Current state of my OCD

I went to the dentist a few months ago and I was told that I had periodontal disease. The hygienist made it out to be that my teeth are about to fall out and she “hasn’t had to diagnose someone so young at my age” even though im at stage 1. and that has stuck to me ever since. I’ve never experienced this side of OCD personally before. It’s always just been the dark thoughts or ruminating thoughts. But the health OCD is starting to be a bit of a concern for me. I went down a rabbit hole about this disease what I can do about it and my brain just won’t shut off about it. It’s like a daily part of my rumination and I’m just not having it anymore. Anyone with health ocd knows how to quiet their mind and not make it 1,000 x worse than it already it? Asking for a friend 😅

🧚🏼‍♀️💫🥸

Date posted: Yesterday

I’m so sorry your hygienist said that. As a Dental assistant it’s sad to hear they would add that detail, I’d like to assume it was with good intention however I feel that detail would add guilt/shame and anxiety to just about anybody besides a head-strong patient who is known to refuse to take dental health seriously. Clearly you care about your dental health though and I’m sorry they used that “tough-love” on you when you did not need it, they should have been more careful with their words, as many of us could😅. I would agree with not looking up things about periodontal disease. As that will 100% make it worse, OCD is never satisfied with proof. It will always find a way to question. One thing my ERP therapists have advised is sitting with the obsessive thought and thinking “maybe that will happen to me. Maybe it won’t.” And really sitting with that and observing how it physically makes you feel to say that to yourself, really look at how your thoughts react to it and how your body feels as if you’re studying an art piece in a museum

absabsabs

Date posted: 13h

@Anonymous Thank you for the validation! It’s been a rough road wirh it. You’re so right about looking at it lit like art piece! Im def going to take your advice on that

🧚🏼‍♀️💫🥸

Date posted: Yesterday

Also if you’re stuck in a loop of rumination and you need to focus on the present, what helped me a lot was saying to myself “I’m really concerned and anxious about ___ but I’m going to move on now __(doing the dishes or whatever it is)” and allow those thoughts to be like the background noise of a really annoying neighbor

Nik0

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: Yesterday

I’ve had extremely bad bouts of Health OCD, specially around cancer, leukemia, thyroid, bladder, kidney. Shit I was convinced I had an extremely rare disease. Got checked for everything and turned out fine but what really messed me up was Google, and ChatGPT, constantly trying to get reassurance. So the best advice I’ll give you, and you’re in the ocd club so you’ll do it anyways lol but don’t research. Trust the doctors and let them do their thing I know it’s hard to do that but accept it. Im currently going through a new theme after a couple of years of freedom, of pocd and it’s absolute hell it’s been 3 weeks even though at my age scientifically it doesnt check out but ocd is still like “well maybe you’re the exception” but erp with my therapist has been helping. Everything works out the way it’s supposed to.

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