Toilet phobia - can anyone relate?

[ohlay1]

Ok so I have OCD specifically contamination related and I was out earlier shopping and braved the toilets.

When I had used the toilet I noticed a drop of blood on the floor and I am worried I stood on it then tracked germs around the shop especially hepatitis as it can survive for ages.

Things drop on the floor in the shop (soft toys homeware etc) and I'm worried they could now be contaminated as I was walking around!

After I washed my hands I checked the toilet and it looked blocked like it hadn't flushed properly so I might be the only person to have used it this afternoon/evening so if something happens I'd feel like it was my fault.

I'm also really scared of toilet water and almost have to run out of a cubicle when I flush.

Can anyone relate to this at all or have any advice to help?
How dangerous is toilet water?
I was once told (when I was a teen) that someone got a droplet in their mouth (teacher at school said) and they nearly died from it - which I feel has amplified things!

I feel really guilty and worried I have put others at risk. It's hard to live with! I've had therapy on and off for years.

This is definitely not rational.

There is nothing to blame you for in this situation, and nothing bad is going to happen as a result. It's really OK

I can empathise with how you feel as I also have contamination ocd but about different things. It’s just ocd lying to you. Those things won’t happen and aren’t your fault. Try to acknowledge the thought as being ocd when it comes. The anxiety will pass, be kind to yourself.

When o was about 3yrs old i remember going to a public toilet and when i flushed the chain the toilet was blocked and the water come over the top of the bowl. To this day i still have an irrational fear when i see water rise in a toilet that it going to cause a major flood and i will near take the door of the cubical whilst in a panic to get out! I can rationalise and i no this phobia stems froms being a 3yr old but its still a horrible feeling. Dont worry about contamination..even if someone did stand in a small speck of blood it would disappear with every footstep..try to move on from this..nothing bad will happen

Okay first I'll start with an apology - I don't know what the right thing to say to you is.

BUT I deal in rationale and I hope I can at least begin to talk you down from the ceiling.

Firstly - you think you "might" have stood in the blood so there's a huge chance you didn't. In addition, the percentage of people with hepatitis is low! Less than half a percent I believe and is even less common in women. So like 0.01% chance - 99.9% that even if you DID tread in it, it would be fine. Add onto that the chance of it coming into contact with toys and homeware and it's got to be 0.0000001% chance.

I get the toilet water thing. But you have to have faith in your immune system. It's there for a reason. I've literally never heard of a person nearly dying from a drop of toilet water. If they were that dangerous, they wouldn't be allowed in houses! Or hospitals for that matter.

Do you have any rituals for dealing with public spaces that help?

Thank you all for your replies ❤️

I wash my hands and wrists obsessively - having to apply so much moisturiser at the moment to stop them bleeding and cracking.

Also I do generally shower when I get home if I've used a toilet, and put my clothes in the wash. My shoes have also gone in today