Hi, Does anyone else feel really paranoid about being ill?  For instance I work with a lady who had a cold last week ,and I was scared I might get it, thinking 'Oh God will I be able to cope' ,  The same thing happened this morning when my husband did'nt feel well (he's much better now thanks goodness) but I have convinced myself that I have it , although I felt OK before he said he was poorly.  Anyone else think this way sometimes?  Hugs, Jen

ourjen,

I'm afraid you're not alone here.  I've had the same problem for the past few years.  I never used to worry about "catching something" from someone else!  I've been thinking it's a form of anxiety.  And, it DOES get harder to fight things off, the older we get.  My mother did the same thing too--didn't want the great-grands over if they were sick, etc.Debbi

Yeah, but I don't think in my case it has anything to do with menopause!  I'm a senior tax manager at a CPA firm and CANNOT be sick or miss work - I'm "it" in many ways for quality control, getting the tax returns out, answering client questions, training staff, etc.  So especially in the wintertime (= TAX SEASON), I cannot afford to get even a cold & in fact always get a flu shot because I CAN'T get the flu!

If somebody comes in and borrows my pencil & is sneezing, I'll wash it off.  Yep, compulsive all right!

So I wouldn't necessarily attribute that to menopause unless it's a significant change for you for no obvious reason (because fear of illness and dying - illness could mean "this is the last one" to us - is definitely a hallmark of menopause).

Good luck!

I was a little suprised to find this topic when i did a search.....but that just goes to show you just about anything we're going through,there's someone else going through the same. I feel like i'm becoming a bit obsessive/compulsive lately about catching germs from people.It's tough enough having all these peri symptoms, the last thing i need is some type of illness on top of it all.I haven't kissed my hubby on the lips in at least a month(i kiss him on the cheek)......he had bronchitis and even though he's better now,i'm afraid there may still be germs lurking around.My son was ill and had to go to the dr. and get an anti-biotic....now i find myself disinfecting everything after him,like the phone,the computer keyboard and i keep washing my hands with antibacterial soap.......how do i stop this??

Glad I found this thread. I am and always have been a compulsive hand-washer. It's another one of my Dad's hand-me-down traits I've learned. I rarely get sick but when I do, it's a whopper. For instance, I've only had the flu once and that was in 1979 at Christmas time. I only got to hang candy canes on the tree and that's it. I keep bottles of Germ-X (alcohol hand sanitizer) at the kitchen sink, in my bathrooms, in the car, and at my desk at work. It's also refreshing to use when you are having a hot-flash and your face gets flushed. Anytime I use the restroom then wash my hands, I keep the paper towel to open the door with so my hands don't touch the door with other people's germs. I see it as a good prevention method. I don't feel like it's compulsive problem with me since it was taught to me at such a young age. Also, when I was a patient volunteer with Hospice, this was a topic (germ control) we had to learn. What I thought was an interesting fact from my Hospice training is that the alcohol based hand sanitizers are MORE effective at killing germs than the antibacterial hand soaps !! Since I've been in the hospital 2 weeks ago, I have developed a little cough and it makes me wonder if I caught something from someone else while in the hospital. I'll never know and my body has been stressed beyond it's limits so I am just accepting that and letting myself heal. Take care, Tina

Boy, that is me right now. I have had so many symptoms over the last couple of years, it's like everyday of the month I have a different one-my husband and I joke about it now that we know I'm not dying. But my husband got a really bad cold a few days ago, and I won't let him kiss me! I'm so afraid of getting something on top of everything else. And the last few years whenever I get a cold, it goes directly to my throat, swells it up so I can barely breathe (or at least feels like it) , and that scares me to death. So I avoid anyone with a cold. No more emergency trips for me if I can help it. My colds used to be so mild. I think my immune system is shot!

DebSu,is it that your immune system is shot,or could it be that we worry and obsess about catching something that our immune system is worn down from stress to begin with and even simple colds hit us harder than the average person???

WELL COUNT ME IN! I'm pretty sure I have OCD (think that is what is called) I wash my hands all the times, afraid of germs! Couple of weeks ago I went with my husband to the ER, he had hit his head at work and his eye looked horrible. But instead of worrying so much about him>> I sat there in the ER and thought OMG what germs will I get from this place. It turned out I was fine, never even got a cold. Recently we went on a short trip and had to spend the night in a hotel, I would NOT touch the tv remote!! YUCK A GERM Magnet for sure! This is a pretty much a new problem with me, I used to go to horse shows, spend all day eat a sandwich and never wash my hands>>AND I was never sick. Ohhhhhh I also hate eating out now, I worry if the people in the restaurants wash their hands. PLUS if I buy food at the grocery store that looks bad> I throw it out! I don't want no food poisoning either. Yep FRUIT CAKE HERE! I think this all lies with the fact that I just feel so bad and if I catch even a cold it will KILL ME!

Snap. I think mine started when my employer was horrible to me about taking odd sick days (usually to upset tum), even tho I would work lunchtime and never left at 5, and always came back b4 I was completely well. Since a party I attended a couple of yrs ago when loads of people went down with sickness & d, I'm totally paranoid and don't like eating out much. I also get anxious if my tum gets upset in case I get it again, yet it didn't used to bother me, as long as I was near a (private)loo I was OK. I too use antibac handwash and wipe the loo seat & handle with a disinfectant wipe. Neither would I kiss hubby on the lips if he had a cold or want him to kiss me but surely that's sensible. I have also found that nowadays if I feel unwell I want to be totally on my own!

