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Avatar universal

More and more and more worrying. Try and relate with me here.

Well recently, around christmas, me and my father were sick, after about 2 weeks i got better but he was still so i went in the bathroom to get a thermomiter for him, as i was shaking it i hear it crack (Uh oh...). That was it. I immeidatly began panicking i looked down, saw the mercury and walked out the room and washed my arms and hands with soap and warm water. I told my parents (I was nervous as hell) and they thought i was overreacting, so we opend the windows in the room and shut the door. (I googled what to do) after about 10 minuites (at MOST)we called poison control and folowed their directions. I couldent have ben in that room for more then 10 seconds throughout. After it was all cleaned (Or as much as they could see)the door ws shut overnight with the window opend. I went to my sisters the next day and stayed over out of fear. Recently i have devoloped Depersonalization/derealization (Ive ben battling severe anxiety/depression for years) out of nowhere. THis was a bad time recently, ive ben havig alot of family issues, and now since this incident i dont feel like i dont know my family, yet i do. i feel so weird, my depth percepton feels off i seem to zoom in on objects. Everything seems so different and forgien, yet i still remember it all...yet i dont. Ive ben so confused and slow (ive ben like this for as long as i can remember, but its gotten worse i think) its so odd to describe. I dont rememebr if this came days before or days after the mercury incident. Uhy im such a mess.
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Avatar universal
Hi,

You can not possibly be suffering any ill effects from the mercury.  The amount of mercury in a standard medical thermometer is low and your "exposure" was VERY LIMITED.  In the "worst case" scenario you would have been exposed only to milligram quantities of the heavy metal which would not cause significant toxicological effects.  Also, if you got a significant amount of mercury on your skin, you would have suffered burns (mercury is actually corrosive) - since you washed so quickly (and didnt mention any burns) skin exposure is a non-issue.  Another route that mercury enters the body is through inhalation but, again, since you left the room so quickly and based on the amount of mercury in the thermometer this is again, a non-issue.  Thumbs up for the way you handled this situation!

The symptoms you describe very much sound like anxiety and since you have been battling anxiety/depression for years and have been going through a tough time recently, this is likely the cause of your problems.  Are you currently seeking treatment for the anxiety/depression?  
This would be a good place to start if you dont already seek treatment.

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Avatar universal
Hello. Thank you so much for your quick response! I feel much better thanks to you. I used to get theropy for this but i quit and its funny you said this i have recently decided to go back to theropy (Group and one on one sessions) at a place called freedom from fear near my home. I feel its better to just at LEAST try it out instead of live with this, plus its free! Anywho, thank you for your concern and response - Dave
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Avatar universal
just wanna let you know you're not alone. i get those feelings alot, it feels as if everything isn't real, or foriegn. sometimes when im driving i feel as though i'm driving through my town for the first time. and depth  perception feels off too. things always feel too close. i highly recommend therapy, it really helps to get through those tough times. find a therapist thats really good, preferable one that's gone though anxiety themselves. good luck!
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