Am I weird?

[SeashellsAndDaffodils]

Every time I touch something that could be dirty or have germs on I have to wash my hands.
if I can’t wash my hands straight away the spot where I touched the dirty thing starts to hurt.
is this weird? Or is everyone else the same?

I wash my hands too if they are dirty or if I think they might have germs on but they don't hurt if I can't wash them straight away. I don't think this is common but happy to be corrected!

For clarity, I don't think it's usual for your hands to hurt if you can't wash them right away.

If I touch something dirty and get interrupted before I have a chance to wash, I’m very aware of the part of me that touched the dirty thing. It’s not painful, just a strong feeling that something needs to be done before I do anything else.

I get this too. Not painful at all, just an awareness.

I'm the same as @Fairyvocals and I can't focus on anything else until I wash that area/hands. It doesn't get painful no, but the urge to wash the hands is akin to desperately needing a pee.

Thanks.
so if you touch the bin to open it do you go straight to wash your hands? Do you flush the toilet with your hand (I have to do it with my foot)? When I visit my mum’s care home I have to sanitise my hands at least twice (and my car keys after I get in the car).
I can’t really think of other examples. Maybe this is a covid hangover, I’m not sure!

No, I wouldn't say my hands hurt - just feel grubby and in need of a wash.

What happens if you don’t or couldn’t do these things, OP?

I flush with my foot in places I think are extra dirty; I use my hands to flush at home!
Yes I will wash my hands straight away after touching the bin. I think this is just straight forward hygiene measures but I am aware other people don't!

@HÆLTHEPAINthe pain would just get worse And worse I think and then everyone would be sick

Thank you, that helps. I clean my house (my partner says excessively but it really isn’t) but still flush with my foot at home too as it just feels wrong

I’m not diagnosing of course but there is the potential this might be verging into OCD territory. Depending on certain things, like your levels of anxiety at these times (the pain could be anxiety manifesting differently) and whether you feel a compulsion to have to do these things. It may not be of course but if it causes you any distress or interferes with your life in a negative way then it might be worth a chat with your GP.

God, no, I'm really dirty! I have very good hand hygiene but don't freak out if I can't clean them. Have never flushed a loo with my foot.

I don't think either of us are weird, tbh, though the dirty hurty is extreme. The pandemic did leave me with a heightened awareness; I never used to carry sanitiser and didn't think about germs on things like pedestrian crossing buttons.

If it isn't interfering with your life and you're not washing so much that you get dermatitis, I can't see it as a problem.

Look up OCD and see if the description resonates.

Same here. I can’t concentrate on anything else you too I have washed that’s specific spot that touched the ‘germs’.

doesn’t hurt but feels like an ache

Not pain but hyper-awareness of my skin where it touched something, especially handrails or buttons and levers on public transport or in public loos. I wash my hands dozens of times everyday. I don't think it's OCD, I just prefer to have clean hands.

I get this but I have (diagnosed) OCD 🤷🏻‍♀️

Do you accept that it isn’t true that everyone would get sick?

Hmm, no, I’m not at all concerned about touching dirty things. I have a very clean home but I am not concerned about not washing hands frequently etc. This probably comes from my upbringing - I grew up on a farm with no paved roads, no central heating etc and there was dirt and dust everywhere and our parents weren’t concerned about letting us eat an apple which had fallen on the floor etc. I have a strong immune system perhaps as a result of this, so I trust it to keep me safe from the germs that live on the lid of the bin

It does sound extreme to me but I'm pretty relaxed about dirt and germs.

I wash my hands after I've been to the toilet or if they look dirty. If I'm visiting someone in hospital, I'll use hand sanitiser before I go in the ward.

That's about it. I've got a good immune system and don't get ill very often - I can literally go for years without a day off work - so my minimal hand hygiene isn't hurting me.

You have ocd OP and this isn't normal, none of it is.

It’s really not normal to be flushing the toilet with your foot or for your hand to hurt if you can’t wash it immediately.
sounds like anxiety/ocd tendencies (I’m no doctor) but worth having a chat with your GP

This.