Asbestos anxiety

[Calli_198]

Hi all,

Would really like some advice on how to cope with this overwhelming anxiety I am feeling right now.
I have never been diagnosed with anxiety but believe I do have it and certain situations set my anxiety off to the point I can no longer deal with the thoughts.

Recently, there was asbestos removal undertaken next door. I had been really concerned about this removal and on the day of the removal some how our external door (which is on the top story of our house on the same side as the asbestos removal) which I checked was locked, had blown open.

I’m not sure how long it was open for but I fear now my kids will be harmed from this as they were indoors but in the same room where the door was opened.
I feel like asbestos fibres could have blown into the house as it was a bit windy that day and feel they are still in the house.

My kind keeps playing the situation over in my mind and I feel this overwhelming guilt that I have hurt my children. In checking the door was locked I must have opened it by accident.

I feel sick to the stomach when I think about, have been waking up with panic attacks and no matter what I do I can’t feel a sense of calm. In googling conditions associated with asbestos it says they take 20-50 years to develop.

I worry I am going to feel this worry my whole life. It is disabiling and stops me from doing simple tasks in my day to day life. Whenever I pick myself up, my mind goes straight to the situation.

Please any advice, I am struggling to forget this and keep going with my life!

[Sophie_M]

Welcome to the forums Calli.198,

We're sorry to hear that you're experiencing anxiety at the moment. Please know that there are ways to manage anxiety. You might find it useful to take a look at the Beyond Blue "Treatments for Anxiety" page to see if it can give you any ideas for treatment strategies - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/treatments-for-anxiety

Or our page for "Anxiety management strategies" here - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/treatments-for-anxiety/anxiety-management-strategies

Please feel free to keep us updated on what you're going through here on your thread whenever you feel up to it.
 

[Emmen]

Dear Calli.198,

It's a terrible situation to be in, to be anxious about the harm we have unintentionally inflicted upon our children. Short-term exposure to asbestos of this nature is unlikely to cause any harm to your children. The effects you usually read about in the news is generally associated with long-term exposure to it (e.g. in the case of people who are constantly exposed to it at work). While the effects may take years to show up, it is highly unlikely that your children were harmed by this one incident.

If you are still concerned, for peace of mind, you could clean your house thoroughly and leave the windows open for a bit to air it out. I would also stop googling these things because personal experience tells me that it's more anxiety-inducing than helpful.

I hope this helps.

Take care,
M

[MrE86]

Hi Calli.198,

I too have had this type of anxiety in the past and in recent times. I have read a great deal of articles on the subject of asbestos exposure, various types of asbestos and the chances of getting ill at some point. From the situation you have described, I think its highly unlikely any fibres would have made it into your house. If the removal was carried out by licensed professionals they would have hosed down the material so that it was wet prior to removing it, this process limits any particles from becoming airborne. They would then wrap it all up safely to be disposed of at an approved dump. Even if the removal was done by amateurs and some fibres were released into the air, they would have likely floated off into the outside atmosphere, not likely made it into your small doorway. Having spoken to a licensed asbestos removalist, even the fibro dust that may appear during a removal does not necessarily mean the fibres have separated from the cement. Everything I have read suggests that the vast majority of sufferers have had heavy exposure for long periods, decades even on a daily basis in the workplace. We all breathe in tiny amounts from day to day. It seems like the poor buggers who used to work inside factories, cutting the materials for years or working underground in the mines are the people at biggest risk.

I think you guys are fine and I thank you for sharing your concerns. They are valid concerns but I wouldn't worry too much more in this case.

best regards..

[Calli_198]

Hi MrE86,

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. Recently my anxiety regarding this has returned quite severely and reading this has put me more at ease.

May I ask what makes you believe that any fibers were highly unlikely to enter through the door? I suffer from ocd and it’s hard for me to see this from a different perspective.

Many thanks again for your insight into all this and the fact that we all breathe in a small amount of fibers everyday brings me more at ease .

[Petal22]

Hi Calli 198,

Im sorry to hear that you suffer with OCD I also suffered with this condition severely but I’ve now recovered through the professional help I received.

Have you ever received any professional help for your OCD?

I understand how debilitating our intrusive OCD thoughts can be but there is a way that you can learn how to break free of the OCD cycle.

Im here to chat

[Calli_198]

Hi Petal22,

Thanks got your reply and support. I feel like OCD is a very stressful and lonely journey and no one sees things from my perspective.
May I ask what your OCD surrounded?

I am having difficulty rationalizing the danger in my situation. Having suffered from ocd can you see my concerns with the above situation or am I over inflating it?
I just don’t know how I’ll ever get over this and it’s ruining my life and relationships and ability to function.

many thanks

[Petal22]

Hi Calli.198,

Thats ok 😊

OCD is a very stressful condition to have…… it is unrelenting at times……. It’s a very cruel disorder. I understand

When I was in the grips of this condition I felt like I was living in an internal hell it was horrible and wouldn’t have wished it upon anyone! Your really not alone a lot of people go through this condition… I was in a group therapy with many others who were battling this condition…….

