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what can I do about this fear I have??


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I am so fearful of the stomach flu....isn't that dumb?? everytime one of my children say, "my tummy hurts"...the first thing out of my mouth is, "Are you going to get sick?"....and then all of a sudden my tummy hurts. talk about nuts!!!

 

What does one do about this phobia? Am I alone here?? UGH!!!!

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No, you're not alone. Being sick to my stomach is probably the worst illness I can have. In fact, I'm such a big baby that as soon as it starts, I go to the doctor. I've been known to go to the ER in the middle of the night too. I just plain don't do nausea and vomiting.

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Nope, not alone. Tummy bugs are the absolute worst bugs out there IMO. Give me anything else, but we do not want that! Thankfully my kids do not seem to catch those bugs often, it has been 6 yrs since the last one I think. School starts in 7 weeks or so, and it only takes a couple of weeks for it to crop up, ugh I cannot stand the thought of it.

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do you guys do anything special to ward off the stomach bug? Like certain vitamins or something? 6 years is a long time to avoid it...good for you!! we avoided it last winter...and I thought we were doing well. Something to aspire to...

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The best way to kill any pathogens in the stomach is garlic pills! I had the stomach flu and found this way to help recover quickly from "Prescriptions for Natural Healing."

 

Day one: DO at first sign of illness

Alternate 5-6 Charcoal capsules

3 hours later, 2-3 garlic tablets.

3 hours later, repeat charcoal capsules,and so on

 

Day two:

Take 2-3 garlic pills 3x a day

Take a good quality fiber supplement 2x a day

 

The charcoal absorbs toxins, the garlic kills pathogens, and the fiber helps clean it from the body.

 

Do not eat until body shows hunger. Just drink liquids.

 

Laura

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The best way to kill any pathogens in the stomach is garlic pills! I had the stomach flu and found this way to help recover quickly from "Prescriptions for Natural Healing."

 

Day one: DO at first sign of illness

Alternate 5-6 Charcoal capsules

3 hours later, 2-3 garlic tablets.

3 hours later, repeat charcoal capsules,and so on

 

Day two:

Take 2-3 garlic pills 3x a day

Take a good quality fiber supplement 2x a day

 

The charcoal absorbs toxins, the garlic kills pathogens, and the fiber helps clean it from the body.

 

Do not eat until body shows hunger. Just drink liquids.

 

 

Laura

 

first off, does this work to PREVENT the stomach bug? that is what I REALLY want to do...and second, where does one find these pills...and does it matter what brand??

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Considering I'm laundering sheets from a pukey bed already tonight, yes, it makes my tummy hurt. :tongue_smilie: I dread myself getting the tummy bug b/c it takes me forever to get over the worst, I'm usually down for at least 36 hours. Right now, hubby is out at sea, so yes I dread the tummy bug more than usual.

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Me too! We were just at a marriage retreat this weekend (my husband is a chaplain and helped do the retreat) and the kids went to childcare. It never fails that someone gets sick at these things and then I get paranoid about are we going to get sick. I am super anal about hand washing. We went to the room every time the kids got out of childcare and washed up real good (I took along my own soap pump) and then even did a little wet ones after getting to the eating place (they are supposed to be the best sanitizing wipe for the stomach flu). So, I'm sitting on my hands waiting to see if we will get it.

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I have the same fear and I hate it. If my kid says their stomach hurts...we dont leave the house. If one kid is sick I assume all kids will get sick and so we all dont leave the house.

 

I sometimes cant sleep because I lay there thinking...its been awhile since someone has puked I bet someone will get sick tonight and every little sound I hear I think its a kid getting sick.

 

I have puke bowls everywhere...each kids has one in their bed and in the car.

 

Everytime I even hear that a bug is going around my stomach hurts and I freak out about leaving the house.

 

I havent puked in over 10 years cause I am scared to. for real.

 

I worry that my kids will puke in public all the time.

