[MrsS]

One of the hardest things to deal with re my IBS/ possible GERD is the nausea since I have a phobia of vomiting and the anxiety isn't helping anything- catch 22! Are there any more emetophobics on here? x

 

[fedup36]

Hi there! I am a fellow sufferer. My fear of vomit is a life long thing and has worsened since I became a mum. It is also paired with a fear of diarrhea which makes a flare up such fun! I have been known to drag my hubby home from work to care for the kids when they are sick whilst I sit in the garden shaking and crying. I drink bottles of pepto bismol in an attempt to stop the feeling of nausea which then has an effect on my belly....so I can't win! I have been on Citralopram (sp?) for a few weeks now which has helped hugely with my anxiety and my nausea/panic feelings. The next stage is to see the docs about either some CBT or hypntherapy to help me with the actual phobia. It's a real grind being so worried all the time, especially with the kids when they are at school and exposed to all the bugs. I have even kept my kids at home when a bug is doing the rounds in the hope they will miss it. I need to deal with this because it is affecting my family life and we all deserve better than that! I hope you can get the help you need to....and I am here if you need a chat...I pop in every day xx

 

[MrsS]

Thanks for your reply- I also suffer from anxiety so you have my sympathy there hun. Coping with children must be difficult, and it's good that you have a supportive hubby. I've had this phobia for as long as I can remember. I'm not planning to have any kids, of the main reasons being I'm too easily stressed to be able to cope with kids at the best of times, let alone with the emetophobia side of things. I've tried various SSRI's, citalopram, seroxat and prozac and unfortunately they didn't work for me- I started self injuring and suffered from suicidal thoughts- which is apparently quite a common side-effect of SSRI's! I use natural anti-anxiety remedies like Bach flower rescue remedy which seems to help a little. I've never had any therapy, I find doctors to be very dismissive of my phobia, although when I was in hospital recently with gastric bleeding(unexplained) I was prescribed anti-emetics as and when needed due to my phobia.Do you have IBS C,D or A if you don't mind me asking? What effect does pepto bismol have on you? I was interested in trying it.

 

[BQ]

Hi I can't say I am a fellow sufferer but I wanted to make sure you two had this link. Hopefully you can get some help there as well.Here is the link for the International Emetophobia Society:http://www.emetophobia.org/Wish you all the best

 

[fedup36]

Thanks for the link BQ xxMrsS....I am IBS-A....with neither really predominant....just at different times! The pepto bismol works brilliantly for my nausea but as it can have a constipating effect, it can bring problems. Admittedly, I was probably downing way too much of the stuff and became my own worst enemy there! I wouldn't hesitate to take it again if the D kicked in again as that is also when my nausea is at it's worst due to the panic about D!!! My phobia is so bad that evrytime my eldest threw up I would get my hubby to rush us to A&E, convinced he was dying....I have even had to leave my Dad in hospital with heart problems cos the bloke in the next bed had V&D.....I rarely go into hospitals now as my fear is even more heightened there...it has to be a real emergency to get me in one. Oddly, I am much calmer with my 2nd son, maybe cos he is not so sickly, or maybe cos I am coping better...who knows? I have come to realise that I don't want my phobias to be passed on to my kids, which is part of what has lead me to seek the help. I am very lucky in that my GP is incredible and is trying her best to help me out. Maybe you should consider switching GPs if possible? I also realise what abig help my family are, none of them dismiss me as silly etc and try their best not to panic me too much, but bugs are part and parcel of childhood so we just have to get through it. I used to be convinced I was the only one who felt like this, but a trawl of the internet soon made me realise that it is a very common phobia which affects all kinds of people....there is help out there, it's finding it that can take the time....hugs xxxx