How common is getting sick days after your child fell ill (caused by emotions)?

[Anonymous]

I'm about to share something that happened recently. Is this common?

A couple weeks ago, my 5 month-old boy had a fever for the first time and was a bit fussy and restless during the day. His appetite was normal but the fever not going away worried me. During his visit to the ER, I kept expressing how I should be the one sick with the fever, not him, wishing it would happen to me. I've been stressed out that day.

My boy healed so fast the next day. Then suddenly I've caught a high fever myself without any symptoms. There was no cold, nor coughing, nor nasal congestion; only a fever. It seemed rather an emotional response. I had no fever the following day and no other symptoms either. Psychology indeed played a role there. That fever wasn't the typical one that's accompanied with a cold; it was an emotional fever.

Is this common?

[sage2021]

My son used to get fevers quite often but I never did.

[Anonymous]

You got sick with whatever he had. You didn’t absorb it by some kind of magical force. You also didn’t make him heal through psychological powers. Virus/bacteria is a thing. Disease transfers. Sometimes fever is the only symptom, yes.

[Asker]

I don't mean a magical force but rather your body's immune system weakening as a result of distress.

[Asker]

No magic there; just your body's physical reaction towards stress.