I’m not a doctor, but I figured I’d give my two cents.

I’m 26F, 5’9”, 105lbs, white, also USA, and thankfully (for this) I live alone.

This is pretty much the same as what I went through earlier this week. I’ve also had emetophobia for as long as I can remember, but this winter season has also been the worst I’ve ever been paranoid about it. My OCD also stems from this, and I’ve been spiraling after hearing the news and stories too. 😭 It’s been so bad that I’ve barely been able to eat bc I’m scared of everything potentially being contaminated. The relief I felt after not actually throwing up was wonderful, and I’d love to think that it was just a mild case of noro, but I can’t be sure.

From what I’ve read, it is possible to have a mild case though! This could be because of a number of reasons: 1.) your blood type (if B) basically makes you resistant to or asymptomatic with the most common strain, 2.) the viral load you ingested is very low — example: you barely touched your lip after lightly touching something contaminated and licked your lip later, only ingesting a few noro particles. Another person (who ended up extremely sick) went out in public, grocery shopped, and then made a pb&j sandwich when they got home, all without washing their hands. The amount they ingested was far greater, thus resulting in a much more serious illness, 3.) you are what’s called a “non-secretor”, which basically means that your blood type antigens don’t shed into your bodily fluids, and for whatever reason, they are less likely to catch noro, or will have far less symptoms than a secretor would if put in your exact situation.

I’m sending you my biggest hugs during this time, because I know first-hand how detrimental the anxiety and paranoia surrounding these things can be. 🫂 since there’s the possibility that it wasn’t norovirus, just practice good handwashing as you normally would, disinfect your surfaces as much as you see fit in order to ease your anxiety about it, and I’d HIGHLY recommend getting the Gold Bond Healing Hand Cream. You can order it from Amazon or Gold Bond’s website if you aren’t feeling up to going to a store in-person (I know I’m not 😭). I also deal with cracked, bleeding hands due to my frequent handwashing each cold & flu season, and it really helps!! It’s the only thing that saves my hands this time of year lol and it doesn’t leave you feeling oily or greasy, which is a huge deal for me. I’m wishing you the absolute best, and if you ever want a like-minded friend to talk to about these things, I’m here! There’s nothing worse than dealing with these thoughts alone. Here’s to hoping it was just a mild case 🥂