Health Anxiety

[NitrousOxide]

Does anyone else suffer from health anxiety/used to be called hypochondria? I'm having a particularly difficult time of it recently and have sort of lost the ability to function due to the stress and obsession.

How do you handle real symptoms with doctors doing tests and things, when your health anxiety is also making you expect the worst constantly?

PS: No I'm not Gabby.

 

[Platypusfattypus]

I have had a huge amount of health anxiety and ocd from when I was young following my parents dying from cancer. What has helped me has been shit load of cbt, bereavement counselling (for about a year) and challenging my thoughts. I'm much better with it now though coronavirus did cause a massive flare up.

And never Google. If I have to google I always put "and anxiety" as that gives me a better search result.

 

[Badabing101]

OCD example for health.
You get a pain, lump or some sort of ‘symptom’ that triggers your brain into thinking “that’s weird, feels painful, never had that before… I read something a few weeks ago about ***** cancer…No, its not that, I’m too young”
A few days later it happens again (the pain or trigger) – your radar is on full alert and the same thoughts go through your head, you feel highly anxious (this helps serve as proof to you there is something serious wrong). You reassure yourself by googling, reading random things on the internet, asking people what they think, following people on instagram. This serves to put more doubt and ideas in your head , so you start focussing on where the pain may be and looking for other symptoms like tiredness, lack of appetite etc. When you are looking for the symptoms, you find them and they almost feel like proof that something is wrong. This leads to you to keep looking for reassurance or you might start actively avoiding situations that may trigger these thoughts (maybe a tv programme has a cancer storyline – so you avoid it). Seeking reassurance and avoidance are classic behaviours which serve to fuel the anxiety. You may have rituals that make you feel safe (one of mine was when I was out running I would race to the next lamppost before a car came and if I beat it I wouldn’t have cancer). The problem with avoidance is that you are inadvertently telling yourself there IS something to worry about, because as much as you might try to not focus on it (avoidance) you are actually focussing on it by actively avoiding it. Hope that makes sense?
This cycle continues, you feel worse with anxiety which keeps getting fuelled with the constant ‘what ifs’, reassurance seeking, avoidance and other behaviours you might do to try and make yourself feel better (you might change your diet for example). It can start to take over your life and really interfere with relationships etc.

The exposure and response prevention therapy works in a way that re-trains your behaviour and thought processes.
You learn to tolerate the anxiety and the thoughts that provoke the anxiety by not engaging in and resisting the urge to do any of the behaviours – googling, asking for reassurance, going to the doctors, changing diet etc . Anxiety will peak, but will eventually subside. If you do this enough, you will be able to respond to triggers in a more reasonable way (like someone without OCD does). OCD makes you lose perspective.

OCD really plays on the element of doubt and a need to be 100% certain, which we can never be. It’s so hard to accept this, but once you can accept it becomes easier. One of the things I found very hard to overcome was the idea that I couldn’t have absolute certainty. The other thing that is hard is when your fears seem reasonable and there is potential for something to be seriously wrong… I would always question the results of tests, professional advice. Again over-estimating the danger is a typical feature of OCD.
I have rambled on a lot here, but I hope it helps. The way OCD functions is very similar in everyone – the difference is the triggers and exact behaviours you undertake. If I haven’t mentioned anything above that is exactly as you experience health anxiety / OCD, it’s not because it’s not part of it, it’s because it is slightly different for everyone.

 

[Izzylamn]

I don't usually post but I've been waiting for a thread about health anxiety!

I originally had it about 10 years ago when I was 16, it lasted about a year but I soon managed it although still had slight ocd and general anxiety. Since covid it has returned and worse than ever. I just obsess over everything, the colour of my nails, anything on my skin etc.. I'm really struggling, sometimes I just can't get out of bed because I know ill look at anything and everything on my skin. Even a spot scares me it's ridiculous.

I'm sorry you're going through this too

 

[Happyvalley]

Yes, I had a swelling appear on my body that was unexplained and disappeared after a week. Doctors could find no reason for it. That triggered awful health anxiety and I would spend hours googling symptoms and self diagnosing. I barely slept and convinced myself I was dying. It was an awful time. I saw a lovely GP who told me in no uncertain terms to stay away from google. I never look online now for anything related to health but the anxiety is always there, I think because my mother died at a young age too.

 

[DCICassieStuart]

Why do brains always have to find SOMETHING to be anxious about?

