Anxiety about health - pls tell me I am not alone

[Roseanne]

Hi all,

I have suffered from health related anxiety since I was six years old. Back then I was mainly worried about vomiting but as I got older and my knowledge increased, I started to worry about more serious illness, mainly cancer. 

It has gotten so bad now that I have trouble at work concentrating. My husband does not understand and we have arguments about how much time I spend going back and forth to the doctors and how I ruin wonderful occasions because I'm so anxious or worried. 

i will not touch my neck or breasts as I am worried that I will find a lump (or as I almost always do, feel a normal structure and think its sinister) 

if I think I have found something, I cannot function in daily life and I don't get anything done. I can't eat, sleep, sit still to watch tv, read or do anything. Nothing takes my mind off it. 

I am currently trying to find a medication that suits me but it's difficult to find one that works. I have also just worked out a mental health plan with my wonderful doctor (very helpful) to get some counselling but have not started yet. 

I guess what I'm asking is if anyone else has the same anxiety problems as me and if they have gotten through it?

i want to enjoy my life and I want my husband to enjoy our life together. 

Thanks 

[Neil_1]

Hi Roseanne

First of all, I’m a mid aged male.  Last year I had a lump that was just under my ribcage, and after a period of time it seemed to increase in size and even become a bit painful.  There is a history of cancer in my family and I had all these bad thoughts jump out at me.  During one of my regular doctor visits I got him to check it out and stemming from that, he organised an ultra sound to determine exactly what it was and I was heaps relieved to hear that it wasn’t cancer;   that is was just some kind of node that grows from time to time and there was nothing to worry about.

This was a huge relief as I had built it up in my mind and it was causing me to think the worst.

Now you’ve mentioned that you have a wonderful doctor (and that is so important for us to have someone who we feel assured to go too);  and you’ve been there to get yourself a mental health plan.  Is it just possible that you could go along and get him to check you out?  Kind of like a car having a tune up (sorry, I like using analogies and that was how I referred to myself after a recent hospital visit).  After this visit and check up to your doctor, I would expect that everything will be ticked as “A1”.  And if so, then that could really assist and comfort you in a huge way to know that you’re 100% fine and you can lay any of those fears and anxieties to rest.  Do you think this might be possible?

With regard to your husband, the only thing I can suggest is that you are going to these doctors appointments with the sole purpose to help you deal better with your anxiety and your worrying feelings, so that hopefully in the future you’ll be able to find a way or some methods that might assist you on these occasions.

Cheers

Neil

[Roseanne]

Hi Neil,

thanks for the reply. This was my first post so I was a bit nervous.

i have had my doc check me over and I'm all good but I always manage to find something to worry about. 

So glad to hear your health issue was nothing serious. I know how worrying things like that can be, as I had a similar thing happen to me with my neck. (Turned out to be just nodes on my thyroid but it certainly tipped my anxiety over the edge) 

ill be starting my counselling soon so hopefully I will have some ways to deal with any other situations that arise. 

Thanx