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Thread: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

  1. #21
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    Feb 2021
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Hi there, do you think there's any possibility you may have OCD in addition to/instead of health anxiety? OCD is quite misunderstood by the general population, but a lot of what you've written (based on a fear of illness/contamination, exploring every possibility, being unsure of what you saw, questioning your memories) reminds me quite a lot of the way my OCD behaves. You don't need to have obvious, physical compulsions to have OCD, either. I would definitely encourage you to look into it, as I think OCD and generalised anxiety/health anxiety are often mixed up, and seeking reassurance for thoughts like these when once has OCD can do more harm than good, in the long run.

    I hope I haven't hijacked your thread with this, but I'd encourage you to look into OCD a bit and see if any of it seems familiar. I'm also happy to chat about it a bit with you, if you'd like. All the best

  2. #22
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Quote Originally Posted by Rumpo View Post
    Hi there, do you think there's any possibility you may have OCD in addition to/instead of health anxiety? OCD is quite misunderstood by the general population, but a lot of what you've written (based on a fear of illness/contamination, exploring every possibility, being unsure of what you saw, questioning your memories) reminds me quite a lot of the way my OCD behaves. You don't need to have obvious, physical compulsions to have OCD, either. I would definitely encourage you to look into it, as I think OCD and generalised anxiety/health anxiety are often mixed up, and seeking reassurance for thoughts like these when once has OCD can do more harm than good, in the long run.

    I hope I haven't hijacked your thread with this, but I'd encourage you to look into OCD a bit and see if any of it seems familiar. I'm also happy to chat about it a bit with you, if you'd like. All the best
    Hi Rumpo. You haven't hijacked my thread at all, and thank you so much for reaching out It's much appreciated. I realise how insane all of this sounds.

    I was evaluated for OCD a few years ago but was deemed not to have it, though I might have developed more tendencies recently. This whole worry is certainly doing a number on me. I was even considering taking the extractor fan apart to see if there was any way a bat could have come through. Not sure if that counts as obsessive compulsive, but I have a huge urge to know EVERYTHING about the extractor fan, where it leads to, and if a bat could have made it's way in. It's like I can't break the fear loop until I know it's not a possibility. Then my brain kind of resets and I'm great for a while. My therapist thought that because I didn't seem to have a repetitive ritual, and I'm highly disorganised, that I wasn't OCD. He didn't think I had health anxiety either as my "fixations" spanned across different things and just diagnosed me with generalised anxiety/social anxiety.

    I wonder if having intrusive thoughts of horrible scenarios is an OCD feature? I have this for many things, not only health, but I write about the health stuff more often. We had a boiler issue a few months ago, and I was convinced it was going to explode, so kept going to check it every hour to calm myself down. I kept checking the guage to make sure the pressure was correct.

    If you have any advice or insight into OCD you would like to share, that would be great

    I'd be relieved if it turned out to be OCD honestly. Right now I feel dizzy, headachey, shaky and weak and feverish with no appetite, which is listed as early symptoms of rabies. It's really really starting to get to me. My mind keeps going back to the fact I felt a bite, and I can't find a logical reason to explain that sensation in the middle of winter with no insects around.

  3. #23
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    But did you actually see a bat at any point?

    I had one in my front room a few months ago. I think they're great, so silent when they fly

    Caught the little critter in a towel (and Batty Bat wasn't tiny at all) and put him outside.

  4. #24
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pamplemousse View Post
    But did you actually see a bat at any point?

    I had one in my front room a few months ago. I think they're great, so silent when they fly

    Caught the little critter in a towel (and Batty Bat wasn't tiny at all) and put him outside.
    Didn't see one in the bathroom no. Scared I flushed it away without noticing. I saw what I thought was a bat a couple of days earlier, outside the house so wondered if maybe they roost in our roof.

    I love bats. They're wonderful creatures. I love seeing them zip around outdoors. I grew up in an old farmhouse and we would end up with bats in the house regularly. We always caught them with towels and let them out. As a kid, I loved it!

    I know they are likely hibernating now, so hopefully unlikely for one to wander through an extractor fan (I don't even know if that's possible anyway). I really hope the "bite" I felt was some kind of nerve misfiring. The area still hurts a bit but probably from me constantly checking it and worrying.

  5. #25
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    I'd say intrusive thoughts are a hallmark feature of OCD, actually. I believe intrusive thoughts like you're describing are mostly associated with OCD. They're often the root/cause of an obsession (you get an intrusive thought about something and engage with it, it becomes an obsession, and you often start performing compulsions as a means to temporarily gain relief from the anxiety that the obsession causes). Your checking of the boiler sounds like a pretty good example of a compulsion. It might help to ask yourself why you did that, if you can remember. A good way for me personally to identify when I'm doing a compulsion as a means of coping with OCD is how urgent it feels. For example, if you feel like you HAVE to check the boiler right now and you can't get any relief UNTIL you do so, this reminds me a lot of OCD.

