Cured Emet Here!

[CuredEmet]

I used to visit this site constantly many years ago. I suffered from Emetophobia for about 35 years. Like many if you, my fear ruled my life. I thought about it every hour of every day and it completely controlled me. It simply became a way of life for me. Like you, I suffered greatly and thought it would never end. Approximately 12 years ago, I reached a breaking point after having a huge panic attack on the way to a restaurant for breakfast. I was adamant about fixing myself and, after a lengthy phone call with my sister when I was crying, she suggested I start taking Zoloft. I was dismissive at first, but then said, “FINE! I’ll try anything at this point!”. Boy, am I glad I did! It took a few weeks to kick in (no real side effects, no n*, no v*). But when it did, I noticed my obsessive thoughts about v-ing began to subside. A few months on Zoloft, and the obsessive thoughts and anxiety were CONSIDERABLY lower. My panic attacks stopped completely and my anxiety was minimal. I started to enjoy life again and the relief was immeasurable. As time went on (I’m still taking it), I stopped thinking about v* all together. I went from thinking about it constantly to NEVER thinking about it! The only thing that still occurred was the momentary panic if I did suddenly get n*, but that was rare. In fact, I think most people, Emets and non-Emets, feel that in those moments, so it’s normal. I can honestly say I was 90% cured. What brought me to 100% cured was this... and caution: this is a little graphic...
Last year, in March, I started feeling n* in the car on the way home from work. It got progressively worse and about 10 minutes after arriving home, I started v-ing. I was shocked at first because it had been many, many years since I had last v*d. But I was ok. Approximately one hour later, my 11 year old started v-ing! I knew then that we had the Norovirus, which I had never had before in my life! In total, I must have v*d 15 times that night and she v*d 5 times. But, guess what? I was ok! I was actually able to laugh about it while cleaning up after us both! I was able to take care of her and myself. I was not panicking, I did not cry, I did not die. I was fine. And the next day, we both felt a lot better. It was a personal victory for me. I had confronted my biggest fear head on and I was victorious! Since then, I have had NO PROBLEM helping my daughter when she v*s (she has a sensitive stomach). It doesn’t phase me in the least. I can honestly say I have ZERO fear. So, the bottom line is this: I know Zoloft worked for me. A very low dose got rid of my obsessive thoughts and anticipatory anxiety. That was 90% of the battle for me. The norovirus, that just made me face my dragon one last time and the exposure solidified that I was finally cured. My life is sooo much better now! I dont even think about n* or v* anymore. It’s gone. I’m not trying to push any drug on anyone, Im just telling you what worked for me. I hope this helps someone. Please feel free to DM me or ask me anything. I want to help whoever I can with this debilitating phobia because I’ve been there and I beat it! Love you guys! ❤️

[mdgirl1977]

This is such a great post and I'm really appreciative that you took the time to write it. Especially for people that have been considering medication, this may be the thing that helps them make that final push to try it. I wish you continued success on your journey and I hope you have a wonderful and healthy 2021!