I have a fear of getting cancer or any type of illness, I need help.

Hey there! I know this is kind of an old discussion but I came across it on Google. I have this same exact problem. I was living a normal care free life until a young friend was diagnosed then died of colon cancer. It was December 11, 2013 to be exact.  I've been silently suffering with this constant health anxiety for over a year. At first I panicked to the point of hyper ventilation.  I went to a normal GP and I explained my thoughts. Anxiety had literally given me every symptom of everything.  Once the GP told me I was fine, the hyper ventilation immediately stopped. He prescribed me citroplam and it gave me night sweats. I was convinced I had lymphoma then so I had to stop that. I would even eat so much to gain 10 lbs because it was a way of making myself believe I didn't have cancer if I could gain weight . I went back to the doc and received perfect blood work results. At that point he basically told me he couldn't help me anymore. He had given me Klonopin to help with random anxiety attacks when I can't breathe. That was the only thing to help me calm down. However he kept telling me he couldn't keep prescribing it bc he would get in trouble and he couldn't help me.  I gave up. It's actually gotten better a little but most definitely still there. Every night I read about a young lady like myself dying of some cancer and I freak. I actually have an appt on Jan 6 to see a mental health specialist.  How do I explain all of this? Is it really that hard to get Klonopin?  I like how it calmed me down and I could breathe again in the middle of an attack.  Any advice? I want him to take me seriously and not just blow me off as someone crazy. I've never seen a mental health specialist aka psychiatrist.  

I know this is late but still..... i fel excaltly the same, dont get me wrong its not as bad as some of you, god bless you lot, i dont have panic attacks but im worried alot. Any lump,spot,headache,belly ache i think i have cancer, its on my mind alot, i worry ill get it and die, i got two beautiful girls i dont want to leave them behind.everyday i hear someone has died and it like im just waiting for my turn. I got a lump in my nose right now , it could just be a swallon glade or what ever its called but there goez my mind assuming its cancer. I know if i tell people they will think silly woman but im scared, i cant keep doing this, its bringing me down, i got tears forming now. But to everyone on Here i hope you can all over come this, we are strong ladies and need to fight and live life. I know its hard cos i know how it feels but im tired.

Hey guys, I am new to this but after searching Google I came across this thread, I feel the same way, I have random bouts of weird feelings one moment I am fine the next I am convinced I am dying from some illness, I have found read and listening to people talk like audio books on relaxation Really helpful.

I picked a scab the other morning and I was convinced it wouldn't stop bleeding and I was dying,

It ruins my day sometimes this feeling and deep down I know it's silly but I just can't control it.

It is so nice to come across people who feel the same way, I felt so alone for so long.

HI!

Im 13 years old. I have the same fear. It started with a fear o death/dying and then went to the fear of cancer. I have done the same things as u checking my body for any unusual signs. I need help. Any tips or suggestions? I have talked to many counselors and gotten some relif for some time but not for a long period of time. Though, I don't have a family history of cancer or known ayone that has had or died of cancer. I feel bullied and trapped in my own mind. I don't enjoy the things I used and I'm only 13. Please help me.

A 21 year old girl from my hometown died from brain cancer and I constantly think I'm going to get it. It consumes my mind and it's all I can think about. Sometimes I think I cannot live a normal life until this stops, but I cannot seem to get rid of the thoughts. I would get anxiety attacks and not be able to sleep. I recently got swollen lymph nodes and then a swollen forehead and thought my worst nightmare came true, but the doctors seem to think everything is fine. I always feel uneasy and never feel content. I used to not be like this and I really want to get back to my normal self. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I often wonder if I'm going to get sick just because of how much I think about it and then I get even more scared. It's a never ending cycle. I find being around family helps me feel better but that's about it.

I have the same issue.... In every single word you said is me to a T.

