CT Scan fears

I have a CT scan for my kidney in a few days and have read that the injection they give to highlight my kidney can cause fever, vomiting and an upset stomach. I am slowly recovering from a terrible case of emetophobia from 2015-2017 (I'm talking EXTREME weight loss and agoraphobia) but still get into full panic attacks upon feeling queasy. Yesterday I believe I had indigestion and even at home when I was relaxed I went into panic mode due to fear of being sick.

Anyone had this injection?

My doctor laughed when I told her, not to be mean but simply cos she'd supposedly never heard of these symptoms

Yes many times sadly....i think you mean the contrast fluid they use. Yes it can make you sick, happens to me. but when you tell them and they give it to you more slowly then nothing happens! trust me, I've had them often lately... just have them give it to you slowly, you'll be perfectly fine then!

I had very bad emetephobia for decades (still have mild issues) and have had a few mris with contrast. Luckily they never told me it had any side effects like that at all - would have freaked me out too. I only felt a cold sensation -no side effects at all. if you're allowed to eat/drink then try some ginger tea before (also as a placebo) and look up 4-7-8 breathing with the weil method.

Good luck!

I had very severe emetophobia also (for about 20 years). I remember crying to myself and being certain that I would never be able to have a normal life. But, you know what, I do. I still have emetophobia and I likely always will, but I've gotten to the point where I can control it enough that it doesn't effect me. I don't take medication and talking about or being around ill people only makes me mildly uncomfortable. I can become slightly anxious when I feel sick but not to the point of panicking.

I had one of the most severe cases of emetophobia I've ever heard of and I can promise you that it doesn't always have to be the way it is for you now; you can move past the fear. You can be out in the world. Fear is literally the result of the feeling of not being able to control a situation and not knowing what is going to happen. But it'll be okay. You'll be okay. I got through it by reminding myself about the fact that even if I do have a panic attack, it's not like I can just sit down where I stand and my perfectly healthy body is going to just die. If the worst should happen, I'll literally have no choice but to deal with it. And you do. You have gotten sick before, and you've dealt with it. You didn't die, you didn't fade away into nothingness, you got better and moved on. And you will do so each and every time. It is the anticipation of it happening that's causes the fear. When you feel a panic attack, just remind yourself that it's literally nothing more than adrenalin being released into the blood stream. Your fight or flight mode activated in an unnecessary situation. So, keep your breathing steady. If you can learn to control your body, you can avoid the onset of a panic attack.

As for your question about the injection - I've never had it and don't know, but you will be okay no matter what. Just imagine where you'll be and what you'll be doing 2 weeks from now. You are assuredly going to be well beyond the scans you're set to have in a few days! That is something you know for sure! ^_^

Just remember, you're okay!

Thanks for sharing that. A few things helped my emetophobia. One huge one was one experience where I knew I was on the verge of getting sick -and I didn't -the feeling passed -BUT all of a sudden it clicked that if it happened it would feel mostly like a relief, not awful. That was about 5-6 years ago. The other was the whole experience of being pregnant, giving birth, and parenting a baby/young child (yes, he's gotten sick and yes my husband helps him at those times mostly and I am fine with the aftermath and I don't even panic that I will get sick -not panic, just slightly anxious).

The 4-7-8 breathing helps a lot too. My side issue with it though is that in my life I've only gotten sick twice and the last time was 40 years ago (not counting as a baby which I don't remember). So I really have little experience with it which could help me get over what it's like (yes I remember what it's like but---- 40 years ago and before that, 6 years earlier).

I will add that I've declined general anasthesia because of the potential side effects but I have had more local twilight sleep and always been fine after.

All the best of luck -I can relate and I empathize- and again, I had no clue that could be a side effect and I had no side effects.

