for 7 months. On good days I come out to our office and do my ONLINE schoolwork (thank god for online college, i'd be completely lost) but on bad days I lay in bed with my object of choice, a plastic bowl, incase I do puke.

in the beginning stages that bowl was with me everywhere I walked, until I started realizing that I really don't puke that often.
So yeah, maybe that thought will help? I'm not too sure.

[KillingTime]

My whole anxiety is based around nausea.

My main symptom when I have a panic attack is extreme nausea, to the point where I can't even talk. I usually start gagging but i've never actually thrown up.

I don't like the idea of vomit.. .I never have, even before anxiety I can't stand to see or hear someone vomiting, so it's tough.

In general I am pretty much nauseas all day though, it's just become a part of me for about two years, I have to force all my food down while gagging. It gets horrible during a panic attack though... all the mints, ginger etc. in the world won't help me.

[archangel113]

Yeah my anxiety is pretty bad when it comes to going to public places, especially school. I don't eat before classes because of so scared of getting sick. But because I'm in school for so long my stomach really starts to hurt and I get nauseous anyway. Another part of my anxiety is that I really have to go number 2. But because I am afraid of public restrooms, I have to wait till I get home. Thus I am left nauseous, bloated, and in pain. I have dropped many classes because I can't stand bieng in school for so long. The most I have been able to handle is two classes a semester. I just don't know what to do anymore, the only thing that seems to help me is video games. When I am playing them I don't feel sick, but I still get alot of crap from my family and girlfriend because I play so much. No one seems to understand me and that makes me depressed. Anyone know what I should do???

[Kyu]

That's basically exactly what I have. (Though I do have a few other mental problems added on top of that.)

Typically, the best way I've found to cope is to always carry a bottle of water with me - sipping it helps me feel a little calmer, if only for a while, - and also sleeping with a bowl or similar container beneath my bed in case I wake up and vomit.

My anxiety's getting to the point where I can't board buses or places where I know I can't run into a toilet or out of sight of everyone if I feel I need to be sick. The same rule applies for if I'm at a distance which I consider to be too far away.

It's a royal pain in the arse, because it's often the reason I leave early when I meet my friends - or the reason I stay up all night at sleepovers.

I sometimes wish there was a medication that was a kind of quick-fix for this fear and related anxiety; the closest thing I've found are Rennies, but just like any medicine they're probably dangerous if you take too many. I can't distinguish whether it's my anxiety making me feel sick or genuine illness anymore so I've forced myself to stop taking them and stick to water now.

[Suz]

I have a similar fear. When I was young, I had some very unpleasant and embarrassing experiences that involved me vomiting. I have spent most of my life avoiding it. I actually think this is more common than most people think. As a child, I used to get motion sick very often...in the car...on kiddie rides at carnivals. I really thought it was normal to avoid doing those types of things that make you miserably ill. That is why I have avoided long car rides unless I am driving, any type of ride that goes up-down-round and round. I stay away from boats on the ocean because I discovered that I get sea-sick as well. As I got older, I did find that I got unreasonably scared of it. If I got even a little naseous, I would do everything in my power to not vomit. Even when I knew I should throw-up to feel better, I would fight it all the way. I have vomited once in the past 15 years and it was so difficult, that I cried from the experience as well as busting blood-vessels under my eyes which made things even worse and more traumatic.

I guess I am glad that I am not the only one that has a fear of it.

[random]

I don't like the idea of vomit.. .I never have, even before anxiety I can't stand to see or hear someone vomiting, so it's tough.

Vomit's not nice, it's usually the body's way of trying to get rid of something poisonous to it. But in saying that, vomiting is a healthy thing to do because it gets rid of the toxins.

I was a TERRIBLE sympathetic spewer when I was younger. When cousins were carsick I had my head out the window choking back my own even if I caught the faintest whiff of it. Even if I saw babies chuck part of their just-finished meal up I gagged and had to leave the room.

These days I'm not so bad with the sympathetic thing, but I do feel nauseous as a result of stress or hunger (in the mornings I have a 90 second window between being hungry and wanting to chuck). It's just something you deal with and work around - I try to eat something as soon as I get up to keep the stomach happy. Mints are a damn good solution to nausea as well so keep them handy.

[nikki2008]

Im totally with you all on this.

