hiv and dental care

[mayrain17]

Hi,
I am suffering from anothet form of OCD now.
I am not sure if i am the only onw with this kind of fear.
I went to my dental appointment yesterday with  my fear of hiv.
And i had to carefully observe how they prepared for the equipments and ask a ot of questions. As i was waiting for the anesthesia to kick in.
The dentist ask my permission to clean someone else' s teeth first.
I did notice that he toom off his gloves and put them in my tray but i didnt see him put them on.and notice some bron stains on theglovesand immediately i jumped to my  usual OCD fear. Has anyoe hd this kimd of fear before?
Fear of cotractig hiv is the reason why I delay mydental care? Any suggestion how to selfhelp?

[mayrain17]

Dear,you are right.
.I delayed having chidren,delayed my career in health care and many other things in life because I feel "unclean " myself.
I started this obsession 10 years ago and evolved since then
All these years I looked back, underlining this fear of hiv,is guilt and shame.
My OCD started 14 years ago after I became intimate with someone as old as my father then we broke apart. Ever since then, I couldn't shake off the guilty feeling.
My then boyfriend now husband was the one who need to endure all these OCD.I felt guilty that I caused this turmoil for my family. I am afraid to lose my family because of my carelessness.
The fear  is merely the surface.The underlining is that I let everyone down.
I always thought if it weren't for that stupid relationship. I wouldn't need to go through all theses.

[Shoop143]

Yes, I have those kinds of fears daily.  Like this morning when I did laundry in our apartment laundry room, I was terrified that HIV was in the washer I used and then on my hands after getting my clothes out.  I then washed my hands, but then I washed my face.  I have acne, so I was afraid that somehow my open wounds were infected.  That is just today of course, it's always a new thing everyday.  I'm sorry you're afraid of things like this too.  
Do you ever wonder what your life would be like with the disease?  Are you afraid of losing someone you love?  Once you figure out the real reason behind your anxiety, you can start treating it.  I've never been to a psychiatrist mostly because they are so expensive.  But it is certainly good to talk to someone who understands your anxiety.  

[JGF25]

I'm sure that dental care is not the only thing you delay or avoid because of HIV anxiety.  What other scenarios pop up that cause you grief?  Have you seen a psychologist for this fear?  Have you educated yourself on the transmission routes of HIV?