What If, What If, What If!!

[Itz Omi]

Do you guys ever go through a mental checklist of all the crap you've been exposed to, and worry that it will catch up with you somehow?!!

I've been worrying about the fact that I found out not too long ago that a coworker who shares my desk in the evening has been spraying the desk every day with chemical cleaner WITH MY MUG on the desk, and all this time I had just been merely rinsing it, not knowing it had harmful cleaning chemicals on it!! This has been going on for a long time. WHY would you spray chemicals around someone's drinking cup??

Also, I wonder about exposure from the mercury in light bulbs (broken), having eaten off of Teflon pans almost all my life (which they now say is bad), our water pipes are old so I have probably been drinking lead for years, etc. etc. etc.

It's a terrible thing to worry about, because you can't do anything about it now. Why do we LOOK for stuff to scare us like this?? Why can't I just be blissfully be ignorant?

Does anyone else want to share their "What ifs"? ... Or tell me how to not worry about mine!! :p

[mamascrazy1985]

yes i do the what ifs a whole lot.....i think has alot to do with OCD. your basically just finding a reason to freak out. its not easy to stop at all. for example if im at my friends house and have a drink on the counter and leave it there and if i come back to it i think what if some one drunk out of it or put something in it that will make me sick etc. freaks me out. oh and i wont eat anything anyone else has cooked unless i seen them cook it. by this i mean like a neighbor making me a cake or something. ugh. i just avoid it.

[olia10]

The mind is stuck in a loop. An external method is needed to kick or shock the mind out of it. I would highly suggest yoga which is gentle way to kick your mind out of its endless loop, but it takes awhile (took me 3 month of daily yoga to get out of the funk). If you dare, you can try bungie jumping or sky diving, the incredible rush is usually enough to shock your mind out of it.

[Itz Omi]

Thank you guys so much for your responses. It's always good to know you're not alone in this!

Yep, that's a good way of putting in, "mind stuck in a loop." And OCD- yes - that's it. Whyis it so easy to play negative tapes in our heads and not positive ones?!

I need to try the yoga suggestion. Thanks again, guys. Would still like to hear from people who experience the same issues. Thanks!!

[Itz Omi]

Kev, I was hoping you'd answer my post, because you have a way with words to make people feel better!!

I'm trying to distract myself, but when I see things that remind me of one of my worries, it's hard. For example, I was thinking of getting disinfecting wipes today while at Target, but when I saw that the package said, "DANGER TO HUMANS AND ANIMALS," I got nervous because it reminded me of having possibly ingested bits of cleaning solution for so long. I can't help but think my days may be cut short over it - that I may get cancer or some other dreaded disease. They put warnings on those bottles for a reason!

Plus, when you're anxious, the possibilities of certain consequences happening feels so very real. I potentially really did get myself slowly poisoned. How can I not think of the potential of something happening as a result somewhere down the road? :(

[ValPalBronco]

I can relate. I spray my desk area all day long, especially when I see someone use my phone or my computer...ew! Also, my neighbor brought me cookies for the holidays, and I was nice, said thank you, shut the door and literally walked right to the trashcan and threw the whole plate away! Restuarants creep me out, it's hard for me to eat something I didnt see being made/by who...I usually think my throat is closing and panic after eating from a restaurant because I think I was poisoned. I have to get lids/cups ect. from buffets at the middle of the stack because I think that's the least place other people have touched. I panicked when Dr. OZ said it was dangerous to use powder makeup rather than cream, and threw all my powders away...I am always hyper-aware.

[Itz Omi]

Val:

Oh, geez, powder makeup is dangerous? I've been using it for decades!!

I don't like grabbing from the top of the stack when getting cups or lids myself, if I am in public. But to have the fears to the extent you do must be hard. Do you know what triggered it??

[Itz Omi]

Kev:

True, I know I should avoid my triggers, but it's kinda hard when it's all around you. Warnings on everything... Sheesh!!

I really appreciate your responses. :)

[LisaL80]

Hi Itz,

I just signed up to this site today, after getting nowhere with a diagnosis. I think Ive realised, yep it may all be anxiety.

I have 'Probable MS' though that hasnt stooped my mind from believing its possibly everything else under the sun! LOL

While talking with my mum one day, she was saying how she didnt think that I had MS. She just couldnt believe it. Anyway the conversation got onto my husbands son and how hes sick ALL the time. I told my mum that I thought it was the mold problem his mother had in there house. BANG!!!!!!!!! I search the health issues mold can cause and low and behold......NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS! My mind grabbed onto it like it was the last piece of chocolate on earth and wouldnt let go for 2 WEEKS!

I was off, I searched the house top to bottom and what do I find? A crack in the bathroom ceiling that had been leaking!!!!! Wherever there is moisture there is mold growth right? My mind obsessed to agree! I searched and searched! Mold on the windows, mold in the kitchen, a smell that was musty and definately mold!! Strange spots that had come up on the carpet we didnt walk on, mold in the taps, mold in the bathroom cabinet! It was everywhere......OMG there has to be mold in the ceiling and walls too if there was a leak.....CALL THE LANDLORD!!!! This may be whats making me sick....I didnt want to be in the house....even if it wasnt the root of all my problems its well documented that mold is BAD for your health......this will just make my MS worse! My mind went nuts. Landlord came to check the place and did minimal work to reassure me that there was not a mold problem! The walls though, inside the walls!!!!!! LOL All I could think about was the inside of the walls were infested with it, omg the pipes would be too! We are constantly breathing in mold........WE ARE SHOWERING IN MOLD!!!! LOL I started with the breathing problems while going to sleep, you cant breath its the MOLD! My daughter, OMG my poor 10 month old daughter! Mold can cause bleeding lungs in babies!!!!!!!!!! WE HAVE TO MOVE....I WILL NOT ALLOW MY FAMILY TO DYE A SLOW UNFORSEEN DEATH!!!!! I couldnt live with that one my shoulders!

Needless to say we are still in the house BUT we move into a new one in a few weeks! LOL

It happens, I just try and focus on something else....like cleaning! LOL

xLx

[Itz Omi]

Hi Lisa!

Actually, I read that ALL HOUSES have mold in them, so we're all exposed to it. And some exposure isn't harmful (I don't know at what point it becomes harmful), but some people are sensitive to molds so for them it's not good. But I'm scared of mold, too!

I've had MS fears, too. A lot of people with HA think they have it!! ALS is another biggie that people freak out over, but since I'm not exactly sure what that is (I guess it's similar to MS - I don't even want to hear the symptoms lest I think I have them! LOL) I haven't had that fear yet.

Welcome to the board!! Nice to meet you!! :)

[ronit]

Yep, I always think these things, and it's hard to calm myself down. I was just diagnosed with high risk HPV which either does nothing and goes away within 2 years, or can turn to cancer. They've told me this is rare... less than 1% of people my age would get cancer, but ive been up night after night worrying about being in that 1%. Ughhh

[Itz Omi]

Hi Ronit,

I'm sorry to hear about that! Your chances of getting cancer are rare, but I mean I'm sorry you have something to worry about. I think sometimes it's almost better not to even know about these things. It can do more harm than good from all the stress over worrying about your miniscule chance!!