- Date posted
- 6y ago
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I had that. I made myself return to take care of an HIV patient and until I was desensitized
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I respect u for that.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Good work
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I educated myself about it and found it can't be caught as easily as you would think
- Date posted
- 6y ago
There’s an amazing book called “the man who couldn’t stop” all about OCD, written by a man that had this sort of OCD involving HIV, would definitely recommend it
- Date posted
- 6y ago
It’s possible, my doctor explained to me that HIV can’t live outside the body for more than a few seconds, which is why I think what helped a lot was educating yourself. I was also afraid of herpes, and would literally treat any belongings that touched someone who I imagined had the deseas as if the actual object also had the disease, which is why you should take care of this now. would be careful though and not dig too much as sometimes this can turn into reassurance seeking for OCD.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Hey where can we speak? Do you have WhatsApp?
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Like I could never see myself doing that. I’m so scared I would contaminate everything I own and throw everything away. I’m convinced the virus could live in zippers or other closed places in my personal items
- Date posted
- 6y ago
For me what helped was validation from my nurses that even if I were to cut myself with his razor it would be highly unlikely that I would transmit the disease. The largest portal of entry for HIV is mucous membranes like the anus. I still wasnt convinced but made myself continue to provide care to that patient until he passed away while showing him the dignity and respect that he deserved as a human being suffering to death of an illness that terrifies me to my core.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I guess what helped me was the level of compassion that I had for the person. Trying to put myself in his shoes and how he must feel actually having the illness.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I’m just convinced that the virus can live in places. Like if someone has a bit of blood and uses something I own, it might stay there and when I use the item I would get hiv. I don’t know if you had that.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I actually did have the same thoughts. I didnt even want to touch the door handles in his room. I even had a panic attack at work because of the fear, but after that I made the decision to make myself keep going back and dealing with the desrs
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Fears**
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I used to deal with this really badly as a kid. I think I just learned a ton about it until I felt I understood it and could work on training myself to be more rational about it.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Hey there! I struggled with this in college. I had multiple blood tests done to confirm it was negative and they were given to me on a sheet that I could physically see it was negative. Hang in there. ❤️
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I agree with doing research to educate yourself as much as possible on the disease. It won't be the end all to the fear but it will allow you to feel more calm. I worry very much about contracting things such as HIV or other things that are a permanent thing. I recall while I was pregnant fearing having to give blood bc one time there was a spot of blood on the table that had not been cleaned up properly. Every time I went I after I always had to check And recheck my surroundings. I also have a fear of HSV for my new baby, people with cold sores scare me terribly. I couldn't imagine my child having to live with that bc of someone else. I'll refuse to let people hold my child, and no way can someone kiss my baby. I have also found that having a few reliable close people to reach out to in moments of panic are helpful.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Hey are any of you all still active on this app? There doesn't seem to be a lot of people with contamination OCD on right now and I'd love to chat with you all and gain support!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w ago
I really just need to vent. I recently had a relapse and while some days it seems like I’m feeling better, others are so difficult. Today, I’m breaking down at work in the bathroom and I feel so awful about that. Aside from the really scary thoughts I’m having about my health and my family members, I’m starting to feel really hopeless about the future. Like I’m never going to get better and that I’m going to get stuck in this ocd cycle forever. I know that’s not true because I’ve been able to make progress before, but the desperation and frustration that comes with a relapse make it so hard to remember that. I started medication and it’s only been about 3 days but I’m really scared that it’s not going to work or that I’m going to have to go through a lot of trial and error. I just really need to hear from people who have worked through their health ocd. I need hope.
- Date posted
- 22w ago
I’m wondering if this has happened to anyone else… I’m 28 years old. I was diagnosed with OCD when I was very young and it took a while, but I overcame it. I haven’t had any compulsions in 20 years. I’ve had some horrible things happen in the past, but nothing brought back my OCD. The only thing I struggle with is overthinking and making decisions. Im about to take a sabbatical from my work for a year to travel because the last year of my life has been by far the happiest and most confident iv ever been. I went to see a therapist a couple weeks ago who was an OCD specialist, I just wanted some tips and tricks for decision-making while I’m on my trip. She warned me that my OCD might get worse before it gets better, but I thought that she just meant with decision-making and overthinking. They have this program set out that I didn’t really wanna do but she told me it works really well so I decided to try it. It’s two sessions a week and the first two sessions were sort of just talking about my old OCD and doing questionnaires. I really related to some of the questionnaire questions, and the therapist was actively telling me that I definitely had OCD the whole time which made me feel bad. After our second session, my OCD came back full swing like when I was a child. I cant stop thinking about doing compulsions every waking second. It’s been two weeks. I’ve been to her several times and nothing is helping, I’m resisting the urge to do compulsions as much as I can and I feel like I’m fighting for my life. Nothing is helping and I’m burning out. I wake up and cry everyday because of how uncomfortable and out of control I feel. I never thought this would happen and im so mad at myself for ruining my trip. I feel like I’ve ruined my life tbh and even if I do get better, I’m always gonna be bothered by the constant fear that even at the highest and most happy points in my life it could just come back at any second with no warning signs.. I thought I knew how to deal with it and had the tools, but nothing is working this time and its ruining my life. Today I asked about cancelling my trip altogether, and I might be going on medical leave. Has this happened to anybody and do you have any tips for me?
- Date posted
- 14w ago
I’m going through a really bad flare up. I developed ocd many years ago when I had my first child. Postpartum ocd. I suffer from harm and pocd. At first I had mostly mental and some physical compulsions but the physical faded away pretty early on and i’ve just done mental compulsions since. My ocd was in remission for alot of years and if the ocd would pop up now and again, I was easily able to shrug it off and not engage. A few years ago I went through a stressful time in my life and the ocd came back to stay. At first it was bad but then it got better and has been pretty mild until now. It’s been really bad this week and the physical compulsions are even back. I never thought it would ever get this bad again. My ocd is making me doubt who I am and how I feel. I know it’s all ocd and not real or true but the ocd makes it feel so real that I can’t easily dismiss or disprove it. The more I try to disprove it the more real the ocd makes it feel. I’m really struggling and don’t know how to get back on track. I don’t have access to a therapist because there are no ocd specialists near me and my insurance doesn’t cover online therapy. That’s why i’m reaching out here. Has anyone been through a rough relapse? How can I get through and past this??
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