Any tips?

This is my first time posting - I have a fear of throw up and I’ve been told it is cause from my OCD (repetitive thoughts) which makes sense because if someone gets sick it replays over and over again and I can’t get it out of my head. It’s gotten a lot worse in the past maybe two years. I’m always on edge that someone is going to get sick around me. I’ve heard the “best or most common” way to help with this is exposure therapy and OBVIOUSLY I don’t want to do that. Anyone have any tips or anything for this (or maybe have done the exposure therapy)?

Rissaroo

Date posted: 18w

Hey I know that your first post and just talking about your fears can be hard. I use to struggle with the same thing and still do. I can’t say I completely understand your feelings and fears cuz all of ours are different but I experienced being very fearful of people throwing up around me and me getting sick especially. I couldn’t even say the word without obsessing and compulsively doing weird things to make me feel less anxious. It was about 25 years ago that I was diagnosed with OCD. Back then they didn’t even have ERP therapy. And let me tell you I struggled so bad I had to go into impatient treatment. My life was turned upside down by this disorder. I can imagine it has done the same for you. And it will continue to until you get the right help. I had been through many therapist and many different treatments. They unfortunately didn’t work for me but ever since I have found NOCD I have been able to reclaim my life back. I know the struggle with OCD can be very difficult. It’s a mean bully telling you to do things a certain way for you to feel better, that your anxiety will go away. It’s a lie! You might feel better in that one moment but the next trigger that anxiety is back right where it left off maybe even stronger. You obsess and compulsively rely on this false notion. It’s not until you then realize that you have been digging yourself into a deep hole. That you cannot get out of on your own. I was scared just like you of doing exposure therapy. I didn’t like the fact that I was going to have to face and deal with my anxiety which felt almost crippling. I felt there was no way I could handle it. But to be honest that is what the OCD wants you to believe. It’s another lie. I can guarantee that ERP is the best therapy. NOCD provided me with a therapist that best suit my needs. You go over your triggers and rate them with your therapist from the least anxiety to the worst on a scale from 1 being the least and 10 being the worst. Then you start at the least working your way up to cope with the anxiety. As you then work your way up to coping with more difficult triggers, and when you feel comfortable you will do some on your own as homework. Idk if this has helped you or I just babbled on nonsense. But I really do hope you know that you are not alone struggling with this awful disorder. And I will tell you that it is going to be something that you will unfortunately have to battle with your whole life. But trust me it is going to get better. Believe in it!!!! Believe in yourself!!! You sound like a strong person that can get through anything if you have already been struggling with this for two years. I honestly believe in you. You can do this! Fight that ass hole OCD cuz you are worth far more than it ever will! I hope this helps😊

taylorrpaigee

Date posted: 18w

@Rissaroo This is very helpful! The way you explained how the therapy works is seems a little less scary to start so thank you for that!

Rissaroo

Date posted: 18w

@taylorrpaigee Your welcome! I know it was lengthy but I’m glad it helped😁

kesi

Date posted: 22w

Emetophobia/OCD

This has recently developed into something much bigger than it originally was. When this past winter season started, i noticed more people were getting the stomach bug than usual. I was fine at first, until I was noticing almost one person in every class was saying they recently had it. I researched about it, and I found what I was looking for unfortunately. Norovirus cases were surging across the U.S because of a new strain of NoV that recently had been spreading. This immediately altered my way of thinking. Everywhere I went, I would be overly cautious of what’s around me and whose around me. The first obsessive compulsive problem I had was that I couldn’t eat at lunch anymore unless I washed my hands. One time, I didn’t have an option to wash my hands, so I didn’t eat lunch. That’s when I knew it was interfering with my daily life, and it was becoming a serious issue. There was another time where some guy threw up near me in the hallway trash can. My mind was spiraling. all. day. long. It felt like it was consuming me alive. Not a minute would go by where I wouldn’t think about it, and the high possibility of me catching this virus. There’s been so many other scenarios where I feel myself losing it. I’m not the best of explaining in detail how my mind feels when it spirals, but the best thing I could say is that I could feel myself slowly losing my mind. It takes over my life. I HAVE to act on my compulsive acts, if not, i’ll have these obsessive thoughts until it consumes me whole. I’ve had nervous breakdowns, panic attacks, anxiety attacks, insomnia, and it almost feels like it’s causing me to have an eating disorder. Most recently, I went to use the bathroom and saw what looked like puke on the toilet seat. I was already using it, so I just finished my buisness and rushed out there asap. I figured, if I fasted for two days, what’s there to puke if I do catch NoV? So, I did. I missed school because on the second day of fasting, I became very dehydrated. I was weak, and couldn’t move. I realized what this all rooted back to. That’s when I knew I needed help.

lilss

Date posted: 5w

any tips on how to get rid of terrible thoughts?

hi im a fifteen year old girl with really bad ocd and emetaphobia nobody knows my fear except for my best friend and my sister. its so hard to even say the word or even type the word so i just say “sick” even typing this out makes my heart race and my hands sweaty. ive been really struggling with ocd for almost a year its gotten worst about every month. its always on my mind. i have a therapist but i cant even tell them about my anxiety and thoughts that go on in my head. my whole family is watching me fall deeper and deeper into this dark whole that i dont know how to get out of. its feels awful to see everyone around you watch you fail over and over again. please forgive me if this was graphic thank you

suzie90

Date posted: 5w

Emetophobia

So I’m severely emetophobic but these past few weeks have gotten SO bad. I had a bad reaction to an SSRI that made me feel like I was gonna throwup, I stopped taking them over two weeks ago but ever since then the fear has got even worse. I haven’t left the house properly in weeks because I’ve convinced myself I’ll be sick. I feel nauseous even indoors a lot of the time (there are hours when I don’t, like for example this afternoon I was fine). But I challenged myself to go for a short walk this evening and omg it was so hard I really thought I might throwup. The thing is I KNOW it’s anxiety and not real nausea because it feels completely different to when I was actually nauseous from the medication. This feeling is more like a tight throat/sensation of a lump in my throat that makes me feel like I’m gonna gag. I also have RCPD (I can’t burp basically lol) so I just feel like I have trapped air in my throat that’s gonna make me puke. The phobia has gotten really really bad. I have started therapy recently but I’ve been scared of throwing up since I was a kid and I’m now 31 lol wtf. I remember last Christmas my mum said someone at her work had been sick and I was so scared my mum had caught it and would pass it on to me that I refused to leave my bedroom without wearing gloves and a mask and wiping everything with anti-germ wipes. But right now it’s so so bad because I have literally gotten to the point where I’ve convinced myself I feel nauseous pretty much 24/7 and I am taking anti-nausea meds almost every day. Has anyone else dealt with/has tips for this??? I’m literally desperate 😭

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