Severe health anxiety

[cat0281]

Hi, I posted this on the children’s health board then someone pointed out I would probably be better off here. My child got sunburnt (peeling) and I have severe anxiety that he is going to get skin cancer and die. I cry every day and wake up feeling a huge weight like I’ve received some terrible news. I feel like I am reacting as though I have been told he has skin cancer because I can’t see any other eventuality. It’s more shocking because I am normally so careful in the sun, but he was swimming and I was too stupid to realise this would wash off the sun cream. I don’t know how I can go on. I’ve started anxiety medication but I feel like I’ve given my son a death sentence. Help 🥲

Hi, I can't really help but wanted to offer a hand hold. I get similar visions of my kids dying from trivial illness. Usually I have a little private cry about it but I try very hard not to let the kids see my fear. Keep challenging the logic of your fears. I've had sun burn a few times, once so badly I begged my boss to be let off the customer facing element of my job as I looked so horrific. That was 10+ years ago and I am still cancer free.

@GlumyGloomer thank you. I’m trying not to let the children pick up on this but I’m sure they are (my six year old at least). I’m in a pretty bad place. I just started taking sertraline (which I’ve taken before with no problems) so wondering if that is compounding things as I know it makes you feel worse before you start feeling better.

Have there been any other incidents like this?

FWIW, it is reasonable to worry about your child's welfare but, like youve realised, your worry has become consuming. Have you tried anything else to help with your anxiety like CBT?

I'm trying to answer in a very measured and reasonable way, but I too suffer from health anxiety and I can understand how you feel. It can be awful and you second guess your thought process - are you anxious or are your worries justified? It's very tiring, so big hugs from someone who knows where you're coming from.

@HumunaHey it’s the first time it’s happened.

My daughter (now 17) had a few bouts of sunburn - one when I hadn't put enough suncream on, one when her dad sent her to a birthday party without applying enough - and a couple from being a teenager refusing to put enough on.

I still feel guilty about it even though only one of those was my fault.

But I try and look at it rationally - while the dire warnings about sunburn and melanoma do make sense because it's best avoided, obviously - it can ignore the fact that the cancer does actually have a good cure rate (ten year survival of about 85-90%).

www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/melanoma-skin-cancer/survival#heading-Two

If you channel your guilt usefully - maybe offer to pay for him to have an annual mole check once he's grown up - then his chances of dying from a skin cancer are very minimal.