Ive always had this fear since I was little. From about 1998 onwards and I was working I felt ill, but I realised it was a 4 flight of stairs run to the staff loos, and 6 floors in my next job (I also got a stomach bug while working there in 2002, the girl I worked with got sick at exactly the same time, although luckily we were at home!), and when I got pregnant in 2003 the morning sickness hit and I ended up quitting my job due to that and depression..
..Then throughout my pregnancy I didnt really leave the house because I felt so sick with the morning sickness, and I was afraid I would catch something and get sick, but most of all the possibilty that it would harm baby, the one thing I had left of my bf (who was killed 6 weeks into my pregnancy), then when our son was born I felt I needed to protect him from the outside bugs etc, so didnt really go out.

Later on I met my now fiance (who is a great Dad to my son, has been understanding etc.. ) but I had my first real panic attack whilst in a cinema, I felt sick, along with my other usual period symptoms.. I felt trapped, it was a while away to the loos and the panic just kicked in.

I also feel sick with the anxiety, I feel sick I dont wanna go out, I dont go out it gets worse for the next time.. but if I push myself while still feeling sick I panic - thus making it worse the next time I go out anyway!!!! I cant win!

But I do have a question, does anyone feel sick in their throat, like they heave at the thought of just going out etc?? I ask because about 4 months ago I kinda of managed to push aside the nausea, but now I heave a lot, like its going to take something minor to be physically sick


N.

[nikki2008]

I don't like the idea of vomit.. .I never have, even before anxiety I can't stand to see or hear someone vomiting, so it's tough.

Vomit's not nice, it's usually the body's way of trying to get rid of something poisonous to it. But in saying that, vomiting is a healthy thing to do because it gets rid of the toxins.

I was a TERRIBLE sympathetic spewer when I was younger. When cousins were carsick I had my head out the window choking back my own even if I caught the faintest whiff of it. Even if I saw babies chuck part of their just-finished meal up I gagged and had to leave the room.

These days I'm not so bad with the sympathetic thing, but I do feel nauseous as a result of stress or hunger (in the mornings I have a 90 second window between being hungry and wanting to chuck). It's just something you deal with and work around - I try to eat something as soon as I get up to keep the stomach happy. Mints are a damn good solution to nausea as well so keep them handy.

I had to laugh at this (which is kinda nice cos I feel so miserable right now!!), but I also have a 90 second window of being hungry and feeling sick!! Its like I realise Im hungry, then seconds later Im feeling faint and nauseous!

I also agree with the other stuff you wrote, if I smell V, hear it or see it, I instantly feel sick too. Ive had a few stays in hospital since Feb, what a nightmare, the germs and hearing ppl be sick etc, thats truely awful.. plus I was sick whilst there too (maybe nerves?), but thank god I had my own side room with a loo, Id only been in it 10mins or so before I got sick.. but I soon got moved from the room, which mad me anxious because I was no longer near the loo.

I was terrible when my fiance caught a stomach bug, we slept in separate rooms, I made him stay in the room during the day away from me and my son, I was burning eucalyptus oil (an antibacterial type oil.. like it would do anything anyway) like there was no tomorrow, dettoling door handles and I opened just about every room in the house so to get the germs out, we were all freezing!

Oh the joys..

[Magz_89]

Jitters I have that same fear of food poisoning!!
It can limit your diet vastly.. i just decide that if i am going to take what I feel is a risk i generally order the same as someone else im with just so atleast I know we will oth get it and it wont be me completely freeking out thinking my body has just decided to explode lol....

[sparkey]

duncan,

I fear the same. I fear that i will be ill when outside my house and feel nausea most of the time. I am worried that i will be ill so i refuse to eat or drink when at work and go to as little places as possible. I have to carry a carrier bag in my pocket as a safety precaution and wont go anywhere without it. I thought this was only me suffering.

sparkey

[Marthax]

I am so interested in what others have said to you about this because I have always suffered from the same thing as well.

It's all the time... and like I saw you mention, I always feel I have contracted food poisoning. I still eat enough but it gets in the way. I only eat bland things, never meat because of it. And yet, I STILL worry just as much.

I just had this problem last night... and at the end of this past week were the most recent times.

What I tried to do was CONCENTRATE on my stomach and try and "find" myself there and I realized I wasn't sick to my stomach at all.. and it was only the chemicals in my body from the anxiety. I did find a little bit of comfort in that.

I am calling my doctor on Monday and going to find a therapist. I think between a therapist and the support here this can be cured.