THIS! My brain just never bloody shuts up. I'm just sick of it all. Constant anxiety, constantly feeling scared and frightened and just feeling stupid and pathetic and useless

 

[MonkeyTennis]

It's also a recognised form of OCD, there are some great sites out there that can help. Dr Schwartz is a harvard professor who has been an expert in his field for at least 3 decades.
He has written some great books that give fantastic advice too.
Also his website hope4ocd is most definitely worth a read, it is excellent and gives you the tools you need to deal with ODC
You can and will change this type of health obsession.
Virtual hug

 

[clairstewart1111]

I’ve been off line for a few weeks due to my anxiety. I ended up being referred to the breast clinic about my lump. After examinations and an ultrasound its nothing serious. Fatty tissue or a cyst. So relieved!! Can stop worrying myself silly!!

 

[jackolantern]

Hope everyone is doing well After all my worrying my smear ended up fine. I have other good news... my boyfriend proposed last week But ofcourse I can't be excited and look forward to getting married because everytime anything good happens - I convince myself that means something awful will happen and I'll die before I get there. Health Anxiety, slowly stopping you living every moment at a time

 

[jackolantern]

I don't even have words to describe how utterly fed up, sad and exhausted I am with spending everyday of my life thinking I'm dying of something. And the reality is the second you get relief or move on from something, it's just to something else. Plus there is the reality that you can never know you are 100% even if you have everything tested, because things literally can change daily. I just can't look forward to anything because I'm sure I won't be here. I'm so done with it but it's who I am

 

[Tommyb]

In regard to breast lumps this used to be my go to with my health anxiety. I would find lumps every day and check myself literally every 20 minutes. I would make myself so so sore. I wouldn't eat because I'd be so anxious i didn't even notice I wasn't eating.

I had many many trip to the doctors about lumps before I knew I had health anxiety and I had a great doctor. She told me that most people tend to feel things with the tip of their finger which is wrong. It will ALWAYS feel bigger with the tip of your finger (like feeling something with your tongue) and you should feel with the flat of the fingers. She also told me that prodding and picking will cause normal breast lumps and bumps (mine are lumpy) to enlarge and become painful. She also told me cancerous breats lumps are usually incredibly obvious and will stick out like a sore thumb.

One way that helped me was to check for a similar feeling lump on the other breast. I got obsessed with the area around nipple once but once i felt the same the other side I know i was feeling ducts. It also helped me to look up breast anatomy.. like what the inside looks like. You can then see how these are grape like.

The main thing that helped me was having my amazing mum who is so patient and understanding check me. We made a deal that i wouldn't check myself and she would check me as often as I needed and take the responsibility. This was a game changer in dealing with health anxiety I swear. At first she was checking me every 20 mins..then every hour.. then twice a day, before work and after work. It meant at work I could hold on until I got home. I would sometimes not be able to resist but I would tell her that I found something when I got home and she would check for me. Eventually it became less frequent and now its my mum that asks me if I need her to check and I completely forget!. She still checks me once every 3 months but we are now going to get me to check myself straight after she has checked dos I can do it properly and safely.

Although I will always have health anxiety it is so far in the back of my mind now and does not have bearing on my everyday life anymore. I fully understand it and breast lumps were such a thing for me (and other sufferers) because they are hidden. You cannot see them, the same with cervix issues. Part of the reason of having health anxiety for me is a sudden event that came out of nowhere and completely shocked me. It manifested into finding things wrong with me that I couldn't see so I would try to find them so they couldn't surprise me and I would be in control this time.

..sorry for the log post but it hurts my heart to read your posts and I just hope you all have someone in your lives that can help you the way my mum did for me xxx

 

[ChampagneBox]

Does anyone else suffer from health anxiety/used to be called hypochondria? I'm having a particularly difficult time of it recently and have sort of lost the ability to function due to the stress and obsession.

How do you handle real symptoms with doctors doing tests and things, when your health anxiety is also making you expect the worst constantly?

PS: No I'm not Gabby.

I had a flexible sigmoidoscopy yesterday because I’ve spent a year worrying about bowel cancer I’ve been worried about my health since I was 3 years old funny this thread pops up when I need it most! Hope you’re okay, feel free to message me

 

[jackolantern]

Does anyone else find they can't look forward to pretty much anything long term in life because you are convinced you will be dead? I can't even talk about the future with my partner without making him "take it back" afterwards incase I "jinx" it (although tbh I do this with alot). I've been like this ever since my HA started tbh. Always tell myself if I make it to a certain age, time or milestone that I'll accept I'm wrong and stop, but I never do. I so desperately want things like a baby, marriage, a house. But I can't even talk about it let alone get excited because all I see is death and that I'll never have those things.

