hypocondriacs....READ THIS!

Untouchable · Post by **Untouchable** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:28 pm

Mary jane--Thank you so much for your words of encouragement! I am already feeling relief just knowing that other people have had these same kind of fears and that they're ok. I will be o.k. too. I don't want to live my life being afraid of something that will probably never happen and I really don't want to make myself crazy by worrying about it.

Cherl · Post by **Cherl** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:49 am

I am glad I am not the only other one out there. This past week has been horrible for me as far as Health anxiety. I don't know what to make of myself lately. I really amped up the positive self talk. Did the relaxation tapes,etc. I think I am nerved up about my annual physical tomorrow. I keep telling myself that this is a "checkup". I think the bottom line is I seem to have developed this anxiety about 6 months ago, and I guess I am looking for some medical rational to pin it on. Even though I know it is just me and these inane scary thoughts about every twitch, twinge, pain, etc. being something else. Anyway thanks for letting me ramble on. I feel better already..

leelee · Post by **leelee** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 4:58 am

Hi.. I have had health anxiety for 15 years (or more) I am obsessed with bodily symptoms and I go on the Internet and scare myself worse. Is there a book that addresses this? I am home with my two toddlers and I don't enjoy(I know that sounds horrible) I am lonely and feel unproductive... my symptoms and worries have gotten sooooo bad...

sleeplessMom · Post by **sleeplessMom** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:44 am

A book that has been recommended by several on this site is called: "Stop Worrying About Your Health." As far as I can tell, though, it seems to be out of print. You might be able to find it somewhere. Someone also recommended "Phantom Illness" but I checked this out of my library and found it less helpful than the the program tapes have been. Are you doing the program? The program has really helped me with my health anxiety.

Mags1999 · Post by **Mags1999** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:37 am

I too am a hypochondriac, or have health anxiety! It is so horrible, it consumes me! It makes me feel better to see that I am not the only one out there. I have my physical tomorrow and all I want is that clean bill of health! I think the other thing that makes me obsess is the stuff that I run across on the news, it freaks me out! I too look up every symptom, and freak myself out. I am in lesson 8, and learning to change my what-if thinking, to "what-if I stop worrying about my health". I can't wait for that day to come!

Dina · Post by **Dina** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:16 pm

I was a hypo for a long time...For me it was something to obsess about so I didn't have to face my actual life and what was happening in it. It is a distraction. Once I began to REALLY do what I needed in my life and when a symptom would happen I would dismiss it I am almost totally free from it. It used to take over my entire day i couldn't think of anything else. It truly is a choice to focus on it or forget it and after a while it goes away. After a long time not living going through the motions of life because i was health obsessed I am free.

No_Dummy · Post by **No_Dummy** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:35 pm

Hi, this is my first post and I'm a little nervous about this. I didn't know that so many people had the same problem. About 10 years ago, I had my first symptom which was my throat feeling like it was closing up all the time. After thousands of dollars in tests and an endoscopy, Dr. found out I had a hiatal hernia and ulcers in my esophogus and have been on prilosec - nexium since (But I know now it was my anxiety that caused this). On and off, I've had other symptoms which would come and go but last year, after losing my job due to a medical disability (not related to my anxiety but to my bad back) I was getting weird heart palpitations. Spent more thousands on ER visits, a heart monitor, countless tests, treadmill, ect. Doctors say I am very healthy and there is nothing "bad" about the heart palpitations (it skips beats). However, when I was in the ER, the doc gave me attivan (first time for any anti-anxiety drug) and the flutters and worrying about that it was a heart attack instantly went away. That got me thinking that this was anxiety. Instead of having that same sypmtom though, I got other problems. I would feel nausious for a month and a half almost all day, I had migraines 2-3 times a week. I would have constipation, then diarreah, bad stomach aches. But I never had more than one symptom at a time. I also noticed while I had these symptoms, I never was actually sick. I have not had a cold or anything like this in years. I was convinced I had colon cancer and of course I dont. I was convinced that my migraines were because of a brain tumor, but an MRI shows it clear. My latest pain felt like a pulled groin muscle, like a hernia. Three different docs including a urologist could not feel a hernia. My primary doc, who means well, is convinced that I am over-anxious and maybe have depression and wants me to try medication. I am scared of trying anything I might get hooked on and have not started the wellbutrin. I tried buspar once and it gave me awful nightmares after putting me to sleep for only 2 hours then waking me up for the rest of the night. I use one .5mg ativan as a sleeping pill once every 2 weeks or so when I really need to sleep adn it works fine for that. I have not got my program yet but am waiting for it. I cant wait to start and stop this endless cycle of thinking my life will end because of my health problems (that are not there). This forum is a great support tool. I hope I didnt bore everyone with my story, sorry its so long. I didnt know where else to start.

