totally embarrassed!

[Guest Creative Cat]

Hi everyone,

I TOTALLY embarrassed myself at work today!! My finger got poked by a staple that a professor had left in a copy. I didn't think it broke through the skin because it didn't bleed, but then I started to worry .... what if it did break through and it just didn't bleed.... So, then I started obsessing about whether the professor could have poked his finger on it before he gave it to me because he was trying to take the staple off and left it sticking out (which is why I poked my finger).

I really don't even think it broke through my skin but I cleaned it with alcohol. Then, I couldn't let it go, so I told the professor and asked him about it and he assured me that he has no diseases. I started crying and told him all about my ocd. he is actually a psychologist (so it was sort of "okay"), but it was still very humiliating for me because I let my ocd get the best of me. I told him all about how I've struggled with my ocd and he gave me some input.

I guess my biggest concern is that I don't want people at work knowing -- he'll keep it confidential, but it was very humbling for me!!

I know that I'll get over it and everything will be fine -- I'm just humiliated right now that my anxiety got the best of me! Because I really do not think I even punctured my finger!! It was just a poke that didn't seem to break the skin & I took it to extremes.

Marie

[Caramoole]

Aww, never mind Marie...this OCD can get the better of all of us sometimes, at least you know he'll keep it confidential. It might even have helped, it might help him be considerate towards your problems.

Don't let it worry you too much, so you panicked for a moment, the good thing now is to move past it quickly with no real harm done. Beating yourself up is pointless, you'll be fine :crybaby:

[Guest Creative Cat]

Hi Caramoole,

Thank you so much! I really like this website so much because there are so few people who I can really talk to about my ocd. I'm afraid of being misunderstood, etc. :crybaby: Its been a horrible day!!

I've been trying so hard lately with my ocd -- listening to the Brainlock tape, Stop Obsessing tape -- I've had some success in not checking. I had a horrible time of driving in the rain during our last rain storm and I kept turning around in my car and checking things on the road -- it was a nightmare! But, I'm past that now and have been tough on myself and not going back to check things. Then, PMS hit, and my ocd got worse -- (at times like that I wonder if there is a biological cause) --- anyway, nothing seemed to really help. But, I still keep moving forward and facing fears (because I have to to get stuff done!)

I was trying the inositol -- but taking it 3 times a day is hard for me. I found these tablets, but they were powdery and then I obsessed about that! Ughhh!! I'm going to do more research on the Inositol and see if there are any other recommendations on it that I can find. The one brand that I liked because it had fewer additives was GNC, but those pills get powdery because there is no coating on them. I like Twin Labs 500mg capsules, but I'm not sure about the additives so I need to research that -- I wasn't sure if it was "okay" to take the "additives" in the pills since I'm taking so much -- does that make sense? What I mean by additives is the other ingredients that they use to make up a capsule....

Thanks for your support :grin:

Marie

[Caramoole]

Hi Marie :crybaby:

You sound to be doing really, really well..being tough on yourself as you say. I know, it isn't easy (and that's an under statement) but it is the way forward, difficult to believe sometimes, but it is.

I wrote about PMS somewhere within the last couple of days. They say that 'grazing' is one of the best ways to help. By that it means keeping your blood sugar at an even level by eating something carbohydrate (complex carbohydrate) every two hours, it's really supposed to help.

I'm still looking for an Inositol source, from everything I've read, it's best taken in the powdered form (mixed with water or juice) because of the sheer quantity that needs to be taken to be effective, if I find anything I'll let you know.

I'm glad you're finding the boards helpful, it's great to be able to share with people who actually know how you feel, isn't it. When I joined the boards I think it was probably the first time I've ever disclosed my OCD fears at all.

Anyway, today's finished with, I reckon you didn't do badly with the staple incident, write it off now and please don't worry about it tomorrow.

Caramoole

[Guest hayley73]

Hi Marie

I think there could be a link to PMS and OCD getting a little worse. About a week befor I am due for my period my depression, anxiety and OCD all seem to be heighened. I just try to reassure myself now that it will pass and its just my hormones playing up!!!!! :crybaby:

[Guest ScottOCDid]

Am I relieved to be a bloke?!

