how to avoid the stomach flu and the anxiety that comes with living with someone who has it?
i'm living with my family currently and my father recently had gotten a cold. it was enough to be wary of backing away if he were to cough, washing my hands after touching anything he did, and not touching my face if not necessary. when someone gets a cold, i usually get fairly anxious about being around them. today my mother alerted me that she had the stomach flu and had thrown up all morning and i attempted to barricade myself in one room which she hadn't been in. she had taken a shower after being sick, changed clothes, and claims not to have gotten sick since. seeing as the flu is highly contagious for up to a few days before and a few weeks after, i'm definitely finding myself being anxious over living with someone who is sick. colds run through my house pretty often, but the stomach flu is a bit rarer. vomiting from a flu or while someone's contagious happens to be a major anxiety trigger for myself. when having to go into a room she was in and touch a computer she had touched with washed hands, i had a panic attack and began crying. crying, being something i haven't done in years to explain the severity of my likely fairly irrational fear of this. i'm wondering how to keep myself healthy and perhaps better informed (as to calm perhaps anything i'm doing out of anxiety that's entirely unnecessary.) i've read online a variety of things such as the virus being airborne even from merely talking or being near a person and even from vapors in whatever happens to get expelled from the body. i was also wondering what could have been touched from days prior that could still have germs on it or objects to look out for. she had wrapped a lot of my gifts for xmas the other day, and i question if those are now very germ infested, with lack of a better way to put it and if i would need to be wiping this stuff down in a few days with an antibacterial wipe on the holidays. i feel as if i can't touch anything, that i think she may have had contact with so really any advice at this point (from a legitimate medical standpoint rather than an opinion on whether my actions are rational or not) would be helpful.
Posted by Lalala.
It sounds to me like you have emetophobia, the fear of vomiting (I do too). The stomach flu is NOT airbourne and can only be caught be putting your hands in your mouth after touching vomit or faeces particles. Even if you touch something 'infected', if you don't touch your food or put your hands in your mouth, you'll be fine. Wash your hands regularly (but not excessively) and do a bit of cleaning (bleach the bathroom particularly) to keep you less anxious and even less likely of catching it.
Calm your anxiety by doing some deep breathing. Take your mind of it with a film, book, tv, talking to a friend, or getting out the house.
Here is an emetophobia website: http://www.emetophobia.org/ where you can find more infromation about stomach viruses and other peoples experiences.
I hope I helped :)
Posted by TheCoolOne
yea i hate the stomach flu to! like i never gotten a stomach flu until a month ago i threw up lots of vomit gross!! even though my mom took me to the doctor and had the stomach flu! so they had to give me lots of antibiotics to cure it like this antibiotic that taste very sour i spit it out and when i ate i always threw the food out or diarreha well a week later i was felling fine! even though i always wash my hands everyday and stayed in bed you could get more information by the doctor if you have the flu.
but even though i hope you dont get sick and if you do go to the doctor and a week or three days youll be felling fine hopes thhis helps bye!
Add your own answer in the comments! Cold and Flu Basics - Cold and Flu Center - Gocoldflu.info
How to recognize the symptoms of cold and flu, which treatments work best, and advice on staying healthy during cold and flu season
Orignal From: how to avoid the stomach flu and the anxiety that comes with living with someone who has it?
Post a Comment