What would you have thought and done?

[Guest Jalvo]

Just something that happened an hour ago:

I was about to make pasta. I bought a jar of pasta sauce today in the shop. When I came home I took it out of the bag together with a bottle of wine, a pepper and some cigarettes and put it on the kitchen table. Everything was normal.

When I was going to open the jar, I grabbed it and felt something sticky. I heard something dripping on the carpet and noticed the jar was wet with something.

I noticed a yellow ring where it had been standing. A couple of tiny dots of something orange in there as well. It was also liquid.

I opened the jar and it didn't make a click (it's supposed to have this safety lid which clicks when you open it the first time).

Now, before I tell you what I thought and did (and what's still going on in my head); what would you have thought and done in a situation like this?

If you don't have an OCD where this would be a problem, please reply as well.

[Guest Fountainlair]

Well OCD or not I'd be a bit wary of using it

I mean anything could have gone it or someone could of tampered

[Guest Gemz]

I would've binned it immediately and my OCD is not contamination related.

Gemz x

[Guest Smudger]

Just something that happened an hour ago:

I was about to make pasta. I bought a jar of pasta sauce today in the shop. When I came home I took it out of the bag together with a bottle of wine, a pepper and some cigarettes and put it on the kitchen table. Everything was normal.

When I was going to open the jar, I grabbed it and felt something sticky. I heard something dripping on the carpet and noticed the jar was wet with something.

I noticed a yellow ring where it had been standing. A couple of tiny dots of something orange in there as well. It was also liquid.

I opened the jar and it didn't make a click (it's supposed to have this safety lid which clicks when you open it the first time).

Now, before I tell you what I thought and did (and what's still going on in my head); what would you have thought and done in a situation like this?

If you don't have an OCD where this would be a problem, please reply as well.

29858[/snapback]

I would have thought that the jar had become unsealed (either accidentally or on purpose), and that the 'liquid' was just the sauce.

I then would have thought that perhaps someone had deliberately tampered with it.

Either way I wouldn't eat it, as even though those things can keep for ages when sealed, they only take a few days to spoil once opened.

[Guest Kitty]

Just something that happened an hour ago:

I was about to make pasta. I bought a jar of pasta sauce today in the shop. When I came home I took it out of the bag together with a bottle of wine, a pepper and some cigarettes and put it on the kitchen table. Everything was normal.

When I was going to open the jar, I grabbed it and felt something sticky. I heard something dripping on the carpet and noticed the jar was wet with something.

I noticed a yellow ring where it had been standing. A couple of tiny dots of something orange in there as well. It was also liquid.

I opened the jar and it didn't make a click (it's supposed to have this safety lid which clicks when you open it the first time).

Now, before I tell you what I thought and did (and what's still going on in my head); what would you have thought and done in a situation like this?

If you don't have an OCD where this would be a problem, please reply as well.

29858[/snapback]

I would have chucked it in the bin. I would then have bleached the surface it was standing on, too.

I wouldn't have eaten the sauce, if the safety popper on the jar wasn't clicky then I would have been too scared that the jar had been tampered with.

Queenie

x

[catherine]

I'm with the others on this one.....definately not used it. But on a practical level I think I'd also have taken it back to the shop !

[Guest Jalvo]

Thanks.

Here's my story:

Well. My first OCD-thought was "sperm!" (Yeah, right!) And then my very first reaction was of course to throw it away, toss the carpet into the washing (it dripped on it remember), wash my hands and throw my pullover into the washing since it squirted contaminated water on it when I washed my hands.

Could it have dripped on my trousers before I noticed? Or my feet? Did it squirt a few drops which hit my trousers when I opened the lid? Did I step in the stuff on the carpet? Did it actually hit the carpet or the floor next to the carpet?

Escalating panic attack coming up!

STOP! Time to think logically:

Sperm?

Well. Pasta sauce is red/orange and the stain was yellowish, but, hey, still with a couple of tiny orange dots.

And who would have off in/on a jar? It can't have been on it because it was perfectly fine and dry in the shop which means it must have started leaking out from inside when it was tilted in the shopping bag (must have just missed it with my fingers when I took it out). There's anyway a little layer of more transparent liquid on top of every pasta sauce. Isn't it? I think so.

