Tomatoes à la Arrabbiata

As a proper Italian Lisa loves tomatoes. But the problems already start whilst going shopping. Shall I take the tomato on the left or the one next to it? What until now sounds completely harmless degenerates into hours of pondering and choosing. Finally the beloved tomatoes have been bought and are put in the shopping bag but then the odyssey continues. For the short way home Lisa needs hours. Constantly she has to walk back. Time and again because Lisa suffers from compulsions. A small voice in her ear continuously tells her she must walk the RIGHT way else something terrible might happen to her. So she again and again tries to do it right until after complete exhaustion she returns home which was supposed to be only a brief trip to the shop to buy four tomatoes! But that’s not all. Terrible fears accompany here every second of the day: Fear of a heart attack, fear that she might have a brain tumor, fear she might suffocate. She knows all of the hospitals within the Frankfurt area inside out, one ECG per week is compulsory, her family doctor is at a loss. The vicious circle of fears, compulsions and depressions is engulfing her more and more with Lisa barely able to do simple daily activities. Whether having a shower, working, sleeping or eating: Everywhere the illness has a firm grip on her which makes it impossible to lead a normal life. With a lot of black humor that continually brings a smile to ones face despite the serious topic Lisa describes this time and how things came to a happy conclusion. A true story.