As I'm reading some responses, as others have said about being hungry and it making you feel sick, I feel that way a LOT in the past month! I hate it!

[Wally Gator]

I completely understand how you feel and I had the same thing.

I retired from the military after 23 years of service (Marine Corps/Army) and suffered much of my adult life in the military with severe anxiety. Having been in and out of emergency rooms throughout the world, as well as an inpatient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, I can say that the cause of my suffering is not important to share, but what is important to share is my recovery process. Total recovery is possible and I'm living, breathing proof. Don’t let anyone ever tell you you can’t recover because you can.

Over the years I have been on every drug imaginable, from Xanax to Imipramine to Prozac. As well, I've been to dozens of psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists. The drugs and the people all meant well and genuinely wanted to help. But, unfortunately, they simply did not have the right combination. For me, that combination came through a program called CHAANGE. And, my permanent recovery started in 1988 when my wife read a book called "Free From Fears" and enrolled me in the CHAANGE Program. The Program has been around since 1979 and they have helped hundreds of thousands of people who have suffered with and overcame their battle with severe anxiety (this can be from PTSD, OCD, panic attacks, generalized anxiety, agoraphobia, etc ..). The director of the program is a WWII Marine vet and former sufferer.

I have recently learned that they now give the book away for FREE and you can download it through the Internet. I am hopeful it can do for you what it did for me. It literally set me free.

The book can be found at freefromfears

I wish you the very best in your recovery. If there is something else I can do to help, please let me know.

[Arei]

emetophobia is a word that most people have never come across, but it is the fifth most common phobia. And it is the reason for my agrophobia indirectly. Due to my refusal to go anywhere that may cause me to vomit i.e. anywhere where there may be a sick person. and from doing anything which will make me feel ill such as drinking or going on fast rides.



Wow, someone I can finally relate to. I was extremely frightened starting in 2nd grade, when I suddenly developed these stomach pains, this strange nausea I had never felt before. Before this, the only time I had stomach pain meant I was going to throw up. So for about 2 years, I lived in constant fear of throwing up. My cousin (who was born right before this started) had a tendency to get sick often, and I would just be horrified to be around her when she was sick. Or anyone who was sick, I was terrified beyond belief. During this period I dropped 30 pounds and kept them off those 2 years, I probably only ate enough to sustain myself. I was paranoid (I was 8-10 when the episodes were at its worst), I was hooked on Zantac and Mylanta, one time (and this is the only time it's ever happened) I got heartburn after eating a taco, I nearly jumped out of my skin, and I think I had only one other episode of heartburn during this time too (and i havent had it anymore since).

They ruled out acid reflux and everything under the sun, and after they did the ultrasound that was it, they didn't try anymore, and I had gotten so used to it. It took quite a few years (especially because I entered a new, very stressful situation that has lasted for years now) before I got off of mylanta all the time, but it happened.


Anyway, about the emetophobia, it has stuck around to a certain degree.

The last stomach virus I had before the one I got last november had been 9 years previous. This came on suddenly, I had just finished my first day at a new job (this was the day after thanksgiving) and had dinner and I got this weird feeling like it was a hunger cramp but it obviously wasn't. I went to go to bed and I felt something try to come up and I was like "Oh no X_X" but it went away and I went to sleep.

As usual with any stomach bug I have ever had (that I can remember, but this was exactly like the last time) it wakes me up, I sit up, think "oh crap" then spew everywhere. I can't really tell when I'm about to throw up, because it seriously had been a nearly 10 year gap since I got sick.

Which is weird, when I feel nauseated bad like im gonna spew I dont, but when I feel just slightly off, then I get sick =/ it's weird.


The best thing, is once you throw up you feel better. I will psyche myself in the future to realize if I NEED to throw up, that it will be ok afterwards and it won't happen again. I normally just throw up once (get it ALL out) then I don't have to again for the duration of the stomach bug.


Here's the thing, if you feel anxious, taking the Mylanta or some sort of antacid will help your stomach. If it doesn't help, you might have a stomach bug/ate something nasty. It always helps me if im just anxious, but it will have no effect is something is really off down there (and it makes diaherrea worse, so dont take it if you have that)


Now I'm dreading thanksgiving because I dont want to see those relatives again who got us ALL sick. My mom gets stomach bugs easier then anything, and she may get one but I normally dont contract it. This time EVERYONE ELSE not in their immediate family who hadn't already had the bug caught it. I normally don't catch stomach bugs either, but this had to have been particularly nasty.


