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Stomach flu recovery & ematophobia — HELP!

Posted , 2 users are following.

atz0000
atz0000

hi everyone. so basically, i caught the stomach flu from my brother and im going into the 3rd day, and it's been over 24 hours since i last threw up. im a massive ematophobe, and i think ive been more worried about feeling nauseous rather than the vomiting itself... i visited the doctor last night, and he prescribed anti-nausea pills and antibiotics. ive been fine all day and was finally able to stomach solid foods after surviving on liquids and toast... until right now. i had the anti-nausea pill before dinner, but i kept thinking "what if it doesn't work..." "what if he prescribed it wrong, if it's more serious" etc. my brother and father had the same meds and they recovered within 1-2 days. i can physically feel myself get better and i had more energy today too, but i still feel worried 😦 even worse, my mom started feeling unwell tonight, which is making me really anxious as well. does anyone have any tips on how to overcome this? the last time i had a bad stomach flu was back in 2013, and i pretty much spiralled into a borderline eating disorder because i was too afraid to eat after that. i really dont want it to happen again... i also wasn't nauseous the entire day, but i suddenly started feeling queasy despite the anti-nausea pill, and then i started spiralling. i didnt feel nauseous at all since puking last night, because i felt confident after seeing the doctor and i was too tired to care. someone please tell me im going to be okay and when this nightmare will end😢

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • jan34534
    jan34534 atz0000

    Edited

    you’re going to be OK! Don’t allow negative thoughts to stick in your mind. Let them come along but in a relaxed way, watch them float off. They are not a real part of you they are just thoughts. Not everything we think is true or going to happen. You need to think positive and keep telling yourself that you’re getting a little better each day.

    "What if "thinking is a complete waste of time. It does you absolutely no good. and it’s not based on facts. It’s only based on fear.

    just take care of yourself the best you can and take only one day at a time. Do some relaxing breathing exercises that you can find on YouTube. this whole thing will end but you can speed up the process by relaxing your mind and calming down. Take care.

    • atz0000
      atz0000 jan34534

      Posted

      hello jan, thank you so much for your speedy reply. im going to try doing that — except ive had another concern...

      im really worried about my heart. i was sleep deprived before my brother fell sick last Wednesday, and ive pretty much pulled all-nighters every night after that except for friday, where i slept 11 hours. this is because i stayed awake with him, then it was my turn on thursday, then I stayed awake with my mom last night. just the sound of wretching/gagging makes my heart pound, and i feel so anxious. every time ive tried to sleep my heart starts palpitating. ive been trying to tell myself it's because of the excessive gas + bloating and diarrhea, but idk. even my pulse was high when i went to the doctor, but i guess that was bc i had a fever. neither he nor the nurse commented on it though. the heart palpitations really freak me out and keep me from sleeping because I've never experienced it like this before. what do you advise i should do? I'm really scared the sleep deprivation might exacerbate it

  • jan34534
    jan34534 atz0000

    Edited

    you are still going to be OK.

    you have a high level of anxiety right now and palpitations are very common with anxiety and stress. And of course they can occur with fever. I’ve had them on and off for years so they are not harmful. High levels of anxiety can keep them going. That’s why it’s important to bring down the anxiety and stop the overthinking. just the very act of overthinking can raise the heart rate.

    You need to practice proper breathing for anxiety and that will calm down the heart rate.

    make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids because dehydration can also cause the palpitations..

    everything you are going through right now will pass! just keep telling yourself that and stay positive.

    • atz0000
      atz0000 jan34534

      Posted

      thank you so much for this. im trying my best 😦 today ive also been attempting to tackle heartburn from the meds, and occasionally freaking out that it's a lung issue lol... i still need to work harder to be more positive and stop catastrophising😢

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