 

[Mascaragirl]

Never seen this thread before, I’ve suffered with health anxiety horrendously for years. I’m only 22, but it took over in my late teens, medication and therapy helped a lot along with mindfulness, as hard as it can be to start it is worth it. Couple years on since it was really bad I can say it does get better, I still have my worries and moments of panic but it’s a lot more controlled now. It nearly ruined my life but telling someone and getting help was the best thing I ever did. Don’t be ashamed, you’re not just a ‘hypochondriac’ and don’t let anyone dismiss you. I find this little exercise attached really helps, asking yourself is this really a probable thought or a product of your health anxiety leading you to an illusion? My private messages are always open for anyone to talk about this

 

[ChampagneBox]

Does anyone else find their anxiety is worse round their period?

 

[kadykal95]

Mine is awful lately. My brain flips from one thing to another, constantly. I can't enjoy life until the "symptom" goes away or i get reassurance from a doctor. Which i can't do every single time otherwise they just won't believe me anymore.
Through lock down alone i've convinced myself i've had multiple cancers and motor neurone disease.

 

[Badabing101]

That's a really helpful, insightful post on OCD and how we all respond differently to our triggers or a spike in an intrusive thought.Thank you.
Particularly the paragraph on responding to OCD, will ring true to a lot of us OCDers

My doc liked to think of OCD as a muscle (that none of us what) the more we respond to our triggers the stronger the OCD becomes, again tricking our brain into beliveing something that is just a normal everyday occurrence is something worse, ie that headache l get from time to time MUST be a brain tumour. The way to deal with these thoughts is to say to yourself, yep l'm getting headaches from time to time, like most people and I'm stressed out at the moment but that's just my OCD playing up, don't ruminate on the thought, just let the thought be there, don't fight it but continue about your day as best you can, don't feed into your anixety. I know it's so easier said than done. And it's not easy to do at first but it will work.
Hope l'm not being patronising to anybody here, believe me I've been there and have recovered and everyone here can too.

The advise from earlier in the thread about not googling your symptoms is a good one.
Also think Dr's are so much more understanding about OCD and how badly it affects your life.
My doc has a cup in her exam room that says "Don't confuse dr Google with my medical degree"
Having said that there are so many legitimate sites online that are run and regulated by professional agencies, that can really help.
x

The concept of letting thoughts go takes so much practice, you’re so right about how important that skill is. The thoughts / images / intrusions will always come and go as they are a part of the human condition, it’s what we do with them that is important.

One way I’ve visualised the letting intrusive thoughts be is to treat them like a visitor you didn’t invite round to your house. They keep knocking on the door until you answer it - no point deliberately ignoring them as they just keep knocking. Let them come in and sit there, but don’t start a conversation, don’t offer them a brew and don’t ask them to leave. Just get on with your day... they’ll soon get bored and leave. It’s sort of like that with your thoughts.

 

[tialin]

I was very ill after the birth of my second child and my health anxiety got worse as I was obsessed I had nearly died then was obsessed with any ache or pain thinking I had some serious illness.

You are not alone. It’s amazing the more you open up about health anxiety the more people you learn have the same thoughts etc. I kept mine secret for years and years. Even when I opened up a lot of friends/family would laugh and think I was been stupid but I found it easier to talk about it online where people are happy to open up about it.

I think it’s really hard for people who don’t have this to be able to relate. Every time I ask for reassurance about a symptom I’m always met with “not again” which really doesn’t help when your in that state of mind!

 

[pourthetea]

I feel like I'm the opposite of people as I find problems and then refuse to go to doctors for it

This is me, too! I want to avoid any situation where a doctor could confirm there is anything wrong with me. It’s so contradictory! I worry that something is wrong, and then I don’t want it to be discovered to make it better

 

[mochibean]

I used to have really bad hypochondria. Thought I had cancer, MS, thyroid problems, schizophrenia, the lot! My main fear is teeth falling out though and I've been severely scared of that since I was around 14.
It's gotten much better in recent years, not perfect, but better. One big thing I stopped doing is googling my symptoms, that was one of the main things fuelling my anxiety. Headache = cancer, dizziness = MS, feel sick = some very rare life threatening illness. Google just always seems to find the worst case scenario and I'd ponder it for days, literally making myself ill with worry.

I've had flair ups of it here and there with certain symptoms but it's passed and I've managed to be okay again but it's a very exhausting and scary cycle to be stuck in. Some medications can help, and also meditation and mindfulness exercises.