This is me too! I've always been "afraid to be ill", but I am SO MUCH WORSE now! I agree with the not kissing hubby on the lips thing, especially during the winter, lol. I run around with alcohol all the time, cleaning door knobs, phone, light switches, etc. And the first thing I do whenever I come home from anywhere is wash my hands. I, too, feel so rotten during this time that I just don't want to catch anything else on top of it if I can help it!

Do you think people feel offended when i go in the bathroom as soon as they finish and start spraying everything with lysol?LOL I try so hard to control my obsessivesness when company is over,but.....i sit and think "Oh,God,they just used the toilet.....what if one of the kids goes in there and uses it and catch some type of germ and they get sick and then i get sick"........and then i always end up going right in there and disinfecting.....nobody has said anything to me about it...yet.

Snap Jadebear. I disinfect the loo seat and handle and use antibacc handwash in my downstairs loo and kitchen. I even use a clean tissue to fluch the toilet and open the lock on the door in public loos as i have noticed that most of the ladies DON'T WASH THEIR HANDS! Can you believe it? I thought it was only men! I read of how many germs and traces of urine were found in peanuts on bars as people weren't washing their hands. How gross is that? Blow, what others think. Wipe away!

Geez! I don't want to add to everyone's obsessions, but... The dirtiest thing is the whole world is money! During the flu season (which might be pretty bad this year, "they" say) I always carry those little packets of antibiotic Handi Wipes with me. When I get back to the car after shopping, I always wipe my hands down. It's not the germs on your hands that get you, it's where you put your hands AFTER you touch something dirty.... such as your eyes, nose or mouth (or food or cigarettes). I also constantly wipe down the phone at work and at home Hoping everyone avoids the flu this year!

I also heardthat there are more germs on a supermarket trolley handle than round a toilet seat...though who discovered this...

Hey Matoaka & everyone else, Wow, I really dont want any of you ladies to get sick. So I would be willing to take all that money off your hands. I'll send you my address. LOL!! Just kidding M, I heard the same thing about the money! Peace AA

AA..... LOL! Give me your address and I'll send you my last $1.50 in a sterile baggie

TextTextBlue HA!! HA!! HA!! TextTextWhite

Now how come that screwed up Let me try again HA! HA! HA!!

Nope didn't work...but you get the point. I'm laughing my B*TT off, M !!

There was a time when I worried about touching all sorts of things for fear of germs. However, a personal friend, who happens to be a Dr. told me that all my worrying was for nothing. First of all, most everything we touch during the course of a day has been touched by many other hands and is LOADED with germs----but, if we are relatively healthy, our bodies have built up immunities to combat these inevitable germs. We must remember that we do not live in a sterile bubble and if touching money or shopping carts, or whatever caused everyone to contract an illness, the hospitals would be bursting at the seams. Practicing good hygiene is, of course, a commendable attribute. But obsessing over every llittle thing we touch is borderline paranoid. Babies crawl on the floor----how many germs do you think are there? I don't go out of my way to expose myself to germs, but I have learned to accept the fact that germs are everywhere and I won't die from handling money or going grocery shopping (although sometimes I would rather be dead than grocery shop lol). I hope this puts things into a different perspective---it did for me. Have a great evening. Donna

Well said, Donna. I agree with you 100%. I have my flu shot every year and stay away from houses where I know people are sneezing or throwing up (!!!!), but I don't obsess over every little germ. As my Mother says so well: "You kids were raised in 'germs' and you grew up JUST fine! I have WAY too many other things to worry about these days - like the WOES of peri-menopause! HUGS!

My sister used to come unglued if her kids got anywhere near dirt. Then was wondering how come they got sick all the time. Wouldn't let the boys be boys in the yard or nothing. Duh, in order to build up the immune system one must first be exposed to the germ. Mom remindered her how she use to climb around in the dog house and eat out of their bowls right along side them. For christmas they use to get tonka trucks and anything else I could find to help them get out in the dirt and play. Didn't make any points with my sister but at least now she has lightened up...a little. I'm one of "those" people that share my ice cream cone with my dog.

I don't obsess about money or shopping trolleys, I was just passing on what I have read. However, I do think it disgusting that people don't wash their hands after using the toilet. The lack of handwashing by doctors and nurses, and poor cleaning on our hospital wards in the UK has caused a great problem in our hospitals with a flesh eating bug MRSA that seems to be difficult to cure with antibiotics.

That's exactly why my hubby and I keep a little bottle of antiseptic gel in the car and always lube up before we go into any public place. It lasts for hours, by the way. I'm not in the least germ phobic, but I don't want a cold or flu to deal with and haven't gotten either for years. My husband uses it several times a day at work and never gets sick, though everyone around him has just had a "summer" cold.

Sometimes i think all the worrying and obsessing about germs and getting sick keeps me run down and more prone to getting sick.So obsessing just defeats the purpose.

Well ladies...Ditto, Ditto, Ditto...I'm obsessed about getting ill...during the holidays and everyone is out shopping and coughing and sneezing, etc...And it is cold weather wise, so most people wear gloves. Once they get into a store, they take the gloves off... Well, I never take the gloves off -I wear my gloves inside of the stores...The only time I take them off is to pull out money...then of course, use a hand sanitizer gel afterward... Then there are the days that I have a headache...of course, I think it is something very serious ...and then my chest feels kinda funny - I think it's pnemonia... and it's just allergies...Yup, I'm paronid about being ill... I worry about everything... Hey Matoaka - if your willing to give out money, please let me know...I'll give you my address, haha.. Blessings, Stacy