Partly bumping this thread for visibility during this time of year but also because I’m having a bit of a rough go with my anxiety and depression.
I wasn’t a germaphobe until two incidents over a 5 year span. In mid-2008 I developed community acquired MRSA cellulitis that required nearly three months of an antibiotic cocktail to clear up. In 2013, norovirus ran through my entire household and I ended up having it the worst, spending the better part of two days in the bathroom, another three days with a 103.8 (39.8) degree fever, and 24 hours in the hospital for severe dehydration (and to get the fever down because I couldn’t hold down medications).
So anytime I hear about norovirus, I get PTSD-like flashbacks and extreme anxiety, which also kickstarts psychosomatic symptoms and an OCD need to clean. With news reporting a spike in cases, plus this time of year already being a tough time due to seasonal depression, I’ve been feeling particularly bad.
Ironically I didn’t have nearly the same fear of COVID during the height of the pandemic. Maybe it was because we hadn’t caught it but even now, after having Omicron back in 2022, my fear of COVID is nothing compared to my fear of norovirus.
Also, it’s my birthday and I’m probably going to spend it in a perpetual state of anxiety over potentially getting sick. Yay me.