Cut mouth shopping trolley & BBVs

[Mamamover]

Please be gentle as i’m living on my nerves right now. Although I know posting on AIBU is throwing myself to the wolves.

For context I have horrendous health anxiety and OCD when it comes to my children. I fear blood borne viruses and cold sores (have cold sores myself so this is a real fear!)

Today I was food shopping with my 1 year old who was in the trolley seat. He was trying to eat the side of the trolley (obviously did try numerous times to try and stop him because germs) when he started crying. I noticed he was bleeding out of his mouth quite a bit but couldn’t find the cut so assumed he scraped his gum.

I then have now had a massive anxiety spiral thinking what if there was some contaminated blood on the trolley and it’s got into my sons cut and he’s now going to have a blood borne virus?
Hepatitis can live on surfaces for weeks. I’m really panicking. My rational brain is beyond gone. I am getting help for my anxiety. But..

AIBU? Is my fear justified?

Where I am the trolleys get cleaned all of the time - I see staff wiping them / sanitising them often 😃 hopefully the same near you and it was a fairly clean trolley!

I'd say it's super super unlikely (as in basically impossible) that there was any contaminated blood or blood-borne disease on the trolley, and even less likely any would have been passed to your son 😊

Have you seen the trolley defenders you can get for kids? I saw someone with one in America - it looked amazing, basically this plastic seat insert that stops the child gumming around on the trolley - that might be useful for the future?

Take along wipes with you next time so that you can feel better about this and manage the situation.

For now, you need to use your self talk to examine why you are thinking this way, is it real? is it proportionate? and use methods to calm your anxiety - some ideas here:

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/self-care/

Please remember your child will pick up your anxiety and learn that the world is a scary and dangerous place if that's what you are showing them - it is important that you develop your skills to calm yourself down and examine your thoughts.

YABU but I think you know that deep down.

You know on a rational level that your son won't get a blood borne disease from a shopping trolley BUT I know that when it comes to our DC we aren't always rational, especially if you have anxiety anyway.
Please do try and get some help but your son WILL be fine and if it helps carry a sanitiser or wipes to use before you put him in a trolley next time.

Remember your son will be vaccinated against Hep B in his usual jabs. The chance of transmission is really low, even in direct blood contact (thinking needlestick in healthcare workers).

Deep breath, this is your health anxiety talking x

This is just anxiety talking, honestly. Your child will be absolutely fine. For one thing, you'd have noticed if there was enough blood on the trolley to have passed on any kind of infection.

I haven’t seen them no! I will definitely have a look thank you!

Honestly I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Thank you.

Thank you. Gosh I know that fear all to well. I work in a clinical setting and have had a needlestick. That was not a fun 3 months.

This is why I always wipe the trolley with wipes before putting DS in it. It's so much better when they stop trying to munch on everything 😂

You don't catch hep c from a shopping trolley. You catch it when infected blood goes into your blood, like with a used syringe/needle if shared. Or an unclean tattoo equipment.
Honestly I'm sure he'll be fine. Just sanitise the places where he's going to be quickly before he sits there.

Yeah as PP have said - To ease your anxiety take Anti-bac wipes & clean it off before using it. Or a can of that dettol spray that dries really quickly & you don't need to wipe.

He will be fine. More than likely, it was just his blood from a tooth somewhere.

That said, I work in infectious diseases with BBV and there really is nothing you can easily get through casual skin to skin contact with blood. Even injecting contaminated blood directly into the vein isn’t a sure thing for things like hepatitis or HIV. So rationally there is no risk.

Please do get some help for your anxiety though. It’s no way to live.

Babies and toddlers are hardwired to put everything in their mouths. There is a small chance they end up with a tummy bug or fever if it was more than they could handle and a miniscule chance they pick up a life threatening illness from it. Most likely, and what is meant to happen, is that they lick all kinds of "harmless" but disgusting bacteria and their immune system will immediately get on building immunity.
What helped me to talk myself off a ledge was to tell myself it will have helped to develop their immune system and if they get poorly there is great doctors and medicine around. Go, breathe and give the little one a cuddle.

Oh I know in normal circumstances but he had cut his gum so my panic is if there was contamination on the trolley it could enter his cut.

Is my fear justified?

No. But you know that. You are aware that you have health anxiety and OCD and that your fears aren't rational or proportionate. Your fears come from your own head, not from reality.

@Mamamover the likelihood of very recent hep c blood being on the exact part your kid touched is extremely unlikely. Please don't worry.

Hello op.

I just want to reassure you that you are being very unreasonable.

That the vast majority of parents let their children crawl around the toddler playground at the park, lick things they shouldn't lick, fall over and hurt themselves, go to playgroups and play with other children who are germ ridden.

It is so abnormal to worry about something like this. I see you are getting help, well done and good luck getting on top of it.