I'm a hypochondriac

Hey Guys,

To be on medication or not is a personal choice, and we support you in any decision that you make...we are neutral when it comes to these issues, because everyone is different...and therefore will need different treatment.

I do not think that any disrespect was meant...and all opinions are valid and welcome:)

S.C.

Thank you for the support, I was hesitant at first to try forums but there are a lot of great people on here. As I said I'm 19 and I am at about a year and a half into my anxiety and panic attacks. I was officially diagnosed about a year ago. A lot of it was a hard kept secret due to my pursuit of being a Marine Corps Officer. Since then I have that to give up that goal. Which has led to increased depression. A year ago was the worst time for my attacks and I tried everything short of prescription medication. Eventually everything started to get better, and my attacks reduced from daily to a couple a month and not as high caliber. In the past few weeks they have spiked and I joined the forum.

I appreciate all the advice and support I have received so far on here and I will of course do my best to support and advise all the other great people on here!

I mostly do alot of self help methods, relaxing breathing as well as visiting a therapist weekly to every other week. It keeps it contained for a short amount of time, but every moment that im not doing anything my mind wanders and everything goes downhill again.

What other methods do others on here use?

Kate thank you!

Nothing happened during training.  At the time I had it well enough under control to not let it out then. But it got to the point where it was coming on multiple times a day randomlly and i couldnt contain it anymore, and that is when i had to stop.

I have been on this forum for a week and I already feel the support, thanks everyone.

Akhi I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis of illness phobia, I fall a little in there as well with some health anxiety and I know how hard that can be.  I wish you the best and hope it all gets cleared up. 

I am a huge hypochondric. I am 26, but have suffered from it most of my life. You definitely are not alone. It comes and goes and is sometimes worse than other times. It's always something new... I have worried about breast cancer, tumors, pretty much every cancer... It's just horrible. I will get depressed thinking I have some terminal illness.

I am beginning to believe this us a real mental illness. I suffer from it too. I also thought for the past couple years that every dull light headache was a tumor...stomach pains were stomach cancer, etc...needless to say the headaches got a little more frequent.or my anxiety just got so bad that I could feel every little pain. So I had a brain ct scan, came back clear...but that wasn't enough and with slightly and very occasionally slightly blurred vision in ledt eye, the opthmologist ordered an MRI with and without contrast...again, no tumor. Then they sent me off to the neuroligist, who after reading the MRI report said, "well it says no vascular abnormality or aneurysm, but those wouldn't show up anyway." So what does my brain do, it latched on to the fact that mris can miss aneurysms, which other doctors have said they would catch themt. And now that is my new concern and or obsession. I find myself googling sites about how people found out they had one and this and that..just like I did with brain tumors for years. I am a 29 yr old male, used to work out and be in great shape, but abouut 9 months ago I went to the Dr. For stress and they sent me through the ringer. From heart docs, to pulminologists, to gi docs, cheat x rays, barking swallows, peeing in a gallon jug I had to carry around with me, all the while my Dr. Never gave me the cleaned bill of health even though nothing was ever seriously wrong. M heart Dr was the only one who ever time me, u have a healthy heart relax...this was after ekg,ecg,stress test, wearing monitor for 24 hours, etc. They did find out I had hashimotos, but my tag in my thyroid is still normal, normal enough I don't need mess and may not ever need meds.

Ultimately, now the only thing I get anxiety about is my health. I have spent thousands these last 9 months and I think the drs see me as a cash cow or something. my wife is pregnant with twins and this time should be about her, not me and my headaches and me thinking I'm dying from something or have an aneurysm.

I am convinced hypochondriac symptoms began for me when I started having friends either pass away or get diagnosed with diseases...than i started thinking it was a sign and I must have something too...all I know is it feels as though the only time I get relied.is when I sleep, and it takes 3 mg Ativan daily to help me do that...which I just got switched cold turkey from xanax a few weeks ago and the withdrawl sucked.

You are not alone and neither am I. I keep trying to tell myself to just live and enjoy my life no matter what..because I can only control so much. I think I may try talk therapy with a psychiatrist.

Hi hypochondriac x 10 and lisachevy (sorry hypochondriac x 10...I missed your post somehow while I was away from the forum a couple of weeks back.)

I am so glad that you guys found us...and yes, as you can see, you are not alone in this fear!

Health anxiety is pretty prevalent here on this board, and you will find much validation, support and understanding among our members here.

Post anytime with questions, sharing or vents...we will be here to listen.:)

Talk to you soon,

Scaredy Cat

Yes. Read mine. Extreme anxiety.

Oh yes, panic does lead to symptoms... which leads to more symptoms...and on goes the cycle.

I used to have panic attacks that could literally last hours because of this pattern.

Try and choose to trust the tests that you have had done recently. It is a hard thing to do, but keep telling yourself that you have the proof of health through these results. Therefore you know that anxiety is to blame for the symptoms.

Have you considered therapy to help you recover from these fears? I had moderate/severe panic disorder, along with health anxiety that I treated with therapy.

I still have to manage my anxiety daily...but the panic attacks are gone.:) It is very effective!

Think about asking your doctor for a referral to a therapist...it will be the best favor that you can do for yourself.:)

Talk to you soon,

S.C.

p.s. this thread is getting rather long, so I may lock it down eventually...next time you post you can start a fresh thread by clicking on the 'new topic' button on the left side of the screen.;)

Oh thank God! I thought I was the only one...I'm the queen of Googling symptoms and going to Emergency. I'm 18 and the other day I found a lump on my breast...went to emergency, they told me it was probably just tissue. Today I needed re-assurance again so I went to the walk-in clinic and the doctor told me it was tissue. My leg randomly started shooting a pain last month so I went to emergency and they told me it was just a muscle. It got better and it would come and go...yesterday and today my knee has been feeling funny. I'm convinced I now have a tumour in my leg or some sort of cancer and I can't stop googling! I'm seeing my doctor again in 2 weeks about my leg...

Hi Elisa Sam and welcome!

I am sorry that you are going through so much with the health anxiety at the moment.:( It is miserable I know first hand...but there is hope!

When you next see your doctor, talk openly with him/her about your fears. There are treatment options that you can discuss. Ask about a therapy referral if possible. I was helped greatly with my panic and health anxiety issues when I sought help with CBT. (therapy effective in treating these issues)

Keep posting here as well. When you have the urge to symptom search on google...come here instead! We will do our best to help you keep calm...we will be here to listen, and support you !:)

Keep posting and let us know how you are doing soon. (feel free to start your own thread, as this one is getting long)

Talk to you soon,

Scaredy Cat

hey there,
just saw this page on the site.
I need to write some stuff here cos i'm driving myself crazy and i guess i'm not the only one.
My health is usually not too bad, but i had the last few days this lower abdominal /ovary pain.
I never like going to doctors but this got so intense and was making me feverish so i though i have to go and have made an appointment tomorrow.
Meanwhile i looked up my symptoms on the internet (which i read in some posts here is a bad thing to do!)
and i a terrified i have the worst thing...
I can't even type it here.
I was so worried last nite and today that i actually started clearing the house/cleaning etc thinking i have to do it while i still have the strength!
Its like my mind is switching one minute from, oh , its probably nothing serious, to the next where i literally feel i am in my last few weeks of life.
I feel sick about it, can;t eat etc.
Just full of dread.

I'm going to doctor tomorrow but guess i will need a scan and blood test before they know what it might be.
Please wish me luck
thanks so much for posts
I can't breathe at the moment thru fear;