Guy in bathroom rinsing his mouth...???

[surfer777]

I went into a public bathroom today and there was a guy who was rinsing his mouth out with water. He did it a couple of times in a row, and naturally, my instant reaction was to think he just threw up and was rinsing out is mouth.

Now I can't stop thinking if I was exposed to something

I washed my hands for a long time but didn't use a paper towel to turn off the water or open the door because I had just seen him touch the paper towel lever....

What do you guys think? I didn't smell any vomit, but I just have no idea if there were vomit particles floating around that he may have caused...

[mdgirl1977]

maybe he did v or maybe he had a bad taste. brushed teeth. garlic. no idea. but I think you are fine.

[mhartse]

Ya could of just ate and wanted to freshen his breath.

[surfer777]

This phobia...the worst. The OCD side of it is especially bad...chances are good this guy wasn't sick, yet here I am, unable to control these intrusive thoughts, and annoying other people with them now too...

[gumdropper1]

You will not know unless you ask him (and maybe not even then), so just treat every bathroom as if it had just been puked in.

[Cynna]

Doug ^^^ do not try to spread the phobia and make it worse.

Wash hands. Period. Do not worry about strangers habits. Live your life to the fullest.

Hope you are doing well otherwise Surfer.

[Grace47]

Probably had something stuck in his teeth. Forget about it and move on.

[canonguy]

i actually did that today because i just had a bad taste in my mouth after chewing this gross apple gum haha. probably harmless but i do understand how hard it is to chase the thoughts away.

[psalm139]

I am sure you will be fine. Like the others said it could be many reasons. You already knew what to do. Just go enjoy yourself

[psalm139]

I am sure you will be fine. Like the others said it could be many reasons. You already knew what to do. Just go enjoy yourself

[Pigatron]

Posts like this make me appreciate this forum so much, because I have the same thoughts. Anything out of the ordinary in a restroom always makes me nervous too. But I'm sure it was nothing, especially if you didn't smell anything.

[Jay417]

Don't worry about this at all. It is extremely common to see this in the mens' restroom. I do it often if I've eaten before using a public restroom. I have several friends who do the same exact thing.

[surfer777]

Thanks for the support guys. I just get frustrated with the OCD. I can recognize the thoughts are irrational and pretty stupid thoughts (to me, at least) but not being able to shake the intrusive thoughts kills me. I guess that's where the OCD comes in...

[anna81]

I agree there could be loads of reasons he was rinsing, but I am totally on your wavelength as that would have freaked me out too! This phobia is awful, i feel as though I don't have the ability to think rationally sometimes!
I'm sure you'll be fine even if he did v as you didn't touch anything he had.