    Something else that really resonates with me as someone who's been diagnosed with OCD is that you mention that it feels like you MUST know all you can about the extractor fan. I believe much of OCD anxiety stems from some degree of uncertainty and not being able to tolerate this. I would definitely encourage you to look into OCD - contamination and false memory OCD might feel especially relevant to you. You might be amazed by how deeply it can affect you. Some people with false memory OCD 'feel' that they might have hit someone with their car, even though they don't remember an accident, so they go and check the car to look for evidence... then they ruminate about it further and come up with more reasons why they might have hit someone, check again...

    Also, you definitely don't need to be highly organised to have OCD. There's Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, and OCD, and the latter is an anxiety disorder, the former is often what people think of when they associate OCD with being obsessive about tiny details, extremely organised/clean, etc. As far as you not having a ritual, I'm not sure what your therapist meant exactly, but some of what you've described sounds very similar to OCD compulsions based on my own experiences and the experiences of many others. Even thinking obsessively about something can be a compulsion in and of itself, which not all mental health professionals appreciate, unfortunately.

    I hope that helped a bit! Please feel free to send me a PM or reply here if you have any more questions or would like to discuss. In any case, I would strongly encourage you to check out the International OCD Foundation's website to read a bit more about OCD and what it's like to live with it. I personally had pretty mild OCD-ish features up until last year, when it got quite bad (aged 23). It is definitely possible that it's gotten worse or changed over time and it's only now that you could meet the diagnostic criteria.

  6. #26
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Quote Originally Posted by Rumpo View Post
    I'd say intrusive thoughts are a hallmark feature of OCD, actually. I believe intrusive thoughts like you're describing are mostly associated with OCD. They're often the root/cause of an obsession (you get an intrusive thought about something and engage with it, it becomes an obsession, and you often start performing compulsions as a means to temporarily gain relief from the anxiety that the obsession causes). Your checking of the boiler sounds like a pretty good example of a compulsion. It might help to ask yourself why you did that, if you can remember. A good way for me personally to identify when I'm doing a compulsion as a means of coping with OCD is how urgent it feels. For example, if you feel like you HAVE to check the boiler right now and you can't get any relief UNTIL you do so, this reminds me a lot of OCD.

    Something else that really resonates with me as someone who's been diagnosed with OCD is that you mention that it feels like you MUST know all you can about the extractor fan. I believe much of OCD anxiety stems from some degree of uncertainty and not being able to tolerate this. I would definitely encourage you to look into OCD - contamination and false memory OCD might feel especially relevant to you. You might be amazed by how deeply it can affect you. Some people with false memory OCD 'feel' that they might have hit someone with their car, even though they don't remember an accident, so they go and check the car to look for evidence... then they ruminate about it further and come up with more reasons why they might have hit someone, check again...

    Also, you definitely don't need to be highly organised to have OCD. There's Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, and OCD, and the latter is an anxiety disorder, the former is often what people think of when they associate OCD with being obsessive about tiny details, extremely organised/clean, etc. As far as you not having a ritual, I'm not sure what your therapist meant exactly, but some of what you've described sounds very similar to OCD compulsions based on my own experiences and the experiences of many others. Even thinking obsessively about something can be a compulsion in and of itself, which not all mental health professionals appreciate, unfortunately.

    I hope that helped a bit! Please feel free to send me a PM or reply here if you have any more questions or would like to discuss. In any case, I would strongly encourage you to check out the International OCD Foundation's website to read a bit more about OCD and what it's like to live with it. I personally had pretty mild OCD-ish features up until last year, when it got quite bad (aged 23). It is definitely possible that it's gotten worse or changed over time and it's only now that you could meet the diagnostic criteria.
    Wow, thanks for the reply. That's really helpful, thank you so much

    I'll definitely look into OCD more. I had no idea that intrusive thoughts were part of the criteria. My therapist who evaluated me said that I didn't seem to have any rituals like checking things a certain number or times, or repeating phrases etc. I'm wondering if he was maybe not as knowledgeable about the nuances of OCD, or maybe I wasn't forthcoming in the information he wanted from me. I'm not sure!

    I would definitely describe my thought processes as compulsions. And I totally agree with your point about fearing the unknown. That's a massive problem for me right now. I feel like my future is full of looming threats, and I constantly have to prepare for them. It gets especially bad when something good happens in my life. I start fearing it will be taken away in the most horrid way possible. It's a bit exhausting!

