I need some help. For the last year now I have had the worst anxiety over my health. I don't know what started it....but I hate it and cannot get over it. I am always thinking about my health, checking out my body to make sure things look and feel normal, and when I find the slightest thing I start freaking out. I have tried to get over this, tried not to think about it, but I cannot convince myself that everything is fine. I have been to the doctor several times only to be told I am fine but I can't be comforted with that. It works for about a week or two but then it starts all over again. I am driving my family and myself crazy. I always think my glands are swollen (everyone says they aren't) I have a fear that I am dying of HIV or Cancer or something horrible. Does anyone else have this problem??? If so, what can I do to stop myself from obsessing about this ALL THE TIME! How do I convince myself that I am really ok??? Please help! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif

Hi,

Sounds like anxiety to me. You have been to your doctor and healthwise you are ok. Maybe you should make an appt. to get some counseling with a psychologist to get through this. It would probably help you out.

Hang in there!

Only Me

thats exactly how I am.
its the worst feeling.

it may be hypochondria, a common problem for which you dont get much sympathy
look it up on the net via a search engine

Hi!

I also have what you are talking about i also hate it, i also check to see if anything feels or looks different. I always have to remind myself that everything is okay and nothing is wrong, but that only works for a couple of minutes and then i am back worrying.

i am too very paranoid about my health.... all the time every day something different...

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dipps

Been there, done that. I go through phases. I am now coming out of my cancer worries phase. Can't wait to find out what's next. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif SARS seems like an option. Sigh!

Hi,

I too have been through this. In fact worrying about my health of course compounds symptoms of illnesses you think you have.

After fighting this for a very long time I finally tried an SSRI (antidepressent) which really changed my life. Very few side effects and all of the ill effects cleared up.

Not for everyone but I wish I had read this somewhere so I did not have to deal with 6 years of feeling sick and wondering what was wrong with me.

Best of Luck.

C.

gurl79,

First of all, i really feel for you and totally understand how you are feeling. Its nasty. But. . . . do you notice in your post you say, "and I cannot get over it", or "but I cannot convince myself everthing is fine". What i learned most in dealing with my anxiety, which was so severe at one point, I could not handle it, (in fact I had every medical test in the book at age 24 and got tested for HIV 15 times in a year. . . that's more that once a month!)is that i became very carefuly in what i said. Its called the power of your spoken word. Its not a quick fix, but it helps to understand that you are really limiting yourself and your thinking via what you say. If a person is going "my life sucks, everything is messed up. etc, etc. . ." then guess what?? It sucks and most likely things ARE messed up! (not that that is you, just an example.)



[This message has been edited by Kemi (edited 05-08-2003).]

I have exactly the same kina thoughts as everyone here and it drives me mad.Im always paranoid im gonna get cancer and i keep lookin for symptoms for things on the net.I wont belive that I dont have something until it has been 100% proven and even then the "what ifs" kick in.what if they muddled up the tests,what if the ecg went wrong and hasnt yet discoverd I have a life threatening heart condition (that i most probably dont have).Like I have high blood pressure and i have to have a 24hour monitor that is supposed to detect your blood pressure when your not stressed like at the doctor.Ive already started stressing about that and thinkin tht it might get stuck while its inflated on my arm and make my arm go blue and fall off!!yeh i kno its stupid but i cant help it.
Does anyone get panicky over other stuf too?like when I have to stand up and talk in front of people...get major panic attacks then and sometimes i throw up too! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif
the worst thing is the health concerns tho.They take over my life..only way id be happy is if i had a complete medical everyday just to check im not dying and that aint gonna happen!

P.S: really dosnt help that this website is full of every known medical condition to mankind that all of us can start thinking weve got!

oh my gosh, nothing worse than anxiety over your health! I've had it for years. It's a horrible thing that very few really understand.
I had someone ask me once, "what is your purpose in life?". My purpose, I clearly realized, was not to die!
Silly purpose, huh?
I still worry constantly about myself and have been medicated for the anxiety. It helps.
If there are any answers out there, I would love to hear them.
Hang in there and keep your chin up
Kathy

i have the same problem http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif mine started in january when i had to have emergency appendectomy and to top it off i turned 29 the same month so i guess i figured it was all down hill from there hahaha... then of course i started thinkin OMG what is gonna happen next and then every little thing i felt i would do a web search and run accross stuff and think i had it!! i spent over 200 dollars on doctors in less than a month!
Finally the first words he would say to me is "take a deep breath .. youre not gonna die" hahaha ... so finally i just kept telling myself.. ok i was freakin out 3 days ago and im still kickin today so i must be ok haha,... just keep telling yourself that and it will get better.. i've got an appointment with a psychiatrist soon .. they seem to think i have a chemical imbalance since ive had this all my life so hopefully with the right meds and some talkin to i can get by this and so can you all!!!! one day at a time!!

P.S. just to make you all feel even better the counsellor i saw yesterday told me that some medical school students go through the same experience.. whatever subject they are studying they end up believing they have it ...