Health Anxiety?.. Hypochondria?: For a month... - Anxiety Support

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Health Anxiety?.. Hypochondria?

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For a month I've been having headaches and pressure in my head. On top, on the sides, behind. I got worried sick. What I did (which made it worse) and still do sometimes but not as much, is feel all around my head for "abnormalities." What was actually the shape or curve of my skull I percieved to be much worse, I would freak out. Check for bumps and stuff and think "the t-word." I can't even say it man. So one morning I woke up and felt nauseous. Like I was on the verge of death. Actually, I KNEW I was... but I wasn't. So my folks went to the hospital where they took a ct scan and found out all was fine. Ever since then, my head feels great!

But now.... this feeling of dread is taking place on other parts of the body. My hand, my leg, my neck. After putting my arm in the microwave to retrieve cooked food I felt its heat and started worrying about its radiation. For a whole day I was scratching my arm, which led to more irritation, which I then believed to have been caused by the radiation! I was outside and started feeling the sun's heat against my arm and thought "skin cancer." I kept scratching and when I got home put tons of soap and water which is ridiculous because I WAS FINE IN THE SUN MY WHOLE LIFE! Why would today be any different?

Now I even look for weird marks on the skin its messed up. Now I just had diarrhea because I've been overeating but tell myself it is much worse. I went to the doctor for penal pain he checked for infections and said nothings wrong but im still worried. When I suspect sometings wrong I get dizzy and feel anxious. Now I cant watch commercials about children with disease without worrying about myself and it sounds really greedy but I cant help it.

A good friend much older than me got cancer and John Mccain who I strongly admire got it so Ive been worrying about it A LOT. So one day I looked up "fear of cancer" and it led me to a thing about "hypochondria" or "health anxiety" and I realized I'm not alone. Now every single little nook and crannie on my body, or the slightest of aches makes me overanalyze and believe it is something bad. I was once strong-minded and athletic but now I'm worried in some way throughout the day. Although there is nothing wrong with me, I insist otherwise. Perhaps its inactivity?

It feels weird telling this to complete strangers but I'm glad I found this site and I want to feel strong again. Any advice? I want to stop this fear of illness.

2 Replies
Icanbeathis2016 profile image
Icanbeathis2016

Definitely want you to know you are not alone. Because i suffer with this too my only advice is stay distracted as much as possible with something that you could do around the house or something you actually like doing. Watch a good movie, if you pray then do that more. And i know it can still be hard when you have pretry much convince yourself of something. Im struggling myself but i can admit when im distracted i am normal for those moments. And im trying to do all of this without having to take any meds

in reply to Icanbeathis2016

That's great. Meds only scare me Thank you for your insight.

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