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Is this OCD ?

Hi folks,

I live in Canada and I have never been diagnosed with OCD before nor have i felt i have OCD. So recently i had a low risk encounter and just to make sure I did not get any STI i did a full STI test.

I did not remember seeing the nurse open a new needle for the Venipuncture blood draw. I'm quite positive that no new needle package was opened. Although i did not ask anything during the course of the test, When i got back home it started freaking me out. I am now wondering if it is a contaminated needle that carried HIV. I now almost feel that I've been infected with HIV during the blood draw procedure. I am not able to focus on anything anymore.

Is this a genuine concern of mine or do i have OCD ?

Thanks
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1699033 tn?1514113133
The bottom line is that needles are not reused so you have nothing to worry about.  Just because you didn't see her open one, doesn't make it used.  You were in a lab.  She more than likely opened it in anticipation of the next patient coming back for blood work.  If you have trouble wrapping your head around this, then you may want to talk to a psychologist about your health anxiety or HIV anxiety.  
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your response JGF25. No i did not discuss because there was no Doctor. It was a lab and it was a Registered Nurse who did the test.

Usually i look to make sure its a new packet. But since i never seen a butterfly needle before I wasn't sure what it was and it was so quickly done that i did not ask at that time.

Only on the way back home i realised that the butterfly needle never came out of a new packet. And I'm upset since. I got the results for my STI tests and they were negative. But still even if i was infected with something on that day due to a contaminated needle. It wouldnt have shown up in the test.

Yeah i understand it "dies" the second it comes into contact with air. But this was a needle right which is mostly airtight.
Helpful - 0
1699033 tn?1514113133
It would seem to me that you either have health anxiety in general or HIV anxiety specifically.  

First let me say that no nurse anywhere is going to reuse a needle.  Having said that, a little bit about HIV...it "dies" the second it comes into contact with air.  It has to be in a living host in order to survive.  Think about it...if it were that easy to get, all of us would be infected by now.  

When you got your STI panel done, did you discuss your fears with the doctor?  
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Avatar universal
Can someone develop OCD all of a sudden ?
Helpful - 0
1041472 tn?1357229914
I think it may be OCD
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