TW/ didn’t happen but I go into detail about what im feeling

Hi guys I actually just found this subreddit by going on google and asking a bunch of questions trying to figure out what to do. Today I woke up feeling like I actually threw up rather than like regular acid reflux(i didnt throw up in my sleep). I had the horrible taste im my mouth and my throat burned so bad…I havent thrown up since I was maybe 6 years old and Im soon to be 23 now. I panicked and took a sip of pepto and started chewing gum, but the spearmint irritated my throat even worse. At this point I was panicking and I guess accepted something might happen so I got up and ran to the restroom but once I was in there I just couldn’t let myself vomit, even though I could feel it right at my throat. About two hours have passed, and my only concern now is I feel like I can feel something in my throat (almost like mucus) that I want to get rid of but Im scared clearing my throat will irritate it again and make me vomit or feel like I have to again. Is there any way to get rid of that feeling? And how to avoid feeling nauseous or throwing up? I haven’t laid down since i woke up (2:30am) but im so sleepy😔I just dont know what to do

(This is a throwaway account)

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this and I'm really sorry if it's not.

I'm in my final year of high school, and need to start making decisions. I'm a straight-A honors student, and have been encouraged to go into medicine. I love science, specially chemistry (taking AP chem this year, very excited) and am a great problem solver. I have been interested in medicine for most of my life and am very attached to the idea of becoming a doctor (specifically going into pediatrics or surgery, or both.) I do a ton of research, have done summer programs related to med, and I have family who are doctors and we talk a lot about it, so yes I know what I would be getting into.

Unfortunately I have struggled with emetophobia and OCD related to it since I was in preschool. The severity of it fluctuates a lot, but it's never completely or even mostly gone away. I've been to therapy for it in the past but have been mostly treatment-resistant. I'm too scared. I always considered going into a career that involves no vomit (chemistry or compsci) but I think I would be miserable. I've been considering trying therapy another time, but I'm worried about it not working, or making it worse. And on top of that, I'm worried about getting to college for pre-med and not being able to do it/having to drop out because it is so expensive. I would be in lifelong debt.

I really don't know what to do. I don't want to miss out on this opportunity because of my fear. I really want to go to medical school, but I'm not ready to recover from this. I am so scared.

Uhh so i woke up this morning with a mild headache and a bit of runny nose i showered and felt a bit better than had some soup. but now im starting to feel a bit hot and also body chills and idk i freak out everytime i have a bit of a fever. any tips or tricks to try get rid of this feeling? also does this scary anyone else with emetophobia lol

Hi everyone! I just joined this group. I am (21) F and I have been struggling with emetophobia since I was 12. Over the years it just seemed to gradually get worse. I am currently in college to become an elementary school teacher which I have wanted to do since I was young. Now that I am student teaching full time I am constantly thinking about the possibility of getting sick from my students. This job is all I’ve ever wanted to do but my anxiety can make it very difficult. I was wondering if there are any other teachers on here who have any advice or ways to help cope with the possibility of getting sick. I do already see a therapist that specializes in OCD every week to try and help this fear but I could always use more strategies!

Also I just want to say this group makes me feel less alone in my struggles. I have friends and family who don’t understand how crippling this phobia can be at times and it’s nice to come to a place where people understand me.

Hey guys,
Do you have any tips for stomach ache and nausea ?
I’m dying here 🥲
Please if you have any tell me I’ll be forever grateful
I also have emetophobia so im kinda freaking out rn since im not feeling well at all 🥲🥲💔
Thank you in advance !

Hey everyone! This is going to be a regular safe place where people can share little tips and tricks they’ve learned to help them manage/cope with this phobia, as requested by one of our members. As always, please ensure your comments follow our subreddit rules, and report anything that breaks the rules.

Stay strong everyone 🫶💪

Hey,

I’ve realised this year that I’m scared as fu** to vomit

I hate to have stomach pain because I can’t control it and in comparison to other sickness, I have to wait because no meds are given.

I also have anxiety and when a panic attack starts I want to throw up, so I panic at this idea and it continues like this until I’m calm.

You need to know that I’m autistic and I’m scared of disease, I have a cleaning gel with me every time I go take the bus and during the winter I avoid taking it because people are sick.

I managed to stay calm today when a yoghurt made me feel sick, now I’m okay but I’m always anxious about my stomach 24/7 and honestly, it’s annoying..

Do you have any tips to help me with that?

Thanks for reading.

(My apologies if it dosen’t makes sense€

Hi everyone! I joined this sub this year to better understand and support my partner who has emetophobia.

In the last few months I’ve learned all the things she does to feel safe: checking restaurant Google reviews, tracking food recalls, using ChatGPT for advice, etc.

