Cleaned blood & worried about catching something

[Lunchmonster]

A couple of days ago, I was at home with my children and some of their friends. One of the friends fell over and cut their elbow. It wasn't anything too serious but it bled a lot. I was on my own and don't really like blood but as I was the only grown up there I had to. I got some kitchen roll and wet it as I didn't have a first aid kit to speak of and tried to clean it up. It turned the blood into bloody water and soaked into the towel I was holding. She also had a piece of towel over the main wound. Once I'd wiped it up, she gave me the towel she had to put in the bin. I went straight inside to put the towels into the bin and wash my hands. Then I had a total realisation that I didn't put gloves on. I should have done I know. I had a cut on the back of my hand too. Is this something I should be concerned about. Should I get myself tested for anything. I have health anxiety quite bad and something like this kind of tips me over the edge.

I'd get the health anxiety worked on because I really don't see the issue 🤷

The likelihood of a small child having a blood borne virus are very small. Even if they did, the likelihood of that virus getting into your blood is very small. Your skin is impermeable.

The kid is more likely to catch something from your ungloved hand, than you from the child. Although both are unlikely tbf.

I wouldn't worry

What do you expect you will get?

When I looked up blood bourne viruses, it came up with hep B and hep C along with HIV.

For the record, I have done extensive CBT, counselling and hypnotherapy to try and cure my health anxiety/emetophobia. I am a lot better than I was but some things sneak through.

And I do have small cuts on my hands due to dermatitis.

You have nothing at all to worry about

The treatment you’ve had hasn’t worked. You should know not to look up things like this as it feeds the anxiety. If a child has such serious conditions a parent would be sure to warn you.

The risk of a child in the UK having hiv or another blood borne illness/disease is vanishingly small.

Tell your brain thank you for keeping you safe but this is ok.
It’s very very low risk.
But competence over reassurance…

1. unlikely a child has blood disease
2. unlikely a parent of child with known blood disease doesn’t tell you/you don’t know.
3. You washed your hands straight afterwards.
4. The cut on your hand would have a scab (or forming a protective protein layer) so unlikely to have penetrated.
5. needle stick is more likely a risk because of new wound and deep/internal and even this has a very very low chance of infection even if the blood is infected.

Next time use gloves so u don’t cause the child any issues.

That’s not really helpful.
It’s not binary.
Things can be much better than before and still some situations cause anxiety.
Worrying or thinking about a situation, especially when you don’t know the full facts, is not anxiety - it’s sensible and has kept humanity alive.
If that gets out of control it can cause anxiety.
There is nothing wrong with being anxious in this situation.
Society has a weird perception of anxiety and tends to look for a “normal” that doesn’t exist thus perpetuates anxiety for people with it.
False reassurance also isn’t as helpful as you might think it is.

@Wolfiefan is correct.

If you have health anxiety and have sought help for it then you know that things that will feed it are:

.googling health issues and posting on forums for constant reassurance

You need to be using the techniques you should have been given in treatment for when you become anxious around these issues.

People offering health advice are actually making the situation worse because no amount of reassurance/information will help

The risk is minimal. A young child is highly unlikely to have a blood bourne virus, hep b, hep c or hiv. However if they did the bodily fluid that is contaminated would then need to enter your blood stream so say through a cut. It's not just contact with said skin. You're more likely to catch something via a needle stick injury op. I'm pretty confident you will be fine op

What techniques do you have from CBT to deal with these thoughts when they arise? You need to remind yourself of how to deal with them.

Oh you poor soul, I really feel for you and have been in a similar situation but with a lot of blood, and another potential risk factor. I was wracked with worry also. A close relative who is a GP reassured me that the risks of anything happening were very low, and that put my mind at rest as I know she would be honest with me x

@Youthinkyoureuniqueyourejustastatistic

OP says she has Health anxiety.

This is not normal anxiety, worries that people have.

It is a condition than means an individual seeks constant reassurance externally )(often from health care professionals) for things that are not realistically a cause for worry.

Reassuring someone with health anxiety that everything is ok is like someone with anorexia needing to be constantly told they are not fat.

It is not helpful to engage with it. They need to be challenging the negative and unhelpful thought patterns themselves.

I know that all too well. I have lots of coping mechanisms. Distraction and gentle exercise. Focusing on something else. Refusing to ever Google. I take medication for my anxiety and use CBT techniques and mindfulness. I still have to tell random anxious thoughts to bog right off in order to avoid a spiral. It’s hard isn’t it. But I know posting here about these anxieties isn’t a healthy coping mechanism.

Thank you for the replies.

I do know I have a problem, hence the hundreds of pounds of money I've spent on treatment. I haven't had any consuming worries for 2 years now and even managed during an actual health scare so I doing well.

There is an actual reason that doctors put on gloves etc so it's not fair to say that it is completely unrealistic and I have been using my strategies I've been given. Sometimes I worry that because I know I have this problem, that I will someday dismiss a real worry as just me being me.

Your replies have actual reassured me so you are wrong on that point.

Sometimes I worry that because I know I have this problem, that I will someday dismiss a real worry as just me being me.

I can understand that, my friend has germ ocd and has lost sight of when to wash her hands and when it's ok not to. She doesn't know what's normal - after a load of washing? After putting cat food out? After putting groceries away? And is having to relearn this.

Anxiety around what if is so hard to tackle because it's about accepting a level of uncertainty.

I would also download the St John's first aid app- if there was a lot of blood adding water isn't the first step, stemming it is. Might be helpful to be confident about how to manage ?

I dont think thats how it works.. cause so many people have cuts on their hands or nails or whatever..if it was so easy to get anything inside of us just by touch we'd be doomed ...when im saying this imagine full trains and buses hands touching everything
Dont worry about it

And you have a complex and very effective immune system that works very hard to keep you safe if something goes slip through.