I came across this site after a 5 day Google binge on breast cancer all due to an itchy breast. Coulda been hormones or allergies but convinced myself it's cancer. If I have any ailment I fear it's cancer. So many of my friends are getting diagnosed with it that I even elected to stay away from social media sites just to get it out of my mind. Not that the idea worked cause here I am amidst a full blown panic. I worry normal ailments to the point that they feel worse than they should. If they should even hurt at all. Count on me to worry so hard that I create the ailment....thus leads to panic attacks. I have anxiety disorder already so you can imagine how worked up o can get myself. To the point of nausea. It's made me about 100x more introverted than I ever was. I don't know how to stop it, or make it better. I know that there is nothing wrong but I'm so afraid of hospitals and worst case synerios (speaking from a long list of major surgeries I've had in the past). I worry about not seeing my daughter grow up. Worst part is I spend so much time worrying and stress for no reason that I've missed 8 years of her life already. She was. Miracle baby at that. (Ok now crying...) it's just hard . Living is hard, yet I'm so terrified of death....

Hi im absolutely terrified of getting cancer is it common in women in their 30s??

I'm 29 and for the last yr ive felt this way. I've self diagnosed throat cancer breast cancer and now I have a fear I have ovarian cancer because i have a pain in jat area for 2 weeks. Mind u I also have ibs which is real not self dignosed and pains often stem from that. I have a docs apt on Thursday with the obgyn to ease my mind but now after poking around on my tummy looking for lumps for ovarian cancer I've found a couple spots that now I'm stressing over which are probably nothing but fat deposits or something normal but this is the way my mind works now. I was never this way and I hate it I always feel sick . Something always hurts and its on my mind 24 7 .. I need to stop using Web MD but it's an obsession. Maybe it's time I talk to the gp and see why mentally I think this and where this anxiety came from. I have had an ultra sound a few months ago for kidney stones al and yet I've made up new illnesses to worry over and the original thing that got me worried a yr ago no longer bothers me. I'm worried I won't be able to have children with my fiance which stresses me more causing more tummy pains ... Its nice to know I'm not alone feeling this way. I really would like a day where I feel fine and dont assume I'm dying ..

I have the same exact thing except I'm 14 years old!!!! I've had it my WHOLE life! I took Prozac medication and it basically cured me! I also took therapy! Good luck!

Hello everyone! 

I was also in the exact same boat, and have decided to actually make an account just to respond to this. I also want to point out how interesting it is that this forum has started over one year ago, yet here are so many people still contributing up until TODAY, showing that none of us are alone in this. 

This being said, I went through the exact same thing around the time I was 13-15. I literally began to see a therapist and have sessions and tell him how the big C word terrified me to the point of bad anxiety. I refused any anxiety medication treatments as that even scared me, but I began to preoccupy my mind, through spending a lot of time with my family. I can say I was forunate enough to be able to travel, and honestly if that option is available to you, please do it. It brought a whole new level of relaxation to my mind knowing that the world is so VAST and grand, and that there is so much more to be focused on than a disease that your mind obsesses over. I realized all I wanted to hear is just "you are okay, everything is okay, you are healthy." and I felt the guilt of needing to place this burden on one person to constantly tell me it. 

Anyways. It was not until two weeks ago (now being 21) that this fear has returned in my mind, as recently there have been a lot of talks of childrens cancer on my newsfeed. It just brought back such a rushing fear to the point that I have asked my GP to do blood work and ironically enough, my White Blood Cell count dropped by .5 than 4 months ago and is at 3.5 now. This has led to me to a crazy panic attack.

At the end of the day, I just want to stop myself from entering what I went through during my teen years. And in regards to every persons response here, I just want you all to know that you're okay. When we enter that mindset where we search for symptoms, we almost imagine these things actually happening to our bodies. I could focus so hard on a tumour to the point where I get a tension headache. Our imaginations are much stronger than we credit them for, and it's important to realize that and put it to a more positive light. 

We're also in a rapidly fast paced technological era right now, where it IS possible to conquer these diseases in multiple forms. 

We are all okay.

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