Emetophobia & Norovirus: Fear of Vomiting Meets the Stomach Flu

Emetophobia is hard enough to deal with on a daily basis, but when you are smack dab in the middle of stomach flu season and everyone you run into tells you about how they are getting over the norovirus, it's a nightmare.

Norovirus according to wikipedia is, "is a genus of viruses of the family Caliciviridae. Recent scientific findings reveal that the genus causes around 50% of all gastroenteritis (stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting) around the world." It is the end of the world for an emetophobe.

Norovirus is highly contagious and can be spread in one of three ways. First it can be spread by eating or drinking food contaminated with norovirus. Secondly it can be spread by touching a hard surface contaminated with norovirus and then putting your hand into your mouth. Thirdly norovirus is spread through having direct contact with someone who has the illness.

The tricky part of norovirus is twofold. First, you can are contagious and can transmit norovirus prior to even showing symptoms. Secondly, even after you begin to feel better from the illness your body is still shedding the disease and you are still contagious for anywhere from three days to two weeks. People often think, well I am feeling better and no longer throwing up, I will go back to work. This is the kiss of death if someone with norovirus works in the food industry and goes back to food prep while still contagious.

Norovirus can happen at any time of the year, but is most active during the Winter months when people tend to spend more time inside. As an emetophobe I am on pins and needles from November through April of most years. I live in fear of getting norovirus.

One of the worst parts of Emetophobia is that the thought of vomit or vomiting can trigger a panic attack and severe anxiety. I go into high anxiety mode when I find out someone who I came in contact with that day came down with norovirus. I combat this as much as I can by taking SSRI's and by frequent hand washing, but the panic and anxiety is still there.

Recently the mother of a child I babysit for called to tell me that her child had the Stomach Bug. I thought my heart was going to fall out on the ground. I hadn't seen this child in two days, but what if she was contagious last time I changed her diaper? What if my daughter drank out of her sippy cup? How am I going to handle my daughter being ill, because we all know that if my daughter gets sick the panic attacks will kick in and may very well be worse then if I myself was ill.

I told the family that I wanted to make sure their child was not sick for 48 hours before having her return to my care. I don't know why I said that, I know better then anyone the child can be contagious for at least 72 hours after she appears to be better. The whole day she returned I think I went through a bottle of Lysol, which I actually read isn't even effective against norovirus, and I washed my hands so many times that they are now red and cracked.

When you have Emetophobia there are times when you almost subconsciously wish to be sick. You want to get the stomach bug and you want to vomit so that you will get over your fear. The funny thing about it is when you do get sick, as I did with my last pregnancy, you will be fine and over your fear for about a day, but next time someone is sick the fear and the panic are back in full force.

Norovirus is no longer an illness in my book, but rather a season. I will spend this season living in panic. I will spend this season buy more bleach and Germ X to try and prevent the bug from attacking me or my family, but the worst part of the norovirus is that I am so afraid of it that I will begin to stay indoors more often for fear of catching the bug on random grocery shopping trips or at the library. It means I will take my daughter on less and less play dates because I don't want her to be exposed to the bug. The bug will actually begin to control my life until summer.