Fear of Vomitting (Emetophobia)

[sarah8783]

I realize that a post was made over a year ago regarding this topic, however I wanted to start a new thread in hopes that some will read and decide that there are others like them out there.  I suffer from what is called emetophobia, others don't even realize it has a name. 

Emetophobia, the fear of vomiting, is an irrational human behavior in which the thought of vomiting or being near someone who's vomiting is scary. In fact, some people fear vomiting so much they throw up when they see someone vomiting, or on seeing vomit itself. At times, the thought of getting sick is also referred to as Emetophobia. When one comes across a sick / ill person, he/she gets scared and/or nervous about falling sick the very next moment.

Emetophobia also involves people staying away from doing certain things like socializing & partying out, eating outside home, traveling in bus or boarding a flight, etc. just because they fear that doing such things will cause them to get sick. As we've just seen, emetophobia occurs in two forms - one's fear of vomiting or falling sick himself/herself and one's fear of being around people who are sick or are seen vomiting.

Emetophobia is mostly caused during childhood, when the child had been sick and had a hard time vomiting or cried while vomiting, or had seen the same happening with someone else. In certain cases, people have also been found to be emetophobic not from childhood, but by seeing a very close relative vomiting - these cases are on the emotional side, still irrational really. Some people can go to just about any length to avoid sickness or vomiting - women who actually wish to conceive will avoid pregnancy for the fear of morning sickness.

Ultimately, we see that it turns out to be true that it's all in the person's mind.

I thought that by posting this maybe some of you can help us out with this irrational fear.  Maybe we can help each other!  Please reply with your thoughts and experiences with emetophobia.

[hopelessromantic]

I am one, also

[sarah8783]

Hopeless -

Do you want to describe some of your stuggles with emetophobia?

[hopelessromantic]

Well I try to avoid it at all costs....I'm very careful about what I put in my mouth, I want to make sure it is cooked thoroughly and hot enought......and if it's supposed to be cold I won't eat it when it's warm or been sitting out, so I'm extremely cautious at cookouts and barbecues.....I take a Xanax at the first onset of nausea.....I eat dinner early so that I don't go to bed with a full stomach.....I try not to get hangovers on the rare occasion I have a drink.....and if I ever feel queasy in bed I will lay just as still as I can until the feeling goes away.....

[sarah8783]

Do you ever find yourself having anxiety attacks because you fear you will vomit for no reason?  That is my constant fear.  I mean, sure, I am afraid of getting the stomach flu or food poisoning, but I always fear that I am going to be out somewhere (or even at home) and suddenly I am going to throw up without any signs or symptoms.  Have you ever had a panic attack that caused you to vomit?

[hopelessromantic]

No, I don't think that it will happen for no reason, something will always trigger it.....bad food, TSS, indigestion, med reaction, sun poisoning, etc. etc. I avoid anything that I think will trigger it....

[sarah8783]

Hopeless,

I wish I had that outlook on it, but unfortunately I have had times where I have gotten sick for no reason.  Mainly I have thrown up because of attacks and even though that is a reason, it is still hard to cope because I am always having anxiety attacks.  It's just about which attack is going to cause me to vomit.  What a horrible feeling!!!! 

[hopelessromantic]

That is bad....do you have a queasy stomach anyway? A bad gag reflex? What about watching certain things on TV or smelling bad smells...will that do it to you, too?

[retrogurl88]

OMG, I have a terrible fear of vomiting because many of my panic attacks have ended in me throwing up.    I get super paranoid at the first sign of feeling queasy.  This usually causes me to pop two tums immediately and slowly drink some water.  I go through tums and rolaids like candy just to avoid vomiting.  What makes it worse is that I have a super sensitive stomach to certain types of food, and I have IBS.

The slightest motion or smell can make me feel sick.    So I can't ever go on amusement park rides anymore, because I'm afraid I'll throw up...  Sitting in the backseat of a car is even difficult for me sometimes.

