Contamination anxiety

[Anxietypot6]

I have posted before about my anxiety after staying at a hotel and fearing I had caught scabies. 2 months have passed so I felt out of the woods.

Unfortunately earlier this week I had to take DS to hospital (he's totally fine). While there, another patient handed me a pen at one point and when I grabbed it I scratched his finger with mine slightly through clumsiness. I am now really worried I have exposed myself to scabies again.

The next day, a spot appeared on my finger. I have NEVER had a spot on my finger so I just can't explain it any other way.

Here I am again, unable to sleep as I feel itchy all over and so worried I will not escape it this time.

How likely is it to catch it this way? I know it would be unlikely, but not impossible, amd that's enough to keep me worried.

Even if I didn't catch it this way, maybe DS did through the nurse that did his observations, or the bed he had to lay on?

Just to say I did take the advice from last time and have been trying to get help for my mental health. My assessment came out as mild anxiety so there is a 4 months wait.

It also makes me feel like if my anxiety is only mild then maybe the risk is real?

I think you might needs sertraline to help with obsessive thoughts.

In the meantime carry some tea-tree oil in your bag as that treats scabies and should put your mind at rest

I think it’s incredibly unlikely you catch scabies with such brief contact. My dad had it once and contact with him had to be substantial to get treatment.

This is your anxiety talking. Have you ever been assessed for OCD? This sounds to me like the kind of intrusive thoughts that can come with OCD, and they are very difficult to set aside. But thoughts aren't the same as reality, and worries aren't always real, even if they spike our anxiety levels sky high, as yours clearly are right now.

When you do get to talk to someone about anxiety, it might also be worth exploring the intrusive thoughts side of things - there are techniques you can learn to try and reduce their impact on your life, and perhaps other posters have some suggestions while you're waiting to see a professional. (I'm struggling a bit myself at the moment, so I'd be interested, anyway!)

Good luck, and I hope you manage to get some sleep - I'm glad your son is ok.

Thank you both. From what I was saying during the assessment she did also think it might be OCD so I did the questionnaire for that but she didn't say how I scored on it. However I suspect not that high, as a lot of the questions were about intrusive thoughts around hurting myself or others which I don't suffer with.

It all feels a bit hopeless at the moment. I've not felt carefree in weeks. Just full of dread, inspecting my skin, worrying about every itch.

I feel like like it's only a matter of time before I catch scabies, and am not enjoying life at all.

I've heard good things about this book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Break-Free-OCD-Overcoming-Compulsive/dp/0091939690

Maybe it has some useful ideas you could use to try to stop thinking about, in particular, scabies. I don't think it's particularly uncommon to worry about contamination and health issues as part of OCD - it doesn't present the same way in everyone.

On the basis of this thread, you're scoring 10/10 on obsessive thinking. OCD is under the umbrella of anxiety, it's not an exact science, and I don't think tick boxes are remotely useful in helping you (as an individual) understand the issue. Scabies isn't your issue, if it wasn't scabies it'd be something else (I don't want to trigger you so I won't give examples, but obsessive thoughts CAN become very dark if you don't address them).

Exposure therapy and learning to label and abandon obsessive thoughts is the way forward - lots of good advice about this technique online.

I am going to order this book right now, I feel like I need to do something as soon as possible as it just can't carry on.

I was in and out of sleep for the rest of the night and even when asleep I was dreaming about itchiness and scabies.

2 weeks since this thread, 2 and a half months since I stayed in that hotel and my anxiety about having caught scabies hasn't slowed down at all. DC woke me up tonight and I felt a mild itch on my arm and chest and my heart is racing.

I have had a couple of single hives on my neck over the last few days and I discovered a couple of pimples on my shoulders too so I'm spiralling.

Some days I'm not too bad, some days I have wanted to rip my skin off as it feels so itchy and uncomfortable 😫

I ordered the book and so far its been useful in confirming to me I have OCD but not yet how to get over the thoughts. And just because I have OCD doesn't mean I don't have scabies unfortunately.

I feel like cancelling Christmas plans as I'm so petrified I'll contaminate someone

Can you go back to the GP and tell them your anxiety levels are high at the moment and you are particularly concerned about OCD and ask them about medication to help, at least while you're waiting to access therapy? (The scores on a questionnaire are one thing, but not the only way to tell if you have levels of anxiety that are affecting your day to day life. And this clearly is affecting you. The doctor should help you - if they don't, try another doctor.)

I'm not going to make it good.

I don't do pacifying.

You are your own friend @Anxietypot6. It's not my job.

You don't have scabies and even if you did there's a simple treatment. You are not thinking rationally about this.

You can confirm that you don't have scabies by speaking to a pharmacist tomorrow.

What is it about scabies that makes you worry so much about it?

Can you get an urgent appointment with your GP as you seem to be suffering with quite sever health anxiety, despite being told that your anxiety is mild. Medication can do wonders for anxiety and the sooner you start the sooner you'll know if it works for you. Your GP can also check you for scabies.

In the meantime you could research what happens if you get scabies, as it is very treatable. A friend of mine had it years ago, and i know there's was lots of boil washing sheets and towels, but it did clear up pretty quickly. It's unpleasant, but it's curable.

@Anxietypot6 I have mild-to-medium OCD but nothing like yours. I would really recommend you seek a doctor's advice, especially as the thoughts are involving your DS.

Edited to add: Just re-read your first post and the doctor said mild OCD. It's not mild, it's quite extreme. Tell the doctor the truth, the whole truth, as you've done here. (and well done).

@Anxietypot6 From what I was saying during the assessment she did also think it might be OCD so I did the questionnaire for that but she didn't say how I scored on it. However I suspect not that high, as a lot of the questions were about intrusive thoughts around hurting myself or others which I don't suffer with.

Questionnaires are often utterly hopeless, compiled by idiots.

Your obsessive thinking is causing you distress, therefore it's a problem even if the questionnaire doesn't think it's important.

My OCD is 'harmless'. The usual making-quadruple-sure the door is double locked, and socket switches off. And when I wake up in the morning I play a sort of bad Scrabble game in my head for a while.

Seek help, and insist on it.

Thank you all. My leg was itchy and there is another hive that has appeared at the back. I don't understand why my skin is suddenly so problematic. I have talked to a nurse and online GP over the last few weeks and they both have said not scabies as it would be between my fingers but I know that's not necessarily true so it didn't put my mind at ease at all.

It has been the same on and off for 2 months so I think by now it would be pretty obvious if I had it but equally you can sometimes have it without symptoms?

I just live in dread of my DC catching it and of struggling to get rid of it (I've read lots of horror stories of medication not working).

Can you look at private therapy?
Someone who specialises in anxiety/OCD.
Really throw yourself into it.
You need to stop asking for reassurance. It's not helping you.

That looks nothing like scabies. It's a heat bump, or irritation where you've been scratching without realising, or worst case you need to change detergent. You didn't catch anything from briefly touching someone's hand.