Health Anxiety - part three!!

[MrsWhites]

Hi ladies, back again for thread number 3!

Morning ladies, I'm doing another no poke weekend, and no Google weekend, and hopefully no obsessive thinking weekend! I've had a really good few days, hoping I can keep it going.

The big challenge for me has been breaking the routine of examining my breasts daily, my partner is on side though, and we've agreed that I'm going to do it weekly for the next two weeks, and then fortnightly for a month, and then down to 1 month, I know that it has to be monthly otherwise you don't notice changes.But you know what it's like!

I hope you all have a good day and are staying cosy.

@StooriMidori How are you feeling this morning?

@Skyliner001 Thanks for the sleep wishes! I feel a bit better. I woke at 5 and ended up crouching in front of the nightlight in the hall to have a look and I think the blemish is a little smaller (but then my brain tells me I'm wrong 😩). I've already looked about ten times since I got up half an hour ago so I'm joining you on a no poke, no google weekend. I'll look when I get dressed later and then try my best not to look again till I'm getting ready for bed. I'm 100% staying off google and going to try and work out how to clear my search history so none of the horrible things are there. Thanks for your support, it means alot. How are you today?

@StooriMidori well done, you have got this! Don't forget that by not examining you are giving it the chance to heal.By examining you were just going to keep it there, so definitely keep an eye on it, you are in control, but don't let it take over you. It will be nothing to worry about, but I understand how hard that is.

I've had a lapse.

Minor right breast obsess! But I'm back on the wagon now!

Morning everyone! I haven't posted for a while, had been sort of doing okish but am now stressing over a dimple that appears when I squash my breast. Logically I'm thinking it's just an aging thing - in some lights it looks just like other stretch marks that are nearby, and when I raise my arm it completely disappears so that's good. I have to squash my breast to see it, which I know isn't recommended as how to check your breasts anywhere! But you know how it is - I can't get the word dimple out of my head and have checked it under different lights soooo many times already this morning I'm worn out 😔 Does anyone else have this? I hope you all have good non-poking weekends!

Morning! Obsessing here! Been in a google overdrive. It's horrid! Just keep trying to tell myself that I've spoken to the doctor before & in all probabilities the likelihood of something sinister is very very very small - it's not helping...I'm fixated on those words like "can be a sign of cancer", "abnormal", "should be reported to the GP" (already done that) urghhhhh

I go round in circles in my head "there's nothing wrong with you onlyreading....but what if there is and you should have done something?...give things a few months....but what if I should be doing something now?....stop worrying you've spoken to the doctor he wasn't concerned; said it was common and wouldn't guarantee it would stop....but I am worried....should I act on it?" Round and round in circles!!!!

@MakingASilkPurse I totally get it! But yes that is definitely nothing to worry about! We could make dimples and dents by squashing things anywhere on the body. It goes away when you raise your arm or pull the skin taught so it won't be anything worrying at all

@onlyreadingneverposting8

I go round in circles in my head "there's nothing wrong with you onlyreading....but what if there is and you should have done something?...give things a few months....but what if I should be doing something now?....stop worrying you've spoken to the doctor he wasn't concerned; said it was common and wouldn't guarantee it would stop....but I am worried....should I act on it?" Round and round in circles!!!!

I totally get this! There is so much pressure to 'act' on symptoms that we get so stressed!!

So even after we have had something checked out, or even if we know it's nothing bad, we still worry that something will go wrong

onlyreadingneverposting8 That's the trouble with this health anxiety - the consequences of not doing anything about something we're worried about could be so bad it feels impossible to put it aside. But then I think non-health anxiety people do go to the doctors when they have a symptom and they probably won't have obsessed like us, they just know they have to go. And maybe we would just know too if it really was something that needed a doctors visit. But we feel like we've lost our ability to make that judgement - well I do anyway.

