Looking for advice
Hi all just posting here looking for some insight and advice. For the past two months I have gone down a deep spiral with emetophobia with the biggest fear of getting sick in public. This all happened after becoming nauseous from something I ate (I did not get sick) and have felt this sense of fear / dread every day since. Because of this I have lost weight from limiting my eating, ruined my hands from excessive hand washing out of fear I would catch a virus and have greatly limited all day to day activities (not wanting to go to stores or be around others). Because of this I started back in therapy/meeting with a psychiatrist and was ultimately diagnosed with OCD based on some of these feelings among others not in relation to emetophobia.
While it has definitely been helping I still feel like I am stuck in this constant loop of being anxious about getting sick and then in turn becoming nauseous due to anxiety. Just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience and what has helped. I am engaging with exposure therapy as much as possible but I just am so frustrated and want my life back. Also want to note I was prescribed sertraline but ultimately stopped taking them because of the side effects they were having on me.
Before this spiral I never feared being sick let alone was bothered to this extent. I was always out and about spending time with family and friends and pretty much always on the move.
Any advice or encouragement is greatly appreciated.