 

Yeah, I think I need some help :)

 

I make everyone take some good probiotics. If anyone say their stomach hurts I bleach and lysol the house and we stick to a bit of a blander diet. There is nothing you can do to ward it off. I have accepted that. I was successful at only having one kid go down this past winter (usually everyone gets it) and I just cleaned like a maniac and quarantined sick child in his room. I make sure to hit all the light switches and drawer pulls.

 

 

Just know you are not alone. I have a serious fear of it. It sometimes is overwhelming.

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I also have this fear. I have had it since I was a child and it is actually quite debilitating. It has a name. Emetophobia. It keeps me up at night.

 

Mine has worsened over the years and has now led to full on germaphobia with hints of agoraphobia and cibophobia as well. I see a therapist but so far I haven't had a lot of success. I'm getting there, though. :)

 

One thing that I have learned over the years... stomach flu (aka Norovirus and gastroenteritis) is NOT preventable. It is likely the MOST contagious illness on the planet. There are precautions that you can take to try to help it from spreading, but aside from locking your family inside the house 24/7... there's nothing that you can really do. And even then, the virus can be present in your food source.

 

The most important thing that I have found to combat my fear is to be prepared. For me, I have learned that I am actually afraid of the loss of control involved in the illness. Therefore, I keep my home and car as prepared for an event. My preparedness checklist is something like this: Extra trashcans, 2 bottles of bleach, waterproof pads (the kind used for babies), a box of rubber gloves, face masks, and foods needed for recovery (crackers, gingerale, etc)

 

Here are a few tips:

- Stomach flu is a misnomer. It isn't a 'flu' at all but a stomach virus.

- Because it is a virus... antibacterial whatever isn't going to kill it. Therefore, antibacterial hand gel is completely ineffective against it. It may give you a little piece of mind but it's not killing it. Just beware.

- The only ways to prevent spreading are to wash your hands for 20 seconds. The washing doesn't kill the germ... again... it's a virus. But it WASHES it away... down the sink.

- The only known chemical to kill it (that's not industrial) is Bleach. Not Lysol or disinfecting wipes. Oh.. Clorox wipes are no good either. Straight Clorox bleach.

 

If someone gets the virus, here are tips for handling it and preventing it from spreading:

- Isolate the sick person. Have them use their own bathroom if possible, and maybe an adjoining bedroom.

- If the sick person is a child who must be cared for, it's important to know how it is spread. It's spread fecal-oral... which is exactly how it sounds. You have to put the germ in your mouth (or nose/eyes).

- When someone vomits on a surface (this is really gross, sorry) but it 'splatters' and then becomes airborne. Anything within 20 feet is in danger of airborne particles landing. The virus itself isn't airborne. If you're sitting next to a sick person you won't get it. But if they vomit and you breathe... then the particles may float into your mouth.

- Wear a mask if caring for them. This will keep you from ingesting airborne particles.

- Wear gloves.

- Wash your hands. Alot. Do NOT touch your face or prepare food.

- Ball up dirty linens and wash them immediately. They are not 'germ free' simply because they are washed. Make sure to bleach and wash again.

- A person is still contagious for up to 3 days AFTER the LAST illness episode. So let's say... child is fine overnight, goes to church, has diarrhea once but otherwise seems fine. Guess what? He/she is still contagious 3 days after THAT event. So basically a sick child needs to be kept home for a week or so with a stomach virus. Sounds crazy, I know. But this is how it's spread. People don't realize and send the child to a birthday party... and then 10 more get it.

- The virus can live on hard surfaces for 1-2 weeks. Bleach bleach bleach.

- The virus can live of soft surfaces (carpets, curtains, pillows, stuffed animals, etc) for a month. Clean clean clean.

 

I know this was REALLY long and perhaps pretty disturbing. As I said, I've had this fear since the age of 7 and unfortunately I know WAY TOO much about it. Please feel free to message me privately if you need additional support or have questions. There are whole online communities dedicated to this fear. I assure you, you are NOT alone.

Edited by MiniBlondes
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Yup, that's me... I hate puke. I had diarrhea because it's associated with puke. I'd rather stay away from amusement parks, airplane rides, twisty car rides, etc.

 

Anyway, what you CAN do once someone has it (the kids say, "Mom's in germ mode again.")