They say that 'grazing' is one of the best ways to help.  By that it means keeping your blood sugar at an even level by eating something carbohydrate (complex carbohydrate) every two hours, it's really supposed to help.

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It sounds like there's a wealth of logic behind the "grazing" principle. Just be sure, as Caramoole says, to go for complex carbs - those that are low down the glycemic index like wholemeal, unprocessed foods which are high in fibre and low in simple sugars.

Anyway, today's finished with, I reckon you didn't do badly with the staple incident, write it off now and please don't worry about it tomorrow.

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And although I know we're supposed to be careful about doing the "reassurance" thing, I think both of Caramoole's posts offer a great deal of wisdom on how to deal with the staple incident!

All the best,

Scott

[Guest Creative Cat]

Hi Scott,

This is what you posted:

"It sounds like there's a wealth of logic behind the "grazing" principle. Just be sure, as Caramoole says, to go for complex carbs - those that are low down the glycemic index like wholemeal, unprocessed foods which are high in fibre and low in simple sugars."

That is very interesting. I will definitely try this. What do you mean by "simple sugars"? Does this mean white sugar? Is fruit okay?

thanks!

Marie

[Guest ScottOCDid]

Hi Marie,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you .

I've tried looking for a decent website on the subject but none of the ones I've found are very "Plain English" & are all a bit technical.

In answer to your Q, yes, simple sugars include white sugar (sucrose) and glucose. These are high GI (Glycemic Index) foods, which means they're absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. This isn't good from a "grazing" point of view because your blood-sugar level shoots up and then falls away again quickly. This can also result in mood swings, regardless of gender or time of the month. Most fruits are quite acceptable because the sugar they contain (fructose) is broken down more slowly. High fibre foods tend to be lower GI; cereals fortified with iron could carry double-benefit during menstruation.

The aim is to stabilise blood sugar levels by consuming foods that are lower down the GI. Moderate/ Low GI foods take longer to digest and offer a slower release of energy. They also keep your appetite sated for longer.

I should say at this point that my interest in the subject is exercise related - but the principle and objective are identical. I eat little and often throughout the day (some say I eat a lot and often but that's another story)! I then workout hard in the evening, fuelled by the carbs. As an amusing aside, the well-recognised phenomenon of crashing blood-sugar during exercise (resulting from eating simple sugars beforehand) is known as "bonking" (I kid you not)!!!! This happened to me once at the end of a long bike ride a few days after giving blood.

Anyway, I'm drifting. Getting back to the point, the following list will give you an idea of what's good and bad for grazing (some are a bit surprising, marked *):

HIGH GI ("bad" in this context)

Glucose (100)

*Potato - baked (85)

*Corn flakes (84) - too low in fibre

Honey (73)

*White bread (70) - processed; too low in fibre

Mars bar (68) - lower than bread because of high fat content

MODERATE GI

Potato - boiled (56)

Orange juice (57) - fructose broken down more slowly

Rice - white/brown (56/55)

Banana - overripe (52)

Peas (48)

Baked beans (48)

Orange (43)

All Bran (42)

LOW

Apple (36)

Fruit yoghurt - low fat (33)

Milk - skimmed (32)

Dried apricots (31)

Banana - underripe (30)

Lentils (29)

Grapefruit (25)

omg I'm such an anorak!!! Anyway, when I get a chance, I'll PM you a PDF of some of the stuff from my book/s to save typing any more...

S

[Caramoole]

The GI Diet(Glycemic Index) just happens to be very much in the press at the moment, so tapping it into a search engine should bring up some of the foods.

You need to remember that the foods need to be part of your normal daily intake, not extra to your normal meals.

Drinking plenty of water also helps get rid of PM bloating and water retention, sounds contradictory but it isn't

[Guest ScottOCDid]

You need to remember that the foods need to be part of your normal daily intake, not extra to your normal meals.

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Very, very good point - the aim should not be to eat as if in training for a national feasting competition! :blushing:

I should have said also that by mixing medium & low GI foods, a lower overall GI is achieved than by eating the medium food alone. For example, a fruit & fibre cereal bar eaten dry (containing a fair bit of sugar), would be a good bit higher up the GI than a bowl of fruit & fibre with milk (milk being low GI).

Maybe try this GI search?

http://ziag4.mmb.usyd.edu.au/mainV4a.htm

S