[jenna]

hi,im 19 and ive suffered from erythophobia since i is need was about 8, and am i SO sick of not being able hold normal conversations and go into the supermarket without going bright red. All i want to do is need a normal life like everybody else. I feel so guilty because i have to avoid my family to protect myself from embarassment like my mum wanted me to go shopping with her and i had to say no but its getting too painful for me everytime i blush. At my last job people ignored it at first, out of awkwardness then they all started taking the piss out of me. i thought i was the only one with this condition and that i was just weird. I need someone to talk to about this who will understand, so anyone who feels the same please get back to me.

Does CBT work for erythophobia if it is not connected to social phobia?
Im seriously considering ETS surgery but im not sure if its worth the risk. What does everybody else think? Does anyone have any experiences of it? How do you go about getting it on the NHS? Sorry about all the questions! lol

Im also not sure whether to talk to my family about it. My parents thinking just shy and i will grow out of it and i should just relax and it wont happen anymore. it really pisses me off how ignorant some people are. But i suppose its not their fault not many people have heard about this condition. Im not sure if it would do any good talking to them or if it will make me worse, because i dont want my whole life to be about this problem.

please write back if you have similar problems, thanks. jenna xx

[mr o]

hello im 18 and i can relate soo much to what you mean about family and all that... i also suffer from blushing all the time and when i heard about ETS i thought it was going to be some quick fix life changing thing. i went to my gp and got him to referr me to a 'specialist' (one of the most embarassing things ive had to do ever!). I dont know if the NHS are just cheap but the guy just didnt really seem to give a s*** and said they dont offer it for just 'cosmetic' reasons and didnt realise how much stress and depression it causes. im still determined to get rid of this crippling condition and would probably try ANYTHING as im going to uni next september and need to put this behind me (heard rubbing hemorrhoids cream in your face helps!? lol).

I know that im an outgoing confident person but im just overwhelmed by the blushing itself... i dont really feel so nervous or self conscious in situations where i do it. ive heard that theres a lot of us out there but have never met or talked to someone with it and in that sense i guess its a lonely problem to have.

have you got any further with the whole ETS thing? or found any other ways of dealing with it?
get in touch gal! xx