So my biggest trigger is poop of any kind. I moved into a new place and my toilet I guess had a leak in the back for a few days before I noticed. My cat has been scared during the move and had been hiding behind my toilet. Then she has been all over my house, her cat stand, the couches, bed, everywhere. I’m already super depressed at the moment and my ocd has made me spiral down. I’m pretty sure she has tracked poop germs literally everywhere. My husband was actually patient with me bc he saw I was about to have a mental breakdown and helped me bathe her and clean the house. Now I feel like everything is contaminated, and I can’t clean everything like the couch and her stand. My husband sprayed Lysol on them and said I need to let it go now. I won’t let anyone use that toilet for a while we have been using 2nd bathroom. I don’t know how I will get over this because this is gross but I got back there to clean after plumber left with bleach spray and THERE WAS LITERAL POOP WATER, like brown pieces I wanted to die. I was wearing gloves and I threw those clothes away but I’m so sick and my hands hurt so bad from washing. Everything is dirty and I feel like I’m going to get sick from germs or die from this anxiety. Please someone help me.

Sorry to hear. Poop and bodily fluids in the bathroom is my trigger and I’ve been exposed to them like this and I know how distressing it is!!! I can completely relate. While I don’t have advice other than trust your cleaning and try to sit with the anxiety and treat this as an exposur

For me my fear isn’t germs and getting sick but just pure disgusting feeling and it’s so hard to wash that off. I struggle so much so I get it

Thank you so much for responding it means a lot to me. I’m still really struggling with this. Everything feels gross and contaminated. I still have the bathroom blocked off and I am dreading going in there to do a second cleaning before I will be ok with using it again. This is such an awful disorder. I feel so bad for my husband too. I’m trying to get over it. For me it’s both the feeling of being dirty and getting sick.

I’m so sorry to hear you are struggling. I know if I were in your shoes I would do the same. They would suggest that by treating this as ERP, the anxiety will go down eventually but like you I have struggled with this. For example, last year a used bathroom paper towel fell on my shoe. I was sooo anxious about this. I wrapped my shoe in plastic and tried to move on. By ERP logic, the anxiety should have subsided by now which it has but the problem is I still cannot get myself to use that shoe again without major distress. So I can relate about the challenge you are going through. Hope some experts here have more useful tips. But I will say continue to treat this as ERP.

I’m trying but as you know it’s so hard. And I totally understand about the shoes I have like two pairs that I don’t want to throw away but I don’t want to use for similar reasons. I’m sorry you’re going through this too! At least we all can understand each other though. Im going to doctor today to see about changing up my medicine. I’m going to look more into ERP but it’s so terrifying. Seriously thank you for responding I was really spiraling with my anxiety and reading your comments helps a little, which is a lot!

I’m so glad to hear. I’ve been very afraid to take medicine but highly considering it.

Yes I totally understand that. He prescribed me fluvoxamine, I might not be spelling that correctly. It is an antidepressant that is prescribed for OCD. I did some research on it last night and it seems to have great results so I’m hopeful that it helps. I’ll let you know if it does.

Hope you are much better now