Health anxiety is taking over my life

[Topaz89]

In November I found out that I had a bone tumour in my leg. At first it was feared that I had cancer, but it thankfully turned out to be benign.

The trauma of it has stayed with me though. I can’t go a day without worrying that I’m going to get cancer or that someone I love will. The fear of illness/ death/ grief stops me from getting on with my life and I’m nervous non stop all the time.

I’m currently partly immobilised because of the effects from the bone tumour which has since been removed. So I’m at home all day most days, which means I have a lot of quiet time to think about the things that are scaring me.
How do I help myself to stop feeling like this?

I’m going through rehabilitation to get my knee working again which I have to do a lot of at home, and my anxiety is affecting my concentration and therefore my progression.

I’m really struggling 🙁

That sounds really hard op, you might benefit from CBT.

Sorry it’s not much advice but I found it really helpful.

Sending love.

Cbt sounds right for this. There's a self help book called CBT for health anxiety on Amazon that is really quite helpful.

Twist it around - rather than worrying about cancer see this as your chance at life. I nearly died a few years ago and decided that life is too short and too precious to waste worrying about 'what ifs'. I am much better at seeing positives, enjoying small things (even good coffee, seeing bees in my garden) and just being grateful I am here to see the fantastic people my children have become. If you need help to twist your thinking then don't be afraid to seek it. Good luck!

You know, rationally - you have the first hand evidence to prove it - that the NHS (despite it's many faults) is very, very good at dealing with serious health issues. Think about what's happened to you. You had a problem, it was diagnosed and treated and you will, hopefully, make a full recovery. If you should develop another problem in the future you, with the right medical help, will deal with it again.

If you have weeks rather than days of recovery to go you could do a lot worse than spend it productively learning how your mind and your emotions work and how you can control the way you think. This course (IMHO) is excellent;

https://www.udemy.com/course/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-online-course-cbt-practitioner-course/?couponCode=ST17MT31325G1

Don't be put off by the word 'practitioner', it can be used simply for personal growth.