Health Anxiety is ruining my life!

[Valky]

Hello,

I have just signed up for this group! thought i'd talk about my struggles maybe someone can give me some in sight. Ever since I can remember ive had this huuuge fear of death. I am terrified to die to the point where 10 years ago it was making me have suicidal thoughts. 10 years later im still her thankfully, lived through the death of my pop and father in a span of a year. I always think that there is something wrong with me from skin cancer, to cancer caused by heartburn, cervical cancer, colon / bowel cancer every ache and pain oh must be cancer .. have a headache must be a brain tumor (thats is what my dad died of). I am 34 years old currently and have been suffering from this since I have been 20. And i feel its getting worse I just dont know how to deal with it. My partner is getting annoyed im always worried about my health, my mother doesnt like me talking about this kind of stuff with her and I dont really have any friends I can confide in. I have been putting off going to the doctor as I am terrified they will confirm what I am worried about. Is there anything I can do to alleviate this? Do I need to get medication or go see a physiologist? Can someone overcome health anxiety, i just want to live my life without a giant cloud hovering me all the time!

Thanks for reading my story, i know i'm not alone in this.

[Tay100]

Hi Valky,

You are right, you are definitely not alone here- that is what our community is here for. It seems like you have overcome so much, but it's ok to feel like you need help and advice still. If you want to live without anxiety hovering over you, as you say, seeing a mental health professional may be a great start. Your partner could support you through this process, if they feel up to it. Not being able to talk with your Mum or any mates can be hard, but you can also use this thread also if you feel up to it, and add more people with similar experiences to your support network.

Let us know how you are going, if you like 🙂
Tay100

[Emmen]

Dear Valky,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for reaching out.

I understand how it feels like to always think of the worst case scenario with regard to health and have faced the same annoyed reactions from people around me who think I'm just making a big deal out of nothing. For me, what helped was seeing a doctor and understanding that anxiety was the root of all of my health problems (which were largely perceived). Get a health checkup too if you're worried - it's better to have the results of that once and for all rather than to perpetually be in this state of worry. I also started to listen more to the people around me. For instance, when they told me to stop worrying, I learnt to actually listen to that and reflect on my own anxieties.

You've been struggling with this for a long time and I really think a GP and a counsellor can help you immensely. I know it can be terrifying to take that first step, but it's something that will help you in the long run. It would also be helpful if your partner could accompany you to the doctor so that you have more support.

Let us know how you go, if you feel like it.

Take care,
M

[Petal22]

Hi Valky,

Sorry you are feeling this way...

I had OCD but have now recovered from it.. 😊

I think it would be a great idea for you to see your gp and then a phycologist... you can do a mental health plan with your gp... this will then give you 10 free sessions with a phycologist.... a phycologist can really help with some strategies 😊

We can all learn to be bystanders of our own thoughts and just watch them and not get caught up in them.... meditation is great for this..

😊

[Suzie29]

Hi Valky,

Welcome to the forum. I also experience anxiety and have found speaking with people who have had similar experiences to me really helpful. I recently found two Peer Support services really useful https://beingsupported.org.au/ and https://efriend.org.au/.

Suzie

[Supersteve]

I have had really bad health anxiety since my first panic attack some what 15 years ago .... first things first is to stop googling if that’s what your doing ..... I have had every illness under the sun ... I know what it feels like .. I once thought I had a brain tumour , for 4 days straight I’d check in the mirror cause I thought one side of my face was dropping . Countless strokes (panic attacks) heart attacks , cancers , even managed to diagnose myself with motor neutron diseases .... besides getting help I have recently listened to pod casts , done abit of research to understand anxiety in depth more and how my thoughts are linked ... also to get a piece of mind get some blood work done etc to build your confidence ... and don’t forget to distract yourself from these negative thoughts , I know it’s hard but you need to ... I also found back than that finding other people with the same health anxiety issues helped me a lot , have me that extra boost

[Alecx]

Hi Valky,

After reading your post I decided to sign up to the forum. The situation you are describing is eerily similar to mine. I had a significant health scare about a year ago - where doctors thought I might have something seriously wrong with me. The whole process of having scans and waiting for results was a nightmare. I fell to pieces during that whole ordeal. Everything came back clear but since then I have constant worries and fears that I have all these strange and exotic illnesses. I convinced myself I had mesothelioma after walking past some asbestos sheeting. I was sure I had brain cancers and lung cancers and all sorts of other stuff.

To give some insight into my experience (I'm certainly not qualified to give you any advice) I have found talking to people to be the single biggest help. My wife, doctor, friends, team-mates have all been amazing sources of comfort and reassurance. Locking it all up inside was a recipe for disaster. I have taken great strides and although I haven't overcome all my issues, I am able to live with them in a much more sustainable manner. Calling beyond blue and speaking to a stranger was a great source of comfort before I had the courage to speak to people I "knew".

All the best mate.

[PanicButton]

Hi Valky,

Hope you are okay! Wanted to comment as your story really resonates. Some of my first memories (from age 4-5) relate to me being scared of dying. Through counselling I have finally understood it might have something to do with my grandmother being diagnosed with cancer at the time and, although it was never directly discussed at home, I must have sensed it as a kid as we lived in the same house. Yet, since then I have been having sometimes debilitating panic disorder and health anxiety. Also made worse by the fact that my mother has been battling with several health problems for the past 10 years. Currently, I have not many people to talk to so find it extremely lonely. I go to counselling but it is not really the same as having friends who to talk to. All my best mates have moved overseas and those who I see really have no idea of the magnitude of panic disorder that I have.

It is good to have at least this forum, to know there are other people with similar challenges, making it through on day-to-day basis.

[maccaz]

can relate to this one greatly, health anxiety has completely taken away my quality of living (go figure haha)

have my first proper counselling session on friday and will see how i go