[thatcutelittleredhead]

Hello,

I'm new at being part of a support group, but I have no where else to turn. I went to a therapist for this problem a while back, was on medication, but I feel like this is taking over my life.

I have a HUGE fear of people vomiting ... my son, friends, myself, etc. Whenever anyone talks about getting sick, or my son says he has a stomach ache, my body freaks out - I have panic attacks, diarrhea, chest pains, fast heart rate, and I start crying. It's so ridiculous, but I can't get over it. I personally haven't thrown up since high school, because I always fight it by pinching myself. I've spoken with my Pastor, who says I should pray about it. I've been praying about this for 31 years, as long as I can remember. I've always had this fear. Now I'm on Xanax and I take it the minute anyone talks about being sick. Does anybody have any advice on what I can do? My husband is very supportive and helpful whenever our son is sick, but I just feel so worthless as a mom and as an adult. I run out of the house when my son is sick because I don't want him to see me freaking out, and plus, because I can't handle the sound of him, you know.  I tell myself to calm down, that everything is fine. But my body won't listen and it freaks out. I don't know what to do.... anybody have any advice? Thank you for listening!

[Durrells Roadrunner]

i so know how you feel  - i know about this as my sister has it.
i got really bad a while ago and she couldnt eat beacuse of it and lost loads of wieght she couldnt afford to loose, had panic attacks and etc etc was really awful for her it really was, well  she went to have some child regression therapy and my gosh what an amazing difference - something thats controled her for years and years no longer does - she still has issues and will never get "cured" but she can manage it much better.
i have seen living proof that this therapy works so i would recomend it highly, believe me my sister is a different person now its wonderful! 

[ziggy_moron]

I am a mega-emetophobe, have been all my life, only it has baught on so many other problems! agoraphobia for example.
I have been in my low for almost 3 years now, my boyfriend tries to understand but i cant keep pushing him can i? its unfair that i wont do things he wants to do like go out with friends go for meals and thisweekend he wants me to travel all the way to hastings to meet family! i am absolutely terrified.
I have been given new medicine to help.. sertreline(?) but after taking my first tablet i stupidly read the side effects and a common side effect is nausea and vomiting! so I'm in a totall flipout atm! But i have read ppls experiences on line and apparently its really good.... so do i risk it~? 
Another problem i have is separation of when I'm actually ill or when my mind and body is staging it... although to alot of ppl this sounds stupid but my mind is so good at deceiving me now there is next to no difference between the two. Anything can start off my anxiety even a little headache or headrush if i get up too fast.
I am actually afraid of getting ill in any way now, tho not as far as a phobia i am also afraid of going to risky places where I'm likely to either pass out or be ill. And if i cant get home immediately from where i am i panic. I hate it so much it makes me cry and it makes me laugh... i hate seeing people be OK with the things that I'm so terrified of. I used to be so strong not afraid of any thing (but emetophobic secretly!) i didn't fear it until i was actually ill... not i constantly fear it and I'm so pathetic because after all my hard work in school all my plans and goals are gone because i couldn't keep going i was so afraid. Now i have nothing and i hate it!

Sorry for the rant!!

[marlene]

I have had this since I was about 3 or 4, and I am now 38. I have actually gotten better the last few years, although I tend to regress during stomach flu season. There is a great forum specifically for this subject called emetophobia.org. Click on the button called Strange Behavior to read a list of all the crazy stuff we do. I read somewhere that it is the 5th most common phobia. Not sure if that's true.

[ziggy_moron]

Yah i have been on there but for some reason cant find it.. enless it has changed to that bright pink web site i found the other day.. i could only stay on there for a couple of minites the colour made me feel really ill lol. And yes althugh i thaught it was actually higher then 5th but i know it is a very common one despite what most think... (i thaught i was the only one for years!)