    False memory OCD sounds interesting. I do tend to replay a situation over and over in my head and it can sometimes end up more intense than it was. The "bite" I felt was definitely painful and sharp enough for me to jump, but my brain is starting to tell me it was worse, and that I could feel contact from 'something' delivering the bite too. In reality, it was an acute sharp, painful sting/needle sensation that ached afterwards. Could very well be a nerve misfiring or something. (I hope)

    Thanks so much for taking the time to talk about it. I will definitely read up on OCD more. Is there a certain treatment for it? I'm really reluctant to go on meds as I have some mild liver damage, so I'd hopefully be able to do therapy to work through it, if that's what I have.

  7. #27
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    The 'gold standard' treatment for OCD is Exposure and Response Therapy. You essentially learn how not to engage with obsessions and it's very common to develop exercises to deliberately trigger your OCD and then not allow yourself to go through with any compulsions. Over time, the brain learns that the obsession isn't dangerous and that it won't get a response from you, and the strength of the OCD is diminished. You can take medication to manage the symptoms, but it's not necessary for everybody (as with anxiety, depression etc, the effectiveness of medication varies considerably from person to person, anyway).

    I will say some people can make a lot of progress on their own by simply accepting they have OCD and refusing to engage in compulsions whenever possible. You can try Ali Greymond's videos on YouTube. She has some pretty practical advice for overcoming OCD and managing compulsions. I definitely think it would be worth checking out her channel if you read more about OCD and feel it might be what you're going with, but as you haven't been formally diagnosed and this is potentially quite new to you, it would probably be best to try to work with a therapist who has good knowledge of OCD to get a diagnosis, at least.

  8. #28
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Quote Originally Posted by Rumpo View Post
    The 'gold standard' treatment for OCD is Exposure and Response Therapy. You essentially learn how not to engage with obsessions and it's very common to develop exercises to deliberately trigger your OCD and then not allow yourself to go through with any compulsions. Over time, the brain learns that the obsession isn't dangerous and that it won't get a response from you, and the strength of the OCD is diminished. You can take medication to manage the symptoms, but it's not necessary for everybody (as with anxiety, depression etc, the effectiveness of medication varies considerably from person to person, anyway).

    I will say some people can make a lot of progress on their own by simply accepting they have OCD and refusing to engage in compulsions whenever possible. You can try Ali Greymond's videos on YouTube. She has some pretty practical advice for overcoming OCD and managing compulsions. I definitely think it would be worth checking out her channel if you read more about OCD and feel it might be what you're going with, but as you haven't been formally diagnosed and this is potentially quite new to you, it would probably be best to try to work with a therapist who has good knowledge of OCD to get a diagnosis, at least.
    Thanks I'll definitely check her videos out

    Made a phone appointment with a local therapist to get the ball rolling on figuring out if maybe I have OCD. I definitely identify with some of the thought patterns now that I've read up on them a bit more.

  9. #29
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Having a tough day today as the area where I was "bitten" is sensitive and painful to press. I've been having a lot of symptoms which I'm trying to ignore.

    I know it's unhealthy to seek reassurance, but I really wish I had some kind of explanation for the "bite" I felt. It was a short, sharp, pin prick pain, almost like a bee sting. It only happened once, so it's not like a skin reaction or heat etc. I can't seem to find any normal medical reasons for this to occur. The only description that was in any way similar was on an MS forum. I honestly am not scared of having MS. In fact, I was tested for it and wasn't remotely scared of a possible diagnosis. No MS though.

    Has anybody else had an experience where they felt they were bitten or stung and there was nothing? I'm trying to get my mind to accept that maybe the toilet seat was really cold and my warm skin making contact set off a nerve or something. I'm trying so hard to resist that thought that there was a bat underneath which bit me. I even found myself measuring the various sizes of different bat breeds in the UK and how they likely could not cling effectively to the curve of the toilet seat/bowl rim. I'm waiting on an appointment with a therapist to work through this, but sometimes I start panicking that the crazy scenario is true.

    One thing that didn't help was a friend saying I had to accept the fact that it is a minute possibility. Highly, highly unlikely, but not completely impossible. He said it helps to sit with that thought until you calm down and accept that life is just life, that your brain naturally processes the fear then recovers. It made me spiral honestly. I get the sense behind it though, but my gosh it didn't help me in that moment. It probably works for people who aren't dealing with a fixated phobia.

  10. #30
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    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    This morning I was drinking water and my throat felt like it was closing. Every time I take a sip, the same thing happens. I wasn't even thinking about this whole thing. Now I'm getting worried.

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