I imagine I am not the only one like this, but my anxiety often brings about hypochrondria. In the last few months, I've had obsessions about lung cancer, about colon cancer, about uterine cancer... as if there weren't many other things an ailment could be. At the moment, it is a little bump on the roof of my mouth that has me thinking cancer again. I will see my dentist soon, fortunately. I think seeing a health professional for reassurance is fine. But the mind, fueled by anxiety, always going to catastrophic scenarios, is not fine. Anybody feels the same, has comments or tips to beat this?
OK, over a week later:
After intense, prolonged, almost constant anxiety about this, my dentist told me it is only a minor inflammation. My rational mind knew that, tried to reason with myself to no avail. I'm relieved, but angry about the whole going nuts episode. I just hope that next time I have a random physical symptom, I won't go bonkers again. But I fear that anxiety just disregards reason. I'm looking forward to my next session of anxiety self management workshop.
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Eklektik
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Hello
Feel the same I have had a lifetime of it and regular never leaves me alone
I have had things in my head that my Doctor has said don't even exist and I would have gone down in Medical History if I had actually had them !
I am going through similar at the moment but I have just had the worst scenario happen which was from last Oct I had 3 heart attacks and now a triple Bypass and for someone with Health Anxiety well I cannot even tell you what it has caused mentally now for me
Having had the heart problems I honestly thought Health Anxiety would leave me alone but it has got 1000 worse which I find unbelievable !
I have thrush in my mouth at the moment which like you even though I have been told it is thrush it is cancer in my head
Upset stomach cancer in my head
Earache that is even life threatening in my head
I actually get so fed up with myself I could and do scream for it to leave me alone
How to stop this is easier said than done I think as I do try as the only person that suffers is me
Someone told me once to write a list of all the things I thought I had ever had and then tick how many I had
At the time I did do it and I could tick none , not so good now as heart attack was on that list and now that one is ticked but maybe it would help you ?
Also the saying not to worry till someone tells you that you have something to worry about ?
Makes sense but again easier said than done
I suppose I do not have the answers how to stop it , others might but wanted to let you know that you are not alone and there are many of us in these Communities just like you x
Thanks BeKind. Hope your health is getting better. Thank you for the list trick. Off the top of my head, none of the ailments I feared have happened. And you are right, nobody told me there was something to worry about, so I just have to wait for my appointment at the dentist. I'll try to move it up. Thank you for your generous respond and lets hope for us both that we can keep this hypochondria in check. Be well!
Hello BeKind, after days of bad anxiety about my "cancer", my dentist told me today it is a mild inflammation, nothing to worry about. Huge relief! When I think of the amount of anxiety I've suffered for this issue, trying to reason with myself to no avail, I am angry for all the energy and pain that went into this. Can I hope that next time I'll keep my worries in check and not blow them way out of proportion? I hope that in a couple of hours, I'll be able to laugh at this Thanks for you concern and be well!
I’m laughing at my self here! I’m not a doctor but my family says I think I am! Anxiety absolutely but I have a habit of looking up whatever “symptoms” I happen to have at the time on all the medical websites I like. I’m like you though, if I’m really worried I don’t have a problem with going to a doctor.
Hi ShouldaWouldaCoulda, or should I say Dr ShouldaWouldaCoulda? I am refraining from looking up anything on the internet right now since it almost always point to cancer, but I know the urge: I've done it before, but mostly for other people's illnesses. I'm glad you can laugh at yourself, I'll try to do the same. Thanks for your answer, be well!
You are not alone . I have been suffering from it for the past 2 months multiple trips to the ER and my doctor which reassured me everything is fine . But it’s so hard to stop all the thoughts am having ,at times I feel like am going crazy and every day is a struggle for me. I try to things to distract me like listening to music , read the Bible take a walk or just call a friend .my prayers is with you and I hope you find peace and comfort 🙏🏾
Thank you Butterflyfish! I so get it's hard to stop all the thoughts. I am trying to apply the ACT therapy approach to thoughts. Don't try so much to control them as not give them all the power. Actually, the more you struggle with them, the stronger they get. And as Kam says, thoughts are only thoughts. ACT advocates you just let them be and you don't have to believe them. I am relatively new to ACT therapy, but I have found it refreshing even if obviously I don't master the techniques yet. May you find peace and be well.
