Stories of how we got Emetophobia

[asianeko]

Okay, so on page 8 I wrote why I thought I was emetophobic. Since then, I've figured it out!

I'm anaphalactic to peanuts. Pretty much, that means if I eat one, I get dead. Well, the first time I remember actually doing the deed, I was maybe 4. It was right after I had eaten some peanuts with Grampa. We didn't know at that point I was allergic, it wasn't as bad previouly. So, I ate it, and almost immediately ran to be ill in the bathroom. I remember my grama asking if I'm okay, me trying to say I threw up, then the next thing I know my mom is carrying me and running me out to the car. Grampa ran behind her with my shoes and they were all really scared. I wasn't sure why, but I was scared too. That's all I remember, but I know now that we went to urgent care and I had to get all medicated and stuff, my throat had closed up.

[Bhutterfly]

I guess you could call it 2nd grade.
I remember feeling nauseous so I went to the bathroom. I never v, though.

This happened repeatedly, and I never vomited. My mother took me to the doctor, and it turned out I had acid reflux.
I vomited sometime between this time lapse, but it wasn't tragic.

Around the same time, I spent the night at my Grandma's house. The moment was so horrific, I remember what we did throughout the day. We ate Jack-In-The-Box, we watched American Idol, we colored in holiday-themed coloring books ( I even remember her laughing when I had to turn the coloring book all the way around to color it, since I was left-handed.) When it was time to sleep, I told her I was more comfortable with the TV on, but there was no cable, so I left it off.
I woke up because I felt horrible. Then I vomited. All over my sister, who was next to me. I even remember washing my hair out with strawberry scented hand lotion.

And then I became an emetophobe.
The panic attacks started last year, in fact. The only people who knew were my closest friends and the office lady. Nobody knew, until we had our ice cream party.
This really annoying dude was faking and saying things like "Imma puke" Then he'd turn to my desk and gag. Of course he was faking, but I freaked out. He kept doing this, and I eventually started to cry. In front of the whole class. Embarrassing.
I had to be hospitalized for two of the attacks. Currently seeking therapy,

[BreaRose]

I don't think I can pin-point a single moment in which I would say 'set off' my emetophobia. Ever since I can remember, I couldn't handle it. Though, it is telling that the first VIVID memory I have is v*ing in my pre-school class after eating some cheese and an apple. I remember that very well and I remember being totally paranoid and shaky afterwards. As I got older, I found that almost every night at around 3 am, I would feel sick and the only thing that made it better was to sit up, sip some water and try and forget about it. My mom gave me a 6inch black and white TV to have in my room and actually slept sitting up for A LOT of my childhood for fear of feeling sick. Come to find out later, I have acid reflux. It's mild (apparently) but it's enough to make me feel ill.

Mostly though, like probably everyone here, my panic about me v* or other v* was only cemented by specific moments in school and life that were traumatic. People v* on the bus, in the hallway, right next to me, in class, while drinking, while eating, ect. ect.

But, really, what I think probably would be the start of the emetophobia itself was the fact that I grew up in an old manufactured home (trailer :-P! ) and the walls are thin. My bedroom shared an entire wall with the bathroom. I'm not a heavy sleeper at all and my older brother got migraines a lot which caused him to v*. I remember more than once, plugging my ears and humming to myself when he did. I don't remember specifically a first time doing that, but I would say that was probably the start of the symptoms of emetophobia.