 

1) Freshly opened bleach and water. About 5 parts water, 1 part bleach. The surface needs to stay wet for 10 minutes. After that they can air dry or be wiped dry.

 

2) Sick kid is isolate to her room for the duration and has a restroom just for her. The other kids go in the other restrooms. I clean all the restrooms at the onset because the sick kid might've been in the other rooms.

 

3) Lysol for door knobs, light switches, faucet handles, and don't forget the pump top of the liquid soap. A few years ago, Lysol III came out. That's the one you want. Lysol II might not kill it. Look on the back near the top of the can.

 

4) Wet Ones (yes, the yellow top -- there's a red top one too) kill norovirus whereas most hand sanitizers do not. Some foamy hand sanitizers kill norovirus.

 

5) Most household cleaners don't kill tummy bug. A few do. I've mentioned Lysol and bleach. Also, you can get VitalOxide and Virkon. You can find those online sometimes.

 

6) Sick person may not prepare food for anyone else for 72 hours after feeling great again.

 

7) During illness, the handtowels go away. Instead we use paper towels in the restroom.

 

8) I've heard that grape juice (not "cocktail") helps prevent it. Probably not true, but since we like grape juice (except ds) we drink it a lot and I make sure we open a botle when someone is sick.

 

Every day things:

 

1) We wash hands after handling pets, dealing with the toilet/diapers, after shopping/library/co-op and before eating. We use only normal softsoap, not the antibacterial stuff because it tends to hurt our hands and when you have hurt hands, you don't want to wash them long enough.

 

2) We keep our fingernails short. Nails hold germs.

 

3) We flush with the lid down. Keeps spray away. In public where there are no lids (only seats), I tell the kids to not look at the toilet when they flush but to put their back to the toilet and reach back and flush.

 

4) Kids have their own hand towels. At their ages (11 and up) not a big deal. About 12 years ago, a dd got sick and wiped her mouth on the ONE hand towel in the bathroom and I said, "Eww...." and got out four towels and stitched their names on the towels. We've worn those towels out, but continue to have a separate towel per kid. If nothing else, the other kids don't have to share a towel with the messy one that never quite gets her toothpaste rinsed out -- one kid always has a toothpaste smear on her towel!

 

5) We don't eat out a lot -- that's more for financial reasons than for germ reasons, but if someone sick makes your food -- you're doomed.

 

6) I tell the kids not to "spout water" in the pool, etc.

 

7) We do a lot of bleach laundry. Underwear, washcloths, kitchen linens all get bleached.

 

8) Everyone has their own toothpaste. It's not really a big deal because now the kids are old enough not to wipe their toothbrush (unintentionally...) as they put the toothpaste on.

 

9) If I notice the kids holding a lot of handrails/stairrails, we wash... Ewww. Stair rails, elevator buttons, public door rails, etc. are so gross.

 

REmember that the stomach flu is NOT airborne, meaning that breathing the same air as someone with it will not give it to you. You actually have to put small poop (or throw up) particles in your mouth (or nose or eyes). I read it described somewhere as "turd to tongue." Gross, sorry.

 

Ordinary but good handwashing takes care of it. So before you touch your mouth to eat, brush teeth, etc. be sure to wash your hands. And, if you go out to eat, hope that the person preparing your food doesn't have the bug AND that he's a good handwasher.

 

Every now and then (including about a month ago...) a kid brings the pukes home. And, it's been over 10 years since it "went through the family." I've managed, so far, to nip it in the bud without it hitting everyone. My oldest (just turned 18) hasn't thrown up in over 11 years and I've gone over 36 years. Good genes? Could be, but keeping clean helps...

 

Ugh...

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Bassoonaroo, I was actually not aware that Lysol III killed Noro. Very interesting indeed!

 

OP, Also... the CDC is working on a Norovirus vaccine which is due to be released in a few years. This is supposed to help it, however the reports I've read indicate that it doesn't prevent it... only lessens the symptoms. Who really knows?

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It has a name. Emetophobia.

 

- Ball up dirty linens and wash them immediately. They are not 'germ free' simply because they are washed. Make sure to bleach and wash again.

