Hepititis contamination

[Bodge]

Hi all. 

So I'm making my piece with hiv fears as it's so hard to catch....but I'm now worried about hepititis. I'm worried that what if there is blood on a tap from a lady who had just wiped herself in time of month (in the toilet) and then a friend's daughter who had cut herself then touches the tap when round at my house. The lady has had unprotected sex but have no reason to think she's positive. Is there a hepititis risk?? I know HIV doesn't live long outside of the body but hepititis is different. Am I a bad person if I do nothing....feel I should say something to make sure my friends daughter is ok...but surely if it was that easy to catch it would be everywhere??  Please if anyone could tell me if this is ocd or not x

[leif]

I have the same ocd issue. 

49 minutes ago, Bodge said:

but surely if it was that easy to catch it would be everywhere?

That is good that you have some logic going on this--try to stay tuned into that part of your brain.

As you say,  i think Hep would be as widespread as the common  cold if it was that easily spread! 

[malina]

Hi Bodge,

I think on one hand, it's good that you were able to apply logic to the HIV issue, but I think this approach of reasoning with your fears is still counter productive. So you reasoned that it's hard to catch HIV and immediately your mind has latched on to the idea of Hepatitis. You should try to just accept that there is risk in everyday situations. The risk is probably minimal, but that doesn't really matter. We all have to live with this risk, we all have to use toilets where someone may have had their period, we all have to touch handles that someone may have gotten blood on, it is just a part of life and yet few people worry about these things. The more you try to rationalise your fears to fight them, the more you will actually be afraid. You have to just learn to accept that there are risks and possibilities of bad things happening, but that it's okay and just continue with life. 

[leif]

yes malina's right about accepting the idea of risk. While logic can help me make my decision about facing exposures, really it does come down to accepting the uncertainty of the situation.

And also accepting that there will often be anxiety that comes with facing our uncertainties, but that is all part of getting better.

[Bodge]

Thank you both very much. I guess I find it difficult to make the decision to 'let it go' when I'm dealing with someone else's child who I'm worried is infected. I feel like I'm making decisions I don't want to make (as in does something need to be done about this or is it just OCD). Has anyone else had that problem??

Thank you for your replies ..they have helped a lot xxxx

[Bodge]

Thank you Jumbo x . Was so pleased about beginning to feel better about my hiv worries and then it hits me with this....I guess that's ocd! 

 

[malina]

1 hour ago, Bodge said:

Thank you both very much. I guess I find it difficult to make the decision to 'let it go' when I'm dealing with someone else's child who I'm worried is infected. I feel like I'm making decisions I don't want to make (as in does something need to be done about this or is it just OCD). Has anyone else had that problem??

Thank you for your replies ..they have helped a lot xxxx

Hey,

I think that with OCD your mind latches on to the worst case scenario. So you're with a child and now you think you have to worry if she is infected, that makes the situation seem so much worse and more dangerous to you, so you worry more. But think about this, the girl has probably had cuts before and has turned on taps, which were previously used by others who have been bleeding. You have no idea what has happened with the objects that we use on a daily basis, but it doesn't matter because the risk of anything bad happening from using a household object is minimal. Even though you think a child is at risk, you have to try to let it go because it's still just OCD making you think that a really unrealistic scenario is actually real. I know it's not easy, it's really hard to do for all of us, but I think this is the direction you should move your thinking.

[leif]

4 hours ago, Bodge said:

I guess I find it difficult to make the decision to 'let it go' when I'm dealing with someone else's child who I'm worried is infected. I feel like I'm making decisions I don't want to make (as in does something need to be done about this or is it just OCD). Has anyone else had that problem??

Oh yes I can totally relate to that Bodge! It's always worse for me when I feel I'm responsible for kids when it comes to this kind of thing. A lot of my contamination worries really come down to "responsibility for harm" and I really start to doubt my own judgement. I worry about catching things myself but also even bigger is the fear that I'll make others sick through my lack of responsible action. It's a common OCD theme. 

You can see from your first post that you could see the logic in the situation but the OCD has you fearing the worst, and has you doubting yourself. So I think a big part of the practice is starting to accept your own logical judgement. Once you know the logical answer you need to work on accepting the uncertainty and anxiety. But I know its super hard. Still not there myself.

[Bodge]

Thank you all so so much....your comments have helped me get my brain back in gear and start to feel less panicky xxxx

[PolarBear]

This is clearly OCD. Non-sufferers do not sit there and think about two people touching faucets and transmitting any disease. They just don't. 

You can tell this is OCD by how anxious you are and by the fact this indignificant thing is still going round and round in your head still.

I suspect this is a little less Heslth OCD and more Responsibility OCD, where you have an over-inflated sense of responsibility toward others. In this case, you think you are responsible for this lady possibly getting hepatitis germs on the faucet handles, where the girl could have touched them.

Really? What are you going to do? Stand in the washroom and ask every woman who uses it if it's that time of the month and, if so, disinfect everything? I mean, really?

You aren't responsible for anything in this case. Nothing.

Let it go.

[Bodge]

Thank you Polar Bear for your comments and reply....just when I get over one OCD worry another one comes alone ..it's exhausting..I'll work on letting it go x

[paradoxer]

1 hour ago, Bodge said:

Thank you Polar Bear for your comments and reply....just when I get over one OCD worry another one comes alone ..it's exhausting..I'll work on letting it go x

And Bodge, as exhausting as that may be, in some ways try to let OCD's 'if it's not one thing it's another' serve you. Its ubiquitousness is a reminder that it's a fraud.