Something I'm worrying about.

[flourella]

I'm sorry if this question seems strange or pointless.

Do you think it would it be possible to get a small cut (top layers of skin scraped off a very small area, not a stab) on your finger from jagged packaging materials or broken glass, while wearing pretty flimsy disposable gloves, and for the gloves to remain intact? No tears in them anywhere, and no blood on or in the gloves (although only a tiny amount of blood anyway, first noticed after washing hands with soap for 10-15 minutes after handling materials).

Gloves are very thin rustly plastic, like those shown in the photo. Would you expect the glove to be damaged if the wound happened while wearing it?

Yes I would expect the gloves to be damaged

Unless glass or whatever got into the glove or were in the glove before you put them on

If the gloves haven’t got holes in then nothing could have poked through them. But yes it does sound like a weird thing to be worried about. Do you usually suffer with anxiety?

Thank you for replying. I was hoping for a few replies to try and make me feel better, but this one has helped a bit. I hope you are right, but I just don't know when the little cut happened and am finding it hard to deal with the fact it may have been when I was putting out the rubbish. I fished the gloves out of the bin and they look intact but I've ordered some pipettes so I can gently fill the little fingers with water and hopefully confirm there are no microscopic holes in either of them (gloves are for either hand so can't be sure which I wore on that hand). I do sometimes scratch my own hands when washing them or putting on hand cream after washing because my nails grow very square with sharp corners, so I'm hoping it was that because at least my hands are clean when it happens. But I am feeling pretty desperate about this time because it was bin day.

I guess you could pinch the skin but not break the glove surface but it would be protected by the plastic.

Is there something specific you're concerned about?

Oh, some more replies! Thank you.

There couldn't have been anything in the gloves before I put them on because they came straight from the packet and are so thin and flat you'd definitely notice.

And yes, I suffer from very severe OCD among other things, hence me posting in this section.

Sorry to hear this OP, sounds stressful for you! I would absolutely expect the gloves to be damaged in some way. I hope you can deal with this and feel better soon

It seems extreme to need to check the gloves and order specific kit to do so. Would filling with water not achieve the same? Is the wound now infected which makes you worry about exposure to contaminants or chemicals?

So you know that ultimately posting about this issue won’t help. This is your OCD. What works for you? Distraction techniques? Mindfulness?

Have you had any professional support with your OCD? Because that really is very extreme, but I'm sure you are aware of that. I really hope you can get some professional support with this.

It seems extreme to need to check the gloves and order specific kit to do so. Would filling with water not achieve the same? Is the wound now infected which makes you worry about exposure to contaminants or chemicals?

I want to control the flow of water as precisely as possible in case filling from the running tap causes the gloves tear at the edge seams. Also I don't want water to splash on to the outside in case I can't tell if it got there that way or seeped out from the inside through the sort of tiny hole I'm hoping to not find.

The wound is not infected and I washed it again and put TCP on it, but I have an obsession with a particular contaminant that I live as if it is everywhere in the environment even though I know it can't be really. It is a real threat though and I can't know for sure it wasn't on the packaging or glass in it. TCP won't help if this thing gets in your bloodstream.

OP I mean this kindly. Cancel the pipettes ... even if it shows no leak then reassurance will last 2 minutes before you're on to the next worry

Even if you did cut it putting out the rubbish it's fine. I never wear gloves for that kind of thing.

Really, the issue isn't the cut.

So you know that ultimately posting about this issue won’t help. This is your OCD. What works for you? Distraction techniques? Mindfulness?

Actually it sort of is helping and if my experiment tomorrow when my pipettes arrive show no leakage from either glove, I think I will be okay. Fuck knows what will happen if one does leak though.

Nothing helps with the OCD. I am in the process of being referred again to a national specialist service. I declined the opportunity a few years ago but I'm even more desperate now. Unfortunately the local team (who accept they can't help me) have spoken to the various clinics ahead of a referral and they all claim I need inpatient treatment which I just can't do. I want to try one of the couple of outpatient clinics that operate at that specialised level but they all seem to be claiming that my needs won't be met by them.

What's the contaminant? There are loads of things all the time that could harm us but they don't.

Prions.

From what source?

It's not a real threat any more than anything else is

Just reactivating this thread to ask for more reassurance. This really isn't something I usually do; I have asked questions on here ahead of medical appointments that I've been worried about due to my OCD, but I honestly never ask anyone to check or confirm things for me after an event. But if anyone wants to indulge me, I think it will help just this once.

I have taken photos of each glove before and after filling the little fingers on each with water. I also wrapped a single ply of tissue around each little finger when full, and examined and took photos of the tissue immediately after to see if it remained dry. Would any of you mind looking and letting me know if you think that both gloves are evidently still intact, and therefore I couldn't have cut my finger on the sharp rubbish I put out whilst wearing them? Or at least that the rubbish couldn't have come into direct contact with my bloodstream? And also tell me if there is anything else I could do to test them before I throw them away and try to move on from this?

I labelled the gloves 1 and 2 so I couldn't accidentally test only one of them twice. Here are some of the pics for glove 1:

Similar pictures for glove 2:

With the best will in the world, nothing anyone says will help. Throw those gloves away and try and take your mind off of it.

Oh love, I'm sorry your OCD is so bad at the moment. It must be extremely hard to live with.

Have you tried any medication? A friend of mine had extreme OCD which was ruining her life and a medication which is meant to be very good for OCD has given her her life back. She couldn't leave the house before she started taking it and she's now working full time and socialising.

I know that your brain won't allow you to believe it but this glove/cut issue is really really nothing to worry about

Throw them away. There is nothing there that you need to worry about but I fear that won't stop you.

In 100 years time every single person alive today will be dead.

Thanks for the replies.

I am going to throw them away, once someone explicitly says that they agree (only if they do agree, of course) that the water test I conducted, and all the photos, demonstrate that there is no damage to either glove. That's all I want.