If you have most of all of these on this list, you may have severe emetophobia:-
-- Sleeping with a trash can next to your bed.
When I lived at home my bedroom was downstairs and the bathroom was upstairs. With the anxiety of my bedroom not being near enough to a bathroom I kept a bowl by my bed, just for reassurance. It was just embarrassing one day when an electrician visitor came to the house and had to go into my bedroom.
-- Avoiding long car rides, being near the water (especially on a boat) or riding thrill rides (like a roller coaster).
I can no longer ride rollercoasters even though I love them. The last time I went to a theme park I came prepared (ate ginger, sipped water, took antisickness pills, didn't eat too much before going on rides) yet I still felt unwell and had to lie down.
-- Not taking medications that list nausea or vomiting as a possible side effect.
Yes, this can make me edgy. I just hate seeing that dreaded V-word listed anywhere.
-- Avoiding alcoholic drinks due to the risk of dizziness or a hangover
Yes, it's why I avoid alcohol altogether, then I know I have nothing to worry about.
-- Checking reputation of restaurants before eating there
I do this, as I'm so scared the food might have been rushed and not cooked properly
Words that associate with vomiting. I don't mind them so much written down but when people say they or the people they lived with have been sick or whatever, I become very anxious. Or when someone comes up to me at work and tells me there is vomit I have to clean up, unless they specify what caused the person to vomit, if they vomited because they were drunk then I'm less afraid to clean it up, although I still don't like the word.
-- People with illnesses or places where ill people go (like hospitals).
I do not want to work in a care home or a hospital because of this. Sickness and diarrhoea goes around a lot in these places and it's so easy to catch even with PPE, because of being shut in busy buildings, usually with the heaters all on and the windows closed unless it's the height of summer. Sadly I can't work with small children either, as much as I'd love to.
-- Socializing or traveling.
I can get worked up when surrounded by people and I can't escape, because I worry that I'm going to suddenly start vomiting in front of everyone and be unable to get away to a bathroom. I can't vomit in front of people, I don't ever want that to happen, ever. It just can't happen.
-- Becoming pregnant, due to the risk of morning sickness.
Sadly I avoid getting pregnant even though not everyone has morning sickness, but there's still a high chance that you will, or with the pain when giving birth. I don't think I'd be able to cope.
--Wash your hands often.
I wash my hands a lot when I'm not at home, which is probably why I don't often get many colds either.
-- Frequently check for signs of an illness, like taking your temperature.
I do frequently check my temperature.
-- Limit what foods you eat and how much.
Lately I often become very bloated if I've eaten too much sugar or salty foods, and when I'm bloated I start feeling nauseous and then the vomit anxiety comes. I only wear elasticated shorts or pants now because I feel too restricted with zips and buttons pressing on my stomach.
-- Overcook food to destroy traces of bacteria.
Haha, yeah, this is so me. If you come to my house for dinner be prepared for slightly burnt food, because it's just me reassuring myself that it's definitely cooked. Also I always wait for the microwave to stop before taking the food out, and not even a second before, just in case that one second was essential to kill off the last bit of bacteria in the food, if it's meat-based.
--Throw away foods close to the expiration date.
I don't eat or drink things that are past their use by date. People tell me to just smell if something is off or not but I don't trust my nose, as I don't have a very strong sense of smell.
Sometimes I wish food packaging would issue a warning of how vital one of their warnings is. For example, if it says "do not reheat", sometimes it just says that because it may spoil the taste but is still safe to eat. To avoid wasting food, I need to know whether the warning is telling me that I'll die* from food-poisoning if I reheat it, or if it just won't taste as good. If it's the latter then I'll still reheat and eat it, to save it from going to waste.
*To an emetophobe, "die" means vomit, as we'd actually rather die than vomit. Yes, whenever I feel really sick, I think of putting my head on the railway tracks to end my life. I just don't ever want to vomit ever again in my life. I don't think I've vomited that much in my life at all. I even went 17 years without physically vomiting. But I'm only 34 so I suppose I'm going to vomit again at some point before I die (or die vomiting, which I nearly did when I last vomited 6 years ago). Yes, while I'll rather die than vomit, I don't want to die while vomiting. That is scary.
Also vomiting is the worst thing ever for us emetophobes. For me the only scary thing about getting cancer is vomiting that is usually associated with it (from chemotherapy or just from being ill). My mum had cancer and in her final months she kept vomiting so bad because the cancer had spread to too many organs and they were shutting down. It's a terrifying thought. I'd rather be in pain than vomit. Sometimes extreme pain can cause nausea for me, which is why I'm avoiding pregnancy, but if it were impossible for a human to vomit then I probably would put myself through the torture of pregnancy and childbirth.
