health anxiety disorder

[aside]

hi,

 I have health anxiety disorder off and on. I convinced myself I had multiple sclerosis then when I had a baby I convinced myself she had autism and had post natal depression with obsessive compulsive disorder, now I am obsessed by the item I might go into early menopause, and have some symptoms but Dr says way too early to tell....

 It's like I have heard too many bad stories or know too many things about bad things happening to others. I am convinced sooner or later something awful will happen to me and I won't cope .

 I have seen a Counselor when I had post natal depression... She told me about mindfulness... I never really managed it but got over the depression with drugs and seeing my daughter develop normally.the ms thing I had tests and Dr said I was OK. Had two mri 's wasting time and money...

 I am often anxious and obsessive of my health...Dr Google is bad for me! I become obsessed and try and come to terms with life with diseases I don't even have... I have experienced the grief of these things and so much fear!!! I know so much about autism and Ms! 

 I guess I am posting to see if there are others who feel the same way or who understand tthis fear and anxiety and where it comes from and what maybe helps them...

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[white knight]

Hi aside, welcome to beyond blue forums

I had anxiety, kicked it with years of relaxation techniques and medication.

What I can say is that you have stated Dr Google isnt good for you. Then toss your computer or at least your computer habits out the window. Social media addictions like Facebook and twitter also include in your case- Dr Google.

I gave up Facebook 5 months ago. I recently signed up again only to keep in touch with family members. I'm well aware its a trap. So I filled my life with other things that make me happy like growing vegies, making jams, hobbies, etc.

Dont allow the computer to destroy your life.

Tony WK

[Beltane]

Hiya! Welcome to beyondblue.

I've had this too 🙂 It was acutally quite interesting how my mind worked. I had (well have, but it doesnt cause me problems now) anxiety, social phobia, panic, all that kind of stuff. And when i got particularly anxious I would get all sorts of symptoms- severe nausea, funny aches and paints, headaches and funny tummy problems. Then I would go to "Dr Google" and I would convince myself I had all these outlandish strange diseases- i once absolutely convinced myself I had brain cancer (because of the headaches). I even started writing a will, and insisted the doctors give me a CT scan.

Of course there was nothing ever wrong with me, but its really amazing what anxiety can do- it can make you feel strange symptoms AND it can stop you from being realistic and sensible. Thats what anxiety does- makes you think of the absolute worst catastrophe possible and makes you believe that catastrophe will happen and theres nothing you can do to stop it.

in reality of course, the catastrophe is not likely to happen at all.

I made some rules for myself: firstly, NO DR GOOGLE. You must be very strict with yourself and say no no no Dr Google. You must only go to a real Doctor- and you must go to the same Doctor all the time so they get to know you and follow up any tests properly. This ensures you get the best treatment and nothing is "missed". It will make you feel much safer knowing you're being properly looked after, and if you feel safe then youre health anxiety wont be so bad.

Next, there are much more other therapy techniques than just "mindfulness". I see beating anxiety as like a puzzle- you need to put lots of pieces together to get the "treatment". One piece might be medication. Another piece is mindfulness. But there are lots more pieces you can collect to make your puzzle- lifestyle changes, other therapy techniques, exercise, healthy eating, new hobbies.....

I love a therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy- my favourite book about it is "The Happiness Trap" by Dr Russ Harris. Mindfulness is one part of ACT, but there are lots and lots of really awesome techniques you can try. The book I mentioned has some really helpful techniques- like how you deal with the thoughts when they come up, how you talk to yourself...

Don't think mindfulness is the only thing out there- theres lots more stuff! Maybe a different therapist might be more helpful to you- i found my 4th therapist was the brilliant one that helps me.

[aside]

Thanks so much for replying.

I have downloaded the book from Amazon and will read on the flight i have to take next week.

I am generally a positive person but when it comes to my health or of those close to me I am obsessive.

 I totally catastrophise and try and find other paths. Eg assumed I got the worst form of ms and will be in a wheelchair soon, then try and convince myself it could be mild and obsessively look for positive stories which are hard to find as people go online to share complaints and also media reports.the worst stories...but it's an obsession I find hard to break.

 Best case for me is distraction with tv and work etc. But during breaks/down time the obsessive side comes back...

 Good to hear others stories...

I am trying to convince myself now menopause early won't be so bad...I already convince myself of the disease. I know this is nuts and I know what I do but still seem to do it....

 Health stuff just scares me so much as it's so out of our control and drs don't seem to have cures for anything... 

Hopefully the book will help me. 

[Beltane]

Hey, i know what you mean. All of us with anxiety have certain things that cause us massive anxiety. For my mother-in-law, its driving! She absolutely just cant drive anywhere more than 5 minutes from home- no matter what!

For myself, its little things. Even though my anxiety is really well controlled right now and my life is very normal and calm- i still cant go on public transport. Its just my thing- i need to be able to drive myself because i need to be able to get myself home.

before my anxiety was under control, i had lots of things that i obsessed or panicked over- my relationship, my hair, my health, my work, my uni study. i would even get obsessed over stupid things- like if i made a mistake at work, even just a tiny insignificant mistake, i wouldnt sleep that night i was so worried about it!!!

But all thats gone away now. it took a little bit of trying to find the right treatment- i went through a few medications and tried a few different therapy techniques- before i found the ones that work for me. since i've found them, the anxiety has slowly just gone away. its taken some time and some very hard effort. but lots of people have done it, myself included, and you can do it too.

I hope you like the book! i loved it to bits, i re-read it all the time!

[Nickname_C401C8F2-87C7-4B]

Hi aside, I'm very new to these forms as well. I can totally identify with what you are saying. I also diagnosed myself with a variety of illnesses including (but not limited to) ms, brain tumour, bowel cancer and most recently melanoma under my finger nail. I have had symptoms for all these diseases and I really did believe I had them. I had numerous investigations but all (of course) been clear... Thankfully. I considered how I would break the news to my 3 young children, told my husband to "move on" when I died. It's exhausting. I've started on meds, seeing a naturopath, counsellor, learning CBT and trying to get out and exercise more. Its a long road but I'm trying really hard to get mentally fit. I wish you all the very best and please know you aren't alone. Xx

[Jessme]

Google is evil... I used to have the ms obsession now I've moved onto rare genetic disorders that cause premature aging of cells... The theme will probably move onto something Else in the coming months... It is exhausting !

[_Captain_]

I know this post is old but it brought some comfort. I have had health anxiety on and off over a few years, had convinced myself for about a year I had MS. I didn’t realise it was such a common occurrence with health anxiety until I started reading about it! My newest is focused on my breathing and now the feeling like there is something stuck in my throat. I have recently started counseling which is helping but it’s going to take time. Just good to read from other people’s experiences though!