Let’s all vent.

Worriedmama · Oct 5, 2020

After I had my second baby, I went to a new pcp because I needed a referral to an endocrinologist because my thyroid was out of wack. During the process he did an ekg and he told me that I had suffered a heart attack. After going to the cardiologist she confirmed due to the position of my heart in the chest cavity, I have abnormal ekgs and she did a echo to confirm. I was fine for a year then my husbands really good friend suddenly got bacterial meningitis and had to have all his limbs amputated. During that time my coworker fell off a ladder and broke her neck and while in the hospital, her boyfriend dropped dead cause his heart stopped. If he wasn’t at the hospital at the time he would have died but they were able to save him. I think all this really amplified my fear of the unknown which kicked my ha into gear. I am 34 years old.

sTeaLth · Oct 5, 2020

I have had it for two years. Today I suffer with some tingling and "fake" numbness in my fingers and toes. I am fairly certain 99% of it is anxiety and focusing on it. The rest is poor diet, posture, and probably some deficiencies. I hate this crap. I love when I get a month or two of freedom...but it always comes back. I'm a 35 year old father of two toddlers... and it started right before my second was born. In the midst of stress and worry. So here I am... better but still suffering from it from time to time.

bin_tenn · Oct 5, 2020

No idea anymore how long I've had health anxiety, but in hindsight, I've had anxious behaviors and thought patterns since I was fairly little. An innocent Google search for "how to address frequent headaches" triggered several years of intense health anxiety for me. I had headaches quite often, due to poor sleep habits, poor diet, etc, but that Google search mentioned "brain tumor" - and the rest is history.

I'm 33 this year, but that initial brain tumor anxiety had to have been close to 10 years ago.

Laumau · Oct 5, 2020

I’m 54 and I’ve had my share of health concerns as we all do. But I would say 10 years ago I had my first bout of health anxiety. I had a gallbladder attack and then had surgery to remove my gallbladder. After the surgery I started itching head to toe and it lasted for weeks. It was so odd and of course I looked it up and ended up being terrified that I had some sort of cancer. It turned out to be a big reaction to medicine but it was just so strange the way the symptoms persisted for so long. Prescription strength antihistamine took care of it.

A year ago I got pneumonia. I was treated but symptoms persisted again after researching I convinced myself I had lung cancer. It was a horrible six months or so until I finally received a diagnosis of asthma. Now this year I’ve had a recurrent UTI and again stupidly I started googling and of course came up with bladder cancer. I just got my cytology report today and it’s negative. So no cancer. I do have a UTI again, and confirmed kidney stones, however and I’m now on my fifth course of antibiotics. It seems that every time I have a health problem the symptoms seem to persist forever and it just freaks me out. No more googling for me! No matter what!

Jgriffin · Oct 5, 2020

bigjetplane6 said:
What started your health anxiety? How old are you? How long have you had it?
Let’s get to know eachother.

I'm 41. I developed health anxiety two years ago this month when I had a cold and my ears got clogged. Ears are still clogged but it doesn't bother me..that began my hell.

mia23 · Oct 5, 2020

I'm 20. A year ago I was at the cinema when I suddenly felt dizzy and really weird. I immediately started panicking thinking it was an aneurysm, because dizziness can be a symptom of that. I eventually felt better but when I got home that night my heart was beating super fast. I then started thinking I have heart issues, then that lead to fears about other diseases and since then I've been in a downward spiral and can't stop worrying about my health. It really depresses me

Belizz · Oct 5, 2020

I will be 45 in a month.
Have had health anxiety since I was little but it wasn't like this before. I didn't have cancer fear back then for instance but in many years it got worse.
When I was 18 I found a lump in my breast, I got scared but didn't freak out because I was young. Then some other fears happened and I noticed that in tougher periods of my life, HA takes over. When I am frustrated, disappointed, etc.
I moved to Sweden in 2010 and have been going through some hell since 2017. I am still not sure what triggers mine but, I know it is not just health fear.

