greatsun
18-12-14, 00:58
Hey guys,
I really need some perspective here. Lately my obsessive health anxiety has just been OUT OF CONTROL. It's been one thing after another over the past couple weeks - fear of misaligned vertebrae after a neck massage, fear of losing my hearing after my ear clogging up, and now, last night, fear that I have permanent lung damage after a kitchen mishap.
My boyfriend loaded the dishwasher and we went to bed. I got out of bed to use the restroom and noticed that our entire apartment smelled of a horrible chemical odor. I sniffed around for a good 15 minutes trying to find where the smell was coming from, for fear something might be burning. Finally, I opened the dishwasher, and got a face full of steam and the same chemically odor that I had been smelling. Turns out a plastic food storage container had fallen to the bottom of the washer, on top of the hot coils, and melted completely in half. While quietly PANICKING inside about the fact that I just inhaled these fumes for a good 20 minutes, I removed the plastic, opened all the windows in the kitchen, and went to bed (but not before Googling the side effects of inhaling melted plastic fumes).
The first thing that I thought, after doing my Googling, was OH SHIT I AM DEFINITELY GOING TO DEVELOP SHORTNESS OF BREATH FROM THIS, AND IT IS GOING TO LAST FOR MONTHS OR YEARS IF NOT MY ENTIRE LIFE. A couple years ago I got a flu shot and had on-and-off shortness of breath for 10 months. Then it completely went away. I am always paranoid about it coming back. So of course, when I woke up today, the first thing I noticed was that I was experiencing a vague shortness of breath, which has lasted throughout the day. I also have a burning throat and hoarse cough. As I type this, my hands feel weak and kind of shaky , and my head feels slightly foggy/disoriented. I am fearful that all of these things are side effects of inhaling poisonous fumes from melted plastic, and most of all, I am fearful that I now have plastic particles permanently lodged in my lungs that will cause permanent shortness of breath, scar tissue, and who knows what other long-term bodily ailments. I am paralyzed by this fear and so, so, SO upset that I inhaled so much of the plastic fumes before figuring out what it was.
I will go see my doctor if the symptoms persist. I'm not asking for medical advice, but really just reassurance that maybe I'm blowing this whole thing out of proportion. I cannot, CANNOT get perspective with this.
Thank you.
I really need some perspective here. Lately my obsessive health anxiety has just been OUT OF CONTROL. It's been one thing after another over the past couple weeks - fear of misaligned vertebrae after a neck massage, fear of losing my hearing after my ear clogging up, and now, last night, fear that I have permanent lung damage after a kitchen mishap.
My boyfriend loaded the dishwasher and we went to bed. I got out of bed to use the restroom and noticed that our entire apartment smelled of a horrible chemical odor. I sniffed around for a good 15 minutes trying to find where the smell was coming from, for fear something might be burning. Finally, I opened the dishwasher, and got a face full of steam and the same chemically odor that I had been smelling. Turns out a plastic food storage container had fallen to the bottom of the washer, on top of the hot coils, and melted completely in half. While quietly PANICKING inside about the fact that I just inhaled these fumes for a good 20 minutes, I removed the plastic, opened all the windows in the kitchen, and went to bed (but not before Googling the side effects of inhaling melted plastic fumes).
The first thing that I thought, after doing my Googling, was OH SHIT I AM DEFINITELY GOING TO DEVELOP SHORTNESS OF BREATH FROM THIS, AND IT IS GOING TO LAST FOR MONTHS OR YEARS IF NOT MY ENTIRE LIFE. A couple years ago I got a flu shot and had on-and-off shortness of breath for 10 months. Then it completely went away. I am always paranoid about it coming back. So of course, when I woke up today, the first thing I noticed was that I was experiencing a vague shortness of breath, which has lasted throughout the day. I also have a burning throat and hoarse cough. As I type this, my hands feel weak and kind of shaky , and my head feels slightly foggy/disoriented. I am fearful that all of these things are side effects of inhaling poisonous fumes from melted plastic, and most of all, I am fearful that I now have plastic particles permanently lodged in my lungs that will cause permanent shortness of breath, scar tissue, and who knows what other long-term bodily ailments. I am paralyzed by this fear and so, so, SO upset that I inhaled so much of the plastic fumes before figuring out what it was.
I will go see my doctor if the symptoms persist. I'm not asking for medical advice, but really just reassurance that maybe I'm blowing this whole thing out of proportion. I cannot, CANNOT get perspective with this.
Thank you.