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Coronavirus

How to cope when we are already worried?

(9 Posts)
25Avalon Thu 09-Apr-20 11:01:28

I have been self isolating with my dh for the past 3 weeks as he has a weak heart and is convinced if he gets the virus it will kill him. Needless to say this adds to the pressure I feel plus general concerns as to how this is all going to finish. Then yesterday evening I went out to post a birthday card for my 16 year old great niece. No one around so I get out of the car by the post box when suddenly 2 young women appear from nowhere and run by me single file chatting away loudly to each other. I Know it is minimum risk but I am now worried sick that I could have picked up the virus and dh says I need to keep my distance from him ( won't stop me having to cook all his meals!) for the next 14 days.
I was so worried that I couldn't sleep for rushing to the toilet every hour after I got to bed. If I am extra anxious it always takes me that way. Then I'm worried it is something I have eaten and both of us will end up in hospital with food poisoning and extra risk of getting the virus. This morning after I had calmed a bit dh says to me diarrhoea is a symptom of the virus to which I replied not necessarily.

I know it is illogical and usually I can keep calm and think logically but it doesn't take much to tip me over the edge. I have a fear of something happening to me such as eating something that will then set me on an irreversible course. This happened when my son was given the wrong drug and subsequently died so I suppose it is embedded in my subconscious. I do things to take my mind off but it's the middle of the night when it hits. Anyone got any helpful suggestions for coping with this please?

aggie Thu 09-Apr-20 11:14:25

We have been told the person with the virus has to cough or sneeze in your vicinity , or breathe on you for 15 minutes to infect you , so I am sure your isolation hasn’t been breached.
Tell OH to get a grip , or get his own food (((( hugs)))).... virus free xxxx

Gemini17892 Thu 09-Apr-20 11:16:23

I understand what you mean about obsessive thoughts especially in the middle of the night. If I have thoughts that won’t go away I listen to audiobooks. So as not to disturb Mr G I bought a headband from Amazon with built in speakers which is a wonderful gadget. It’s wifi so you don’t get tangled up when you turn over. I usually fall asleep listening and forgetting half the plot but it does the trick.

MawB Thu 09-Apr-20 11:22:12

I absolutely sympathise with your concerns for your DH’s welfare but this incident should not worry you unduly.
As Aggie said, unless they coughed in your vicinity or brushed up against you there will have been no risk.

As long as you observe basic hygiene in your food preparation and are not “finding” ingredients at the back of your fridge, there is little risk of food poisoning either.
The diarrhoea was almost certainly nervous so take some deep breaths today, try not to read too much about people who are soaking their shopping in sterilising fluid , observe basic good hygiene and you will be fine.
I had to be careful for my DH for nearly 20 years of immunosuppression after a transplant in 1998 and I coped!
(Sometimes I think we read too much instead of trusting our own judgement. )

M0nica Fri 10-Apr-20 10:04:40

I understand your concern but the virus is passed from person to person by contact, not by passing moments like that you describe.

Nervous dihhorhea, is probably more common than dihhorhea from any other cause, while food poisoning in a domestic context, unless you have some very peculiar eating habits or a total lack of hygiene, is vanishingly rare.

M0nica Fri 10-Apr-20 10:09:25

I have just picked the following off another thread, courtesy of pickachu. It is the best and most concise description I have seen.

Covid19 is spread by droplet infection. If the droplets land on you that’s first hand infection. If they land on a surface and you touch that then it’s second hand infection.

25Avalon Fri 10-Apr-20 10:34:54

If someone is talking then there can be droplets in the air. But hey to get a grip, in my area there are under 80 confirmed cases, a few seconds of someone running by is possibly a risk according to what I have read but only a very minimal risk, and then the person would have to be a carrier for the virus. It is easy to overreact in the current circumstances and I am trying to keep everything in perspective but DH does not help! Another 12 days before he stops worrying about it!

morethan2 Fri 10-Apr-20 10:55:40

25 anxiety is just horrible isn’t it. I just want to send you a big ((((hug))) I’m not trying to minimise your feelings but what helps me is watching a dvd any dvd. I can’t settle to read when I’m anxious but watching television or a dvd helps.

Daisymae Fri 10-Apr-20 11:21:03

Things always seem worse in the middle of the night. I would take advantage of your two week isolation and let your DH that he is responsible for cooking his own meals, cleaning the bathroom etc. I think that it might be an idea to try meditation, there are lots of apps available, in fact I listened to one last night in bed and it was very calming. Youtube has lots of ideas too. Your response is fully understandable in view of your families history. At the end of the day you are doing everything sensible and let's face it those ladies would not have been jogging if they had been unwell. So keep calm, do something nice today, sit outside if you have some space and relax. How about starting a new book? Or ordering one? Can be done. Take care x