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Hi everyone, We are having our bathroom refitted to make a wet room, everything is being moved around, the work should take about Monday to Friday, the council say. My husband has mobility problems with his legs.This has been recommended by Ot Dept, for him. My fear is I won’t be able to shower during all this time, as I suffer from contamination OCD, I am really worried, I have purchased some body wipes, shampoo and body wash, that you don’t have to use water with. I can’t wash in my kitchen, as food is prepared in there. I will have to go into bathroom to use these. I have nowhere else to go and stay whilst it’s being done. My parents are too elderly to cope with me now. Work should start on 18 of this month, we will always have a toilet to use, but no washing facilities. I haven’t seen my therapist for a month now, due to him being off sick, I feel this will kill or cure me, I’m so anxious. Any advice please.

luv xxx

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Hi Madchoc,

I feel for you, I understand how stressful this must be. However, you can also see it as an opportunity to gain some exposure and fight your fears a little. I'm just not sure I fully understand the issue with the bathroom. Is it that you're worried about using the shower while the works are ongoing or is it that you won't actually have running water to use during this time? 

In any case, this will not kill you by any means! I know that you can't see your therapist now, but think back to your sessions. What CBT lessons can you apply to this problem?

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7 minutes ago, Madchoc said:

Hi Malinda, thanks for your reply, the shower and sink will be removed straight away, so no washing facilities until hopefully Friday of that week. X

Ok well I think any person would be annoyed in that situation, it is very inconvenient and I'm sorry your life is going to be disrupted. It's only for a few days though and a really good opportunity for you to work on your exposure.

I've had situations like this before where the boiler in my flat stopped working and we had no hot water for a few days so I couldn't shower. I had to endure a few days of greasy looking hair, but I didn't die.

So, what's the worst that could happen? It'll be unpleasant for a while but you will survive. 

What aspects of CBT do you think you can apply to help you here?

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9 minutes ago, Madchoc said:

I’m not too good about CBT, what would you suggest? Sorry don’t mean to sound thick, just get a little confused.Thank you for your reply again.Sorry I miss spelt your name before. Xx

No worries :)

What kind of work have you done with your therapist? 

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I feel for you Madchoc. I often find the anticipating of these sorts of situations one of the worst parts of exposures.

so one cbt exercise I would do in this case is make a list of other situations that I've feared but gotten through just fine. (this is where it's really helpful if you've done exposures in the past and you bring the ones to mind that you feared, but you got through and came out stronger) Reflecting on those situations can give you  confidence that you are indeed plenty strong enough to cope with this.

As Malina said, this situation is inconvenient, but yes, won't harm you in any way and maybe will even help you in terms of it being a forced exposure. plenty of people don't shower every day.

Sounds like you've taken some good reasonable steps to deal with no water...sounds like you can use the washroom at least to wash up in with your waterless products (fascinating--I've never heard of waterless shampoo!)

wishing you well :) 

 

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I think maybe you also just need help managing the actual feelings of anxiety that will come up when you aren't able to shower

When you feel anxious, try to think about what you feel physically - maybe a feeling in your stomach, in your chest, muscle tension. When you break it down, you see that this overwhelming fear is just a bunch of bodily sensations. You have to keep telling yourself that nobody has ever died from feeling this way. Then you can also realise that this overwhelming anxiety won't always be there, if you just sit and wait for a while, it will pass. 

Cognitively, try not to ruminate - don't allow yourself to think about the worst possibilities, the what ifs. Just think about how there is no logical reason that being unable to shower is going to hurt you.

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4 hours ago, Madchoc said:

Thanks for your reply’s  Malina and Leif with really good advice  and I feel you care too. As you both understand and that means a lot to me. Thanks for your help xxxx

 

 

You're welcome! :)

 

 

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6 hours ago, Madchoc said:

Thanks for your reply’s  Malina and Leif with really good advice  and I feel you care too. As you both understand and that means a lot to me. Thanks for your help xxxx

 

 

You’re welcome ? come back and let us know how it goes. Hope your bathroom is sorted soon!

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