And there are other things I do to help myself calm down and realize I'm not going to vomit. The only times I have vomited are times with stomach bugs (or the stomach flu I had for a week one time). I'm always:

1. Light headed
2. Fever

If I'm feeling super nauseated from anxiety or something, I check myself "you aren't sick, so you aren't going to throw up." It helps. Same with when I got major nausea that lasted for 2 straight days taking augmentin, I somehow psyched myself quickly into thinking I wasn't going to puke.

I don't get any warning sign before I puke, it just happens. So if I feel so nauseated like I'm going to barf at any second, I'm not going it. It always just spontaneously happens (which is bad because I end up covered in it), but that really helps to keep my fear in check so my anxiety goes down and I can start to untense.

[helpmarcproject]

Have you ever seen the movie "What About Bob"? There is a certain element of what you are talking about in this movie. I know I hate vomiting cause it means something is not right with my body--I think its not the fear of vomiting but rather the fear of having something wrong and my fear of dying. Would you agree?

One of the things I really push on my website is the fact that you have to take a risk and mask your fear in order to get over it. Now in this case I am not saying stick your finger down your throat so you can vomit and try to deal with your fear, but rather follow the five steps I have outlined in my research. Click on the website attached to my signature block to read more.

[randomben]

i had to join this site just to share my experiences with this.. WOW. I am so glad that there are others facing this.

My fear of vomitting stems from when i was a kid around 10 years old and I had a lead role in the school play. I was so nervous on the big night I couldnt get on stage because I thought i would vomit in front of the whole school and parents right on the stage and be humiliated.

The fear has come and gone over the years and seems to come when i am feeling down or experiencing other stressful aspects to my life. funny how you guys mention ant-acids as I take these regularly aswell... what is the link here? Is the mental symptoms presenting themselves as a physical expressions?

So far me fear is triggered same as you guys - when I am in a place where immediate isolation is not possible. This makes getting on with life very difficult indeed as I am a young businessman who is always having meetings and presentations etc. Top triggers and nightmare scenarios include:

- flying (take off and landing when you have to stay in your seat
- job interviews: where running out of the room holding a hand to your mouth and gagging would seem absolutely rediculous and humilating
- big meetings / presentations etc: above reasons
- eating at restaraunts: but only with people I dont really know e.g. a new girlfriend or business people etc.

Not really sure what advice I can offer the group, but to say, please keep posting here about your experiences with this so we can all help each other. The best things for me is - deep breathes, making myself vomit prior to stressful event so I know there is nothing in my stomach, scoping out new places before stress - so i know where exits/restrooms are in the event of a panic attack.

Good luck all of you. With strenght and good luck, we can beat this terrible affliction. RandomBen.

[Topcat]

OMG reading these posts are amazing it sounds so like me I cant believe it.

I have lived my life in so much fear of of being sick and trying to avoid it at all costs, I dont eat out and if I do it has to be at certain places and then I worry for hours after, I have never been drunk, I hate taking new medication and if the word vomiting appears on possible side effects I usually wont take it, I have to say that having two children has helped me to some degree and I am always very good with them now if they are ill (I was a nightmare when they were younger) the most stupid thing I can recall was when I was in labour with my second child and I started to feel sick and started to panic about it, they said they would inject me with anti-nausea medicine and I asked "could it make me sick" !!! Even in my state of panic I realised how stupid I sounded :laugh:

[John1294]

hi, well i'm john. I just turned 14 back in december and i have been diagnosed with agoraphobia by my counceler. I have a really bad fear of getting sick and vomiting. i don't know really when or why it started it just like came on and stuff. It throws me into a panic if i even hear someone say "i don't feel good" i have gotten to the point also where i am being homeschooled because i would refuse to go to school because i thought i would get sick. my anxiety attacks have lessened a lot since i have been homeschooled but i have been being urged to go back to a school. i take ativan when needed to calm me down but sometimes it doesnt work.

[Topcat]

hi, well i'm john. I just turned 14 back in december and i have been diagnosed with agoraphobia by my counceler. I have a really bad fear of getting sick and vomiting. i don't know really when or why it started it just like came on and stuff. It throws me into a panic if i even hear someone say "i don't feel good" i have gotten to the point also where i am being homeschooled because i would refuse to go to school because i thought i would get sick. my anxiety attacks have lessened a lot since i have been homeschooled but i have been being urged to go back to a school. i take ativan when needed to calm me down but sometimes it doesnt work.