On the other hand; somebody in the shop would've seen it if somebody :huh: in it; the pasta sauces are straight in front of the meat section.

Lid had been opened ok. A fault from the factory? Most likely. If somebody put something else in it.... I wouldn't actually care that much, as long as it's not body liquid.

The stain on the table is still there. I "save" it for tomorrow and combine it with my shower; not in the mood to start messing now. It's dry now btw. If it would've been sperm on the jar (which I already figured out it couldn't have been) it would've been dry long time before I even bought it. Even more unlikely then.

It's a pretty believeable conclusion, isn't it?

But still it's nagging me. I left my trousers on, but I am not 100% comfortable.

And what about all the things I touched after touching that jar before I noticed? I wont think about it.

Weird isn't it?

How on earth can I even make up a story like that? Instantly? Just a second after I notice it's wet?

Sperm??!?!?! Come on OCD-, off will you!

[Caramoole]

Sperm??!?!?! Come on OCD-,  off will you!

Exactly!!!!

I would have chucked the jar if the seal had been opened, not for OCD reasons though.

Well done for holding out on the cleaning up though

[dandielion]

It's olive oil mixed with the tomato sauce. I've noticed this on some other jars too and on washing up liquids that always seem to leak in the bag and freak me out. I have contamination fears but I would have wiped around the jar with washing up liquid in water as that will disolve the oil on the jar and on the surface. I would have lifted the jar up first to see if it was literally dripping and if it wasn't then I would not have washed the carpet, although I might have run my hands over the carpet to see if I could feel a wet patch and if I did then I would have wiped it over again with the washing up liquid water in order to disolve the oil. I then would have smelt the sauce to see if it smelt okay and depending on how hungry I was I would have eaten it, but that's because I don't fear germs and can eat off of toilets if I want to but touching toilets is a major problem - how mad is that???????????

It sounds to us (my boyfriend and me -as I asked him as he is sane and rational unlike myself) and he explained that there was probably something wrong with the shape of the top of the jar which resulted in the seal on the jar not sealing correctly and the sauce then seeping out as it was knocked about against the other stuff in the carrier bag. He works in a factory that makes glass jars and bottles and says that sometimes faulty jars and bottles do get out although they should all be checked for faults, some bad ones do get through and he sometimes points them out to me in supermarkets as since he started working at the glass factory 3 years ago, he tends to pick up bottles and jars in supermarkets to read the code on the bottom of the jar to see if his factory made it or not - and he says I'm obsessed!!!! and he picks out faults such as small bubbles or imperfections in the bottles that should have meant that the bottles should not have made it onto the shelf. Don't worry they're not dangerous at all but they don't look perfect and all companies like their jars and bottles to look perfect.

I hope this helps.,although deep down I kind of know that theres nothing I can say to allay your fears and that you have to convince yourself. My boyfriend has tried the rational route with me many times and it is just really hard to accept. But on this subject of glass jars and leakages he is an expert .

[whitebeam]

what would you have thought and done in a situation like this?

29858[/snapback]

Hi Jalvo - I would have done the same as you - binned it.

I think I would have both OCD and rational thoughts about it:

rational - if the seal's broken, the contents may have gone off

OCD - someone may have tampered with this and put something (unspecified) in it.

whitebeam

[Guest Jalvo]

Thanks!

And thanks a lot dandielion for the PM and your helpful info!

It sure sounds reasonable (eventhough olive oil would probably not dry; or would it? - at least I have some old spots of oil on the oven; and they're still liquid after days (it's an OCD-thing why they're still there; feel like a pig now, hehe)).

Eventhough I am very sure that everything is normal it's still messing with my mind. I am still afraid I got some particles on my trousers. I have been leaning on them with my elbows and now I am touching the table with them. But heck. I must get rid of that thoght eventhough it involves a few extra handwashes now and then.

The funny thing is that it's more ok to touch the table with my contaminated elbow than with my hands after touching my sleeves with them. How mad is that?

Speaking of "how mad is that?"; I have it the same way as you dandielion. I can more or less eat everything (though washing my mouth and brushing my teeth afterwards), but having it all over the place I can't stand. Remember I got a bottle of beer with some white stuff on top. I drank it. Even my girlfriend reacted.

