question about health issues
Am wondering if anyone else has racing thoughts about their health. I sometimes think I am becoming a hyperchondriac. I dwell on any little ache or pain and soon am sure it's a life threatening illness. In fact I have a test coming up soon, because in my mind it's someting very serious. This leads to panic and depression.
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Guest
yes me too, far more often. weekly. But I know this is how my life has become. Ever since I have had my severe anx I think constantly about any little thing. Like my fingers feeling numb. Sure I had a mini stroke and did not know it. Well I breath shallow, this is why. I have done this since the beginning. I have learned, through the program, more you focus on the bodily symptoms of anx, the more you get, and the more you worry about it and what it could be and is it tied in to something else? Now this is what I do, I follow the 6 steps tell myself that it will pass, I know it is just a side effect of the anxiety, and it will go away in the next hour or so. Then I distract and let time pass. Then I forget about it and how it made me feel , within 2 hours. Practicing deep breathing helps alot with my symtoms, I shallow breath alot, but it is getting better. I had a check up, and all my tests came up neg. I had so many, two dys in the hospital worth. I am amazed how anxiety can bring forth so many physical symptoms. I have had a list of 10 or more at one time. It is a vicious cycle. I jump out of it by using the 6 steps . Hope this has helped some, you are not alone. Ask anytime for any help you may need.
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Guest
I am the exact same way. Everytime I feel the least bit odd I automatically worry whats going on inside of me. I think a lot of my panic and obsessive breathing is because I am so afraid something is wrong with me. I also believe I have become a hyperchondriac because I am constantly feeling bad one way or another. I lost my Mom to emphesema and my only sister to a morphine overdose. We also lost my husbands two brothers and his Mom to massive heart attacks and his only sister to a rare sinus cancer. I think I have let myself become so wrapped up on our losses that I fear something is going to happen to us. This is definitely not a fun way to live is it. 
God bless,
Susan
God bless,
Susan
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Guest
I am the same way. I had very mild asthma since 2000. Two years ago next month, I read a story about another asthmatic who died from an asthma attack. This was 5 years since I was diagnosed and never knew you could die from the disease 
. I was a fearful, anxious wreck. Fortunately I was able to get in a health-anxiety program--free, even better--and got a hold of my anxiety.
I had/still have a little fear of getting a heart attack. I am 43 yo. My father died 4 months after getting one. He was 77. I went for every type of cardiac test including a nuclear stress test. The nuc test was so good, the cardiologist said my heart is the healthiest he's seen in 2 years! Since then my fear of getting a heart attack at a young age has dropped like the stock market.
I had started believing in the good medical results instead of my fear. I believe when I still get a little chest "sensation" that it is either fear/anxiety or costochondritis, a condition that causes chest pain due to inflammation of the cartilage and bones in the chest wall. (I know the symptoms of an acutal heart attack--these I do not have.)
I offer this article on a book dealing with healh anxiety. <A HREF="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... _n16840900" TARGET=_blank>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... 6840900</A>
I had kept it in my Favorites and was going to buy it just before my health worries starting improving.
P.S. During my therapy treatment, I learned the same thing that was said here: when you mentally foucs and think about a feeling/hurt/ etc, your mind makes it SEEM that much more worse.
. I was a fearful, anxious wreck. Fortunately I was able to get in a health-anxiety program--free, even better--and got a hold of my anxiety.I had/still have a little fear of getting a heart attack. I am 43 yo. My father died 4 months after getting one. He was 77. I went for every type of cardiac test including a nuclear stress test. The nuc test was so good, the cardiologist said my heart is the healthiest he's seen in 2 years! Since then my fear of getting a heart attack at a young age has dropped like the stock market.
I had started believing in the good medical results instead of my fear. I believe when I still get a little chest "sensation" that it is either fear/anxiety or costochondritis, a condition that causes chest pain due to inflammation of the cartilage and bones in the chest wall. (I know the symptoms of an acutal heart attack--these I do not have.)
