To think if you experience cancer around you it sets off health anxiety?

[hursty900]

Interested if only some are susceptible.. or if it's just natural... of everyone I know, including myself, if they have watched someone close die of cancer they panic at every symptom they get that might be cancer.. never had this before - or is it an age thing? Late 40s.

I think it depends what you are exposed to. As others have said, I feel as though I have always been surrounded by cancer when I was younger, grandmother had breast cancer, grandfather stomach cancer. Then I started my nurse training at 18 and then it's everywhere (I'm now 35 and have nursed palliative patients younger than me)

I feel I would drive myself insane worrying about every single thing I have came across. It's a very easy rabbit hole to go down and I can't control everything.

I check my breasts, monitor moles (wearing good sunscreen, don't sunbathe or get burnt) try and eat a healthy diet and keep fit. Monitor my bowels.
I don't want to know what's around the corner, I just focus on the here and now and be thankful.

I suppose in a way I distract myself/ignore it somehow.

Very good point

I definitely worry that any little symptom is cancer in any of my loved ones or myself. It's chronic 😩 I think we are soooo overloaded with information about cancer that it's hard not to worry.

Dh's dad died of cancer when he was young and ever since he's convinced every symptom is cancer.. chronic health anxiety.

This is a hard one. Essentially, your own chances if getting cancer are not affected by how much you worry about it - therefore don't worry about something that Might not happen.

Having said that, just be a bit vigilant. Don't suddenly get anxious about eg back pain at the first sign, because the chances are, it's just one of those things - you've had a virus and you're coughing ++ or you've been overdoing it on the heavy lifting front. Just give it a few days - is it getting better, or is it getting worse? If it isn't worsening, or it's getting better - probably nothing to worry about.

If it's getting worse, well it may be concerning, but not always. Definitely be seen if pain is getting worse, but it could still be an injury - they often get worse before they get better. Try ice, heat, simple pain relief. My point is that most pain isn't anything to be concerned about - it's concerning if it continues to get worse (over days to weeks, not just hours or days), it isn't relieved by simple pain killers (paracetamol and/or ibuprofen), it keeps you awake at night, you're losing weight, you lose your appetite, you're a lot more tired and lethargic than usual.
you can never be 100% sure, but the above things are what would be worrying

If you were told you actually did have terminal cancer, would you look back at your life and think 'I'm so glad I did all that worrying!' or would you wonder why the hell you wasted all that time fretting about things beyond your control?

I do hope you can nip these feelings in the bud, life is short, as you already know. Don't waste it on worry.

It has probably been the opposite for me. A close relative in their early 50’s has recently been diagnosed with an extremely aggressive brain cancer and has been given less than 12-months. She had a couple of mild headaches in the days before having a seizure, which led to the diagnosis. It has made me less anxious as it’s very clear there is no point worrying about it. I also don’t actually let myself think about it. If I sat and thought about getting sick and dying, and leaving my children, it would upset me! So I don’t think about it!

Look, speaking as someone who's had cancer, if you do get diagnosed with it, you only want to live that day once. I think it's really worth addressing your anxiety, as currently you are living that day in your head over and over unnecessarily.

You may or may not get cancer but currently it's your anxiety which is reducing your quality of life.

There are things you can do to tackle anxiety. The Worry Cure is an excellent book if you want to start somewhere.

I’ve known several people both die of and recover from cancer over the last 25 years. It didn’t give me health anxiety. I now have cancer myself and don’t have health anxiety.

You can learn to control anxiety. Do it. Anxiety ruins lives and it doesn’t have to.

It's true for me.

But it was a particularly awful situation, not that anyone dying from cancer isn't of course.

One of my best friends died from cancer. She was 32 and left behind a young baby.

It's just no age at all and it really does scare you that it can happen to anyone at any time, young or old.