 

And emetophobia is a very common fear. Right up there with heights, public speaking, flying, spiders...

 

Put the washed linens in the hottest dryer cycle. That will finally do in the virus particles. Viruses aren't technically alive so they cannot technically die, but they can be inactivated so that they cannot reproduce.

 

A few other tidbits:

 

Those with B blood type might have some natural immunity to some norovirus genotypes.

 

Don't eat raw oysters as some carry it.

 

Newer Lysol DOES kill norovirus. It's listed on the can. But you must really soak the surface. Actually, when companies test a cleaner against norovirus, they actually test it against "feline calicivirus" which is very structurally similar to norovirus. Norovirus is hard to test for whatever reason. Even though Lysol kills noro, I trust bleach more. Actually the CDC has a website of good germ killers.

 

Also, you can get UV wands that kill viruses. Seems like it would be hard to use exclusively because it cannot into nooks and crannies. Maybe it could be part of the arsenal.

 

Old bleach doesn't work well. It's fine for bleaching clothes but once the bottle is opened, it weakens. I keep a sealed bottle at home just in case.

 

Someone with diarrhea should avoid the public swimming pool for two weeks. And people SHOULD shower before getting in the pool. Pools sort of wig me out.

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I have had this fear for years also. I have an anxiety disorder and this was one manifestation of it. I've actually vomited twice in the last five years (including about three months ago) and it wasn't as bad as it used to be, though still plenty bad. I attribute the increase to the anti-anxiety meds I'm on. Before that I used to lie awake at night sometimes and would practically have a panic attack if anyone said their stomach hurt.

 

In fact...the last time I was VERY sick was about seven years ago on Superbowl Sunday. It was wretched. I still get all jittery about the Superbowl. Not that football had anything to do with getting sick, but still the association is so strong in my head that I get all nervous.

 

Anyway. The only suggestion I have that hasn't been mentioned is going to sound strange but our doctor says that it really helps. At the first sign of nausea in myself I take Dramamine. It really helps. There are times I have had an intestinal virus I have taken it and it has helped so much. That's my only suggestion. Just know you aren't alone!

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Newer Lysol DOES kill norovirus. It's listed on the can. But you must really soak the surface. Actually, when companies test a cleaner against norovirus, they actually test it against "feline calicivirus" which is very structurally similar to norovirus. Norovirus is hard to test for whatever reason. Even though Lysol kills noro, I trust bleach more. Actually the CDC has a website of good germ killers.

 

Also, you can get UV wands that kill viruses. Seems like it would be hard to use exclusively because it cannot into nooks and crannies. Maybe it could be part of the arsenal.

 

Old bleach doesn't work well. It's fine for bleaching clothes but once the bottle is opened, it weakens. I keep a sealed bottle at home just in case.

 

I am really excited about this Lysol discovery. It wouldn't hurt for spraying in the air to hopefully kill airborne particles. I shall add it to my arsenal of psycho germ mom weapons. A UV wand. Maybe I need to add that too! Haha! And yes, I keep one sealed bottle of bleach in our laundry room and one in the kids bathroom for this specific purpose.

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I'm so sorry! You are not alone; I suffer from emetophobia too. What I have found helpful is to build everyone's immune systems as much as possible to minimize their chances of picking up viruses in general. This means everyone takes Culturelle (probiotic), multivitamin, and vitamin D every day, gets plenty of sleep and exercise, and eats a diet of organic whole foods and minimal sugar.

 

Two other things have been helpful. One is praying--every night--reduced my fear. The other you're not going to like: getting sick yourself. A couple of months ago I had a night of pain and vomiting due to gastritis/GERD. Surviving that seems to have reduced the fear dramatically, at least for now. I no longer dread it. Who knows?

 

Anyway, I totally understand what you go through, right down to lying awake at night thinking every sound is someone starting to get sick! I hope that you (and all of us!) find something helpful in this thread.

 

:grouphug:

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I have an embarrassing confession to make and I feel like I can safely make it here in the presence of other emetophobes. Only my husband knows I do this, but...

