How do I stop living in fear of this?

[TakeMeToTheSeahorseDisco]

I'm not sure whether to post this, or where, I am just struggling and could do with some advice/reassurance from others who might have had the same worries

I have health anxiety, the thing in particular that terrifies me is cancer, mainly pancreatic. I stupidly read this article today and the comments....oh my goodness the amount of people who have lost someone my age (40) due to this awful disease and so quickly!

It seems like it is a lot more rife than the statistics the article shows

I have IBS, apparently, but it means I have a lot of the same symptoms of PC.

I am so worried about leaving my DC (both school age)

I am being treated for health anxiety, well, given SSRI's by the Dr, I've done CBT, can't afford any private counselling

Any advice on how to stop this worry consuming me?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13757005/pancreatic-cancer-warning-signs-patient-tummy-pain.html#comments-13757005

I don't really have any great advice, as I tend towards over optimism, but the fact that this (tragic) story made the news, in itself, demonstrates that it is pretty rare. That's what I always think when I read a horrible story in the news anyway.

@Chewbecca that's what I originally thought but then I read the comments and it seems everyone knows someone who it has happened too as well ☹️

People will only comment when they have a similar experience to share. The thousands upon thousands of people who haven’t experienced this aren’t going to comment and say ‘well this never happened to me!’

You really really need to stop reading these kinds of stories. I know it’s hard and I am guilty of reading sad things to torture myself. But you need to break the habit, it’s not serving you.

Because mostly it is only the people who have something relevant who post. There will be hundreds of people, thousands, who have never known anyone with pancreatic cancer so they just scrolled on past.

You need to stop reading the Daily Mail. They regularly post scare mongering stories and if you have health anxiety it makes you ill. It’s not always 100% the truth - and even if it was, it’s super rare.

@TakeMeToTheSeahorseDisco
I used to suffer from extreme health anxiety, which resulted from 4 of my close family members dying of cancer. This included my lovely sister, who died of ovarian cancer, which was a terrible shock as she hadn't experienced any prior symptoms.
After my sister died I decided to pay for an annual pelvic and abdominal scan at a local private ultrasound clinic. They check all of my abdominal organs, including the pancreas, and the pelvic scan looks at the uterus and ovaries. The total cost for both scans is £120 and I find it worth every penny for the reassurance that it gives me.
Every year I feel a bit anxious before the scans, but the clinic staff are lovely, and the relief of seeing on screen that all of my organs are normal, and then being given the all clear is tremendous. Even if they did find something wrong I would be comforted in the knowledge that whatever it was hadn't showed up 12 months earlier, so hopefully it would be in its early stages.
If you have an ultrasound clinic anywhere near you and can afford the cost I can't recommend this enough as a method of helping to control health anxiety.