Belizz · Oct 6, 2020

bigjetplane6 said:
What happened with the breast lump? Did you ever get it checked out?

Yes, I visited a very experienced general surgeon the same day and he checked. He told me it was a cyst lump and happens often because of hormonal reasons at my age back then. It disappeared after a couple of weeks.

Cuchculan · Oct 6, 2020

Ended up under a car in my teen years. Close call with death. Shock from that would hit me a few years later.

Trunchbee · Oct 6, 2020

bigjetplane6 said:
What started your health anxiety? How old are you? How long have you had it?
Let’s get to know eachother.

I am 30 years old. My father was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and fought for 5.5 long years until he passed away last year. I guess mortality set in and since then I’ve been much more aware of my body and health anxiety set in almost instantly. It’s literally a daily struggle and it’s so hard to explain to family and friends who don’t experience it because it’s such a taboo subject in the Latino community. My family thinks it’s just me being dramatic but these fears are so real to me.

gummyrozzo · Oct 6, 2020

I'm 18, and before the pandemic had never worried about my health. im not actually the healthiest person - i have a small scoliosis and occasionally anemia rears its head, i get dizzy and tired a lot, along with some other mental health issues, but it never properly got in the way of my life so i didn't pay attention. but the coronavirus pandemic woke me up to the very real possibility of my health taking a downward turn, and as i was working through the fear of that, a friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia. she's the first person ive ever known to have cancer and it just completely freaked me out, now i always feel like cancer is coming to get me. my health anxiety actually started on my birthday when i got a sore throat and thought i had coronavirus, and ive had on and off anxiety for almost exactly 6 months now. not a long time, but awful nonetheless!!

Joshua1 · Oct 13, 2020

bigjetplane6 said:
What started your health anxiety? How old are you? How long have you had it?
Let’s get to know eachother.

I have not have health anxiety before, but i have felt the need to work out and make myself look more sexy. I was sexy already but i didnt believe it, but other people did.

suzzeeb · Oct 14, 2020

I was very shy and felt scared a lot as a little kid, probably genetics and a chaotic upbringing didn't help. I had a fainting spell when I was about 14 and spent a couple nights in the hospital for observation. They thought it might be my heart and wanted to do some invasive tests and my dad refused since I was so young. I am 55 now and have had a lot of pre-fainting spells since then and of course now I know I'm just prone to that and it has nothing to do with my heart, but my whole life I have been terrified that there was something wrong with my heart. I had severe PVCs about a year ago and underwent an ablation a few months ago, which completely did me in anxiety wise and sent me on a downward spiral that I am still in right now, even though the cardiologist said I didn't have to have it if I didn't want to as they are benign, but I couldn't stand constantly focusing on them. I have spent my whole life being nervous and afraid to really live life like other people. It makes me really sad. It's like a wasted life. I could have done so much more and enjoyed life so much more if I wouldn't have been so handicapped by this stupid anxiety.

Tadh163 · Oct 16, 2020

Having kids.

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Tryingtoheal · Oct 16, 2020

For me it started when I got pregnant with my first born and had a messed pregnancy with all sorts of complications like hypertension, diabetes, bells palsy. Reached its peak when I assumed I'm developing MS. Tens of tests and MRI later I am doing okay but with nerve pains, occasional bouts of anxiety, health anxiety, and OCD. Pain of any sort is my trigger

Abz53 · Mar 30, 2021

You know, as I’m getting older, I’m 40, I feel like my health anxiety is getting a little better. Or maybe I’m just learning how to deal better. I’m starting wonder if we put too much focus on health and checkups and follow ups. Would life be happier if we knew nothing about our health/physical state? You know like, ignorance is bliss?

A good example is my mom. She’s almost 70. She has not been to any doctor since she had my sister in the 80s. She hasn’t taken an aspirin since 1980. And she never gets sick. Never takes medicine, hasn’t had an antibiotic since probably the 80s. She exercises everyday, is very active and eats super healthy. She never stresses over health. I need to be more like her.

Let’s all vent.

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