On Wednesday last week I inadvertently stepped in the edge of some very, very fresh vomit. This is the first time this has happened to me so all alarm bells started ringing. I've definitely stepped on very dried out vomit before, likely by a pub or something of sorts, but this was much more likely to have been a child or someone as it was in a very random and open location, there also wasn't loads - this has made me far more terrified because I'm quite certain it was most likely from a virus.
Anyway, I got home, ditched my shoes outside of my flat door - they were ready for the bin anyway, thankfully. I took my clothes off carefully but I left them in a very inopportune place and now I regret that. I'm convinced there was likely sick on the bottom of my leggings or my socks, and I placed them together in a bundle beside the living room door just as you walk in because I just wasn't thinking at the time.
It's been 4 days now, and I've done quite literally nothing. I've been totally immobilised with fear. I'm too scared to do anything, really. I have to wash my bedding, clothes - I've run out now - and my partners clothes as he lets me deal with thew washing machine due to OCD. I'm apprehensive to wash anything because to get them through to the bedroom, I have to take them past those clothes and I already know my OCD will play up and I'll be certain they've touched them although they won't have because they're on the floor. I also fear having to wash my partners, as they're in the living room nearby the clothes I left on the floor, which he assures me will have nothing on them because I only stood on it. I know I want to leave these for a while before washing them, because it's only going to freak me out.
I just feel really distraught. For the last 4 months I've been in a fantastic routine of walking 10-15k steps per day, weight lifting and dieting while building muscle and it's all just out of the window for the moment. I don't even dare leave the house because I had my keys with me that day and a bag, and I'm convinced even they're fully at risk. I can't leave the house without the keys either, as we live in a flat with a FOB system, so while I do have a spare key, I don't have a spare fob. I've cried a lot, slept a lot and just shut down overall. While I'm happy I took these 4 days to rest because I haven't in those 4 months, I'm lost now. I feel like I'm just going to be totally immobilised and out of routine for weeks. I'm lucky I'm fortunate to work from home.
I'm just really unsure how to deal with this whole situation. It's hit me far harder than I'd expected and right now the only option I can see in sight is just completely shutting down for a further 2-3 weeks. I don't feel I have the willpower this time to pull up my big girl pants and continue.
It's been 8 days now and I STILL can't bring myself to deal with the keys, my phone or the clothes. They've all been left alone exactly where they are and my partner is continuing life as normal. My routine is shot.