diff --git a/services/gunDB/contact-api/utils/index.js b/services/gunDB/contact-api/utils/index.js
index c3039323..18e37bfe 100644
--- a/services/gunDB/contact-api/utils/index.js
+++ b/services/gunDB/contact-api/utils/index.js
@@ -182,11 +182,20 @@ const successfulHandshakeAlreadyExists = async recipientPub => {
  * @returns {Promise<string|null>}
  */
 const recipientToOutgoingID = async recipientPub => {
-  const maybeEncryptedOutgoingID = await require('../../Mediator/index')
-    .getUser()
-    .get(Key.RECIPIENT_TO_OUTGOING)
-    .get(recipientPub)
-    .then()
+  const maybeEncryptedOutgoingID = await tryAndWait(async (_, user) => {
+    const oid = await user
+      .get(Key.RECIPIENT_TO_OUTGOING)
+      .get(recipientPub)
+      .then()
+
+    if (typeof oid !== 'string' && oid !== null) {
+      throw new Error(
+        'Expected outgoing id from recipient-to-outgoing-id map to be an string or null'
+      )
+    }
+
+    return oid
+  })
 
   if (typeof maybeEncryptedOutgoingID === 'string') {
     const outgoingID = await require('../../Mediator/index').mySEA.decrypt(