Anxiety Vs Nausea

[EmetophobiaGirl]

I read an old post about the differences between feeling anxious and feeling nausiated, and I saw that a lot of the replies said that if you think of your favourite food and could eat it, then it's anxiety, not nausea. My anxiety often makes me not feel hungry, and that's why I wonder sometimes if I should eat or not, and wonder if it's anxiety or nausea. Could it still just be anxiety if it makes me feel like not eating?

Also, just a couple of other things, (sorry!):

I read that staphylococcus is the most common type of food poisoning which causes vomiting. Is there any sterilised hand gel that kills this, (and ideally, e-coli and salmonella too)? Is food poisoning not possible in cooked foods at high temperatures?

Finally, I found out that the average number of times a person vomits per year is between 1 and 3, and much less for people with emetophobia. I have been sick about 17 times in my life, (I thought it was mostly food poisoning), and I have emetophobia. Does that mean I'm more likely to vomit per year than most people and have low immunity, (I am almost 30)? The last time I vomited, not including an overdose, was about 3-4 years ago. I was sick twice during my uni years too because of what I guess was food poisoning, (I am so careful and paranoid about food though!!!).

Please help me

[Simm]

Hi,

When your nauseated it's much more intense than with just anxiety, the very sight of food can be repulsive. I get that sometimes after I've eaten too much. When I'm anxious the thought of food just sounds unappealing but not repulsive, I can look at food and just think "no I don't want it".

Food poisoning is possible in food cooked at high temperatures, the food still has to be cooked properly. If your not sure how to tell if the food is cooked, I usually look it up on the internet to double check and also cook it for longer than it states, until I can see it's getting slightly overcooked. Also I avoid eating sea food because food poisoning is pretty common in that kind of thing (mussels and the like).

Don't let yourself feel doomed by the statistics. As an emetophobe your less likely to v* per year than most people, because you take extra precautions not to. Think of a series of castles all lined up next to eachother. Yours is better defended than all the others. It's more likely the other castles will get invaded than yours because you have better defences (hand washing, good hygene etc), but just because all the other castles are getting invaded that makes you panic. Weird as it is I like to try and remember that when I'm feeling anxious in general.

I hope that helps a little

[EmetophobiaGirl]

Hi Simm,

Thank you for the reply

Since I had a panic attack a couple of years ago, I have been more anxious and worried more about physical feelings of anxiety. At the time, it felt like I was going to be sick, and I couldn't eat at all, but I wasn't sick. I still stopped eating though, (for weeks), as I felt ill all the time and had no appetite. I didn't even have diarrhoea. Weird eh? Now I often think, "Am I hungry? Am I not? I don't feel hungry, so I must have a bug", etc. It's so annoying. I just want to feel normal again, rather than constantly anxious.

How is food poisoning still possible when is has been cooked at very high temperatures? I always overcook food too by cooking it for slightly longer than necessary I never eat seafood, as I don't like it, plus it has given me food poisoning once.

Yeah, that's the problem though. We, who have emetophobia, take extra care to protect ourselves, so what if I get better from the emetophobia, but because I'm not as paranoid about it as before, I get ill more often? I will never stop having good hygiene or stop washing my hands though).

Thanks again Simm

[Simm]

I know that feeling, funnily enough I actually just had a sort of anxiety attack (or stress attack) over something unrelated to emet and I tried to drink some water, I had it in my mouth but I was so tense I couldn't swallow it, I had to spit it out and I felt like I might v*. It's normal to lose your appetite when your anxious or feeling down though, I sometimes have to force myself to eat, although if I make something light and tasty it's not too bad. Eventually, with time, you'll feel normal again. Me for example, a few years ago I was just anxious all the time but with time, things came along and distracted me and I guess you begin to just open up a bit. That's different to letting your guard down of course I'm sure that you'll feel better eventually, talking about this problem was how I first started to get better (still a long way to go though).

Well it depends on how long the food is cooked for, the bacteria doesn't automatically get killed at high temperatures, it still takes time to kill it. Although with things like milk they treat it with very high temperatures to kill of the bacteria. I'm not an expert on that sort of thing though.

You said it right there "I will never stop having good hygiene", and as long as you don't, whether your scared of getting ill or not, you won't get ill any more frequently

Thanks for the friend request by the way

[xKawaii]

I still find it hard to differentiate between real nausea and anxiety induced nausea.
my nausea always changes somehow and I always think "this is it..." But it's always anxiety x

[EmetophobiaGirl]

Yeah, it's so annoying. I need to differentiate better between anxiety and nausea, because right now I can hardly do anything. I can't go out, see people, work, anything. I also worry that I might have a panic attack while out, but I have no idea how to get over that fear...

Thanks for your help, and you're welcome for the friend request

[Alhope4]

Im really glad i read through this post... I always think im naseous when im anxious when really its all in my head and im actually making myself naseous by thinking I am.

[thi5sux]

Im really glad i read through this post... I always think im naseous when im anxious when really its all in my head and im actually making myself naseous by thinking I am.

and that's how it all becomes a vicious cycle!! the anxiety fuels the nausea and the nausea fuels the anxiety....aaarrrggghhh!

[Catticus]

I still find it hard to differentiate between real nausea and anxiety induced nausea.
my nausea always changes somehow and I always think "this is it..." But it's always anxiety x

that is EXACTLY how I feel. Every time I get so worked up, preparing myself for the worst, and 99.9% of the time it's nothing at all. I just need to work out how to convince myself of that...

[SoVerySorry]

I thought that my nausea for the longest time was anxiety nausea... until I vomited last week from it so I'm no longer sure. I have functional nausea so I credit that for most of my nausea...

Since I get anxious when nauseated, I can't tell the difference...