Developed health anxiety?

Hey guys,

Just curious if I'm alone in this one.
While waiting 3 weeks for my colonoscopy the thought that I could have colon cancer boiled in my brain. When the colonoscopy came back with a mild proctitis diagnosis I was relieved that it wasn't cancer but days after I found myself googling any symptom that I appeared to have.

After my colonoscopy I experienced mild pain in my abdomen (of course, they took biopsies and I had gas) but I started worrying that my doctor accidentally injured my gut without knowing. Then I started worrying that I possibly did have colon cancer but my doctor just missed it during the colonoscopy. Once I was over that and all of my colonoscopy symptoms went away I still felt somewhat off so I started thinking I had a mesalamine in tolerance. Then those symptoms went away. Then while brushing my teeth I noticed a sore so started worrying I had mouth cancer or HIV and then those feelings went away. Then I started paying attention to the scars and birthmarks on my skin and started worrying they were actually skin cancer lesions, then I snapped out of that. Had an HIV test and ruled that out.

Now, I'm experiencing minor tingles in my left arm thought it was a stroke, then a tumor, and now MS or some kind of brain disorder.

This has all happened in the past few weeks since my colonoscopy. The logical part of me sees that I'm obviously anxious after spending 3 weeks imagining life with cancer and the possibility of death. I'm sure it isn't a coincidence that I barely started noticing all of these extra symptoms after my UP diagnosis/cancer scare.

I saw my GP today and she didn't seem too concerned. She referred me to a sports medicine doctor to rule out any other possible causes for my tingling sensations and that's tomorrow. 99% of me feels like those sensations are just anxiety/stress but the 1% that uses google to diagnose illnesses is paranoid. My GP also referred me to a therapist to help with my anxiety.

Anyone else on here go through a similar experience? Anxiety is terrible and in the past I've experienced minor periods of panic (undiagnosed) that manifested in the form of me feeling like I had the flu (weakness, nausea, dizziness) minus actual symptoms like fever, committing, coughing, etc but these minor episodes only lasted a few days.

I'm thinking maybe the cancer scare pushed me past my breaking point? Because I felt previous anxiety symptoms almost annually I'm sure I was at a borderline and this finally did it for me.

My mom also gets panic attacks too so I'm well aware that anxiety has the ability to produce the craziest physical symptoms. I remember her first attack. She couldn't walk, she was gasping for air, shaking, her speech was slurred, and her fingers curled up. Paramedics came and got her o breath normally and all of a sudden all of her symptoms were gone.

Yes therapy will help but you will find it difficult to control your moods whenever you see symptoms. Traditional health anxiety is one thing but if you actually have a disease the anxiety isn't a perception it's triggered by symptoms. I have been having this for years and the real issue for us IBDer's are:

1. Constantly thinking about bowel movements
2. Difficult to relax as the body is always working overtime
3. Nervous about upcoming procedures
4. Drugged up and suffering side effects
5. The disease itself making us weak e.g. loss of blood, mucus, diarrhoea

So we are basically dealing with terrible thoughts linked to bowel movements; which then makes us weak.

It's easy to say but rather than go the medication route we need to find the ways to do the following:

1. Do everything slowly
2. sleep at least 8 hours a day
3. Find a relaxation therapy that works e.g. Yoga and Exercise
4. Find a hobby, I have less bowel movements the days when I am busy doing stuff; being near a toilet isn't always a great thing mentally

I am trying, I am useless, and can give advice I don't take heed of myself - but good luck.

Ok, I have a remedy that works great.

Sex.......I'm telling ya, it is a great stress reliever.

i suffer from health anxiety too so i know how you feel. There's a health anxiety forum and people there are extremely nice and supportive

Michelejc said...
Ok, I have a remedy that works great.

Sex.......I'm telling ya, it is a great stress reliever.

Agree, but that is true for almost anything, UC included. Massages and wine also work, separately or all together

I've been through hell with UC, highest anxiety when it was at it's worst. It takes time to lose the fear after achieving remission because once you've experienced loss of bowel control it is hard to trust your body again.
My anxiety was directly related to actual symptoms not projecting future problems.
I am almost back to "normal" but past history cannot be forgotten.

To DP7:

It sounds like your anxiety actually outweighs your UC symptoms. Do you agree?
If so please see a therapist soonest because UC is hard enough without also dealing with unrealistic anxiety.
Cancer is rare because we get more c-scopes than most people. But logic cannot defeat emotional anxiety.
Mental anxiety is as real as UC. Best wishes on getting both better.

I would see therapy. I have developed mild anxiety ( not diagnosed) since I was diagnosed with Ibd.

I think the reason for me was that my mom always thought I was faking stomach aches and I convinced myself it was all in my head until I was having 15 bloody BMs a day I realized it was something serious. And now every minor ache and pain makes me nervous that xyz is going on. And if people actually had the diseases they googled than we would all be dead.