Health Anxiety - Why do I do this?

[AngryFeet]

I have suffered from health anxiety for 10 years now. It comes and goes which is a blessing in a way but when it comes it gets worse and worse over a period of time. In my mind I have had:-

HIV
Throat Cancer
Oral Cancer
Breast Cancer
Ovarian Cancer
Brain Tumour
Lung Cancer
DVT
Necrotizing Fascitis
MS
Motor Neurone Disease
Skin Cancer

I truly believed at the time that I had all these things due to vague symptoms. I have been having therapy for 4.5 years which has helped but can't stop it.

At the moment I am worried about Motor Neurone Disease. My friends DH has it (very rare in a young person) and I had the same fears 4 years ago just after he was diagnosed but managed to work through them. Now those fears have come back. I started noticing differences in the sizes of my legs (i.e right smaller than left) now I feel like one of my legs is weak and there is a ache in it all the time. Seeing the GP tomorrow and just feel scared.

Why do I always assume a strange feeling in my body is a terrible terminal illness? I try and try but just can't seem to stop :(

Does anyone else suffer from this rubbish anxiety crap?

I'm permanently having heart failure. If I feel a bit shaky I've got diabetes. I'm going blind. Definitely having a stroke. Got vcjd. It's horrendous.

I think it's partly due to my upbringing. Dad is always ill but I think it's anxiety and it's rubbed off on me. I'm a natural worrier which feeds into it too. I'm very self conscious and it makes me overly aware of aches and pains. I catastrophise all the time too.

I'm reading a really interesting book ATM about mindfulness and depression and I think the concepts in it will be helpful. Also I have a relaxation app which helps me sleep without thinking about my achy shoulder and panicking that it's a heart attack.