@MakingASilkPurse totally agree with this, I feel the same. When I do need to go, I do go, but I will cope with a high level of anxiety over something, and still think the worst. Even if I know that it is nothing… If that makes sense? Sometimes I picture myself sitting at the doctors and saying I have a small pimple on my breast… Knowing full well that they would say just leave it alone. And it would go away. So I do feel I know when something isn't anything, but I still have that inbuilt fear…

Skyliner001 Thank you for your reply - when someone else says something it sounds so sensible! I even felt better after writing the post because it sounded a bit silly even to me when I saw it actually written down! A few weeks back I was worried about a red mark on my breast and got so worked up about it I ended up showing my husband who has a great sense of perspective (lucky him!) and he said we could check it again in a few days but if I went to the doctors about that they'd think I was nuts! And it did actually make me laugh and really helped me to see it more sensibly. If he knew how many things I've been like that about though he would actually think I am nuts 🙃

Skyliner001 Yes I agree, there's the fear of getting it wrong even though you know you know, sort of, that it isn't anything.

@MakingASilkPurse I always find if I write my worries down it really helps! I do it in my notes on my phone so I can delete it once calm and then god forbid nobody finds my excessive jottings about weird lumps and bumps I can make dimples anywhere on my body also! I wouldn’t worry about it! (Easier said than done)

@Skyliner001 we all lapse, but you are doing amazing! Keep going!!

Thank you tmh88

Absolutely agree with all of you! I was just thinking this morning about how having HA has actually affected my trust in my own judgement. I'll ask DH things now, like 'do you think we should give DC a bottle now or wait till later'. WTF? I'm not an idiot and in work I am confident but I just feel like I can't trust my own judgement on some things anymore! There's also a thread in my thoughts somewhere about needing reassurance but I've not picked at that one yet!

Do you ever get, when your sensible head tells you not to be ridiculous, a little voice pops in saying 'ahhh but the time you don't worry will be the time you have something serious'!

Writing it down and reading your experiences massively helps. I actually said to DH earlier that I was so surprised HA was so common. Thanks ladies x

@StooriMidori oh yes!! That time you don't worry about something is the time it'll be something to worry about - this there is the need to always worry!! 🤦🏽‍♀️

Oh yes!!! @StooriMidori The thing is we all get that, because that's a part of the mind doing it to us, which is part of our anxiety. But it's really hard to accept that. You almost feel like thinking well okay everyone else feels that way, but I'll be the one that's different… it's crazy!

It's so reassuring to read these posts today and to know that I'm not the only one with such thought processes - though I'm really sorry you all have to live with these thoughts too

I too worry I'll miss something and it will be my fault as I didn't act before. I have done so many consultations recently that I'm getting embarrassed but I just feel like I have to get some reassurance or I can't relax at all. It has been helpful that I can do e consultations now as it feels easier than calling the Drs but looking through my notes I cringe at the amount of times I have contacted them in the last 9 months!

Hi everyone, I totally get what you mean about the thought process of a health anxiety sufferer. It’s reassuring that we all feel the same though.

I’ve had loads of little blemishes on my breasts, they usually turn into a small itchy type spot after a few days.

I've only just found this thread and I often have health anxiety. I say often as I no longer feel like it rules my life, but it's still a burden.

What I find helps is focusing my mind as much as possible. I have an extremely busy and analytical mind and I have to put it to good use.
I also try to look to the facts. If I get headaches I tell myself there's hundreds of reasons I might have a headache before it's a brain tumor. It's extremely unlikely I do. That sort of thing. When I see how statistically likely it is for me to have what I fear it does calm me somewhat. And when the thought comes in of 'well that 1% could be you' I have to dismiss it and just say 'whatever' or 'maybe but oh well' and try and shake it off.

Hi, I've just found this from another thread. I have started suffering lately from really bad health anxiety. It started when I went to the drs for a routine ecg and it came back abnormal. Anyway, everything is normal and apparently that can sometimes happen (bloods, chest X-ray, echo were all normal) but it has triggered something and I can't stop crying, thinking I'm goi to die and leave my children without a mum, I have never felt like this in my life. I had a panic attack a couple of days ago. I keep thinking I can feel pain in my chest, ribs. Dr has prescribed propranolol but I'm a bit reluctant to take it.
It's good to see other feelings the same, a relief for me to know I'm not alone, but obviously not good for others

Hey @ShopTillYouDropp welcome to the forum, you most certainly aren’t alone. That’s my biggest fear too, leaving my son. My health anxiety has been bad since having him. Glad you found us everyone here is so supportive x