[pntbrush02]

I never liked throwing up as a kid, but then when I was 9 I threw up in front of the entire third grade class, and ever since then I've avoided it at all costs. I carry an airsick bag around in my purse at all times, just in case I have to puke, and I drink a ridiculous amount of Pepto Bismol whenever I feel the slightest bit queasy. It's caused a plethora of social problems for me too, like fear of crowds, and basically anywhere that would cause a scene if I were to get sick. It's difficult for me to eat at dinner tables, since that would be one of the worst places to throw up. I missed months and months of school because I was so afriad my anxiety would make me throw up in the middle of class. I haven't thrown up in 10 years, but I'm still plagued by the fear. I'm in college now, and I'm happy to report that I have only missed two days of school and sometimes I even go without my pepto or airsick bag!

[hopelessromantic]

Sounds like you're making progress....once I was diagnosed with anxiety and got help I don't feel as nauseaus when I eat...so that has helped me tremendously....

[shoppingchickk]

Woah, I did not notice that this was here!

Thank you guys so much, just for existing haha you make me feel so much better that I'm not alone.. I thought I was going INSANE

I get NUTS with my fear. Everything I do relates to my fear, like if I get a headache or something I get nervous and think I"m going to throw up.

People just don't get it.. its not just a fear.. we don't think throwing up is "uncomfortable". We HATE it and it TAKES over us.

[retrogurl88]

shoppingchickk--

Thank you guys so much, just for existing haha you make me feel so much better that I'm not alone

You're welcome.    That's why we're here! 

~RG88

[palapenio]

I don't know where it comes from but I've been afraid of vomiting since I was really young and I don't know why I was deathly afraid I just was . Since I got pregnant the fear has gotten less hard.

I think just getting used to it and just realizing that my body is throwing up cause it needs to makes it easier. I still have problems with other people vomiting though ... If I hear it or see it I can stand it.

I don't know how to enilate it thogh.

[substancekilla]

im a lucky holder of this phobia aswell..and as u mentioned i was surprised to find a name for it...but did u know it is the 5th most common phobia among humans?

i think about it every second of every day..what if i throw up in the cab what if i throw upin the elevator...what if it happens on the sidewalk..sometimes i go for days without eating becauses to me what goes down must come up....i try to stay away from red meat for fear of food poisoning. i anticipate it from the second i wake up to the second i fall asleep..i even dream about it. when i was a little girl my mom had a gambling problem and there was never any food in the fridge..my sister was 7 and did what she could but mostly we just ate out of garbages or begged the neighbours for dinner. this cause me to be very sick msot of the time. when i do throw up i freak o ut at first and while its happening. but after wards i feel soo happy that i got through it and then can usually go on for the next couple weeks feeling ok because i am reminded about what it feels like when u really are gunna throw up..it does feel different than when i just "think it". this has turned into agoraphobia because im scared ill throw up if i go out. i also know that vigorous exersice can cause gaggging so i try not to walk to fast or get up to fast. its all i think about and sometimes my brain just gets so tired it feels like its floating in a pool of poisonous liquid. and i agree i see people just throw up and laff the whole time ... i envy them. although it has kept me away from alchahol and hard drugs. when i was about 14 i carried around a bottle of malo (stomach stuff) and would swig it like water. luckily i am off that now but lately ive been takin gravol a little to often.. everywhere i go i picture myself throwing up if theres a sink i can see myself being sick in it. i have one hell of an imagination and the images are very vivid.

i never have gotten sick from a panic attack and actually have the ability to stop it from happening...which results in me feeling like crap because its a thing tha the body needs to do to feel better and it is a good thing!  it has also resulted in agoraphobia...i totally get the whole gunna throw up for no reason with no warning..thats what im all about

[jadlc]

Glad to see other people have this phobia as I have had it since I was a kid I was even afraid to go to school cause I thought I would throw up, I never ate breakfast before school for pretty much whole time as I would be scared it would aid in my vomiting, funny thing is I almsot never vomit I have not vomited in 16 years, but it still in bck of my mind sometimes.

[hkov]

i IMMEDIATELY have to take a xanax for fear of vomiting.  IT IS THE MOST SCARY THING TO ME - NEXT TO GOING CRAZY AND LOSING MY MIND.