I was laughed at too or had it dismissed - people just do not get it. In fact one time I started a new job. On my first day, a hot summer day, I was dressed in a suit for my new job. I was told that that night was a sailboat event for the company and that I should come. I do not do boating like that (ferries, big boats, ok) - I am afraid of motion sickness and especially in front of new coworkers! So for the first time in my life I took a dramamine (half a pill actually)but when we got to the pier and i saw the boat bobbing in the wind - that was it -I didn't go - and I made some excuse about having a fear related to boating or that I was unwell etc. It was fine except one of the supervisors chided me the next day for not going. So I get that whole awkwardness with sharing "why".

I didn't know there was a term for it. I have the same thing but not to the extreme (emetophopia) I will do almost anything to avoid losing my lunch

Having said that I have had several scans and anesthesia and none of them had any side effects.

I used to be afraid and after a few experiences, it doesn't phase me any more.

I understand they will always state every possible freaky risk, but for that matter you ought to read the warnings on a bottle of baby aspirin.

They list them to the extreme mostly for liability purposes.

Either way, you need the scan. Mind over matter helps.

Trust that you'll be fine.

Ask for something to quell the anxiety. They will typically honor that.

@Batya, I think it must be a common thing for emetophobes to have a strong will against getting sick. I have only been sick 3 times and one was because I was so nervous about getting sick, that I got sick. 😒 Last month was my 9 year "vomitversary". I've never been drunk or taken drugs. I avoid bars like the plague (but that could be in part due to the inability to deal with the morons who dwell there), and, as a kid, I loathed going on school camps where a 2 hour bus ride was required to get there; someone ALWAYS gets sick.

My emetophobia was so severe I withdrew from life and was stuck in a house for 3 years. Couldn't even look outside the window without going catatonic. And it was such a vicious cycle because when I would panic, I would so just about anything to make it stop. I was a super independent outdoorsy kid and I would be reduced to seeking comfort I'd not normally feel comfortable with (from my mum, who is affectionate, whereas I dislike physical contact). And when the panic passed, I would hate myself for not being able to help myself.

Anyways, when it was so severe that I couldn't function, I made the decision to give myself no choice but to deal with it. I went from being in a house for 3 years to living in China. I would be forced to move passed the panic because you quite literally cannot sit down where you are and never get up again. And then I forced myself to Europe. I became an au pair because the responsibility of being the sole carer of a child means that, if they are sick, you HAVE to help them. You cannot leave them to deal with it alone. Now I'm a university lecturer in Japan and next year I will begin my Masters degree in Egyptology at Cambridge.

I've skipped over a lot of things that happened and ways I dealt with it, but something that always helps me is when I add some perspective to my mindset. As an archaeologist, I love history. The anatomically modern human (just like us) has been around for at least 40,000 years. In all the years of humanity (over a million years) we are not the first ones to have emotions and to feel the every day feelings that people get. 100 years ago, 1000 years ago, 10,000 years ago, people cried at losses, raged at injustices, rose up to challenges. Their lives were transient, just as ours are. It is in this ability to feel completely insignificant, that I feel relief from the pressure of everything in my life being about me relieved. When I feel small in that way...just another blip in this thing called life, it actually comforts me.

Still, it doesn't stop me from straining in my seat when I am on the highway and there's a car pulled over and a person standing outside of it. That always has my a little uncomfortable lol.

Well, well done on combatting your emetophobia!!

I didn't have any issues with nausea, headache, upset stomach, fever or coldness... In fact, when they injected the dye I actually felt heat in my lady parts that, if I'm honest, wasn't uncomfortable at all. When I came out the nurse asked me with a sly grin "did you feel the love?" and a wink as she was removing my IV needle. lol

I think you'll be okay. Just drink lots of water afterwards to help flush the contrast out of your system.

Good luck.

Thanks for sharing (post above) about the emetophobia. I haven't combated it completely but I'm also aware that I don't want my son to suffer from it.