I offer this article on a book dealing with healh anxiety. <A HREF="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... _n16840900" TARGET=_blank>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... 6840900</A>
I had kept it in my Favorites and was going to buy it just before my health worries starting improving.
P.S. During my therapy treatment, I learned the same thing that was said here: when you mentally foucs and think about a feeling/hurt/ etc, your mind makes it SEEM that much more worse.
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Guest
I hate to say this, because I am sorry you experience this too but I've never been happier to read something in my life!!! I am the EXACT same way. AND I MEAN EXACT!!! I am new to this program and have just started it today and have been browsing this peer support thing. When I found your question I literally yelled with joy! I was convinced I was the only one doing this. I take my temp at all the time, check my sugar.... things like that. If I feel the SLIGHTEST big off, or feel a tiny pain I freak. I believe that there is something wrong with me. I suffer from panic and anxiety and have been so exhaused from thinking like this. I ordered the program and started today hoping that these racing thoughts about health also go away. I know it's all a part of anxiety but convincing myself there is nothing wrong with me is just impossible!! I just want you to know that you are NOT ALONE!!!! Good Luck to you!
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Guest
Thanks CMEB25, I envy people that can take everything in stride. I work for a person that has the attitude, get over it and go on!! Not much sympathy there. But all in all, she enjoys life a lot better, I think. Anyway, my test came out ok. Thank God for that. And I do feel better now, but wonder when the next episode will happen. See, there goes my negative thinking again!!! I sure do hope this program helps on that. I am just starting week 2, so we'll see. Reading a lot of the posts, it seems to have helped a lot of people. Take care and hang in there!!
I too have anxious and panic feelings about my health. A couple of months ago I had major colon surgery which healed well. However, the medical people didn't tell me what problems I would have after that. I also couldn't take prescribed medicine which made me feel worse than the original problem. Each time some symptom came up, I would go see a doctor which turned out to be really bad. I also have gone through much emotional issues. For someone who was very healthy before surgery, this is very difficult to live with. However, I now feel I am starting to get better. With the course we are taking, I believe I will get some help in the right direction.
Arlie
Arlie
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Guest
I have had this problem in the past but I've managed to mostly get over it. I don't know if my techniques will help anyone else, but here are my suggestions:
1) I realized that I was mostly afraid of dying, and that I would die of something I could have prevented if I had gotten care earlier. I realized I was afraid of the guilt of dying (and the hardship it would be for my family, etc.) So one of the most important things for me -- and I know it sounds bizarre - was to give myself permission to die of something I didn't catch. I decided I wouldn't blame the people I care about if something like that happened, so I forgave myself preventatively. The other oddly helpful thought was "It's not the end of the world if I die." It might be the end of my world, but other people would get through it.
2) Learn to laugh at yourself. I often think of "my brain" as something separate from me, so when my fingers tingle and I think I'm having a stroke, I immediately make fun of my brain for overreacting. Sometimes I congratulate it for being so clever - it can really come up with some interesting stuff.
3) Don't run to the doctor every time something doesn't seem right. They are trained more to deal with physical than psychological stuff, so they'll take you at your word and then they're legitimizing your fears. Of course you should go to a doctor if you're really sick, but either ask someone else's advice (and take it!) or try the next step.
4) Set a time limit. Tell yourself you're not in the right frame of mind to make health judgments now, and you'll write it down and think about it more in an hour (or a week, depending on the type of thing you think is wrong with you). By that time you'll probably be calmer and it will probably be gone.
5) DO NOT watch Grey's Anatomy, House, E.R., or any other medical show. They find the most dramatic diseases they can. Real doctors spend almost all of their time on a very short list of very common ailments, not solving medical mysteries (like why you have an eye twitch and stomach pains). Likewise, don't read those "Is it a headache or imminent death?" articles in magazines. Women, Redbook is a particularly bad one for us.
6) Realize that sometimes you're using magical thinking. If it seems very dramatic or mysterious or rare, it's probably not true -- it's just a good plot for a TV show. Real life is not fair and it's often very boring.
