Templar
Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2019
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 42
Lump, bump, spot and pain. How many times have one or more of these four little words sucked the joy out of my life ? These four words have caused me enough time on medical websites looking up symptoms and treatments, that I'm pretty sure I could be an ENT, Dermatologist or Oncologist if I just made time to take the board exams. On the other hand, I'm a good guy to have around if you're concerned about one of the four words, because I can quickly diagnose whatever you have...lol. Also, if you need a blood pressure cuff, thermometer or magnifying mirror....I'm your guy.
These four words can easily dominate my day by having me checking and re-checking that lump, bump or spot every 5 minutes, because of course that's enough time for it to change from the last inspection ! Over the last 20 years I've had 17 different types of cancer and a couple rare diseases. How is it possible that I'm still alive ??? Well, the answer is I have health anxiety. Why and when it started I'm really not sure. What I do know is that at times it's not bad, and at other times the smallest abdominal pain has me lamenting my ultimate demise from colon cancer and wondering what it's like to be in hospice care. How many times have I vowed not to google a symptom, then after a day or two I give in to my temptation...but only on the Mayo Clinic website, because they wouldn't give me false information ! LOLOLOL.....Well, the fact of the matter is no matter what kind of mental exercises, breathing techniques or therapy I can partake in, I'm always going to have this. My brain is just wired that way. So what to do ? Well, like any other problem you have to just face it head on, make fun of yourself at times for being such a freak and move on with your life. For me it's not necessarily the fact that I'm going to die, it's just that I don't want a lingering, wasting away kind of death. The fact is we are all going to die. So at least for today let's all take a vacation from our anxieties and replace the words lump, bump, spot and pain with four different words...Fun. Family. Friends and Joy. Have a great day everyone and remember when channel-surfing DO NOT watch "Mystery Diagnosis"....
These four words can easily dominate my day by having me checking and re-checking that lump, bump or spot every 5 minutes, because of course that's enough time for it to change from the last inspection ! Over the last 20 years I've had 17 different types of cancer and a couple rare diseases. How is it possible that I'm still alive ??? Well, the answer is I have health anxiety. Why and when it started I'm really not sure. What I do know is that at times it's not bad, and at other times the smallest abdominal pain has me lamenting my ultimate demise from colon cancer and wondering what it's like to be in hospice care. How many times have I vowed not to google a symptom, then after a day or two I give in to my temptation...but only on the Mayo Clinic website, because they wouldn't give me false information ! LOLOLOL.....Well, the fact of the matter is no matter what kind of mental exercises, breathing techniques or therapy I can partake in, I'm always going to have this. My brain is just wired that way. So what to do ? Well, like any other problem you have to just face it head on, make fun of yourself at times for being such a freak and move on with your life. For me it's not necessarily the fact that I'm going to die, it's just that I don't want a lingering, wasting away kind of death. The fact is we are all going to die. So at least for today let's all take a vacation from our anxieties and replace the words lump, bump, spot and pain with four different words...Fun. Family. Friends and Joy. Have a great day everyone and remember when channel-surfing DO NOT watch "Mystery Diagnosis"....
