Emetophobia - phobia of sick

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thought I would just add a trigger warning here as I am going to talk about my experience of it.
I have Emetophobia and have had it for as long as I can remember really. However only just realised what it was in recent years.
Mine is triggered by other people being sick. I can cope if I’m sick as long as I’m at home and can easily get to the toilet.
Day to day I can go about life easily. I can get on public transport without a problem. But my anxiety gets triggered when there is drunk people, or I deem someone to be looking unwell. Air travel is something I struggle most with as I have had a few occasions where people have been sick near me. It’s a shame as I love flying! I’m not scared of flying itself in the slightest. It doesn’t put me off flying as I cope by shutting my eyes and putting my earphones in for the entire flight. This really calms me.
When I have seen people vom near me in the past; it triggers me and I almost feel like a different person. On the outside I may appear fine, quiet but fine. But on the inside I have really irrational thoughts like “after today I am going to get home, and just quit my job and not go out ever again.” I also shake and sweat, feel faint and have also cried in the past.
Anyone else had experiences with this? I know no one likes sick as people have said to me before, but this is more than that.
 
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I have it too! It was triggered so badly when my friends and I did a big apartment weekend in London and someone accidentally bought norovirus in. Worst weekend of my life!
 
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Me too - fine with me being sick but other people is a real problem. Same reaction to drunk people (although if I'm drunk I'm a bit better with it).
I think it's a control thing, but I honestly have no idea where it comes from otherwise 🤷‍♀️
 
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I can relate to this so much ☹ All my life I remember at school if I thought or knew someone felt unwell and were near me I’d literally watch them the whole time 😰
 
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I have this too. I have 2 kids and than my lucky stars that they both have iron stomachs. On the very rare occasion they are sick I start a mental timer counting down 48 hours to see if I catch the bug.
I cannot cope with winter illnesses at all, my husband deals with it thankfully. I am almost obsessed with hand gel and not touching faces/things without cleaning your hands first.

As obviously horrific as this pandemic is, I am really, really grateful that people are being more hygienic.

I will do anything to ensure I’m not physically sick. Even if it means lying awake for hours, in a pool of sweat, trying to calm my anxiety. It’s an awful way to be although I have felt better recently, can only assume it’s down to lockdown/hygiene practises.
 
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Yes. I’d go as far as saying it’s ruined my life really. I would do anything not to have this fear
 
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It’s nice to hear other stories so I don’t feel as alone. I only know of one person with it and talking to her really really helped.
I think for me i don’t like things not being normal (for some reason I’ve been okay with the pandemic) 🤷🏻‍♀️ . If someone is sick in public there’s a commotion, it’s scary and it just makes me panic and I cannot move on from it.
I also have a huge problem with seeing people faint but I think it’s because I’m scared they’re going to be sick too.
when I hear people cough on public transport it sets me off🙁

Yes. I’d go as far as saying it’s ruined my life really. I would do anything not to have this fear
😔 bless you x
 
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I’ve also got this I think. It’s started when my brother used to get very travel sick when we were kids! I’ve got 3 children and used to lie awake at night worrying they’d caught a sickness bug and then when they did (1 after the other) it actually helped me get over the fear a lot. It was no where near as bad as I thought it would be! I still don’t like the thought of it but i feel so much better now. Just to reassure anyone thinking they won’t cope having children, in my experience it is almost like exposure therapy 😂.
 
I have this, I remember as a child probably 4-5 my parents said to me that if an adult is ‘sick’ I thought vomiting sick that they would die, well I heard my dad being sick one night & I just panicked probably about 5 at the time & I was crying, my mum heard me & came in to calm me down, my dad was ok probably had too much to drink it was Christmas time! But i sweat & have palpitations if I’m going to be sick, I apologise & too!
 
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I wish there was some treatment for this that works? I know cbt is meant to help but I didn’t find it useful
 
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Yes! I have dealt with it as raised my daughter on my own but after a few days the fear comes back