virus, bug bites, and health anxiety

[ady1779]

Hello all! Feeling really overwhelmed the last few days and just really needed some friendly words! I have posted here a time or two before, I have OCD/HA, I don't take medication but I see an amazing psychologist and am doing CBT at this time.

For whatever reason, who knows anymore, my HA has been triggered big time. Two days ago our family went golfing together, the next day I realized we had gotten ate alive by mosquitoes. Thats all it took for my anxiety to go through the roof! I'm so worried my two girls or myself are going to get west nile virus or encephalitis from the bites! My youngest daughter kept scratching one and now it is so red and sore! My husband just said to put bacitracin on it and a bandaid and watch it, but that amped me up more. To top it off, my throat on my right side felt sore and then the gland on that side of my throat is now swollen and sore to the touch!! Convinced its related to the bug bites, although my kids have had a cough now for a week and a half with a runny nose.

So basically over the course of two days I have worked myself up into crippling fear over west nile, encephalitis, swollen glands, and bite infections. I'm exhausted, my husband won't listen to me about it anymore, and I just want to think like a normal person!!! I don't want to get worked up anymore over these things. My brain makes connections to things that other people don't seem to do and in the back of my head I think, hey maybe this is my instinct and I should listen! AGH!

If you've read this far, thank you for listening!! Just needed to have some reassurance!

[Speranza]

OK, have some. ;) When I read your post I can see that you ARE 'thinking like a normal person' at one level - you know these worries are a bit OTT (Over The Top). Yes, it is hard for us Mums because we do work a lot on instinct, but I think you do truly know the difference deep down between a fear and a real concern.

You are exhausted and your husband has switched off the subject. Give it a week without saying any more, if by any remote chance there is a problem, it will surface. In fact I doubt encephalitis takes long to show. ;)

I hope you're ok, how is it going today?

[swgrl09]

Hey, just wanted to let you know I had the same thoughts running through my head. The mosquitos are awful this year where I live. I was outside over the weekend and over the past few days I have counted over 20 bites on my legs and arms. I obviously thought about West Nile because they always talk about it on the news. I don't think there have been reported cases yet though so you should be ok.