Health Anxiety

[iamnotmytrauma]

Hi guys

Wondering if anyone else here struggles with health anxiety and has overcome it? ie the constant feeling like something is wrong with you or you have some terrible illness. This has come and gone in my life but since my traumatic event has been particularly present. I am plagued with thoughts that I might have cancer or a brain tumor. I’m so scared of ever having to have an operation as I feel like if I had to have general anesthestic I’d surely die. These thoughts can be so debilitating and I wonder if the thoughts themselves are what is making me feel so run down all the time.

Will work on this with my therapist but would love to discuss if anyone has been through/is going through this!

 

[siniang]

I have this. It’s gotten worse with time and essentially started when my general anxiety started (I have a GAD diagnosis in addition to PTSD). I had absolutely no such fears when I was younger.

Expectation of an early death (be it health related or otherwise) can also be a symptom of PTSD.

I have no idea how to overcome this and hence also would love to hear other’s ideas and experiences. But wanted to let you know you’re absolutely not alone with this!

 

[iamnotmytrauma]

I have this. It’s gotten worse with time and essentially started when my general anxiety started (I have a GAD diagnosis in addition to PTSD). I had absolutely no such fears when I was younger.

Expectation of an early death (be it health related or otherwise) can also be a symptom of PTSD.

I have no idea how to overcome this and hence also would love to hear other’s ideas and experiences. But wanted to let you know you’re absolutely not alone with this!

Yes I have both diagnoses too.

I think that an expectation of an early death definitely makes sense in my case as my trauma is related to the death of a partner.

But in relation to my GAD I have had it since childhood. I remember not wanting to go to sleep at night because I was sure I wouldn’t wake up. I was 6 or 7. It’s one my my earliest memories.

My therapist helped me in the past with these thoughts but it’s almost like I’ve forgotten how to address them. I am looking forward to my next session so I can work on it again.

 

[Ronin]

I have health anxiety about people dear to me. Simple cough spooks me endless.

Me, neh. Just annoy the f*ck out of myself for things I cant either fix or rule out on my own, and need to involve others in.

 

[iamnotmytrauma]

I have health anxiety about people dear to me. Simple cough spooks me endless.

Me, neh. Just annoy the f*ck out of myself for things I cant either fix or rule out on my own, and need to involve others in.

Yeah I get overly worried when my husband is unwell or friends, family etc. totally sucks!

 

[siniang]

I think for my own health anxiety it's part PTSD (early death) and partly because I've never been sick as a child, I can count the mere colds I had on one hand, and hence never really got a reference on what is "perfectly normal", health-wise.

My health anxiety of loved ones is probably a combination of GAD and trauma (though not PTSD-trauma in my case) and those kind of things just happening in my personal circles (dad of friend dying of cancer, heart attacks in my own family before I was born and in my in-law family, etc. etc.).

It makes perfect sense that you have this being emphasized your own GAD, given your trauma-history (just reading your diary made me anxious). And it's hard, because people tend to not take ones fears seriously ("you're a hypochondriac"). :hug:

 

[Deanna]

think for my own health anxiety it's part PTSD (early death) and partly because I've never been sick as a child, I can count the mere colds I had on one hand, and hence never really got a reference on what is "perfectly normal", health-wise.

I saw an early death all the time for me. Intetesting. I was sickly being a child. I was beaten on and always in hospital for pneumonia.

 

[Vero]

You are not alone, I struggle with health anxiety from childhood and in the back of my mind I always believe I have a serious illness, even if I feel ok I still go to sleep every night thinking I might not wake up tomorrow...I wonder what I will do later in life (I'm in my 20's now) when I will get closer to death.
What helped me to some extent is for example to never google my symptoms if I'm unwell (I can't tell you how many times I thought I had cancer or something like that) and to just distract myself from these thoughts.

 

[iamnotmytrauma]

You are not alone, I struggle with health anxiety from childhood and in the back of my mind I always believe I have a serious illness, even if I feel ok I still go to sleep every night thinking I might not wake up tomorrow...I wonder what I will do later in life (I'm in my 20's now) when I will get closer to death.
What helped me to some extent is for example to never google my symptoms if I'm unwell (I can't tell you how many times I thought I had cancer or something like that) and to just distract myself from these thoughts.

Yep, this is me too! Any googling symptoms is such a bad idea when we have these thoughts. I also try to laugh about it - like “oh here we go again, of COURSE I have a brain tumor!” That often helps.

 

[Mach123]

I did end up with cancer but I didn't get sick and die right away. Not yet anyway. Even though my attitude stank and I was scared, my second round of tests came back good and I'm ok for now so, attitude isn't everything.

I even suspect they jumped the gun a little now and the biopsy I could probably have done without.

But I feel so lucky to have the access to healthcare I've had, mental and physical, and that really helped me a lot because if I hadn't had that, I probably would have gotten really sick from the anxiety.

Yes I was always convinced I was dying every pang, my wife has always maintained I'm a hypochondriac.

 

[iamnotmytrauma]

I did end up with cancer but I didn't get sick and die right away. Not yet anyway. Even though my attitude stank and I was scared, my second round of tests came back good and I'm ok for now so, attitude isn't everything.

I even suspect they jumped the gun a little now and the biopsy I could probably have done without.

But I feel so lucky to have the access to healthcare I've had, mental and physical, and that really helped me a lot because if I hadn't had that, I probably would have gotten really sick from the anxiety.

Yes I was always convinced I was dying every pang, my wife has always maintained I'm a hypochondriac.

I’m so glad you’re doing well now. And I think that’s the key for me - to realize if I DO get very sick, then I have access to healthcare and I need to train my brain to not always think it’s a death sentence. Thanks for sharing :)