Severe anxiety/ phobia of food.

[Siash]

A boy I know died of a peanut allergy some years ago and I immediately stopped eating nuts. This was fine at first but it has since escalated and as a result I eat a very limited amount of foods and very little of those foods.

I’m at breaking point here! I just want to enjoy food and live normally again. It’s come to a point where I’m under weight and have a panic attack at just the thought of eating at a restaurant or at someone’s house.

I’m currently waiting on a therapy appointment but it’s taking weeks.

I am so petrified of having a severe reaction to something and dying that I’ve forgotten how to live 😞

I don’t know what to do

[Nicki1984]

You have done the right thing by seeking therapy and hope you don't have to wait much longer this will really help you. In the meantime you could read some cbt self help books? X

[jackie220166]

Hi my son who is 13 has Selective Eating Disorder which is an extreme fear of trying new foods for fear he will become ill. Has a extremely limited diet McDonald’s chips! No one else can touch them apart from me. Look up Selective eating disorder thousands of people in the world have this. I believe it can develop at any age not sure if this is what you may have but definitely worth having a look at the. Information about it. If you need to chat pm me x

[Kessa]

Hi there, it must be awful! Hope you receive some help soon!I' m in a similar situation but due to fear of chocking.. after hearing about stories of people who have chocked I am scared and i have to chew like a million times before swallowing and i am scared to eat nuts or candies, solid foods..

I recently went to the doctor for a rash because I thought I was intolerant or allergic to something and he told me allergies usually develop at a early age so you would know If you have it. If you haven t had any problems so far i don't think you ll have a severe reaction.

Doing some allergy test has helped in some way?

I know there's a medication people with allergy can bring with them anywhere in case they have a reaction and in a lot of cases you will not die..

Try to avoid listening to tragic stories,or looking up stuff online which doesn't help..I think we are surronded by tragic news all the time and that make the fear worst. If you can, look for positive experiences with allergies. Eg YouTube videos on positive life experiences and recoveries stories helped me a lot.

Maybe eat with someone you trust when you are scared. Do you have any food you fear the most or is everything?

Many hugs

[Siash in reply to Kessa]

I actually choked when I was five so this is part of my fear also 😞 I quite literally feel your pain hun.

I’m booked in for an allergy test but because of high demand in my area it’s not until January 18th and to get one privately is £200

[Kessa in reply to Siash]

January??O my god this is so long!have you tried in pharmacies? Sometimes some of them offer free tests..despite this, I know you can beat this!maybe as others suggested you can try to download some self- help books to read in the meantime..Maybe is a different issue but I find health- anxiety books useful when it comes to managing health-related worries..or cbt books..

Epipen ( epinephrine injection) is what I think you can buy and use in case of allergy outbursts..( and i m not a doctor but i think it can be a life saver in case of severe allergies, let' s say if you are waiting for an ambulance and you inject this you will save some time and prevent things from getting worse)..

As for what you said about your chocking experience.. You and your mum are so brave! You were so little and still you went through this and doing steps to overcome it. I m glad you shared this and i m glad you are here and got out safe from this experience.

[Siash in reply to Kessa]

I also chew my food a million times over and don’t eat hard sweets.

Although I will say I’m very grateful to be here today. I was five and got a whole grape lodged in my air way. My mum panicked and literally had no idea what to do so just threw me over her knee and smacked my back as hard as she could. It only took around 30 seconds but my back was bruised from the impact and the grape just flew out. I’ve not choked on anything since.

[Dahl]

When I've had problems swallowing and chewing I've switched to replacement meal milk shakes. This is marketed as a slimming aid and is a replacement meal for people trying to lose weight in a healthy way but the thing is that one of these contains a lot of minerals and vitamins that the body needs. It's a powdered flavour shake that I would whisk up with almond milk for the additional vitamin D and a raw egg for protein. I would also eat a lot of porridge with chopped up strawberries and blueberries. It was my go to survival diet and helped me stop losing too much weight. Hope this helps you.

[Kessa in reply to Dahl]

That's a good idea! I usually prefer milkshakes or yogurts over solid food. And soups when it's cold.

But sometimes it's weird, when things go bad i have the impression i could choke on water or my own saliva..

It's like the neck is too tense or the throat is too dry that everything just don't go down :/

[Anxious2befree]

I'm the same I get major anxiety if we have to go out to eat no matter where it is. I even pack my own food to go to my sisters house. I feel for you I really do it's horrible. Mine started after I had an allergic reaction it was so bad I thought I was going to die.

[Siash in reply to Anxious2befree]

You’re the only person I’ve ever met with the same fears as me. I feel for you Hun it’s so awful 😞

None of my friends or family know and my boyfriend doesn’t understand so I have no support. I hope you have people around you that understand