Yes; how mad is that?

Well, I'll get rid of that stain tomorrow and change my clothes, and then I hope everything will be all right.

Unless something pops into my head that I forgot about.

It's a good test at least.

[dandielion]

Good for you Jalvo, I'm glad you stuck it out. I really like the mad emoticon. That sums up just how crazy ocd is! ha ha.

[Guest Jalvo]

Hehe.

I'm on a crusade.

There are certain things that happened during the cleaning up of this thing which I now ignored. Which I wouldn't earlier.

I got rid of the stain today. Usually everything around the sink while rinsing the cloth would be contaminated (contaminated drops of water splashing around), including my coffee machine or the dishes next to the sink.

I didn't care. I already started another project like not washing my hands after pouring a cup of coffee, and it continued today, even after this episode. I have also used some of the dishes since then (a coffe cup I have here right now).

This very table (which I touched with a contaminated pullover) I just wiped over quicky (ok, I shouldn't have done it, but I did; but much faster and sloppier than I ususal would've done). I threw my "contaminated" trousers on this chair yesterday, but I didn't clean it.

I'm fighting it now. And it actually feels great.

Small steps. But still an improvement. Soon I'll move on to the next level.

[whitebeam]

I'm fighting it now. And it actually feels great.

Small steps. But still an improvement. Soon I'll move on to the next level.

30116[/snapback]

So pleased that you're feeling good about fighting back - that's brilliant. As to them being small steps - they sound big enough to me .

Take care and keep battling

whitebeam

PS

"I didn't care".

What a brilliant thing to be able to say :lol2:

[Guest Jalvo]

Yes. It's actually pretty fun in a weird sort of way.

But in the back of my head I know that there are so many things I still can't do without cleaning afterwards. That's a bit annoying. Perhaps since these are the things that I really would like to get rid of (like being able to go out and come home without showering, etc).

Somebody came in today to check the heating. I thoght immideately that I'd have to wash door handles and all. My girlfriend did it instead, but I would've done it if she didn't.

I am still thinking about that stain and possible particles here and there. It was most probably olive oil, which makes this thinking even more silly and annoying.

The trick is not to think about it at all. Hard.

But, heck, can't get rid of it all in one day.

(We're getting some guests today. I'll see if I can resist wiping the toilet afterwards.

Just hope they'll go to the toilet. Hehe. (Or maybe not..... ))

Better focus on the positives rather than the negatives.

[Guest Dragonfruit]

YAY!!!

You did so well!

You're obviously on a roll - well done - enjoy it - and long may it continue!!!

[Guest gemgem]

id bin it- but im a washer and cleaner so thats obvious!

[Guest Jalvo]

(We're getting some guests today. I'll see if I can resist wiping the toilet afterwards.

Just hope they'll go to the toilet. Hehe. (Or maybe not..... ))

Hmpf. Well, one of our guests had a little five year old boy with her. He used the toilet. They don't aim that well do they?

I coudn't fight it. I cleaned the seat, the lid, the toilet roll holder and the door handle after they had left. Not too proper though!

I also noticed that one of the other guests put her feet up on a chair after stepping around in the toilet which my girlfriend later put some books on (which I know she'll bring to bed at some stage). My girlfriend also did another few things I didn't like (but, hey, she was just being nice to the kid giving him some (contaminated) toys and stuff; I feel really bad reacting here; the crazy thing is that I think of the kid as stupid since he had to use our toilet and play with this stuff; how mad is that?).

Well..... it's just a kid! Coming straight from the kindergarden's loos ok, but hey again!

I was pretty upset, but after we talked about it over dinner I calmed down. On the other hand my girlfriend turned pretty sad and depressed.

Well. I am not bothered about this very much now. And I told her everything is ok. So I guess it is ok now.

I did wash a bit, but I managed to think a bit more reasonable.

Guess this thread is turning into a blog.