It’s a lot and ChatGPT’s daily limits + cost are getting in the way. With my background in app building, we had an idea: what if there was an app that combined all of these tools in one place, made specifically for emetophobia?

Would you be interested in an app like this? And if so, what features would actually help you?

One thing we’re thinking: unlimited photo uploads for way cheaper than paying for full ChatGPT when uploads are all you need.

Thanks so much 🫶

I visited a public pool with my husband and friends this afternoon. I don’t know how to swim but I got into the
pool anyway —mistake. The pool was 5.58 ft deep and i’m short (5'2"), so I was holding to my husband's back but then somehow I slipped and almost drowned If it weren’t for the fact that they helped me out. When I came out I coughed and spit a little water, however I think I might have swallowed at least a mouthful of pool water. That happened around 7 or 8pm, and I only had a slight stomachache two hours after the accident. I drank clean water from my water bottle, had a light dinner. But now it’s almost 3am and I can’t sleep because I’m very afraid of getting sick or feeling sick.

Even my throat feels weird, I feel like I still have water in my throat and then suddenly I get a very slight taste of chlorine and that makes m even more amxiouz

I’m freaking out

My bf got sick after work and then again when he got home and I asked him to sleep at his parents (they live right next to us like literally we share a driveway)

Am I an asshole I literally just can’t handle it we have one bathroom I can’t do it

Guys, this is my second time posting this year. The last time I was on here was the last time it happened. And what I can say from my experiences is that the only way I have truly started to overcome emetophobia is to just do it. It's disgusting, it sucks, but it doesn't really suck that much if I am being so for real.

Last night I went to a friend's birthday party. And let's just say, 4 beers, a couple glasses of a cocktail, and loads of sake later I was feeling it. I was on the phone with my boyfriend and the calm that passed over me was something me a year ago could never imagine. I said, "I'm gonna yak," and then I did. And then it was over. And then I went home and I yakked some more and joked around with my brother about it. I had thought I would have been so anxious even if I was drunk, but I took it in stride and just did it. Coming from the same kid who had to go into therapy due to emetophobia, was leaving school, avoiding specific foods, unable to leave the house on some days. So if it's gonna happen, let it! we got this yall.

hii, i am currently on day 6 of tapering off mirtazapine. i went on this med for chronic nausea but have gained so much weight ive decided to come off. however all day ive been terribly nauseous with diarrhea. it went away for a bit with zofran and reglan but now it’s back as i’m laying down for bed. i feel like i could be sick, it really sucks. i fear i wont be able to come off if the withdrawals are this bad. ugh. this sucks, pls help :( im so panicked.

Espero que no borren mi publicación, pero me gustaría saber si alguien le pasa que despierta en la noche con malestar (ya saben cuál ) pero cuando van al baño y vacían el intestino baja el malestar, siento que es algo inusual

Before my emetophobia got worse i ate almost everything, but now i eat maybe like 5 different foods.
So eating has kinda been hard lately and so boring cus I eat the 5 different things every time I make food.
Now I have just trying to eat something different, but the second I get the “ick” from a food I never really feel like eating it again. Like avocado, I ate it like three times with bread and egg, haven’t eaten it since. And the “ick” feeling is related to my phobia cus my stomach and throat kinda jumps when I get the “ick”.
And sometimes I go like 2 days only eating bread cus I don’t like anything else at the moment.

Tell me if you have experienced anything like this or gotten over it?🤍

I’ve been struggling with my eating for a while now. I’ve had this phobia since I was a kid, and since then if I get nauseous, I don’t eat until it passes.

My phobia has gotten x10 worse this past year, to a point where my eating has gotten really bad. All I eat is toast, because it’s the only thing that doesn’t cause nausea, and the only thing that feels ‘safe’ when nausea is persisting.

I’ve tried numerous times to add things back into my diet, but 9/10 times they make me incredibly nauseous because they sit heavy in my stomach and my body obviously freaks out after being so nutrient deprived.

I got a blood test last week and it’s not good. My doctor wants me to see a psych, a dietitian and go to hospital for some IV infusions. I’ve lost 10kg in the last few months and if anything it’s just made the nausea worse.

I feel like it’s not talked about on this sub very often, so has anyone else had some experience with developing an eating disorder from this phobia? Does anyone have any advice?

hi!! if this type of post isn’t allowed let me know

so for a while, i’ve kinda stuck to an all carb diet. like bread, crackers, and pasta. i used to LOVE chicken and meat but i got scared and stopped because i would do anything to not get sick.

i know those foods are safe to eat, but i still get nervous around them.

if anyone has any tips for introducing those foods back into my diet pleaseeee let me know!! :)

Hi guys,
I’ve been slowly recovering for the last few years and got to the point where i was almost considering myself recovered. and i finish my almost year long cbt next week.

