Source
r/NoStupidQuestions•
IneedsomeOCDhelp

Can a regular shower remove toilet water?

Answered

I know I make Sheldon Cooper or whoever seem normal, that I need therapy, and that my ocd is ridiculous so please don't remind me

I was cleaning the toilet with a disinfecting wipe, and after sitting down I was worried the wipe touched the water, then used the same wipe on the seat again I didn't see it touch it, and I watched..and I didn't hear if it even makes a sound, and the wipe didn't feel heavy, soggy..

I took a shower afterwards but I didn't deep clean, I just soaped the "infected" areas once, plus had the hot, shampoo water run down too..are all germs gone? there was nothing in the bowl either I know nothing is wrong deep down inside but I still have the anxiety Deep cleaning is scrubbing insanely hard multiple times where it basically hurts, should I have done that? I'm trying to improve on the ocd and not take long showers but I don't want to track anything in my bed

Thank you for any responses :)

Posted Nov 4, 2022, 1:33 AM UTC

07
damnim30now•

You already know the answer, on a logical level.

Just need to believe it as well.

5
IneedsomeOCDhelpOP•

Yeah I know you're right The reassurance helps a lot with me believing, i don't want to make myself believe out of desperation when something is wrong

1
damnim30now•

Then allow me to reassure you- You've handled this situation well, doing more would be overkill.

Good job! Rest easy

3
IneedsomeOCDhelpOP•

Thank you for your responses! both you and specific have been helpful in letting me get into bed without worry

Have a good night :)

1
Specific_Substance23•

Yes, you're good.

2
IneedsomeOCDhelpOP•

Thank you <33

2
-TheLostTimeLord-•

For the sake of health safety - violently scrubbing your skin “clean” will not protect you. It’s more likely to create abrasions or even an open wound which is an infection risk.

Even surgeons who have to be extremely sterile do not scrub their own skin until it’s flaming red and or bleeding. Similarly, when preparing a patient for surgery, the patient is instructed to shower with antibacterial soap and wash with comfortably hot water. They are not told to do what you described. (Some good prep teams will even instruct patients to bathe carefully as to NOT to damage their skin because it damages the body’s natural defenses)

A pre-op patient, showers the night before, dons clean clothes, sleeps in clean bedding, and showers again immediately before leaving for the hospital. This is ALL a person who is about to be cut open does to prevent post operative infections. They are exposing their typically protected insides to all the external bacteria skin protects against. A person who is not about to undergo major surgery does not need to do more than this. Rest assured, if you are in a situation where more extreme cleaning is required than a shower with antibacterial soap, the CDC or FEMA or some group like that will be on hand to provide instructions and assistance. (I’m not trying to be mean, just a reality check you can use in the future.)

(I did see this post is 10d old) Part of what you are facing is your brain being stuck in a loop. Germs are everywhere so fear of them can come from anywhere. When it begins bothering you, don’t do more to yourself than a doctor would advise a surgical patient. (I’m not a medical doctor but I have been on the other end of the scalpel for over a dozen surgeries)

Highjack some of your impulses to “be clean” and direct them to “doing it right” not over doing it. In the case of bathing and disinfecting doing it wrong might be more dangerous than not doing it. Take some of the fear that is telling you to keep cleaning to protect yourself and use it to stop the loop after you’ve done enough. The loops an OCD sufferer finds themselves in provide an illusion of control (but it’s actually more akin to an addictive biochemical process than true control). Take true control using knowledge and look for satisfaction there. When the anxiety comes to push you towards the loop, remember that it’s a trick. To use a crude analogy, part of your brain wants to “get high;” it wants the stimulus from your obsessive looping. Reprogramming your brain is possible. You’re already doing the right thing by using logic to face your monsters. Keep at it. The mind is powerful and when your enemy is your mind you have to fight fire with fire.

1