Some questions sort of a lurker here

[Guest mirrenmo]

Hi everyone. I'm sort of a lurker here but I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can help me with.

My ocd seems to mold to different life situations depending on what's going on in my life at that time so I don't have a specific category. Generally it revolves around my children and the fear my will get taken away from me or I do something wrong in parenting and scar them for life. This is my main ocd topic if u like. But my ocd stems onto a million different things and sometimes I don't feel the fear the same way I do with the thing about my kids. For example if I'm having an anxious day if I'm cutting any thing in the kitchen I have to wash my hands after each food item because I can literally feel it on my skin. Chicken especially I can almost feel the germs sometimes I can't touch it and have to use a fork to cut it up before cooking. But I don't have huge amounts of anxiety surrounding it. I don't find it particularly distressing, the way I do about the thoughts I have of my kids getting taken away. Also I have days where I don't seem to have any rituals or compulsions or anything and after a few days I start questioning if I have 9cd or if it's just in my head because I've not had any compulsions for a week maybe two. I know that is common for people to question their ocd. I guess I'm just wondering if all this is typical ocd?

Thanks in advance

[Guest Tricia]

It sounds very typical to me.

We are all very different, of course, but many have times when they panic less, or obsess over something but less severely (maybe 'over cautious' would be a better wording than 'obsess').

Lots of people with OCD have days when their obsessions bother them less. The subject of our obsessions can also fluctuate.

Watch out for the things that you feel you might be more fussy with, though, because they can gradually creep up on us and become bigger fears if we don't nip them in the bud. The problem with some things, like chicken, is knowing how far to take hygiene during preparation, as clearly we do have to be careful.

I no longer fear germs and I am trying to imagine how I would handle chicken. I truly don't know as I have never had to!

Edited November 29, 2015 by Tricia

[Handy]

You can food gloves, we use those at work. Maybe 2 cents each so would it be worth two cents not Of have to wash your hands? Also plastic sandwich bags make fast gloves, about a penny.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Handy

[PolarBear]

You can food gloves, we use those at work. Maybe 2 cents each so would it be worth two cents not Of have to wash your hands? Also plastic sandwich bags make fast gloves, about a penny.

No, no, no! Wearing gloves or plastic bags instead of washing your hands frequently is substituting one compulsion for another. To move forward a person needs to learn to not perform compulsions and live with the resulting anxiety.

[Guest mirrenmo]

Thanks everyone! The food handling only ever comes when im having a really anxious day otherwise it normally doesn't bother me. My normal worries have really been at bay the past week or too. But have been replaced with the fear of what if I don't have ocd and it's all in my head. Ironically lol. But I know it's just the same ocd,Different thought lol

[Guest Tricia]

What you are experiencing is very common. Try not to worry about it.

[Guest Tricia]

No, no, no! Wearing gloves or plastic bags instead of washing your hands frequently is substituting one compulsion for another. To move forward a person needs to learn to not perform compulsions and live with the resulting anxiety.

What would you advise when handling chicken then as clearly we all know it's covered in germs that are harmful. I am less bothered by germs than most people (without OCD) but surely we have to be sensible. And what is sensible when handling such foods?

[Guest yinyang]

I have to agree with pb as I was going to post something similar.

There's no reason why you can't handle raw poultry and wash your hands afterwards. I've been doing it for years and haven't died once!

I think the problem is that an OCD sufferer with a contamination theme almost definitely wouldn't stop at the gloves.

It would be like taking an asprin for a chronic headache. It would take the symptoms away for a bit then you would need more then more..

It would just serve to reinforce the fear and add Compulsions in my opinion

[Guest Tricia]

I read PB's post incorrectly in that case. I thought he was saying wearing gloves would be substituting one compulsion (hand washing) for another. Admittedly he did use the word 'frequently'.

However, is wearing gloves necessarily a compulsion in this instance?

[Guest yinyang]

Not necessarily but we are dealing with an OCD sufferer.

I do understand where your coming from and under 'normal' circumstances that would be a perfectly fine solution.

It's finding the balance between sensible hygiene and excessive compulsive behaviour.

In my experience it's the latter that usually wins!

[PolarBear]

Tricia, one can handle chicken with your bare hands and wash them after. That's just common sense. However mirrenmo was talking about having to wash hands after touching every food item, which is excessive and compulsive. In that case using plastic gloves would be substituting one compulsion for another.

I wouldn't have a problem with someone using gloves to handle chicken either. We all know we have to be careful using chicken. I make sure I wash my hands after dealing with chicken and wash up the area of the counter I was using. However, having to wash your hands after touching each different food would be excessive.

[Guest mirrenmo]

Thanks everyone ? I have another question I'm not sure whether this is ocd or just anxiety what but last night in my sleep I started getting these very distressing thoughts I won't go into them. But I woke up and started wretching i thoight i was going to throw up and lost all power in my hands it was like the energy was sucked out of me. I actually thought I was going to die. I couldn't walk had to crawl back from the toilet. Has anyone experienced anything like this before?

[Guest Tricia]

When my intrusive thoughts were very bad I suffered similar physical reactions. It's very frightening and shows just how much our minds affect our bodies. How are you feeling now?

---

Thank you for clearing that up, PB, I guess we are in agreement once again then!

Edited December 1, 2015 by Tricia

[Guest mirrenmo]

Better now thank you! It's the first time I ever had a reaction that way. Got a bit of a fright but all good now. I had a stressful evening before hand I guess that's what triggered it. I have a court case coming up from an incident that happened 5 years ago that I was a victim to. There wasn't enough evidence to prosecute first time round but he re offended so now there's enough evidence. It's all what triggered my ocd in the first instance so anything to do with this case is a major trigger for me and I had to sort out meeting his defense lawyer yesterday and that would've done it I guess. Thanks for all your replies I really appreciate it