Posted , 3 users are following.
i was hoping someone could calm me down. i was diagnosed with ocd years ago and recently i had my blood drawn and now im obsessing whether or not the needle was reused and now i have blood born diseases. i know this is irrational but i cant stop these thoughts.. what should i do
0 likes, 3 replies
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lilly97746
Posted
i feel like its one thing after another that my obsessions jump too but this one is the scariest. would a nurse ever re use a needle? am i being irrational
ColbyJ. lilly97746
Posted
I would say irrational would be a good way to describe it but its perfectly fair to think that way with the condition you have to deal with. I've had my blood drawn at hospitals and several different labs and never had an issue with developing any kind of illness or disease. It would be extremely dangerous to re use needles and these are professionals and know to make sure no harm can come to you when having blood drawn. Don't feel alone about thinking irrationally. I have a major panic disorder and general anxiety diagnosis and am all too familiar with thinking irrational. Don't be scared as you're gonna be ok after the blood draw! I need support and someone to calm me down a lot too and even coming here for advice as well. The way you're feeling and thinking is perfectly fair but I'm sure you're gonna be great! 😃
jan34534 lilly97746
Posted
when I get a negative thought the first thing I do is fact check. What are the facts?
as a former nurse, it was drilled into us that immediately after using a needle, it goes directly into a sharps container. And that was 20 years ago.
once blood is drawn, the needle is put into the container. Even if somebody did not put it in the container, it wouldn’t have the original cap on it and the person would know that it was used. Somebody would have to be really messed up in the head to reuse one. in all my years of nursing I’ve never heard of that happening. And things are way safer today! there are so many standards, policies and procedures that its nearly impossible.
You can rest assured that you had a fresh sterile needle.
i understand your fear, but its actually not worth even thinking about.