how to stop obsessing over my health? - Anxiety Message Board

santo · 02-23-2005, 07:59 AM

i've had sickness/cancer/death, etc. phobias since i was very little when i had a bad cause of pnemonia at age five and it has scarred me since. i developed allergies over a month ago and it has escalated my paranoia very badly. because i was so congested, for weeks i was terrified of choking on food or suffocating in my sleep. simply breathing or eating turned into a nightmare. finally, with the right meds, i feel back to normal. but i kept thinking that i didn't have allergies, and that the problem was caused by something else and i had throat cancer. some days i could swear i'd feel like someone was squeezing my throat. i even ended up in the ER thinking i was having some bad allergic reaction when it was only a panic attack and dry mouth.

funnily enough, as soon as that ended, another thing has started. now i am convinced i have a brain tumor and keep thinking my sight is really out of wack. i am going for an eye appointment tomorrow and i'm sure everything will be fine. sometimes doctors help, but other times i don't trust them and think they're hiding something from me.

how do i stop obsessing over my health? i feel like i am crazy when i convince myself of these insane things about my body. i want to be able to get through the day without thinking every ache is cancer or that i'm about to start hallucinating because of some weird brain disease i "must" have. seeing doctors helps but if i just have a physical, then the next thing i'm worried about is something that a physical wouldn't show. the thing is, i'm between schools (i won't be in school again until september) i have no job and i'm home all day, so i get to sit around and recycle these thoughts over and over. what are some good ways of keeping busy or books to read, etc. etc. anything that would help? thank you.

kjarels · 02-23-2005, 09:04 AM

I do the same thing. Mine started back in 2003 when I developed a blood clot in my right arm after having a colonoscopy. They thought the IV in my right hand caused it, however my hemoglobin was slightly elevated at the time and my dr mentioned cancer. Scared me to death and I started obessing about my health 24 hours a day. I got so depressed, was so fatigued and I just knew I was dying. Now with my latest blood work the last two times my white blood count was lower then normal but my dr says I am fine but I still feel like something is wrong all the time. I stay soooooooo tired, they are treating me now for OCD with luvox.

richdaws1984 · 02-23-2005, 09:16 AM

Hey, Like you mention at the end of your post, the best thing to do is take your mind off it all. The more you think about it the worse it gets.

Dont log onto the internet and research your symptoms neither, this is one of the worst things you can do. You will end up convincing yourself you have every illness imaginable, even ones you never heard of until "******" told you about them!

You may think this a bit extreme but CBT might help. I dont know all that much about it, but i think they basically change your thinking process so you dont end up stressing all the time. Its a good method.

Get new hobbies or something and you are sure to start to stop thinking these thoughts.

When your at home all day you dont have much else to think about so the more occupied you are the less this will happen.

Good luck

lsmith1 · 02-23-2005, 10:07 AM

Wow ya'll do not know who good it feels to know that I am not the only one that does this! I actually have sheets that I printed out and carry in my purse that I have to read and convince myself it is all just in my head. I also take xanax, zoloft and beta blocker for palps. Mine started after my grandmother died in 2000. I was 18 and thought I was dying then it went away and now it is back with avengence.

hillaryb · 02-23-2005, 10:35 AM

Ive noticed so many people with health anxiety and Im starting to think it is due to the flood of information that has become so available thru the internet, tv programs (im a bit addicted to discovery health channel myself) --all of these stories of people going to bed at night and never waking up or just dropping dead where they stand. You start thinking these things happen all the time, to the majority of the population. Luckily, they dont. The reason you hear about these things is because it makes for good tv, good news, because it is dramatic and interesting.

I guess you can also consider the fact that we are all going to die, and noone has control over this fact. It is a common goal that we will all acheive.

I myself am naturally prone to anxiety. Mine channels into other things--Ive already had a health crisis (or two) so I think that actually helps me not be fearful for my health. After you have had cancer, there isnt much left to worry about! So now Im not really afraid of cancer. I know it can come back, but I also know that I will deal with it if the time comes.

Here is what helps me with the whole idea of death: I could die tomorrow. I could die an hour from now. Id hate to think that I would die knowing I lived in fear--because that is not really LIVING. I want to know that no matter when I go, I didnt waste what precious little time I had on this earth. LIfe is really hard but there is alot to enjoy. we cannot enjoy it when we are busy fearing everything and obsessing over the inevitable.

This is not a lecture. Like I said before, I too am prone to lots of anxiety. Ive spent years being afraid, and being afraid is like putting your life on hold. When you think about it, none of us can really afford to do this--any time we spend in this anxiety induced limbo, is time wasted--there is alot out there to enjoy. Sorry if this doesnt help, Ive really gained a new perspective lately and wanted to share it. I wish you all the best and hope you can find peace and contentment. We all deserve to be happy!