Hi there! I am exactly the same. I ruminate all the time. Mine moves from one thing to another. At the moment, I'm fretting about Motor Neurone disease after Googling Muscle twitching. This all started about 2 months ago. I should know better. I can't go to the doctor's because whatever they tell me it is. I will start worrying about something else. Truth is, I know I haven't got MND because I have no other symptoms and I'm still here to tell the tale!! I've practically been round my body. I need the "lift" from the antidepressants I'm on so I can keep my mood rational. So far, I'm still waiting for them to work. I try and remember that thoughts are harmless and that's all they are is thoughts. Not always easy, when accompanied by anxiety. You're not alone, the mind is a powerful thing. We are all here for each other. Stay strong and tell yourself over and over that your fears are Bonkers. I'm thinking of you and sending Strength, love and hugs. 😘❤️🤗
Hi Kam, I really get what you mean that hypochondria moves from one thing to the other. Thank you for reminding me that thoughts are just thoughts. I sometimes tell myself "don't believe everything you think". I hope your antidepressants kick in soon. Strength, love and hugs to you too!
Hi Eklektik, how are you doing. My meds have slowly started to kick in and I feel that something is happening... not sure what yet, but onward and upwards. Hope you're okay.🤗😘
Hello Kam, nice to hear the meds are kicking in, onward and upwards is wonderful! That is how I feel about the anxiety. There are setbacks, but I try not to see them as defeat, just 1 step back after2-3 steps forwards. My anxiety (which I named Ursula) has been trying to get me on a full "I have cancer" trip again. I have the intrusive thoughts, but not the physical manifestations of anxiety. Major Yay! They don't stick as much as they used to. However, as anxiety recedes, the depression that was there before it is coming back quite hard. Sigh. I try to be zen about it for the moment.
I hope your meds get to their full strength soon and you keep moving forward and up
Hi Eklektik, I wonder why it is that our anxieties are always (or nearly always) about Cancer. I can hardly bare to say the word. I love that you’ve given your anxiety a name😂 it’s a good idea! I might do the same….have a chilled weekend my lovely….peace and love 😌🤗😘
In the context of my work, I've had the opportunity to learn a thing or two about stress response. Normally, when we perceive a danger, our organism goes into stress mode and comes back to normal after the danger was dealt with and has passed. Also, the magnitude of the stress response is normally adjusted to the degree of danger. We don't react the same way to a spider or to a grizzly bear. I think in anxiety, our stress response (1) does not fade away to come back to normality and (2) is not well gauged for the degree of danger. It's like an alarm system that does not turn off and it always go to "life or death" level. My hypothesis is that because we always respond at a life and death level, our mind goes to a life or death issue, thus cancer. That is how I view it, and by no means a scientific explanation, but it makes sense to me. Peace and love to you too.
At the moment Covid is a common fear. I have a weak chest, so I've been paranoid about masks, etc., any time I step out of the house. Recently caught a cold, which turned a bit bronchitic, and I was slightly worried, but it settled.
I'm double jabbed, and as a retired nurse, try to keep up to date with stuff. will be going for Flu jab soon, but I am unsure of the new booster jab, as it is not the one I had before and has been implicated in cases of Anaphylaxis, which I had once before and don't want again!
My son, however is a real worry wart; keeps thinking he has DVT, so I have to check his legs daily in order to reassure him. Personally, I think that like me, he has Fibromyalgia.
The trouble with my son is, He won't walk anywhere unless he has a place to go to, get something and come back. He won't walk just because he can. Drives me nuts!
I am dealing with hypochondria as well. For me, it ties into my OCD too. Lately, my mind has been obsessing about the last several surfaces that an object or food item has touched, to the point where I have't been eating much. Like you, I went to doctor appointments multiple times, due to this. Sometimes, even their advice was not enough to put the anxiety at bay. I tell myself that because of my trauma, a part of my mind tends to be convinced that catastrophic possibilities with a very small chance of happening will surely happen, and that this is an issue and does not reflect reality. Sometimes it works, other times there is even more realistic anxiety. It is important to keep pushing through and continue to try to adjust the proportions of these dangers as they are in our minds. You got this!
Hello ocdbegone89, I like your hopeful name! My psychologist told me that after an initial reasonable step to get reassurance (going to the dentist in my case), further attempts (which can be frantic search on the internet) at getting reassurance actually feeds the anxiety. I am sorry you have experienced trauma, I suppose it magnifies anxiety. I think it is a good thing to reflect and recognize our scenarios are catastrophic and do not reflect reality. In my case, reasoning is not very effective. I tend to go about my anxiety with breathing, meditation and acceptance exercises, which don't rest on my reasoning as it is not working properly at the moment. I'll keep in mind your advice to try and adjust proportions of dangers. Thank you so much for your response.
OCD, hypochondria, anxiety and trauma... that's a raw deal. I admire you for all your efforts and the guts it takes to face all this.
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I am refraining from looking up anything on the internet right now since it almost always point to cancer, but I know the urge: I've done it before, but mostly for other people's illnesses. I'm glad you can laugh at yourself, I'll try to do the same. Thanks for your answer, be well!
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