Fear of swallowing/inhaling things..

[always-anxious]

Lately I've had this fear that I'll swallow or inhale something I'm not supposed to.
I wash my hands on a regular basis, but am always worried that there will be soap lingering on my hands and it will get in my mouth or nose. When I use hand sanitizer at work and I rub my nose I always worry that it wasn't rubbed in well enough and I'll inhale it accidentally. It's even to the point where I lost a tack, and started thinking that maybe my mouth had been open and I swallowed it.
I'm the same way when it comes to bugs, too. Just now I found a fly in my bathtub and I thought it was dead but I worry that it wasn't and that when I went to flush it, it flew into my mouth and I may have swallowed it. Even though that's completely unlikely. Sometimes it feels like I could have something stuck in my throat, but I think that's just my body's response to my worry.
I'm not really sure why I have this irrational fear.. it has me constantly coughing in an attempt to 'cough up' what I think I may have swallowed. I clear my throat constantly and am always rinsing my mouth out. I'm really aware of where my hands have been, when the last time I washed them was. I find myself worrying about it all the time.

[spitfireatme]

Inquire into why other people don't worry about this - ask a bunch of people. Maybe you'll adopt their attitude.

[Toofless-suh-suh-sorry...]

I'm new here, but... I'm sort of the same. I'm afraid of swallowing something alive. If I see flying insects about, I can soon feel one in my throat. Often I'll cough and retch until I throw up. If I start to get the idea something live could be in my food, I end up the same. I have to have a lot of help with live in minders to assure me I'm okay and haven't swallowed anything.
It's tough, I know. And yours, with other stuff, must be awful for you.
Stupid thing is, I also have a compulsion TO swallow things -but objects.
Let me know if you'd like to talk to me, it's a hell of a thing to have, worse when no one understands, eh?
Be well.