Hi John

I really feel for you as I know how awful it is to have this fear as it has dominated most of my life and im 42 now and to make things worse I suffer from IBS which gives me bad nausea.

When I was a child I hated going to school and have avoided all situations that could lead to vomiting (getting drunk, eating strange foods, staying away from sick people etc) but I have managed to have two children which has helped me a great deal and I now work in a school which obviously has sick kids in it from time to time, and I do seem more able to cope with it now far better than when I was younger.

It would be really good if you could try to conquer this fear as soon as possible rather than letting it ruin your life, i know its hard but talking to your counsellor is a good start and try an push yourself to do a little more each day, obviously take things slowly an stop when you feel its becoming too much but please try because you are so young and I know from experience how this could affect your life.

You need to find something that makes you feel good, whether it be walking, swimming, running, cycling, reading etc. Also make sure that you invite your mates over lots to keep socialising.

:)

[dunky]

In 3rd grade, our cafeteria was being renovated, so we all ate in the classrooms. This was terrible for me for some reason, and I threw up nearly every day, it got to the point that I would have to eat my food outside the class and come back in when I felt better.

Ever since then, I've acknowledged that I had a sensitive stomach. Sights, smells and even sound can set me off, given that I'm feeling sick. There's been no way for me to prevent it other than leaving. It's a terrible feeling to have in general. I honestly believe that if it weren't for my fear of vomitting, I would be able to manage my anxiety a lot easier.

[Topcat]

Sights, smells and even sound can set me off, It's a terrible feeling to have in general. I honestly believe that if it weren't for my fear of vomitting, I would be able to manage my anxiety a lot easier.

This sounds so much like me, sometimes just thinking about something can make me heave.

I also think believe that me fear of being sick makes me more nervous (so I feel more sick), it is a horrible fear to have as it is one that is hard to avoid, if nerves makes you feel sick daily you cant stop it but if you are scared of say dogs or planes etc you can try to avoid them.

[anxiousbelle]

I can't believe I've found so many of u with the same thing as me! I'm so happy I'm not alone in this as I thought I was.

Although I don't think I have it as bad as some of you, I don't have a problem with eating out in restaurants or going out in general. I'm 22, and unlike my other friends, didn't start drinking alcohol until I was about 19 as I was just too scared I'd be sick. I didn't realise that all my friends drank too much alcohol and that's why they were sick, I just thought it was something you had to deal with.

I've suffered from anxiety on and off since I was 5 years old in varying intensitys. I was very bad when it started, getting up almost every night feeling sick. It gradually reduced to 3 times a week, then once a week, once a fortnight, then hardly ever. As I got older it returned so I went to see a Hypnotherapist who really helped me get over my anxiety, I didn't worry at all about being sick unless I was actually ill :)

Over the past 2 years though my anxiety has gradually returned....although it's not nearly as bad as it was when I was young. I've been through a lot over the past 2 years with my fiancee so I do put it down to stress. It seems a lot of my friends and family don't understand what I find so distressing about vomiting, and to be honest I don't either. I've vomited enough times in my life to know what happens and that it does eventually stop, but lately I just seem to be on pins waiting for the next time I'll be sick, and that's no way to live.

The currentt swine flu pandemic is not helping my nerves either, I feel like I'm constantly on pins waiting to contract it and start vomiting (one of my close friends recently contracted it and was violently vomiting for about 3 hours). At the same time I think I've already got swine flu, have been feeling sick, dizzy, headachey, and had a slight temperature. BUt instead of just thinking to myself "Oh I've got it but I'm one of those people who doesn't vomit with it", I'm instead thinking "Oh I obviously haven't had it yet cuz I haven't been sick but I'll get it soon enough"

Talk about negative thinking...anyway sorry for long post, got carried away. I'm just glad to know I'm not alone :)

[Midnight Sky]

hi all, im yet another emet. im 24 and ive had it since i was 7. detto to the swine flu thing, lol. but i try to keep telling myself that whatever happens i dont care cos everything passes one way or another anyway. and that either im going to be sick anyway or i make it happen by panicking so fear wont help me and i might as well relax. it helps often but not always. sometimes i still let my negative thinking take the upper hand.