Hal

Just a quick reminder...if anyone has an issue with someone/something on the forum please always remember you can get in touch with the moderating team and we’ll be happy to take a look at it for you. Hopefully we’ll be able to resolve it and avoid any thread’s going off course...which is what’s happened here and why I’ve just set a couple of replies as invisible. Many thanks🙂

From what I can gather paracetamol in combination with paroxetine is less of a risk factor with bruising than an NSAID, but I really would exercise some caution there too, at least for the time being until you can run this by your psychiatrist or GP.

You might find the bruising resolves itself, but you’re absolutely doing the right thing wanting a professional opinion about it. From what I gather it can have that side effect by itself, but for the time being it might also be worth steering away from taking any NSAID’s...apparently taking the two together can also cause bruising🙄 It’s so tricky isn’t it, weighing it all up...if you’re feeling better mood-wise tho’ I would take that as a massive positive and something that will go a long way to helping you during the therapy. The thing to bear in mind with meds is they can only do so much...I wish they alone could stop the thoughts/rituals but that’s just not possible, unfortunately. People tend to think of them as water wings to help their mood and lessen the anxiety while tackling the OCD with the CBT....that’s where the shifts and progress are really going to happen for you👍 (btw your reply isn’t long, believe me....I’ve been known to give War and Peace a good run for its money😀)

Hi VNDO, They don’t strike me as silly at all, I think you’re wise keeping an eye on any side effects and absolutely right to want to run them by your doctor, I would too. Over the years on the forum I’ve learnt one thing when it comes to medication...everyone responds differently to taking them. Some notice a significant improvement, while others (like me) find the cons outweigh the pros and choose to knock them on the head. There may be another medication you’re more suited to, but at best it will only hopefully help ease some of the anxiety, it’s going to be the CBT your psychiatrist is providing where you’ll notice the most changes to how you’re feeling.

Hiya, Mixing the two isn’t really the way to go. I completely understand why you were tempted to give it a try tho,’ many many members of the community have done the same over the years. You get to the point where all you want is for something to shift in your favour don’t you, but drinking even without meds in the equation always tends to end in tears because it’ll only ever mask the problem. The best way to get your confidence back is going with Malina’s advice....slow and steady always wins the race when it comes to beating OCD. Just holding off carrying out any compulsion for a minute is a triumph, then two, 10...an hour, and gradually you’ll get to where you want to be again. Something that also really helped me in the past was taking up something new I wanted to do but was daunted by as a challenge. I joined a local running group to help with motivation as much as anything, but a happy side effect was feeling a sense of achievement I’d faced something I was anxious about but did it. In a way that’s actually helped me when I’m having a wobble facing an OCD challenge....I can remind myself I’ve been able to overcome the anxiety before in one context I can do it again. Have you had any help with drawing up a list of exposures?

High five🙌 that’s fantastic...you thought you wouldn’t be able to do it, but you have! Do you feel you might be able to take it a step further...maybe if a similar situation happens again you might be able to let your husband wash his hands but skip showering?

Their toxicity is a fact, you’re absolutely right and it’s probably wise with pets and children running around to remove them, but it’s honestly an OCD fiction madchoc to feel the need to go beyond the recommended precautions. I have contamination issues too and hand on heart I’d obviously wear gloves but I wouldn’t change clothes or shower after taking them out, I doubt I’d even wash my hands afterwards....the gloves will have fulfilled their purpose and done their job. Would you consider an erp compromise...try to let your husband remove them with gloves, shower and for you then to continue using the shower w/o cleaning it?

Polar’s right Phil, with the best will in the world there’s only so much any of us can do to help each other. As dksea’s said too, no one’s withholding a vital bit of info from you, you really do have the tools...you need now to not only continue working on reducing the compulsions, but also breaking what I think may have become a bit of a habit, perhaps even a compulsion to post here. The forum’s not going anywhere, we will always be here for you, but would it be a good idea to mix things up a little more...experiment for the next day or so with going with what you think you should do rather than asking the community’s opinion? At the moment you seem to me to be stuck, and maybe a large part of that’s down to not giving yourself a fighting chance to prove to yourself the expertise you have and what you can do. I want you to reach the stage where when faced with the doubts you’re able to feel much more confident in yourself you’re taking the right course of action. Please don’t take that as a criticism Phil, it genuinely isn’t, relying too much on the forum’s a very easy trap to fall into. Will you give it a shot and see how you go?

