Question about ocd and immune system?!
Question: Here goes: I've had ocd for over 5 years now (the germaphobe kind) washing hands constantly, persistently cleaning certain things over and over again which involves using harsh smelling chemicals- I've been sick again (still coughing some even now) with a cold twice now within the past 3 months and i'm almost certain it has to do with my immune system and being that I permanently ******* it up. Is there any way a doctor would be able to tell me if i've screwed up my immune system for good?
Answers: Here goes: I've had ocd for over 5 years now (the germaphobe kind) washing hands constantly, persistently cleaning certain things over and over again which involves using harsh smelling chemicals- I've been sick again (still coughing some even now) with a cold twice now within the past 3 months and i'm almost certain it has to do with my immune system and being that I permanently ******* it up. Is there any way a doctor would be able to tell me if i've screwed up my immune system for good?
Blood is made up of two parts. Red bllod cells and white blood cells. Your white blood cells are your immune system. Your heart does two major things - pumps blood through the body and creates both red and white blood cells. It doesn't continuosly creat these cells though. Once a sufficient amount is created it stops doing this until the need arises.
There are people who are born with an illness called Wolf Parkinson's Syndrome which is a condition which means the sufferer does not have enough white blood cells for their immune system to work sufficiently. Wolf Parkinson's effects children the most causing some to be born with a heart that doesn't provide white blood cells at all. These are the "bubble boy's and girl's" As they grow and their heart matures it begins to function properly.
This, and other similar conditions, is the only cause for having a deficient immune system, so to answer your question: No you haven't permantly wrecked your immune system.
When your body discovers a foreign agent the immune system reacts to remove the intruder. Think of your white blood cells as bullets. The body "fires shots" at the allergen/ virus/ bacteria in order to remove it which in turn uses up these "bullets".
When your collection of white blood cells diminishes your chance of infection rises since your body is less proficient at handling intruding nasties. During this period your heart works to build your immune system back up, but every time you get a bug (or inhale chemicles as seems to be your case) the immune system is need to protct your body and sometimes the loss of white blood cells is quicker than the gain.
To help solve your problem without forcing you to stop with this OCD try wearing protective clothing including gloves, goggles and a mask. A builders mask is alot more efficient at filtering than a simple cloth mask is but the choice is yours. This will help your immune system catch up.
Also, drink plenty of water to get some natural saliva production going to moisten that throat of yours so you stop coughing