Tips for Coping with Emetophobia and Nausea

So one time in the ER i was told something weird but useful and effective! Apparently there have been studies to even prove that it works. So rubbing alcohol. I have a port-a-cath so i have so many little square alcohol prep pads to sanitize an area. Apparently though the smell is also good for naseua XD I was skeptical at first but believe it or not it does help sometimes. Of course there's those times the body takes charge and says "not today buddy. We are gonna do this regardless!" But it HAS helped in other situations. I deal with daily nausea. I have cyclical vomiting syndrome, which is as bad as it sounds when you have a phobia about vomiting. >.< So i have IV Zoran (generic name: Ondansetron), I utilize those little alcohol wipes, and if all else fails i actually have a little patch that goes behind the ear and lasts up to 3 days. It's called Scopolamine patch. That might also be worth an ask to your doctor ^_^ good luck and remember your not alone.

I’m so sorry that you go through that! I’m the same way, even thinking of v*muting makes me anxious. For me personally, taking Zofran everyday helps me a lot! Please talk to your doctor about it first, but it’s definitely helped me. While I don’t get nauseous a lot, I still take it because it makes me feel safe, you know? Of course I take it when my stomach acts up, but taking it every morning put into my head that I’m safe and that I won’t get nauseous. You can also try positive talking! Try and tell yourself that you won’t get nauseous and try some meditation to calm yourself down. Panicking can definitely make it worse as it makes your stomach tense up. So relaxing will really help!

Throwing up is my biggest trigger. Unfortunately I keep all my anxiety in my stomach, which causes acid reflux, loss of appetite due to stomach clenching or being tense. Every morning for months, I would take my thyroid medication (which helped ease some of the anxiety), and then I would do an anxiety yoga that was suuuuuuuuuper gentle and slow. With my stomach holding all my anxiety, my therapist and I have worked on something called "truthing it out". So for example, I wake up in the morning and my stomach hurts. I am trying to train my brain to instead of going to "I'm sick, I'm going to throw up" to "you know this is anxiety" or "this is acid" or "gosh darn your stomach needs food!" lol I also do a good amount of meditation, whether listening to calming music, or a meditation guide (I like Balance - it's a meditation app), it helps me to recenter myself. Unfortunately there are times when none of this works and I have to take an alprazolam to chill out. I also have a vitamin I take that helps calm the system down - it's all natural ingredients so plus there.