My thoughts sounded irrational to others but to me yeah they seemed irrational but felt very real… the anxiety I felt was very intense.

My thoughts were all intrusive thoughts… usually about the people close to me which absolutely terrified me! I loved these people with all my heart but these thoughts were just the total opposite of the person I am…. They tore me to pieces!

In regards to the above I can see your worries but I can also see were OCD is playing a part in it.

OCD is a vicious cycle but it’s a vicious cycle that you can learn to disengage from. You really can recover from this with the correct help.

Have you seeked professional help for your OCD?

I did a group therapy for my OCD it was an intervention into the OCD it gave me all the tools and skills I needed to master my OCD.

You too can learn what keeps you in your cycle and how to disengage from it……

There is hope for you… really there is…

Im sorry that OCD is impacting your life in the way it is but I know you can learn to break free of its grips…….

Hang in there I’m here to chat to you

I’ve written two threads you may be interested in reading

From someone who suffered OCD and recovered

Effective treatment for OCD Metacognitive

( just type this into your search bar)

[WorrierMum]

I hear you. I too suffer from intrusive thoughts about asbestos contamination. I lost my Grandfather and Aunty to mesothelioma. It never caused anxiety for me until I bought an older home 5 years ago and had my first child. Since then, I have recurring intrusive thoughts that asbestos fibres will harm my kids. I hired experts to inspect our house. They found some asbestos under the home and said it was low risk in current form, and just leave it alone. But I cannot help but worry about it. I also know there is likely asbestos under the tiles in the original bathroom. We are planning to renovate that bathroom and I am already panicking about how I will manage my anxiety when we do. No one else in my family worries about it like I do. Not even my Builder father who works with the stuff more often than anyone else.
I had a scare last year when I became convinced a kitchen renovation may have exposed asbestos. I had samples tested that came back negative. Then a bit of eaves broke off from a branch falling outside - again I panicked and tested that sample. Negative again. I had relief briefly. Then the worry started again. I'm convinced asbestos fibres are everywhere in my home and outside and I'm convinced they will harm my kids. After talk therapy, I've begun to see a pattern. I've always had OCD it seems but the thing I worry about has changed. As a child I couldn't go to sleep until I checked every corner of my bedroom for spiders. As a teenager, I washed my hands repetitively. As a young adult, I needed myself, my clothes and sheets pristine and clean before I climbed into bed each night. As a new mum, I had obsessive, intrusive thoughts about my baby being harmed (this was triggered by a traumatic birth). Then I had a patch where I was worried about mould spores. And now the current obsession is asbestos.

It seems there will always be something preoccupying my thoughts. I feel such guilt and sadness that I am wasting energy worrying about things that are irrational (even though they feel like very real threats in my mind). I should be enjoying this special time with my young kids. Instead, I'm an anxious, impatient mother.
I was in my GPs office today talking about it. I'm trying to decide whether to try an antidepressant to get me out of this current loop I'm stuck in.
I'm sorry I don't have any answers. I just wanted to share my story so you don't feel alone. I hope you too can overcome your battle with this anxiety.

[Petal22]

Hi WorrierMum,

Wellcome to our forums!

Thank you for sharing your story and your not alone.

There too is hope for you that you can learn how to break free of OCD s grips! You really CAN if I can then there is hope you can too.

In regards to antidepressants I was put on a antidepressant to help me to manage my anxiety I believe it has helped me…. I was able to get my anxiety down to a certain level in the early stages before therapy so I could learn what I needed to learn in therapy so I could master my OCD……… my antidepressant was for anxiety……… initially things got worse before they got better when taking my antidepressant but now everything is great.

I highly recommend that you do a therapy for your OCD…… mine was Metacognitive Therapy it was an intervention into the OCD it gave me all the skills and tools I needed to master my condition…. Ive been free of OCD s grips for 4.5years…….

Please ensure you see someone who specialises in OCD….. someone who understands the cycle of OCD……. You need to be given the correct help so you can break free of it…….

I understand when we are mums with young kids we want to be able to enjoy this time and not be so anxious ……….. I also went through OCD when my kids were young it was really exhausting to be always battling this condition it was horrendous it felt like a marathon but a marathon I won.

Please start now start your intervention into your OCD you can be free of it with the correct help…….. you can live your future free of OCD.

Ive written two threads you may be interested in reading

From someone who suffered with OCD and recovered

Effective treatment for OCD Metacognitive Therapy

( just type this into your search bar)

Im here to chat to you anytime 😊