 

I have daily Google News searches of the following words emailed to me every morning: Norovirus, stomach virus, stomach flu, and gastroenteritis.

 

I used to say that it helped me track outbreaks and therefore kept me calm. My therapist says I'm just enabling my fear. :lol:

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a few questions for you well versed ladies:

 

1) is a person contagious BEFORE they actually get sick?? I have hard yes on this one...which freaks me out...becasue I smootch my kids everynight...what happens if one of them gets sick in the middle of the night...ewww!!

 

2) do the germs live on clothing as well as skin? In other words, if I am present when one of my little ones is vomiting, do I need to change my clothes each time?

 

3) are there any hand santizers that kill the germ...or are they all just totally useless??

 

4)do vitamins play a role at all? I mean, are there certain ones that will boost your immunity...or is that all a myth too??

 

thank you all for all of the information!!!!

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Anyway. The only suggestion I have that hasn't been mentioned is going to sound strange but our doctor says that it really helps. At the first sign of nausea in myself I take Dramamine. It really helps. There are times I have had an intestinal virus I have taken it and it has helped so much. That's my only suggestion. Just know you aren't alone!

 

How could I have forgotten--Phenergan also stops/prevents vomiting. They gave it to dd in the hospital once years ago. That's good to know about the Dramamine, too.

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Anyway. The only suggestion I have that hasn't been mentioned is going to sound strange but our doctor says that it really helps. At the first sign of nausea in myself I take Dramamine. It really helps. There are times I have had an intestinal virus I have taken it and it has helped so much. That's my only suggestion. Just know you aren't alone!

 

this is interesting. Did your doctor say why this works? How much do you take and how often? Do you give it to your kids too? Not that I plan to drug my kids up...but I am curious.

 

Every year we go on "Christmas Lock Down" about 2 weeks before Chrsitmas so nobody gets sick before Christmas and before we take our big "Christmas Vacation" to grandparents 7 and 14 driving hours away.

 

This year we will also be going on "Disney Lockdown" in November...G&G is treating us to a trip to Disney and I don't want the stomach flu to spoil that for us either. I am actually MORE freaked out about that then Dec becasue of all of the money that is being put out for the trip...airline tickets, lodging, park tickets, etc.

 

so I am always looking for ideas, thoughts, strategies to get me through this time. I usually relax after we get back from our Christmas vacation...if we get sick then, nothing BIG will be missed.

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She did say but I can't remember. It made sense at the time though. Basically that's what it's for. It is for nausea caused by motion sickness. It doesn't make the motion sickness better; it somehow works on your stomach to keep you from vomiting or feeling sick. It does that no matter why you are queasy. There was more to her explanation. She also said they prescribe high doses of it for nausea by another name. That's all I remember. I just know it works.

 

I take one if it's mild nausea and two if I'm really afraid I might throw up. I do give it to my kids (but not every time they say their stomach hurts - kids say it all the time for all kinds of reasons) if they seem really sick. It totally knocks them out though. But helps them too. I give them both either 1/2 or one. They've only had it two or three times ever. I, however, take it several times a month.

 

What can I say? It's a crutch.

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:)

 

1) is a person contagious BEFORE they actually get sick?? I have hard yes on this one...which freaks me out...becasue I smootch my kids everynight...what happens if one of them gets sick in the middle of the night...ewww!!

The part that is contagious is the vomit and/or poop. So, unless they have already gotten sick it is safe to kiss on them.

 

2) do the germs live on clothing as well as skin? In other words, if I am present when one of my little ones is vomiting, do I need to change my clothes each time?

It can. Especially if you were in the room when they became ill. I always pull my own hair back and wash my own clothes as frequently as possible. The particles and land anywhere and fall off. Google 'norovirus grocery bag' for an interesting story about a reusable shopping bag that was left in the bathroom of an ill person. ETA: To save you the trouble, I looked the article up myself. Here you go. http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/09/11604166-reusable-grocery-bag-carried-nasty-norovirus-scientists-say?lite

 

3) are there any hand santizers that kill the germ...or are they all just totally useless??

