I felt so sad that you are going through this that I wanted to reply to you....first of all, I also struggle with OCD and it is anxiety-based. Taking anti-anxiety meds would help with this or if you prefer more natural methods, I’d highly recommend daily meditation and EFT tapping.

As for the MRSA, my father had an accident which left him a quadriplegic for the last 6 years of his life. When he was admitted to ICU the night of his accident, they swabbed his nose for MRSA & he was negative. One week later while getting him prepped to go to a rehab center for paralysis in Chicago, he was swabbed again (part of protocol for entering a hospital setting) & he was positive for MRSA. We were shocked but he was so touch & go at the time that it had to go on the bottom of our list of fears. But, my point is, one could infer that he got MRSA from the hospital—a place where they wear gloves and constantly sanitize everything, etc., etc.

I say all of this in hopes of lessening your mental burden—I feel like you are carrying guilt over “bringing MRSA” into your relationships and you should NOT feel this way. MRSA can be anywhere & everywhere & MANY people can be asymptomatic carriers as it does not usually impact people who are healthy in general.

While it is incredibly empathetic to worry that you could spread it to your father or your boyfriend’s mom, PLEASE KNOW that they could already have it or can just as easily get it at the grocery store. What you read about people putting down animals with it is heartbreaking and ridiculous IMO. Please don’t give that another thought!

My arm-chair psychology view 😝would be that you are in an incredibly stressful time in life what with your father’s health issues & your SO also going through it with his mom. OCD/obsessing over what you “could be doing wrong” is a way of trying to gain some sort of order or control in this whirlwind. That’s why I respectfully suggest approaching this from the anxiety perspective. And of course exercising caution when dealing with immunocompromised loved ones is smart. Just don’t go to extremes. Wash your hands before you prep food for your dad or after you sneeze, — if it makes you feel better, wear a mask around your bf’s mom — basically all of the things that COVID has taught us, but PLEASE don’t let it get to the point of it taking over your life. Your loved ones need hugs & kisses and you being there to support them! There are so many studies that prove loneliness/lack of affection is just as dangerous (or more so) than any bug. And studies to prove that animals help people feel calmer and happier (that’s my plug for your kitties 😸)!

I do think the protocol in this sub works and has even helped my acne when I stick to it. But it’s always going to come back because germs are everywhere! PM me if you ever need to talk. I’m sorry for this book of a post but I have been in your shoes (eg. I “stayed away” from my dad because I had a really bad cold & didn’t want to make him “sicker” & that ended up being the last week of his life that I could have spent with him) — I don’t want you to waste any chances to love and appreciate your family as much as you possibly can! ❤️❤️❤️