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Letter to Dr.
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I wrote a letteer to my Dr. which I delivered to the recptopn of the suregery on Wed 14th Sept. I've heard nothing back.
I've been on a witing list for therapy for Emetaphobia for over 3 months now....don't want to make an appt. but how long can the Dr. take?! She was in surgery when I delivered the ltter...
I've been on a witing list for therapy for Emetaphobia for over 3 months now....don't want to make an appt. but how long can the Dr. take?! She was in surgery when I delivered the ltter...
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in my personal experience (although both my therapists were lovely) save yourself the hassle and look at progressively bigger piles of sick over the course of 8 weeks.
She's maybe trying to get into contact with the therapy people on your behalf to check what's happening to the waiting list.
What sort of therapy do you think will help you?
At the time it was an option which I said I 'would try' but I have been scared of this for years and years- and to begin with I couldn't watch casualty or anything like that- over the yers IU buyilt myself up to the point where I enjoyed watching medical dramas and real-life medical documentaries! I even convinced myself that I could be a midwife and went on careers days etc.
However; when I got ill in December it made me realise I may not be immune and its bought evertything back and ruinned all the 'progress' I had made.
I'm swaying in the strong direction of drugs; unless bio-feedback can stop you being sick?!
the only thing that helped was getting progressively braver. it's the same concept as exposure therapy or CBT, but without the trauma. it's the 'building yourself up' you talked about. it's about watching a film where you know there's a chucking up scene, and thinking 'what if i don't look away at the crucial moment' it's about daring to do something silly that other people take for granted and don't get ill - like playing with young kids, or eating food you haven't personally cooked and burned to death.
emet isn't a phobia like spiders or heights where there's a definite and controlled way to solve it or avoid it. it's probably something you'll always live with. the trick is to stop letting it control you, a little at a time.
I've still not heard anything and its been 3 and a half months since I was recommended for it and I handed the letter in at the surghery on the 14th September... what should I do???
You can telephone the hospital you have been referred to and ask to be put through to the department in question and ask where you are on the waiting list. Alternatively you can ask to speak to the GPs secretary who can chase it up for you. Personally I would suggest that you make an appointment and take a copy of the letter with you if you are embarrassed.
it's one of the most commonly treated phobias cause it affects people's lives to such a huge extent.
when i was in treatment there were 4 other emets just in my little centre.
in severe cases (b)s will probably avoid pretty much every scenario where someone might possibly be sick near them. so drunken nights out, house parties, travelling, pregnant ladies and children, fairgrounds - forget it. they'll noticeably pale when someone says they feel a bit ill, and interrogate them as to what 'kind' of ill, and if they think they might be sick. they will avoid being in hospitals or schools. they will get really upset if they even see a puke scene in a film, so often will visit special phobia websites that say if a film contains blood/needles/sick (usually cater for a variety of phobics) so they know either to avoid the whole thing (jackass, etc) or just when to turn away/put fingers in ears. in really bad cases, they often just stop leaving the house, cause you never know when you might see someone being sick.
(a)s are a bit trickier. characteristics of this type focus on avoiding doing anything that might put them at risk. not only do they tend to fear everything that (b)s do, lest they see someone chuck up and then feel sick themselves, they also focus on their own eating, breathing, drinking and germ catching. there is often avoidance of such things as: drinking, going to uni, getting pregnant, being anywhere near anyone who's been ill or even who looks slightly ill, being in hospital, choosing a career in medicine, teaching, childcare, sometimes even just working with the public, theme parks, transport (those with cars like ALWAYS to drive).
they often develop associated phobias like agoraphobia, fear of swallowing, fear of illness, fear of dentists (gag spot). eating is a problem - many emets are misdiagosed or co-diagnosed with eating disorders, because if you don't eat, you can't be sick... right? those that do eat are fastidious about such things as best before dates and undercooking and almost always like to cook for themselves. certain foods are out: shellfish, chicken, dairy, anything 'risky'. Eating out is a bit of a hazard.
Many won't take prescribed drugs if they see 'nausea and vomiting' listed on the side effects, even if they need them. many will refuse surgery because they fear the anaesthetic making them chuck. they almost never drink or take illegal drugs.
again, in severe cases, leaving the house is sometimes just not feasible. they are also at a high risk for OCD type behaviours, and obsessive hand washing (helps stop catching things) and germ avoidance tactics (i know people who flush toilets with their feet and open public door handles with their sleeves over their hand) are common.
(c)s? well, c's are a nightmare. they do all of the above.
i was a (c) for years and years. these days i'm a moderate (a) with a hint of (b). i consider myself significantly improved. in reality there are still a lot of things i won't do, but it's not as crippling as it once was.
the treatment is generally CBT with or without drugs (a lot of emets won't take them anyway unless they are also prescribed anti-nausea drugs, which they can get addicted to, and which can cause deeper problems). the CBT is basically exposure therapy. along the lines of exposing you to gradually scarier sick-related things until you're not anxious anymore. that's the theory anyway. i've dropped out of the course twice because i just find it too traumatic. i don't think it has helped. the only thing that has made me better is time, but then i have been better before, and then all it takes is one traumatic pukey incident and i'm right back where i started.
the problem with emetophobia is that your reaction to the thing you fear generally is the thing you fear. most people feel sick when they're nervous. what if you're nervous all the time, which makes you feel sick, and then you panic about feeling sick which makes you feel even more sick and then boom, panic attack time before you know it. my therapist referred to it as a self-perpetuating phobia, and it is. it's a vicious circle which can be incredibly hard to break.
i have been trying to get over this for fifteen years. i've tried everything. including learning everything there is to know about it.
if only that helped
I have been feeling nauseaus ( and I mean nasuea- I often think I feel sick- but I know the difference and unforutnately this is the worse) this morning and yesterday morning. I've been fortuante in that my lessons haven't started until later on- but tomorrow I will need to be out the house by 8:30.
I've been putting off visitng my doctr (re my other post- letter to Dr.!) for age and seriously considered ringing today.
It occured to me that however much CBT and Counselling might lessen my everyday anxiety and fear they won't stop me being sick.
Is there such a thing as bio-feedback to prevent sickness? ALso- I read this article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife/health/healthy_mind/real_vomiting.shtml
I want Anti-emetics.
I already carry pepto-bismol around with me which helped me when I got a tummy bug last year (I haven't been sick for 9 years) but want a proper anti-emetic incase things got awful and I really caught something bad.