Health Anxiety - part three!!

[MrsWhites]

Hi ladies, back again for thread number 3!

Morning everybody. Hope you're all ok this morning, and yes here's hoping for a better day!

Morning! I seem to be veering between calm and fine to really anxious every few hours! Does anyone else when they're trying to control their HA be ok and then suddenly get a kind of cold feeling come over them and have your thoughts suddenly start to race with all the HA worries at once? That's what happens to me sometimes.

Morning everyone :) I’m new to this thread so not sure if this is the right place to post. I’ve had health anxiety for 5 years now, it takes over your life doesn’t it! I’ve had a bad few weeks and feel like I’ve rung the doctor way too many times lately, they probably hate me! One of the worst things for me is working myself up about whether to get something checked out or not.

Yes @onlyreadingneverposting8 😬

Welcome @katiemumma20 😊

Hi @katiemumma20 yes - I have that...the anxiety about whether it's something I need to worry about (wanting it not to be something I need to worry about) and worry that the doctor might tell me it's something to worry about is the worst bit of HA for me.

Great, I have a red bump on my boob, it's probably a brewing pimple as I do get body acne (despite being in my 30's!) But that doesn't stop me worrying until I see a head on it and know for sure that it's a pimple.

Also, I dunno if this is gonna sound completely ridiculous and embarrassing but is anyone else afraid of their bowel movements? I have mild IBS plus the anxiety itself doesn't help as it obviously has an effect on our bowels but anything that deviates from my regular schedule in that department sends me into a tizzy - why is it looser? Why am I going so often today? Etc and I usually jump straight to its a stomach bug, it's food poisoning as I also suffer from emetophobia so always panic it's gonna be followed by vomiting. I'm asking because I've already got that thought stream going on this morning.

Morning everyone.
katiemumma20 I get like that about going to the doctors. I go to ring so many times then that is another thing to get anxious about.
My doctor has always been lovely and so understanding. Although I haven't been for well over a year.
Hope everyone has a great day.

@Nogodsnomasters Hello, would you actually believe that bowel movements are something that doesn't concern me. I have a strong stomach, and I've never had any issues with my bowels, but literally everything else bothers me. I guess it's just what you fixate on. That makes me feel scared writing that though, because I immediately think maybe they are what will get me in the end, so not even that is free from health anxiety.
Breasts are my main concern, and anything to do with my reproductive system.

I spent a lot of last night poking out my ribs, and I also get really stressed where I see slight indentations in my boobs, I have them on either side near the armpit, and then on the inside where am I underwired bra lies, when I raise my arms, or pull the skin they disappear completely. So I definitely think it's an age thing, and natural gravity! But it doesn't stop me standing in front of the mirror for absolutely ages poking and pulling.

Morning everyone!

I've had a good few days as boob pain has been minimal or not there but now it's ramping up again so back to square one. It's so disappointing as I feel as if I have a handle on things and then something sets me off.

It does appear to be hormonal I think. Both my boobs feel exactly the same re lumps and bumps but only my right one hurts. It's always been sorer than the left but it's much more pronounced now and I'm only getting a few days respite from mid period before it starts to hurt again, so of course I'm imagining the worst. I also have shooting pains under my arm and across the top of my breastbone which is very tender. If the DC lean on me it's bloody sore! I'm wondering if it could be related to my shoulder pain (been bad for years) and maybe costochondritis? My buggy is really hard to push and I do all the driving, am right handed too 🤷🏼‍♀️ I am waiting on a ref to breast clinic but I'm low priority so will be a while yet.

Have any of you had anything like this or am I just talking myself down with rubbish?

Also, can anyone link me to the costochondritis videos mentioned in one of the threads? I had a scroll through but couldn't find them (on the phone). Thanks x

I'm going for a no poke day so 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Sending you all good vibes xx

@onlyreadingneverposting8

Morning! I seem to be veering between calm and fine to really anxious every few hours! Does anyone else when they're trying to control their HA be ok and then suddenly get a kind of cold feeling come over them and have your thoughts suddenly start to race with all the HA worries at once? That's what happens to me sometimes.

