Health Anxiety

[pussinboots61]

Does anyone here have severe health anxiety? I don't know how to deal with it. I just find relief after one worry and then something else starts.

Two years ago I had cystitis which kept coming and going and I was convinced that something sinister was pressing on my bladder. A scan ruled that out so I was relieved and the cystitis went away.

Then not long after I had severe diarrhea that continued for two weeks or so, therefore I knew it wasn't a bug. I was convinced I had a bowel cancer but a test proved it wasn't that but side effects from some new antidepressants I was on. I changed them and the diarrhea stopped.

About a month ago my breasts were very sore, I was convinced I had got breast cancer. I went to see my GP, who examined me and said all was good. Again sheer relief.

Now I am worried because my fingernails have gone discoloured, like a faint brown colour just underneath the tips. I did have this when I saw my GP about my sore breasts and I showed her but she didn't seem concerned. She did some blood tests which showed I am low in folic acid and my cholestrol is a bit high, she gave me some folic acid tablets and I thought nothing of it until now. I took my nail varnish off last night and my nails look even more discolured. I've Googled it and seen where it can be a sign of cancer so I am worried again.

How do I break this cycle of constantly worrying about my health?

Clomipramine has changed my life

You were convinced there was something sinister pressing on your bladder.

There wasn't.

You were convinced you had bowel cancer.

You didn't.

You were convinced you had breast cancer.

You haven't.

Do you see a pattern here?

You are now searching on Google to try and find a serious illness for something a medical professional isn't concerned about. I'm reminded of a poster from some years ago who also had health anxiety but was able to joke about it - she said she would be a terrible doctor as everything she diagnosed herself with turned out to be incorrect.

When did you start to worry about your health? Was anyone in your family a 'worrier' as you were growing up?

I've always worried about my health and other things since I was a teenager. My Dad used to worry, not so much my Mum and brother though.

I also catastrophise about the future and predict things are going to go wrong.

I have had CBT and am trying to put it into practice but its difficult.

I also catastrophise about the future and predict things are going to go wrong.

And you'll be right, 50% of the time. The thing is, no one knows what's going to happen from one day to the next so, whilst it's good to be prepared for big things like having food stores in case of power cuts (for example), wasting your like trying to predict the future is just that - a waste.

I guess you work on something like this - does it help?

www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/ThoughtRecordSheet7.pdf

Thank you for this. Yes this is the type of sheets I have worked on in the past.

Its very hard to try and change my thought pattern but I know I need to do it for my own sanity.

@pussinboots61 it might help to have a look at my AMA on remedial hypnosis - lots of info on there about how the mind works and how to change the way you think.

Have you considered practicing the CBT exercises by downloading the worksheets? Have you tried mindfulness and meditation? Medication? How about another type of therapy?

@pussinboots61you mention thoughts and changing them but it’s worth looking at behaviours, perhaps the ones you identified as the unhelpful during your CBT. In HA the common behaviours that are unhelpful are:

checking, using hands or checking in the mirror, monitoring changes (visual or sensations).
research: programmes or articles about health, Dr Google
Avoidance: avoiding ill people, medical environments, appointments, for example.
reassurance seeking from others: from the GP or family members for example
safety behaviours: the things you do to feel “safe”. An example would be never leaving the house without medication “just in case” when there is no medical need to do so.

Perhaps some of the behaviours have crept in or increased? You might find Overcoming Health Anxiety by Rob Wilson and Prof David Veale a useful book as it is CBT based and may act as a useful reminder of how thinking and behaviour have a pretty equal role in keeping problems going.

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I will look out for the books mentioned. I worry, not only about my health, but other issues as well. It goes round and round in my head and makes me feel exhausted and does affect my life. I still function, go to work and socialise but these thoughts are always in my head.

Not much advice OP but just to let you know I am the same and I get it. It is exhausting. I tried CBT too. I went recently to the GP to talk about medicating my anxiety. I constantly catastrophise. I went suddenly & permanently deaf in one ear a few years ago (no known cause) and have constant tinnitus in that ear. This obviously hasn't helped my anxiety. GP prescribed antidepressants but said just to check side effects as some antidepressants can cause ringing in the ears. Got them home and read the leaflet - 1 in 10 experience ringing so I'm too scared to take them. My tinnitus can be really hard to cope with at times so I don't want to make it worse. Felt really hopeless after that. Was hard enough to get a GP appointment in the first place. Made the mistake of checking my boobs last week. I have lumpy breast tissue and am prone to cysts. Had a mammogram over a year ago. I keep feeling lumpy bits, an area that feels like a lump but then when I check again maybe not. So obviously I try to ignore it for a day and then obsessively check it another day. Flit between panic and then trying to reassure myself. Only thing that helps me is being busy. When I'm at work (primary school teacher) I don't have time to overthink and stress. I exercise, socialise, have kids, come from a big family etc so lots to be grateful for but it's always looming. Probably worse now I'm hitting perimenopause (I'm 44). I'm always worse over the holidays when I've too much time on my hands. Sorry, no real advice but you're not alone.

Thank you for your reply. I am sorry that you feel this way too. I do sympathise. Which antidepressants do you take? I am on Citralopram. I was on Prozac for years but I changed two years ago as they were no longer having an effect on me. The Citralopram is good but I know tablets don't cure anxiety, they just help you to feel better than you would otherwise.

I am like you in that I need to be busy. I have a busy job and don't have time to think when I'm there. I also have friends and family but I find Sundays the worse day. I do meet people sometimes on Sundays but I still find it a hard day to get through, especially when I don't have anything planned.

As for work, I am due to retire in three years and I dread that because I fear being bored and having time to think, though people I know who have retired say they don't regret it at all and wonder how they found time to go to work.

Its so exhausing when thoughts and worries keep going round in your head. I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. I remember when I had just left school at sixteen, I had headaches quite a bit and was convinced I'd got a brain tumour. My then boyfriend took me to A&E to get reassurance. I remember the doctor there telling me I'd been getting my knickers in a twist over nothing and my boyfriend thought it was funny. Trouble is the reassurance only lasts for so long and then another worry takes over.

Yes, the reassurance lasts for about 5 mins and then the brain latches on to something else to worry about. I'm not on antidepressants as I didn't want to exacerbate my tinnitus. When I'm not worrying about my health, my brain focuses on my tinnitus and 'turns' it up to the point it can become all consuming and very difficult to cope with. Or I catastrophise something wrong with my kids. Right now I have a cold and a cough so I'm panicking about my good ear as I had a mild cold when I went suddenly & permanently deaf in my right ear. Every cold sends me into a spiral about my hearing which again is exhausting. I feel like I can't turn to antidepressants as they can cause tinnitus and I've tried CBT so I feel like I just have to live with it. Not sure what other help there is.

I've had health anxiety over last two years, triggered by a couple of stressful times.

What has helped a lot is my Doctor's surgery. They are amazing, they'll see me, check me, hear me out, do a blood test, one time they did an ECG. I even got a chest X-ray.

It always comes back fine.

Now I've seen a pattern of things being ok I'm learning that some of my symptoms are just the way my body reacts to bugs, viruses, certain foods etc etc.

I haven't been in for months now. I'm really grateful to my Drs.

So sorry to hear that you’re struggling OP. I am currently reading a book called “Your Worry Makes Sense” by a wonderfully kind GP called Martin Brunet. I have suffered from anxiety for decades, and this book has really explained some things to me like never before, & has definitely helped me feel better. No affiliation at all to the author, but just thought I’d mention it, as there is a section on health anxiety.