Thanks. Bill

Font38 · Post by **Font38** » Tue May 29, 2007 9:12 pm

I can surely relate to some of what you're all saying. I've been somewhat of a hypochondriac for a very long time, but how much so has varied over time depending on how anxious I was.

The first time I remember worry about my health was probably in 5th grade when they gave us the sex ed talk at school. The teacher told us boys lots of stuff. Like for example, if your testicle hurt you should tell someone because you might have cancer. So then I started worrying about what if I have testicular cancer?
I know, a 5th grader worrying about testicular cancer; sounds a little silly huh. So sometimes I'd get little ache down there, but it'd never last and always went away. And then you have the vicious cycle where the more you worry, the more symptoms you have, which makes you worry more, and so on.

I've also worried about heart attack (I'm only 25), death, skin cancer, dying in my sleep (like what if I stop breathing or something in my sleep; I think that worry is from one night as a kid when I had a bad dream where I was at one point underwater and running out of breath. Needless to say I woke up gasping for breath and thought I was gonna die. Like one person said, when I'm worried about my health though, I'm usually not sick. In fact, I rarely get sick ever, except for colds during cold season. I get a few of those.

I've worried about kidney failure too, because earlier this year my sister started having some strange symptoms and ended up being diagnosed with it. I won't list any because I know from my own experience looking at medical sites, once I read a symptom list, then I start having some of them and so I think I have this disease or that. And the health worrying isn't helped by the fact that I don't like going to hospitals because they make me feel very uncomfortable. I guess it was always probably from a fear that they'd find something wrong with me when I had a checkup. The only thing wrong with me at my last one was that my blood pressure was a little high but that was because my heart was racing a bit because of my anxiety. I'm a little overdue for a checkup now though as it's been a few years. The thought of getting one makes me uneasy.

Another thing is commercials on tv. Like the ones for heart disease medication, or ones that tell you you should go get tested for this or that (colon cancer for example) make me worry a little sometimes.

I just joined these forums tonight and it's really nice to see that I'm not alone. I used to think I was, but around freshman year in high school I figured out what I had because I'd seen an episode of Oprah that was about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I saw one other show about it by chance too but forget what it was. I had some obsessive compulsive tendencies, but for me the main problem has always been the fear/anxiety.

I do have the the program program and am working on bettering myself though

KindaNutty · Post by **KindaNutty** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 1:54 am

Oh my...reading this thread is such a godsend! I too suffer with this horrible health anxiety thing! I have had every disease known to man, and then some!! The worst for me is guilt I think! For instance....my husband and I went out for a few drinks last night. I have a bad "habit" of smoking if I drink...(I have quit the rest of the time) So....while we're there, not a care in the world...relaxed...having a good time. Today---GUILT! and fear.....I woke up this morning with lung cancer. You all know the drill. How do I stop this and PLEASE tell me that someone out there does this too!!!!! I think that my best bet is to stay completely away from alcohol....anyone have any thoughts?
Brandy

catrisch · Post by **catrisch** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 1:56 am

Hello everyone. I am really glad I came across this forum. I too suffer from "so called health problems." If I had one symptom, I had them all. One day my fingers were a little swollen, so I thought I had congestive heart failure. If I get heartburn, I think I will have a heart attack, etc. On Friday, I was sitting here at work at right above my right breast I got what I called a squeezing that came and was gone as quickly as it came. It might have been muscle twitch. Anyway, I got myself so worked up, I went to the emergency room. They did a cardiogram which was normal and a chest x-ray which was normal. However, I know people with anxiety are more in tune to their symptoms than non-anxiety people. I know anxiety produces a lot of strange symptoms even when I am having a good day but in the back of my mind, I think, this is not anxiety, it is something bad. Do any of you feel this way? Do any of you ever get a strange physical symptom for no reason at all and you work yourself up so bad you think it is something else besides anxiety? How do I control this? I need all your help! Thanks for listening.