7) If your doctor says you're ok, take your chances and trust them. (Of course there are times when you should get a second opinion, but if you know you're a hypochondriac you also need to realize that if you can convince yourself the first doctor was missing something, you can convince yourself of the same thing about the second, third, fourth.)
8)If it's something you've had before and you were fine then, you're almost certainly fine now.
9)Stress and anxiety can cause almost any physical symptom, including visible ones (like hives). Assume that it's stress and see if you can make it go away over time by calming down (don't monitor it constantly, though).
10)Learn to trust your body (hard to do; I don't have this one down yet). If you're REALLY, REALLY sick, you'll know it. Let yourself off the hook on the early detection stuff.
The hardest thing about it is the "what if" factor -- what if you're wrong and it really is Disease X? That's when you just have to try to accept that there is uncertainty in life. Think of something you honestly don't worry about, like being attacked by an escaped zoo animal. You can get on with your life taking the chance that a stray lion could eat you, so you can accept that there is an incredibly small chance that you really do have Disease X.
This is not medical advice - just my own experience. Please don't sue me.
1) I realized that I was mostly afraid of dying, and that I would die of something I could have prevented if I had gotten care earlier. I realized I was afraid of the guilt of dying (and the hardship it would be for my family, etc.) So one of the most important things for me -- and I know it sounds bizarre - was to give myself permission to die of something I didn't catch. I decided I wouldn't blame the people I care about if something like that happened, so I forgave myself preventatively. The other oddly helpful thought was "It's not the end of the world if I die." It might be the end of my world, but other people would get through it.
2) Learn to laugh at yourself. I often think of "my brain" as something separate from me, so when my fingers tingle and I think I'm having a stroke, I immediately make fun of my brain for overreacting. Sometimes I congratulate it for being so clever - it can really come up with some interesting stuff.
3) Don't run to the doctor every time something doesn't seem right. They are trained more to deal with physical than psychological stuff, so they'll take you at your word and then they're legitimizing your fears. Of course you should go to a doctor if you're really sick, but either ask someone else's advice (and take it!) or try the next step.
4) Set a time limit. Tell yourself you're not in the right frame of mind to make health judgments now, and you'll write it down and think about it more in an hour (or a week, depending on the type of thing you think is wrong with you). By that time you'll probably be calmer and it will probably be gone.
5) DO NOT watch Grey's Anatomy, House, E.R., or any other medical show. They find the most dramatic diseases they can. Real doctors spend almost all of their time on a very short list of very common ailments, not solving medical mysteries (like why you have an eye twitch and stomach pains). Likewise, don't read those "Is it a headache or imminent death?" articles in magazines. Women, Redbook is a particularly bad one for us.
6) Realize that sometimes you're using magical thinking. If it seems very dramatic or mysterious or rare, it's probably not true -- it's just a good plot for a TV show. Real life is not fair and it's often very boring.
7) If your doctor says you're ok, take your chances and trust them. (Of course there are times when you should get a second opinion, but if you know you're a hypochondriac you also need to realize that if you can convince yourself the first doctor was missing something, you can convince yourself of the same thing about the second, third, fourth.)
8)If it's something you've had before and you were fine then, you're almost certainly fine now.
9)Stress and anxiety can cause almost any physical symptom, including visible ones (like hives). Assume that it's stress and see if you can make it go away over time by calming down (don't monitor it constantly, though).
10)Learn to trust your body (hard to do; I don't have this one down yet). If you're REALLY, REALLY sick, you'll know it. Let yourself off the hook on the early detection stuff.
The hardest thing about it is the "what if" factor -- what if you're wrong and it really is Disease X? That's when you just have to try to accept that there is uncertainty in life. Think of something you honestly don't worry about, like being attacked by an escaped zoo animal. You can get on with your life taking the chance that a stray lion could eat you, so you can accept that there is an incredibly small chance that you really do have Disease X.
This is not medical advice - just my own experience. Please don't sue me.
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Guest
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Guest