Exactly, you know but you also have OCD...THE arch deceiver. By testing whether you’re repulsed or aroused while feeling intense anxiety (don’t overlook how much that messes with us physically) and now ruminating about what you think you felt and saw, it’s not surprising you’re feeling so overwhelmed, more confused and anxious. I know how hard this is njb, but the only way to move on from this is to leave all these OCD generated questions alone...refuse point blank to engage with them or get into a debate with them and really work on focusing on something else this evening. A good analogy for ruminating is being caught in quicksand...you can panic and go the OCD way by struggling to free yourself by going over this and sink deeper into the doubts and anxiety. Or let the thoughts and doubts be there, decide for the next hour not to pay any attention to them, then the following hour and so on and gradually the anxiety’s going to loosen its grip and you’ll be out of the quicksand. I know this tough going and I’m sure if you’d like to have a chat with Ashley he’ll be around in the office on Monday, but we’re also here for you too on the forum. Take it steady and remember you’re stronger than the doubts and anxiety.

I promise I’ll reply more fully in about half an hour (the oven timer’s about to go for dinner) but you must remember one thing - this is so important njb...in this moment you’re feeling lost and very scared but these feelings will pass....you won’t be stuck feeling like this, I promise you. We’re all here for you and I will as I say talk more a bit later, but if you feel you might do something, will you contact the Samaritans for me? Do you have family or friends with you at the moment?

Hi njb, I’m sure Ashley will be in touch at some point when he can but as it’s the weekend I know he does a lot of cycling and may not be contactable...is there anything I can help with via a PM or here on the forum?

I guess it’s an option but a better one’s to go for it now, refuse to let the OCD win with stopping you doing something you have a love and passion for. You’ve sussed this is a new obsession, and as such it may not necessarily be easy but it might be slightly easier to tackle than an old entrenched one. I really would try to do this...don’t kick the can down the street, use this as the perfect opportunity to kick the disorder’s butt while also informing others about how cool 😎 the Neanderthals were.

Hi Mama, A very warm welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry your son’s going through such a difficult time at the moment, I can only imagine how hard it must be for you too, I am sorry. Unfortunately OCD symptoms can have a habit of waxing and waning needing more treatment...can I ask where your son is on the treatment road and how old he is...has he received CBT before, perhaps through the NHS? Accessing help is important but just as important is the support, guidance and love you’re giving your son...that’s already going to be helping him so much. Has he told you the nature of the intrusive thoughts he’s experiencing and the sort of compulsions he’s carrying out to relieve how anxious he’s feeling? I think I’m guilty of bombarding you with loads of questions, but I’m glad you’ve found us and I hope we’ll be able to help your son and you through this.

It can be either through the NHS, but ideally I think I’d hold out for one-to-one treatment. I haven’t had personal experience with group therapy so perhaps I’m being a little unfair there, it may well have helped others...but I know I’d have struggled airing my issues in that kind of setting and wouldn’t have got the full benefit. Besides which I’d imagine it must be slightly tricky for the group leader/therapist tailoring individual advice and recommendations in that type of treatment context.

Hi Kim, I need to look into this much more for you, but I wonder if your mum might have some protection under the 2010 Equality Act, this info from MIND seems to suggest she does: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/housing/your-housing-rights/#.XaHPziXTWEf I could be wrong but perhaps they’re hoping the threat of eviction might be enough to spur her on to resolving the issue, but by the sounds of it I think your mum’s going to need much more help from a professional therapist to help her begin making the sort of changes she needs to make. Is she under the care of a mental health team at the moment? It must be so difficult for both of you...when your mum downsized in 2018 did that involve throwing anything away at that time, I can imagine it would have been extremely difficult to do if it did, but did she manage it? Hopefully someone with firsthand experience might also reply but I’ll do some more research too. How are you doing, are you coping okay? Hal🙂