emetophobia and poop
hi all, been a lurker here for a while but not posted before. i just wondered if anyone else struggles with a severe fear of having an upset stomach/ diarrhoea along side the fear of throwing up. i’ve struggled with emetophobia for a good few years now (i’m 21) but never really had an issue with pooping- i always thought ‘well at least i’m not puking’.
but about a year ago i went through really bad autistic burnout (my burnouts tend to come out as panic attacks and high anxiety) and had a bout of diarrhoea.
it only lasted a few hours, but i did panic the whole time & since then i am deathly afraid of poop. which is so stupid and annoying because, i mean, it’s poop.
i have a nasty habit of taking Imodium when i definitely don’t need it, and i feel like it’s also made my fear of vomiting worse, so now i’m just scared of any bodily function apparently.
what’s next, sneezing?
i feel like nobody ever talks about this fear, though it’s quite similar and obviously linked to emetophobia, so i’m wondering if anyone else feels this way.
no matter what i tell myself about it being normal and just a part of life, whenever i feel like i might have an upset stomach i go full doom mode, today i had 2 panic attacks after a minor stomach upset! obviously the anxiety around it then provokes more stomach upset and so on… (thanku brain-gut connection).
it’s not to do with being in public either, i feel this way at home as well and it’s rlly affecting my daily life.
any tips would be v appreciated, or just anyone else who feels this way too because i feel INSANE.
anyways, lots of love xox