[dandielion]

Well done Jalvo for letting the guy in to look at the heating. I've been in a constant battle with letting gasmen into the house ( my housing association contract means I have to let them in once a year.) I went back to my flat a couple of days ago and there were loads of slips from them saying that they'd been and I wasn't in. I don't care though as it was their fault that I slipped back to lots of cleaning due to the mess they created when they replaced my gas boiler and in future I'm just going to tell them that they smell and they're dirty and they should have some consideration for people when they go into their houses as I'm fed up having to air the flat afterwards. I'm really looking forward to starting to tell people what I think. It's maybe the seroxat and I shouldn't really be so happy about it, but ever since I stood up to this woman and her annoying child who was all over the place and should have been sitting in the trolley where she would have been safe and the woman said to me "I'ts okay, she's just a bit over active" and I told her that no actually it wasn't okay and could she keep her child under control in future because not everyone finds her child as cute as she does! sorry but it really makes supermarket shopping so much more difficult for me with children running all over the place. I think I'm missing the maternal gene!!

And that's also really good that you can still let people into the house and it's a shame that the ocd stops you from enjoying the company as you're always having to be on the look out for things. One of my boyfriends' friends turned up as a surprise and he'd had a baby and said youngster came into the house too along with all the paraphanalia that goes along with the baby, well it was about 18 months so I guess he wasn't really a baby, but he spilt juice on the carpet, put the dirty car keys in his mouth and played with my boyfriend's wallet which was dirty and this all happened just as we were due to leave the house for a few days vacation up the highlands. I was livid when he left and we had a big argument but eventually set off for the holiday after I'd done a bit of cleaning. The bit of the carpet has not been cleaned yet though and it's been over a year and now I'm not sure exactly where the spot was but I'm always trying not to think about that. Strange that he hasn't come back. He maybe noticed the way I was glaring at his child I like animals though. It's just about consideration, I mean they wouldn't like it if I brought around a puppy that wasn't house trained but as it's a child you're supposed to excuse all bad manners, activities and just smile and say how cute. Well no, I'm not doing it anymore. I don't hate all children, just the ones that misbehave and run about places screaming and running into you. Even from a safety perspective you would think that the parents would want to keep an eye on their children, but the majority of parents in supermarkets that I've been in at least don't care and let their kids run riot and everyone is just expected to put up with it. If I had children and I was going food shopping I'd rather leave them either at home with a partner or if not just in the car where they can't come to any harm and won't bother either myself or other people. It's just about having a bit of consideration for other people instead of being selfish.

Maybe I am a bad person after all for not liking children. I don't know what I'd be like without the ocd and if I didn't have it I'd probably like children more.

Sorry I'm overtaking the post with my moaning Well done for restraining yourself from too much cleaning Jalvo

[Guest Jimbo]

Hi Jalvo,

Well done for fighting the urges!

I would have checked the seal before I bought it, you know the type, the vacuum packed ones that once the lid is released a button pops up on the top. Someone with OCD must have invented those!! When the "Incident" occured I'd of checked it again. If it was popped I'd have cooked with it knowing full well now once I check i'm sure. If it haden't popped I'd have cleaned up washed my hands and forgotten about it.

By the time you've taken the shopping home there's nothing that can harm you. I'd have had worries about it for longer than normal but ultimately they would have gone after less than 10 mins and everything would be back to normal.

You did the right thing in challenging your beliefs. You have to unlearn your behaviour patterns to beat this.

I agree with everyone else though, seal broken = bin it or take it back you don't know what cold have happened to it and in the least it may be off.

Jimbo.

[Guest alpha]

Hi Jalvo,

Well done for doing so well in your resistance to doing the compulsions. I think maybe what you feel when you want to resist doing a compulsion is similar to when I want to go over a situation in my mind to "get the right feeling" or resolve it. It's a real battle sometimes, but really does get easier.

It's so good to read you fighting the OCD. Well done again.

Take care,

Alpha

[Guest alpha]

Hi Dandelion,

I'm really looking forward to starting to tell people what I think. It's maybe the seroxat and I shouldn't really be so happy about it, but ever since I stood up to this woman and her annoying child who was all over the place and should have been sitting in the trolley where she would have been safe and the woman said to me "I'ts okay, she's just a bit over active" and I told her that no actually it wasn't okay and could she keep her child under control in future because not everyone finds her child as cute as she does!  sorry but it really makes supermarket shopping so much more difficult for me with children running all over the place. I think I'm missing the maternal gene!!