Sorry for the exceptionally long post! I think you are a trooper for getting through pregnancy, raising a child, and making sure you don't really create in him the same fear you have. Thank you to you also for sharing your story. 🙂

Sorry for the exceptionally long post! I think you are a trooper for getting through pregnancy, raising a child, and making sure you don't really create in him the same fear you have. Thank you to you also for sharing you Thr story. 🙂

Well, he is 8 and honestly I still need to be careful which is why my husband deals with that side of things as much as possible. Thanks for the vote of confidence! The other challenge is of course avoiding the temptation to be too germophobic when it comes to food poisoning risk or being around children who've just had a stomach bug, etc (yes I have refused play dates in a person's home if her child was recently ill with a stomach bug -that seems reasonable).

Well, he is 8 and honestly I still need to be careful which is why my husband deals with that side of things as much as possible. Thanks for the vote of confidence! The other challenge is of course avoiding the temptation to be too germophobic when it comes to food poisoning risk or being around children who've just had a stomach bug, etc (yes I have refused play dates in a person's home if her child was recently ill with a stomach bug -that seems reasonable).

Yeah, that is reasonable! That's just good practice. And I can totally relate to still having days/moments when you need a little assistance in that area. I have days like that too. Last year, around this time, I was an absolute ball of nerves. I was working as a preschool teacher and a gastroenteritis epidemic broke out. There were teachers and students getting sick left, right, and centre. Over 100 people. All but myself and my team teacher got sick. Then they closed the school down and I still had to come into work and wash and disinfect every item, nook and cranny. I wore like 3 face masks, clothes head to toe, and washed my arms and hands with OCD frequency. And for the next week, I sprayed each child with disinfectant before, during, and after they entered my classroom.

It was a horrendous experience and tested my emetophobia something shocking. When I have children, I think I'll also rely on my partner to take care of that side of things.

Yeah, that is reasonable! That's just good practice. And I can totally relate to still having days/moments when you need a little assistance in that area. I have days like that too. Last year, around this time, I was an absolute ball of nerves. I was working as a preschool teacher and a gastroenteritis epidemic broke out. There were teachers and students getting sick left, right, and centre. Over 100 people. All but myself and my team teacher got sick. Then they closed the school down and I still had to come into work and wash and disinfect every item, nook and cranny. I wore like 3 face masks, clothes head to toe, and washed my arms and hands with OCD frequency. And for the next week, I sprayed each child with disinfectant before, during, and after they entered my classroom.

 

It was a horrendous experience and tested my emetophobia something shocking. When I have children, I think I'll also rely on my partner to take care of that side of things.

Ugh what a nightmare! Impressed that you were able to deal with it to that extent.

OP, how did your scans go?

I had it moved due to a clashing appointment! Thank you for asking though - I'm still scared, not due to the dye but my general reaction..I barely handled the ultrasound as I was shaking so this is gonna be a story to tell. It's the needing to pee feeling which makes me feel a bit nauseous... But you guys have reassured me so much so thank you ..

I feel like there should be an emetophobia thread on here, there is a forum which is AMAZING and people share triumphs, challenges, advice etc but the older I get the more I realise no one likes getting sick... But at the same time no one chews gum excessively and goes to the EXTREMES not to throw up (me)...

Thanks again guys, I'm trying not to think of it as it's four days before Christmas

I had it moved due to a clashing appointment! Thank you for asking though - I'm still scared, not due to the dye but my general reaction..I barely handled the ultrasound as I was shaking so this is gonna be a story to tell. It's the needing to pee feeling which makes me feel a bit nauseous... But you guys have reassured me so much so thank you ..

 

I feel like there should be an emetophobia thread on here, there is a forum which is AMAZING and people share triumphs, challenges, advice etc but the older I get the more I realise no one likes getting sick... But at the same time no one chews gum excessively and goes to the EXTREMES not to throw up (me)...

 

Thanks again guys, I'm trying not to think of it as it's four days before Christmas

 

Have you tried using ginger or a ginger mint? If gum helps you that's great -I would think that might have the opposite effect if it runs out of flavor, etc but please whatever works! It's true no one likes getting sick and when I would get that reaction well you know it's almost irrelevant because when it's a phobia it's a whole other experience/world. I really felt I mostly snapped out of it in my 40s I guess although I think it started diminishing some in my late 30s.