Hi. Im a 22 year old female who has an extreme fear of catching any type of illness that may involve me being sick. This has caused me to develop generalized anxiety in every day life but it all boils down to my phobia. my mum was sick saturday night at midnight its been over 48 hours but im still panicing i may pick it up!!?? I have been percribed amitryptaline low dosage about 2 weeks ago to help take the edge off and settle me at night but im not sure if its worked yet i just think im so anxious nothing will work. ive had CBT which didnt work. i find the thing that helps me the most is reasurance and talking about how im feeling.
Hello Beth, I do understand where your coming from as i fear being sick and cannot bear to see or hear anybody else being sick. All i can say is the very few times in my life i have been sick and i am now in my fifties, i felt better afterwards. Our bodies have a way of getting rid of bugs and poisons by ejecting them. Try not to think about being sick, if you have no symptoms. Think positive thoughts and distraction methods.
Best wishes.
Elizabeth.
Thank you Elizabeth. My anxiety makes me feel things that arent there so these days im not sure if im ill or not. these past few days i have been thinking positive and it has been helping. Just so happens this winter so many people have been struck down with sickness makes me so on edge. Positive thoughts are getting me through x
Hey Beth, I'm also afraid of being sick, particularly getting a stomach bug. I also found cbt didn't really help too much. I get really paranoid in the evenings, because that's when you're normally sick if you're ill. But reassurance helps me too, and I'm reassuring you that you'll be fine. Just think if you were going to be ill you would of been by now, thats what I try to think anyway.
Thanks Amy thats the type of thing i need to hear! Yes i know you always hear about people being sick in the night which is why i have trouble sleeping. I constantly feel ill at some point during everyday because of my anxiety with being sick so you can imagine what ive been like the past few days lol. Its a viscous cycle. i find it worse during the week when i no i have to go to work where as weekends im more relaxed.
Hi, God I thought I was the only one that thought like this. I haven fear of been sick too. I panic if anyone near me says they feel sick, can't bear to see anyone sick or even any on floors outside. I go into panic for days till I think it would of shown itself if I have caught it. I try not to touch surfaces that people touch ie handles and wipe my desk at work with antibacterial wipes. I even had a Go at a colleague at work cause she had been sick that night and come into work and then sat next to me... I find trying to just keep telling myself I will be ok, and like you try to think positive thoughts .
your definatley not the only one Sharon so dont you worry!! I am extreme aswel. i had a nice chilled night last night, slept well and had a nice morning and as soon as i had thought about leaving the house for work i though hmm i feel a bit dodgy. then that sets me off for the day then!! its horrible. if i had a wish it would be to never get ill in my life with a tummy bug lol.
hi beth you maybe suffering from something called emotophobia which is a fear of being sick google it for more imformation
Hi Beth just thought ide try reassure you by telling you your not the only one there are thousands of people who feel the same with extreme phobia to the physical action of vomiting which is accompanied by anxiety unfortunately making you feel worse than before. I am also a sufferer and do not enjoy the daily struggle (or at least it's daily for me ) and I hope you find some way of coping with it.
Wynter
I know this is an old post, but it's nice to see I'm not the only person going through this. I struggle to sleep at night because I'm scared I will wake up sick (it's 11.40pm, Iv got my 11 week old baby off to sleep and I'm sat here anxious and awake)!!! And little niggle or stomach pain sends me into an anxiety attack, it's ruining my life
makes me so miserable
Hey Beth
You sound like me I know this a old post but I am like you too. I can't be near my family if they're sick. I tell them to get away from me they're sick. I don't to be sick too. I feel bad about it but one time for letting them touch my hand and being around me I got terribly sick. So I knew my mind wasn't playing... I was right to stay away from them.
Hi I have just found this forum! I have extreme panic attacks when i feel sick or have a tummy ache and i cant look after my 3 kids when they are sick through my own panic. Its horrendous! the last time i had the bug was over a year ago and i panicked so much my husband called an ambulance! I cant help in any way because i cant even deal with it myself but im so relieved i'm not the only one as my husband keeps trying to tell me everytime i get into a panic!
I know this is a old post but ever since I can remember I have had extreme anxiety over the tummy bug. Sickness and diarrhoea. I don't know Why! It effects me daily. I can't be around anyone that has been I'll in the last 3 days. If they come near my I have anti germ spray. Always carry antibacterial gel. Im writing this because ive just had my nephew over night and he complained of being I'll but fell asleep I woke up to a strange sound jumped out of bed before he was sick everywhere. I've cleaned up bleached everything. I feel like crying. I'm just lying here at 2am waiting to be sick
I’m the same my little girl is 3 she just had a stomach bug is been two days and I haven’t got it but I constantly think about it a lump in my throat I think I’m going to be sick I don’t sleep at night because of feeling sick. X
I have anxiety about tummy bugs too, it is so irrational but I can’t help it, I have tried cbt, hypnotherapy and antidepressants but nothing has helped!!
My son had sickness and diarrhoea yesterday and I locked myself up in our loft bedroom and called my partner home from work and he looked after him. He is better now but I still can’t bribg myself to socialise with them downstairs!!
I am now living in fear of me and my other half getting it now, I wouldn’t wish this fear and anxiety on my worst enemy I hate it!!!
I know this is an old post and I hope you guys don’t mind me posting! It’s 3:15am and I can’t sleep because I’ve been in the same room as someone who has the bug and I’m panicking really bad! I have like a anxiety dull pain in my stomach and my mind keeps on telling me I’m going to be sick and I don’t know what to do 😫😫
I 100% sympathize with this! I know this is an old post, but I've only just begun to experience severe anxiety symptoms the past 2 weeks. I've always had emetophobia, but never like this. Now, I'm constantly paranoid that I'll somehow contract a stomach flu out of thin air. I am not able to touch any food that isn't cooked to a crisp. in fact, I'm anxious about eating in general. I've begun to carry around clorox wipes to try wipe down anything that I touch and I wash my hand obsessively. I'm starting to believe that I'm going to get OCD and other forms of disorders from this one phobia. I am considering going to see a therapist or something but I don't have the slightest clue on how therapists or counselors work. I really hate feeling like this.
I am exactly the same. My friend said she threw up 4 times the other day, and before Christmas someone told me they had a headache all day, then the next day threw up loads from a bug. Today I have had a headache at least 4 times with severe pain and I’m terrified that either during the night or tomorrow I will be struck with this stomach bug. It is a symptom of the bug so I don’t feel my fear is irrational? Why else will I be getting these headaches all over my head?!
Hi ive suffered with this phobia for years and years, Im ebarassed by it and dont admit it to people, in fact i do my bet to hide it. At the moment I try and eat during the day preferable lunch time, then I dont need to eat too much at tea time, incase I get a bug or feel sick during the night. To my mind (and I know its irrational ) if I eat small amounts then if I get a sick bug then it wont be as bad cos ive not eaten very much. I have suffered migraines in the past and have medication for them, including anti sickness tablets, I end up taking them when I panic about being sick, its so stupid but I really dont know how I will ever get over this. I would love to hear i'm not alone.