As far as I know there is only one. Germstar Noro. It has to be purchased directly from the manufacturer. I could be wrong about this though... maybe there is one that I'm not aware of. http://germstar.com/us/?pg=sanitizers&sub=2

 

4)do vitamins play a role at all? I mean, are there certain ones that will boost your immunity...or is that all a myth too??

Well, we took vitamins this past Noro season and managed to avoid it. I'm not sure how much of it was related to the vitamins, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It won't hurt to try it!

 

 

Edited by MiniBlondes
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She did say but I can't remember. It made sense at the time though. Basically that's what it's for. It is for nausea caused by motion sickness. It doesn't make the motion sickness better; it somehow works on your stomach to keep you from vomiting or feeling sick. It does that no matter why you are queasy. There was more to her explanation. She also said they prescribe high doses of it for nausea by another name. That's all I remember. I just know it works.

 

I take one if it's mild nausea and two if I'm really afraid I might throw up. I do give it to my kids (but not every time they say their stomach hurts - kids say it all the time for all kinds of reasons) if they seem really sick. It totally knocks them out though. But helps them too. I give them both either 1/2 or one. They've only had it two or three times ever. I, however, take it several times a month.

 

What can I say? It's a crutch.

 

ok..question of the year...HOW do you convince them to take this when they already feel sick to their stomach? My daughter takes dramine for car sickness....she hates the orange chewables and she can't swallow the reg ones. right now for car sickness, we crush the reg. ones and put it in applesauce....which I just can't see her taking if she feels sick. Maybe by then it would be too late anyway.

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so based on the bag story...do you still use those reuable bags? Do you wash them/ I haven't even thought of that. But someone also reminded me that the money I use has been in who knows how many hands before reaching mine...so nothing is safe...nothing I tell you...what is this world coming to??? UGH!!!!!!!!!!

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I can't find where on the "germ star website" to purchase it. Can you help me with that? Also, I can't find the price...how much is this stuff??

It used to be available for purchase on their website. I just looked myself and it looks as though that option has been removed. You could try calling or emailing them instead?

 

 

so based on the bag story...do you still use those reuable bags? Do you wash them/ I haven't even thought of that. But someone also reminded me that the money I use has been in who knows how many hands before reaching mine...so nothing is safe...nothing I tell you...what is this world coming to??? UGH!!!!!!!!!!

I do wash my bags but the point of me showing you the story was to demonstrate that clothing could be contaminated in the same way as this bag. Since the material is the similar. Same goes for the shower curtain, bathrug, towels, toothbrushes, etc.

 

what is Phenergan and where can I get that??

It is a prescription drug so you will need to ask a doctor for it.

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I also have this. Very neurotic in a big family. :(

 

I used to be afraid as a little girl of myself throwing up. Now that has transferred to a fear of my kids or dh throwing up (I can handle myself when I throw up, I'm most afraid to be around others who are sick).

 

Dh takes care of the kids when they are throwing up. It is a known and binding agreement that he will miss work if anyone throws up. I cannot handle being alone if the kids are throwing up. Thankfully this doesn't happen often.

 

I do the cleaning tips mentioned, bleach is the only bathroom cleaner I will use. I always cringe around crunchy people when they talk about cleaning with vinegar or whatever else. I will use bleach, thank you. I pay special attention to the toilet and pour bleach in the bowl after anyone has had diarrhea. I worry that it is spread to others through the spray droplets.

 

I also use Wet Ones. I have a medication here for nausea (generic zofran) that I keep on hand, and that helps give me mental peace. I always give Dramamine when we go on long trips because my kids are prone to car sickness.

 

I do have tendencies toward agoraphobia for this reason. Especially when it involves groups with lots of young children.

 

Whenever we go on trips I am EXTRA careful, especially on planes. Planes give me anxiety attacks b/c of the germ factor. So I certainly understand being careful around a vacation. I was a basketcase as we were preparing for our Disney trip last year. I had basically convinced myself that someone would surely end up getting sick. But thank God, we all stayed healthy and had a great time (of course I think in large part because of my cleaning standards, LOL)

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