[foxwithwings13]

ahhh so that is the name for it.  Yes I am one, A big one.  That is my #1 fear of all time.  The fear started when I was 10 and got the stomach flu.  I threw up once during that time, then I ended up going to the hospital from dehydration.  I haven't throw up since, but every year, especially during the stomach flu months, I get very uptight. 
The fear has caused me to wash my hands alot, not excessively but probly more than the average person.  I also don't touch my food and I don't let anyone else touch my food either, just in-case they have the germ on their hands.  I'm afraid when others throw up too, even if it's not because of food poisioning.  With the exception of my dog, lol! He eats all sorts of leaves and things, the first few times it freaked me out, but now Not at all. 

Two years ago I went to a restraunt with my Grandpa and he ended up throwing up.  He Didn't have the stomach flu or anything contagious.  and I had to go ride in the car with him back to his house because they were watching me while my parents were on a date for the night.  And I sat there in absoulute Terror as he continually threw up, and I was unable to escape the situation.  When we got back to his house I asked my Grandma if I could call me parents (At the time she had no Idea I had these phobias and got mad at me when I picked up her phone to call my mom because they were on a date).  My Dad is not at all sympathetic to my anxiety fears, So I was forced to wait for a few hours while they finished their date and my mom picked me up early.  The panic attack I had during that time was probly one of the worst to date.

My other experience I had that affected me was this past summer when I was at a camp.  When I went there I had little Idea there had already been A stomach flu epidemic on the campground.  My camp councelor ended up getting sick.  In the middle of the night I woke up to the sound of her Hacking like crazy.  I tried to convince myself she just had a really bad cough, even though the toilet kept flushing and it went on for several minutes. I was able to keep my cool though and I'm proud of myself for that.  I ended up going back to sleep.  Then in the morning she actually seemed fine, until later in the afternoon she said she felt bad.  Throughout the time I went to camp she returned and went back to the nurse repedetly.  She said she felt fine and I was relieved until she said she started to feel bad again and I'd feel a rush of adrenaline through my body. I also learned from my brother that his councelor was also sick and his bunk mate got sick as well.  I never had a large panic attack, I can usually control them fairly well but that was testing me.  But I couldn't enjoy myself there.  I didn't want to take the chance of getting sick so I just went home.

[palapenio]

GREAT JOB!! your on the high road towards success... just be patient and itll get bettter.

[littlegraycat]

  I wish I'd signed up a little sooner and been part of the main body of this one!  I've been phobic about this for years (and I didn't have just one incident that triggered it but two!  Go figure.)!  I can only drink cold beverages (especially water) because the sensation of the cold running down my throat reassures me that nothing hot is coming up!  My diet gets severely restricted whenever I get stressed and it is pretty common for me to lose weight because of it.  I've stopped counting trash cans wherever I go, but it's instant panic if I even suspect I'm around someone who may get ill.

  Here's something I'm curious about, though.  I have thrown up once in almost 12 years (food poisoning, though I fought it for a day and a half before I just couldn't take fretting anymore and relaxed and let it happen), and I was relatively calm about it.  I was actually ecstatic I'd handled it so well and even ate an apple right after!  What is typical for me, though, and I wonder if it's the same for others, is that since I had eaten the bad food at an airport (I don't know what I was thinking) my fear of being ill on the airplane shot WAAAAY up.  I had been slowly getting better over the years, and then suddenly it was back worse than ever.  It was like suddenly the promises I had been making to myself that "you aren't going to be sick; it's just in your head" didn't work anymore because I had been wrong this one time.  Has anyone else just... lost faith like that?

  I'm glad to hear that some of you are doing better about this one, too!  I always imagined this would be a hard one to desensitize yourself to in therapy, you know?  Heights, dogs, spiders, ok, but vomiting?  Talk about an embarrassing and outwardly insensitive-looking one to others, not to mention gross.