[Maven]

Does anyone here experience anxiety if they suspect they may be getting a cold or the flu? Or if someone they share a home or workspace with has one, do you worry that you'll come down with it? I hate colds for the usual reasons, plus my anxiety and OCD get so much worse.

My boyfriend just came down with a cold, and now I'm worried about catching it myself. I don't have enough Airborne, so I need to get more tomorrow. I also need to get more disinfectant wipes. I wipe down sink handles and the refrigerator door handle, and things like that. I get stressed from doing all that, so that's another reason I'm more anxious at times when my bf's sick. I even wipe down things he buys for me, try not to touch my eyes (I have dry eye, and have to wipe them frequently to get gunk out) if I've come into contact with anything he's touched or breathed on, and I really hate to have him sleep in our bed. I don't sleep with him anymore, because the side I used to sleep on has a spring sticking up (we're replacing the mattress when we move), but if I'm up all night, he takes the bed, and then I sleep there when I go to bed. I hate sleeping where someone's been sick. And I think that's probably how I usually end up catching it, when I do, because I'm pretty vigilant about exposing myself to other things he's touched or breathed on. Still, there's always the dishes and utensils we share, even though I wash them after each use.

I also drink lots of orange juice, but I don't have any right now.

Anyone else this anxious and/or obsessive?

[Juliana]

I'm the same way, Maven. It's the worst when I'm going through a really busy time at work and I feel like I just don't have TIME to get sick. I get a flu shot every year because I don't want to get sick.

Everyone at my workplace has been sick over the past month. I work in a university so there are lots of students who are sick too. I have just been feeling like I'm in a giant pool of germs all the time. I have been washing my hands very well and using Purell many, many times a day and taking my vitamin C because I was so afraid of getting sick too.

Anyway, I got sick anyway. It hit me Monday morning. I stayed home on Tuesday -- thinking that if I rested up and took my echinacea and vitamin C and Cold FX, I would get better. I did feel better on Wednesday and put in a long day at the office trying to get caught up, but then felt even worse today. So, I had to miss another day at work. Now I'm stressing because I have SO much work to do and I'm too sick to do anything about it. Ugh. So, I do my best to try not to get sick and I TRY not to get too stressed about, but sometimes we just can't prevent it. At least it's just a cold and it will get better.

I'm WAY more paranoid when there's a stomach bug going around. One of my biggest phobias is throwing up, so I can't stand to be around anyone who has a stomach virus and I'm hyper-vigilant about not getting germs on my hands when there's something like that going around.

[Maven]

I hear that! I hate throwing up, too. I care about my bf, but I don't want to be around him when he's sick.