Hi everyone
How glad I am to have found this site as I really thought I was the only person to suffer from something like this. Would you believe the reason I found this site was through googling 'can a stomach bug be transferred by touching paper?' !!!! Reason being my sister in law became sick on Christmas Eve and called at my house (worst nightmare!) to leave in presents. I've yet to open mine as I don't want to touch it. After she left (I made sure she left pretty quickly) I sprayed antibacterial spray on all the door handles etc. She is still sick 3 days later and I am still worrying.
I never had this fear until I became a mother - I'm probably slightly different from a lot of people on here as my fear of sickness is focused on my children becoming ill (they are aged 7 and 5). Also the reason I suppose why I don't want to become ill myself - for fear of passing it onto them, or worrying about looking after them while I'm ill (although I do have a fairly understanding husband). My phobia manifests itself in the following ways -
- constantly washing my hands to avoid germs, my hands are red and sore
- not touching door handles in loos, shopping centres etc
- in my office in work constantly wiping telephone and door handles with anti-bac wipes
- panic setting in when I hear of someone being sick, I will avoid these people and anything they have touched
- constant worry about my children becoming sick, esp if I hear someone in their class has been sick in school
Although I also fear colds/flus, my worst fear is V and D. I also work in a school and it drives me mad when parents send children in who are ill, or not fully recovered from an illness.
Unfortunately for my kids I have prevented them from going to parties just before Christmas in case they became ill over Christmas, also I don't like them to go swimming etc in case of them catching something in the water.
I also make them wash their hands when they come home from ANYWHERE ie from school, shops, outside etc. I'm terrified now of making them neurotic as well. I recognise that I do have a phobia, but I understand why I have it and my reasons for acting 'oddly', which makes it hard to be rational as I FEEL like I am being rational.
Sorry for such an epic introduction, but it's almost theraputic to put this all on 'on paper', as such! Thanks for reading, take care
Simone
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