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I am the biggest hypochondriac and I just don't know what to do

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Posted 5/5/2014 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
I joined this because whenever I look up things about my health anxiety I am always brought to this website, this is my first post. So, I am 19 years old and a freshmen in college. Ever since I was around 10 I had been a health freak. Any disease you can think of, I've thought I had it. It ranges from cancer (all sorts) to HIV and even rabies. I get blood tests every year because of it and am always checking myself for bumps and lumps. This week, I noticed a bruise/itchy rash on my leg. I usually get heat rashes with little red dots when it's hot out and I got that as well. So of course, the first thing I think of is leukemia. (I have had a fear of this before, a few summers back because of bruises and the red dots) Now I do what all us hypochondriacs shouldn't do, and read up symptoms. Magically, they all start to magically happen to me. I know I do this to myself a lot and I used to go to therapy, but my fear of dying has started to take over my life. I just got a good blood test result back during my physical in March, yet I can't stop worrying. A couple months ago, it was HIV I was worried about. I wish I could stop but it seems like that'll never happen. It did stop for a couple years, but then once I started college for whatever reason it came back and hasn't gone away since. It's like as soon as I know I don't have one condition, it's something else. Everyone thinks I'm joking and pokes fun at me that no one takes me seriously anymore when I worry, yet to me I'm totally convinced I have the disease. I just don't know what to do, or who to talk to about this.
Posted 5/5/2014 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi KM14 and welcome!

I am sorry that you are dealing with such worries over your health!

Know that you are not alone...many members here deal with health anxiety, so we certainly understand the real fear that you are living with.

Have you talked with your doctor about your anxiety? Have you sought any treatment for this yet?

There is help and hope!

You can discuss medication and/or therapy with your doctor and start managing these issues.

Self-help is another great way to get started, and we have quite a bit of material in our Resources on health anxiety specifically.

Take a look, or I will be happy to post direct links at your request.:)

Keep posting with us...support is key, and we are always here to listen!

Scaredy Cat
Posted 5/5/2014 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, i too live with this burden, its either a heart attack or cancer or some other illness.
Your going to be fine angel, dont worry too much about it.
Just remember that your cool and that you can always come here and talk to people here about anything, xxx
Posted 5/5/2014 11:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there and welcome :-) I'm sorry to hear you're struggling with health anxiety, I am too. Ever since my stepfather had a stroke on my 40th birthday I have worried about the same happening to me. It's very scary but as Scaredy says there is hope. I am taking Sertraline for depression and anxiety and will be starting cognitive behavioural therapy. I think it's worth going to your doctor for help. Sending hugs.

A x
Posted 5/6/2014 1:45 AM (GMT 0)
I am so sorry you have to deal with this at such a young age. My health anxiety didn't start until after I had my daughter. I was around 30 when it started, but I had had severe chest pains, and thought I was having a heart attack. I went to 3 different E.R.'s that night, because I thought each one of them was wrong. I then started getting numbness/tingling, and other wierd sensations. Which I now know was my anxiety acting up. It took them a while to determine that I had costochondritis, and I had tore muscles in rotator cuff. So forever the arm pain, and chest pain of course to me, was a heart attack. I had a few years when it all went away, after I had my surgery. Then it recently came back a few years ago again. All I can tell you, is 1 thing I do not do anymore is look up my symptoms, because I will have every single thing there is. What I do now, is if I really feel like I have something, I make a doctors appointment. I also take my anxiety meds, and have been listening to spiritual c.d.'s..it just helps keep me calm. Wishing you the best, because we all know this is not fun. Good luck to you.
Posted 5/6/2014 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone for your responses! It helps so much knowing I am not alone on this.
Posted 5/6/2014 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
KimNicole14

Welcome to HealingWell and knowing you have joined a group of kind and caring people that know where your coming from and what you are going through is comforting so keep on talking with us.

Great advice from the other members; they are great words of wisdom.

Do check out our resources on the first page of this forum.

I will post a few links for you here that I think may get you started on some self help sites:

Health Anxiety - A Self Help Guide:

 

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hypochondria/pages/introduction.aspx

Helping health Anxiety

 

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_id=53

Health Anxiety- The Super Scanner

http://www.get.gg/docs/SuperScanner.pdf

How to Cope with Phobias

 

http://www.mdhil.com/how-to-cope-with-phobias/

Self Help Printable Work Book for OCD and Intrusive Thoughts

 

http://www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk/obsessioncompulsion.asp

Kindly,

Kitt

 

Posted 5/6/2014 2:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hi KimNicole14

I wanted to give my advice because I feel like I can relate to you. I am 20 and a college sophomore. I struggled with health as well as over analyzing everything on Google. Google can be great but it can also be terrible for people like me. It is interesting you mentioned you feared you had HIV for a while because I went through a phase like that as well. Bottom line is with that unfortunate disease it is hard to get and unless you are constantly putting yourself through risky behavior their isn't much risk. Trust me I have done hours and hours of research due to my over obsessions.

It is hard not to believe we have a disease when it seems like HIV and Cancer or Leukemia are the first suggestions Google points us too.

Just try and find something you can do in your spare time. I played football and wrestled in high school so I had SO much free time in college my freshman year and that's when my anxiety started. So find things to fill your time. I thing I do is get out of my apartment and just go to the library. Just the psychological affect of not being alone can work wonders. Also working out can do wonders as well. Thats what I turn too.

As another resort you can talk to your doctor or a doctor. Just a word of advice is I know my school has a counseling center that I may look into going too that help's with anxiety. I have tried medicine but I don't feel like I can offer a valid opinion on it because I don't want you to base a opinion for yourself off of mine. I have been from buspar to the opposite end of the spectrum venlafaxine which is often used as a last resort. I don't know that I was on them long enough to make a difference though. I have klonopin for panic attacks but that is addictive so I try not to take them as often even though I havent been doing so well lately.

Sorry for the long post but I just felt like I could relate since we are both young and in school. Good luck
Posted 5/7/2014 11:16 PM (GMT 0)
Googling is not always are friend, believe that! I too have googled many things and could possibly have each and every one and it is scary to constantly fear that something is wrong with us.

I remember going through the HIV issue myself, getting tested going in for my results, hearing them say "negative" then instead of being relieved when I got home, I called them and wanted a copy of my test results(you know just in case they gave me the wrong results), then I got the copy and of course your name is not on it you are a number, so I was worried about that, but there was identifying info on the paper.

I'm sorry you are going through this, I totally understand. My throat is sore today so I was googling "does garlic make your throat sore" it seems to be never ending.
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