And that's also really good that you can still let people into the house and it's a shame that the ocd stops you from enjoying the company as you're always having to be on the look out for things. One of my boyfriends' friends turned up as a surprise and he'd had a baby and said youngster came into the house too along with all the paraphanalia that goes along with the baby, well it was about 18 months so I guess he wasn't really a baby, but he spilt juice on the carpet, put the dirty car keys in his mouth and played with my boyfriend's wallet which was dirty and this all happened just as we were due to leave the house for a few days vacation up the highlands. I was livid when he left and we had a big argument but eventually set off for the holiday after I'd done a bit of cleaning. The bit of the carpet has not been cleaned yet though and it's been over a year and now I'm not sure exactly where the spot was but I'm always trying not to think about that. Strange that he hasn't come back. He maybe noticed the way I was glaring at his child  I like animals though. It's just about consideration, I mean they wouldn't like it if I brought around a puppy that wasn't house trained but as it's a child you're supposed to excuse all bad manners, activities and just smile and say how cute. Well no, I'm not doing it anymore. I don't hate all children, just the ones that misbehave and run about places screaming and running into you. Even from a safety perspective you would think that the parents would want to keep an eye on their children, but the majority of parents in supermarkets that I've been in at least don't care and let their kids run riot and everyone is just expected to put up with it. If I had children and I was going food shopping I'd rather leave them either at home with a partner or if not just in the car where they can't come to any harm and won't bother either myself or other people. It's just about having a bit of consideration for other people instead of being selfish.

Maybe I am a bad person after all for not liking children. I don't know what I'd be like without the ocd and if I didn't have it I'd probably like children more.

It's not always easy to control children, especially when they are only 18 months. They don't always have the motor control to do things correctly, e.g. hold a cup upright all the time. Actually, it's really hard to control children most of the time really , without being too harsh and dogmatic with them.

Having said that, it must be really hard to have OCD, especially contamination OCD around small kids. They do have a distinct tendency to get mucky and icky in a very short space of time, especially little boys. (Hope I'm not stereotyping here ) I don't know what I'd be like without the OCD too, that's an interesting question!

Alpha

[Guest Jalvo]

Thanks again. The story with the jar and the toilet is now erased from my mind.

Ok, the mess from the jar I cleaned up all right, so that's fine. The kid and the toilet I can deal with. Again, it was just a little kid.

It seems that I am able to think more reasonable about things nowadays, and I can easier realize the fact that germs don't live forever and don't jump over from one thing to another to the next forever and ever. It also helps to look at normal people and how they behave - and they still survive.

I am still worried sick about direct, first degree, if you like, contamination (toilets, body liquids, etc). Have to work on that. But in my head, the germs don't spread as much afterwards as before.

About kids; I think actually this was the first time I ever had a kid in my own appartment, at least since my OCD went crazy some years ago. One day I'll have my own, so I better get used to dealing with it soon.

We did get a kitten a couple of years ago, which was a torture. The poor thing ended up being locked out in the hallway most of the time till we gave it to my girlfriend's grandparents who love it as their child and where it's allowed to do anything.

The heating episode wasn't a big deal though, he was there for one minute. But last week it broke down and we needed to change the whole thing. I was alone at home. They came early with my landlord who's got the key. I stayed in bed the whole time pretending to sleep. I had also locked all the doors, even to the toilet, so I was pretty safe. A bit silly to lock the toilet, but I think they tried to get in there (wonder what they thought when it was locked), and if I hadn't locked it that day would've turned out a living hell of cleaning and washing; I just prevented it. (My landlord's got an appartment above us, so I wasn't evil or anything, hehe.)

But still it was horrible. They were here for two and a half hour messing around outside my door. And of course I soon had to go to the toilet, which I couldn't.

But rather holding myself than spending the whole day going mad.

[whitebeam]

Hi Jalvo,

Know what you mean about having other people in your home - I hate people coming to mine. We had the plumber in a couple of weeks back and he wanted to go all over the place. I made Tony promise not to let him in the toilets but for him to check the radiators there and then I curled up and tried to pretend they weren't there.

While I was still having therapy, one of my tasks was to invite someone to my house and let them use the loo . Apart from one return from the pub (so I didn't care that they used the loo) no-one ever wanted to go. Hurrah!! :lol2:

whitebeam