Very worried about something....
#258819 - 04/18/06 09:04 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
hi- i am paranoid about getting food poisoning or any type of stomach infection cause i'm afraid it will make my IBS/digestion issues worse. I already had my share of stomach bugs and feel that they were responsible for my ibs along with other factors such as stress and antibiotic use. right now i'm extremely careful what i eat and where i eat and people think i'm nuts for not wanting to eat at a fast food restaurant or travel abroad. how can i overcome this? does anyone else have these issues?
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I don't blame you for avoiding restaurants/fast food establishments! However, it's never a good thing to live with an extreme sense of dread/fear/anxiety and be ruled by that fear. Fear can be both a savior and a tyrant.
This is how I got over avoiding public eating establishments:
1. Note: anti-anxiety meds. did play a role (Buspar, in particular, for me)
2. I just went, i.e. entered the domain of dread, without intending to order anything--thus I was absolved, psychologically, of the expectation of having to order anything/eat anything. Usually, bottled water is pretty safe! Even if you do order something seemingly safe, you don't have to consume it or even finish it.
Travelling can be managed with some careful planning. Do a search as this topic has come up.
Try some hypno., perhaps?
I'd go, with some friends or family, to an eating establishment that you fear, just to "go" and not worry about the eating or not eating aspect. Heck, I've even brought my own safe food to restaurants and only ordered bottled water. Seriously. It was fun to just share social time doing one of those socially ritualistic things, i.e. eating together.
Best wishes.
Kate, IBS-D.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I have this fear too. The only reason I'm not afraid to go out to eat is because I know the strict food safety and sanitation procedures that restaurants have to adhere to. Actually, most cases of food poisoning come from food that was prepared in the home. I'm probably more anxious about eating at other people's houses than at a restaurant. Especially when I see them leaving food out at room temperature for hours on end ( my fiance's family does this all the time and it drives me nuts!). But, point is...food poisoning really is rare from food service establishments. Just think about it, if restaurants weren't VERY careful about keeping food safe, they would #1 be shut down by the health dept. and #2 lose customers. That's the last thing they want.
--------------------
Kim
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
Posts
