Reducing checking behaviors- health anxiety

[thyroidmom84]

Hi, everyone! So to be brief- I have fairly severe OCD and health anxiety. I recently had a swollen lymph node show up in the back part of my neck and I was convinced it was a sign of something terrible. It has been there for almost 2 months now but my doctor isn’t very worried about it because it is small and I just got good news that, according to a follow-up ultrasound, it’s getting smaller.

You would think that would make me happy but I am still very worried. And now I am compulsively checking for other swollen lymph nodes multiple times a day. Unfortunately I have even begun doing it in my office. The worst part is, I feel like I push down very hard and if you push hard enough on your body, you’re bound to hit muscles and other things that I misattribute as something else.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice as to how to end or reduce these compulsions. Thanks!

[alyssuh]

Hello. I feel the only advice i could give would be to just keep yourself from checking, or maybe check in one area and trust that although you didn’t check the other areas, they are fine as well. I understand how it feels to feel your body and push deeply into muscle or tissue and you feel something odd and you’re like wtf is that??? But also understand stress and constant worry will do harm to your body and the ocd is trying to make it seem like its protecting you by having you compulsively check, when its actually putting your body into a constant state of worry

[Penny56]

I am having health anxiety as well, so I relate. I have had irritable bowel syndrome, IBS for years. My digestion is very bad today, and I have had lesser problems for several days. I'm obsessing that its cancer. I do go to the gastroenterologist tomorrow, so eventually I will find out. It's hard to deal with the fear, though. Other anxiety and OCD has been active in me as well lately.

[thyroidmom84 in reply to Penny56]

Thank you for sharing. I have an ENT appointment today. Hopefully they both go well!

[Penny56 in reply to thyroidmom84]

Good luck with that!