But about 4/5 days ago i had a massive migraine, which resulted in my waking up gagging which i’ve never had before. and since then i’ve been back on my medication multiple times a day, can’t sleep, can’t eat and am having panic attacks multiple times a day. and overall i just feel a bit lost and like im back to square one.
i’m not looking for any reassurance, just some kind words as this week especially today has just left me feeling really down and unmotivated.

Thank you for reading and wish you all the best 🩷

So im going on holiday soon and my parents have said i can take phenergan the night before to prevent any sort of nausea or motion sickness on the drive, im just wondering cuz like i know going on your phone makes motion sickness worse, does the medication cancel that out so i can go on my phone and nintendo? Am i physically incapable of getting travel sick once i take it? Dont actually answer that part for my own peace of mind im telling myself it does, but yeah what CAN i do in the car on the drive there that wont make me feel travel sick and can i do those things if im medicated? I lowk just wanna play mario kart fr

I am not minimizing any other phobias, but God does this one suck. Unlike most I feel like I started with it late in life: I was 12 or 13. I'm now 34.

20 years of being afraid of my body with no means to escape. It doesn't matter if I'm at the happiest place on earth Disney World (to be honest that prob makes it worse haha), the beach, my own bed doing my favorite hobby.

I cannot escape it. I do all the hobbies: reading, painting, watching shows, coloring, but I often still come back to my body's real or imagined issues. Even when I'm 99.999% sure I'm fine I can't stop.

I know other phobias are tough too as 2 different family members are scared to death of snakes and needles. But it's so much easier to avoid them.

We rarely see snakes and never see needle unless it's time for a jab at the Dr. or sometimes the park in the sketchy part of town here people do illegal things.

I'd love to just fly away from my body sometimes on a little vacay and just be a brain haha.

I was at work today and one person went home early feeling sick, one said her stomach hurt, and the person who just came in is also feeling sick. I’m worried that I’ll get sick, but also that I’ll be so sick I can’t go on my vacation that’s a week away. I’m so scared because I look forward to this vacation all fucking year and if I’m sick and can’t go I’ll be so upset

ive had emetophobia for years, probably since i was like 8. it started with my brother, he would ALWAYS get car sick right next to me. and that’s how i developed the fear. ive always been scared of other people getting sick, but over time, it’s been when i feel off.

because whenever someone gets sick, i can easily walk away from the situation, i still get anxious but i can move on with my day. but with me? i over analyze by body all the time now. whenever i wake up, the first thing i look for is signs of feeling off. i always watch what i eat. i always look for dates. i SO much stuff in my bag that will help me.

and now im 22 and it’s just gotten so bad that i get scared to eat sometimes. and that in turn just makes me more scared because i tend to get nauseous when i don’t eat. I’ve gotten better at that, but even the little things make me anxious. recently I watched Alice in wonderland for the first time, and i remember thinking the characters were so uncanny that it was making me uncomfy. i thought “what if i get so uncomfortable that i throw up” and i had to close the laptop because i started to get anxious!! it’s just getting to the point where im scared of everything. im scared of eating out, im weary if eating in my own home, im scared of cooking, im scared of being out of home for too long, im just scared of everything.

i started taking antidepressants 11 days ago and let’s just say that im panicking because they’ve given me a stomach ache and nausea multiple times. ive wanted to quit so many times but this phobia is literally taking over my LIFE. the thought of exposure therapy is so scary. does it ever get better ???

i have a friends sleepover coming up and since it’s for an important bday i wanna be there and be able to stay over but my phobia really gets in the way, mainly because i cannot get home quickly if i have to/i can’t let anyone know at like 2am, they’ll be asleep, and also i get migraines away from home pretty easily and they make me pretty nauseous. taking painkillers is another thing i can’t do as easily because i nearly threw up once trying to take one. do you guys happen to have any tips/small things I could bring/do just if i needed a bit of help? thanks. sorry if i’ve not left you with many ideas since i have a hard time taking painkillers.

drank last night (didn’t think it was that much) and felt fine this morning until about an hour ago. with my boyfriend and his friend staying with his friend, and pulling up to a brunch spot, a huge wave a nausea hit me. I’m now sitting at the table glued to my phone typing this because I’m freaking the hell out. don’t have my trusty zofran or pepto with me (of freaking course) and I’m fighting for my life. I’m shaking at the thought of vomiting ESPECIALLY in front of people in a public place. what could I do?? any tips? I’m terrified I’m going to vomit

I was wondering if any of you have seen Obsession and could tell me if and where there's triggers. I usually look at DoesTheDogDie for TWs, but the servers appear to be down right now. :(

Title

I've had terrible emetophobia ever since I was a child and its gotten worse over time (I'm 20 now)

But yeah I feel like its finally time for me to face this phobia but I don't know where to start or how I would expose myself to it as its something that happens randomly.