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Health anxiety taking over my life

Posted , 4 users are following.

KM1990
KM1990

sorry for the long post i havent officially been diagnosed but i havd health anxiety. every single pain , achr , feeling I get i am straight on google

it started about a year ago when i injured mt bsxk at the gym and developed sciatica, they sent me for a scan on my bsxk so straight awau i was on google and convinced myself i had a tumor , but scan was clear so i got over that fear

Then I started feeling dizzy and light headed and tired all the time , someone I knew had also been diagnosed with lyphoma so I of course googled and then convinced myself I had lyphoma. A few weeks later I found out I was pregnant which is probably why I had these symptoms, (a long with anxiety making me feel terrible ) during my pregnancy I experienced bleeding , so I then googled and convinced myself I had cervical cancer , which of course I didn't but I worried about that for about 2 months

During my pregnancy I often for headaches, which was totally normal for pregnancy, but for weeks again I convinced myself I had a brain tumor

Toward the end of my pregnancy I was feeling much better and didn't seen to worry to much about symptoms, I sometimes Google but not to the normal extent I use to

I had a normal fairly straight forward delivery which was great , as the whole was through pregnancy I was convinced something terrible would happen to me and my baby

A few weeks after giving birth my breast very a lot , one in particular, so of course I went straight back to Google and I was convinced I has breast cancer , even though these pains were clearly from giving birth and my hormones etc

I then had a small Bridie under my nail , I convinced myself I had melanoma

Most recently the last 2 weeks I have convinced myself I have lukemia, I have a number of bruises on my legs , they are not very big , but I am having awful anxiety about them , my husband thinks I'm mental, I cry and I am so miserable, but I can't stop googleing and reading these awful stories online of people having bruises on their legs and it turns out they have lukemia

I am going out of my mind, I am terrified I will leave my child and husband

As well as my own health anxiety, I constantly worry about my husband health as well, ant minor problem he has I am straight on Google , In the last few months I have been convinced he has a brain tumor, bowel cancer and lukemia as well

I am far to scared to go to the doctor's, and advice on how to cope and get over this would be appreciated, thank you

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • josh70503
    josh70503 KM1990

    Posted

    wow you are just like me i am the same as you every little symptom i get straight to google and then it is cancer. in the last 2 months i have convinced myself i have had nose cancer, MND, lyphoma was the worst one i actually planned my chemo even though i didint have it. mouth cancer, at the moment colon cancer. but i am getting better thanks to meds. i have had health anxiety for the last 10 years i have good months were i dont worry at all but then there are the bad where i get so low. i have tried counciling for years did nothing for me. been on a antidepressant for 10 years help a little but LORAZAPAM is what has made a huge difference for me

  • lynda62707
    lynda62707 KM1990

    Posted

    Hey km....Lol, no I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you cuz you and I are EXACTLY alike!

    I'm a bit older than you, my girls are adults now, but I've ALWAYS thought every ache and pain was the "C" word.

    Ironically, I had a regular check-up a few months ago.....I've got lymphoma😢. Don't Google it, it'll just give you one more thing to worry about.

    the thing is, I've got NO symtoms whatsoever.....it only showed up in bloodwork, and was then confirmed in a bone marrow biopsy. supposedly it's a very slow progressive type....they're just monitoring it right now by monthly bloodwork. Am I scared? I'M TERRIFIED!

    actually, I think I'm in a state of denial as I don't feel any different......so I've convinced myself that it's not gonna go farther than this. Hope never dies!!

    Anyway, I just wanted to let you know you're not alone.

    my advice would be to try and cut down on the "googling", and try to enjoy each day to the fullest.

    Afterall, that's all Any of us REALLY have anyway, worry or not!❤

    • KM1990
      KM1990 lynda62707

      Posted

      thank you for your reply , so sorry to hear about your lyphoma, hopefully all will be fine in the end

  • Mamabearkc
    Mamabearkc KM1990

    Posted

    im sorry but the person that replied with their story about having lymphoma should have never of told you that. i have most definitely convinced myself of all the things that one could possibly think could go wrong. it is ABSOLUTE essential to stop googling symptoms. there will never ever be a time that will be useful to you. you have health anxiety and probably ocd. there are many different forms of ocd amd not just the one where tou constantly clean or count things. you should put your focus on learning about ocd and health anxiety (and only from resources that help and not horror stories). find a great therapist who specializes in that area. the quicker you get help the easier it will be to overcome this. you got this.

    i want to add that i am truly sorry to hear about the diagnosis of the other commenter.

    • lynda62707
      lynda62707 Mamabearkc

      Posted

      hi mamabear, I'm the person who told her about my diagnosis of lymphoma.

      I had NO ill intentions of doing that.

      It WAS my intention to tell her how I could relate to how she Googled every ache and pain, (as that's what I've been doing for years). and I Always had all the symtoms of some awful disease.

      Then, ironically, when I didn't have any symptoms, is when (quite unexpectedly) THIS turns up!

      my point was to tell her to STOP GOOGLING and stop worrying......it does no good, and usually makes things worse.

      I'd love to have the time back that I spent worrying unnecessarily about all the things I Googled!

      my intention was to pass on some kind and caring advice.

    • Mamabearkc
      Mamabearkc lynda62707

      Posted

      i know your heart was in the right place. i completely agree with the time being wasted worrying. i truly am sorry you are going through this. as someone who has suffered from this for 29 years i know that an innocent comment like yours could turn into weeks of worry. what if that happens to me, what if i worry so much that i wont notice the no symptoms of lymphoma. it really is best to not tell someone who is in the midst of that kind of mindset. just like the advice to stop googling:)

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