YES! I get this all the time x

I’ve lost track of who’s posted what ha!

But to answer a few
-I currently have 5 red patches between breasts! I get them quite frequently usually spots/blocked pore etc sometimes they’re just there and last months!
-my boobs tend to have some form of ache all month and they’re both lumpy/bumpy!
-I also get health anxiety that comes over me like a wave so I can be having fun, laughing and joking.. next thing it’s impending doom in my head!
-rib pain I get sometimes, but they are always sensitive to touch! Think DS stretched them when I was pregnant

I’ve done ok not poking/Googling for quite a few days now! Hopefully can carry on!

[quote Skyliner001]@Nogodsnomasters Hello, would you actually believe that bowel movements are something that doesn't concern me. I have a strong stomach, and I've never had any issues with my bowels, but literally everything else bothers me. I guess it's just what you fixate on. That makes me feel scared writing that though, because I immediately think maybe they are what will get me in the end, so not even that is free from health anxiety.
Breasts are my main concern, and anything to do with my reproductive system.

I spent a lot of last night poking out my ribs, and I also get really stressed where I see slight indentations in my boobs, I have them on either side near the armpit, and then on the inside where am I underwired bra lies, when I raise my arms, or pull the skin they disappear completely. So I definitely think it's an age thing, and natural gravity! But it doesn't stop me standing in front of the mirror for absolutely ages poking and pulling.
[/quote]
You're right, it's just whatever we fixate on. I just seem to follow the symptoms and bowels would be one of my more noticeable ones because I do have IBS. I also have a pile from giving birth so I worry if I go too frequently it will irritate it and start to bleed (which has only happened once in 6 years) but my god the flaming panic attack that gave me was awful because of course you see blood in toilet and jump to cancer! Funny enough my boobs don't bug me at all unless I get a pimple or mark on them which isn't that often thankfully but I've definitely worried over my reproduction organs many times!

We've definitely all got our own worries haven't we, I think it's separating what is and isn't a real worry.

Sometimes I imagine sitting in the doctors, and trying to explain something which is borderline invisible. Possibly completely invisible to them when I am there, getting out my mobile phone torch and shining it, pulling up my skin and poking at it and trying to explain exactly what it is that I think I am seeing.

It actually helps me, because I know that they would probably set my mind at rest immediately.

It feels scary even writing that down, because it makes me think what if, what if, what if but there it is.

I literally never even examined my breast, or gave them any attention at all until I had my giant breast cyst, and the only reason I started poking was because my arm was sore, and I read an article about Sarah Harding. It's literally been about three months, for the last 10 years I barely even bothered them.

skyliner001 that is exactly right. I have had my torch on loads these last couple of days checking out this spot and taking pictures. That's the reason it's probably so red as I'm poking and picking it 😩

@Squeekybummum I'm so glad it's not just me!

Even though I'm also not glad you are going through it!

@Squeekybummum @Skyliner001 I took a video of myself.. pointing out each lymph node I had on my neck and saying OUT LOUD the sizes of each one to look back on to see if I got more and what the sizes are!!! For example “lymph node my finger is on between neck and shoulder muscle now is around pea size” never told that anyone!

This was October time

We're all so similar!! It's a real fear to forget things.

I'm off to the Drs this afternoon to get my neck lymph node checked out - feel so sick with nerves but doc was lovely on the phone. I just worry about what I'm going to say and keep going over it in my head and also scared I'm going to cry as I'm really emotional at the moment and lots of broken sleep which always makes me teary!

@tmh88 that's actually a really good idea as otherwise your mind could easily play tricks on you and think/remember differently.

@chorusline79 deep breathing! Let us know!

@tmh88 I agree with @chorusline79 that the video is a good idea!

@chorusline79 Let us know how it goes! Good luck!

Maybe I should do a breast video 😬😬