Health Anxiety

[nat77]

Im really struggling with health anxiety and feel so alone . I have been suffering for 18 years. I have diagnosed myself with so many diseases:(

I have recently had a gastric sleeve well 2 weeks ago today . And ive been having pain in my roght shoulder blade . But of course i googled it and now im panicking i have breast cancer . I just cant continue like this . I want it to go away . Im terrified of cancer and ots just every where . I was at my daughters school assembly today amd was sitting next to a cancer survivor and sitting behind a lady who just lost her husband from cancer last week .

I see a counsellorand i go good for a bit then bang its back . I feel so stupid.

Is there anyone else like me 😞

[Hope_for_the_best]

I was exactly like you before I did my bachelor degree on biomedical science. I was studying in Australia alone the whole time, so that just made things worse. I was particularly terrified of cancer too because I lost my grandpa to lung cancer. Seeing him from being in good health to dying was overwhelming and I always fear that I will die like him. My degree has helped me a lot because I got to know more about diseases and treatments. Of course, who do not fear cancer? It is not stupid at all to fear about having cancer.

Talking to a counsellor is helpful, but I would suggest that you also attend some health seminars. Probably when you know more, you will fear less like me. Very importantly, those seminars are delivered by professionals, so you don't end up getting scared by Google.

Some reassuring words to you, your pain is very likely resulted from the gastric sleeve procedure. It is rare for breast cancer to manifest as shoulder pain. It is well-established that childbirth and breast feeding decreased risk of breast cancer, so having your daughters lowered your risk already. It is always a good idea to consult your doctor though if you have any concerns. If you are super anxious about breast cancer, please do your regular mammogram check-up. It helps picking up breast cancer at early stages, when treatments are often very effective.

Hope that helps.

[nat77]

Thankyou so much for your reply . It has calmed me down a little .

It frustrates me that our minds are such powerful tools that make us feel this way .

Along with my health anxiety i am terrified of doctors and i feel so embarrassed about thinking i have these diseases .

My husband works overseas so that is also added stress.

Ive just sat here thinking that I did not have pain like this in my shoulder blade begore my operation ( only just the occasional back pain from sleeping bladly, sitting for long periods and from lifting heavy objects )

I've just turned 40 and pur local women's health nurse advised me to start having mammograms. Im just terrified of the unknown .

I really want to get more help so I can go ahead with all these types of check ups without breaking down . I dont want to avoid doctors check ups and i know early detection saves lives i just need to change my way of thinking .

Again thank you and thank you for listening to me . It means so much x

[Up_and_down]

Hi Nat77

Yes....there is, or should I say, there are people like you.

I'm one of them and yes I do feel stupid at times. I've had anxiety, health anxiety, OCD and depression ever since I was a young child. Some good advice I can give you is DON'T go on google to self diagnose. Its a road to despair and pain. Says me who continues to type in any twinge or pain into google only to end up feeling like I can't go on anymore and full of fear and anxiety.

I'm actually too afraid to go to the doctor and the thought of going to a doctor to find out if my suspected cancer is true or not, sends me into a state of fear and panic. Whenever I do summon up the courage, when I get told its nothing to worry about I have this feeling of intense euphoria, which lasts for a couple of days, quite something. However it doesn't last forever.

Keep talking on places like this and we'll all support each other and smile and nod our heads in front of out laptops as we read each others posts.

Up and Down

[Hope_for_the_best]

Fearing the unknown is understandable. It is never embarrassing to address your concerns. Discuss your shoulder pain with your doctor and request a mammogram. Not meant to scare you, breast cancer tends to happen from 40 onwards, so you have a valid reason to fear. Even if the shoulder pain has nothing to do with cancer, your doctor will agree that you should get checked out.

Try to think in this way, the mammogram actually helps clear your anxiety. If everything comes out normal, then you don't need to worry anymore. If (touch wood) something is found, then you get treatment straight away. I have family friends who got early-stage breast cancer and they are still living happily today.

Take care!

[nat77]

Thanks up and down .

The way you are describing yourself is me all over .

Google is my best friend for work but my wost enemy when im worried about my health.

I also type in any ache or pain i get .. and there it is right in front of me some deadly disease:(

Im positive that my shoulder blade pain is mostly from my keyhole surgery i had 2 weeks with the gas they blow your stomach up with but theres always that voice in the back of your head telling you otherwise.

I just want to live my life to the fullest but right now it's just not happening .

[Mr_Walker]

Hi Nat77 - yes there are lots of people who suffer from this..

I felt exactly the same way - scared something was wrong, scared to go to the doctors and be told I was being stupid, scared if I DIDN'T go to the doctors it would get worse and I might die...

Once I knew it was anxiety I found it helpful to tell the doctors "I suffer from anxiety so it COULD be that, but I have this pain..." for example. I don't know if that would work for you?

My health anxiety disappeared with therapy and medication - I still have some other aspects of anxiety but thankfully not that one anymore - it's very scary...

And yes I found the counselling would help at first and then sort of wear off - I just kept going back and eventually the healthier times lasted longer between visits...

Hope that helps a little? Good luck, J.

[azarrah]

Hi Nat,

What's tough about health anxiety is that no matter how much people tell you that it's caused by anxiety (or that you're "imagining it"), you're not going to believe it. I know that acid reflux, the occasional vague scent of blood, and holding water in my mouth for a few moments before swallowing are caused by caffeine, allergies, and probably nothing exciting, respectively; but
in my mind, I have appendicitis, a variety of cancers and a neurological disease. When I write it down that way, it becomes obvious how blown out of proportion my fears are. I know that, just as you know that your shoulder could hurt for a variety of reasons, but our minds won't let us
believe it!

It really helps to me to read about others' experiences with health fears, because I see that I'm not alone in fabricating serious causes for minor problems.

I'd just be wary of saying "I have anxiety, but I'm experiencing xyz..." because in my experience, doctors are quite happy to chalk up random symptoms to anxiety if they don't know what else could cause it. That happened to me for five months before the fourth doctor I went to realised that I was iron and vit D deficient, and had an under-functioning thyroid. For
this reason, I would advise that you let the doctor struggle for a little bit, and if they're still lost, then tell them about the anxiety.

Also, just throwing it out there, if you've ever dislocated or semi-dislocated your shoulder, it's possible for there to be pain if it didn't heal properly. You can also have shoulder pain due to tight muscles - and that pain can extend to some weird places!

I hope this made you feel a little better 🙂

[Mr_Walker]

Yes I've had bad experiences with doctors too, like azarrah said - and it depends entirely on your doctor and your relationship with them.

But I found if they get the idea of anxiety on their own they're more likely to think it MUST be that. Whereas if you tell them up front "I know I have anxiety, I know the feeling of anxiety but I'm still not sure about THIS injury/symptom" I've found them to be more sympathetic - I hurt my back and it developed into shaky legs and I thought it was some sort of nerve/spine damage - I explained about my anxiety and they still took me for an x-ray...

Not meaning to argue! Everyone's situation is different. And different opinions/advice is what forums are FOR!

Let us know how you go? J.

[bluewater]

I too have constantly googled every symptom I have our mind really is so strong.

My main issue is I get scared to go to the doctor about anything, not because im worried what they'll think more so im worried Dr Google was right! who else has similar feelings. ? I guess maybe mine is more my GAD