Two Questions For Other Hypochondriacs

[Michael1973]

I have two unrelated questions for others who experience regular health anxiety.

First, has your anxiety ever caused you to postpone major life decisions? The last time I had myself convinced that something truly awful might be going on, I was also wanting to look for a new job. However, I put off submitting even a single job application until I had my medical tests, figuring a new employer wouldn't be happy if I needed time off for medical treatments. Of course no such medical treatments were necessary. But now I'm back in the same mindset, only with a whole new set of symptoms.

Second, do you find that your anxiety comes and goes depending on how pervasive the symptoms are? I notice some days if the discomfort lingers for many hours, I spend much of that time in panic mode, but as soon as the symptoms subside it's like a light switch gets flipped and I immediately start functioning like a normal person for a while. It feels weird to me.

 

[E.B]

Yes and yes...

I have had different job opportunities where a physical was involved and didn't do it....

For me its out of site out of mind...as long as no "symptoms" im content

 

[Canuck]

1. No.

2. Yes. But my anxiety in general is what makes my health anxiety flare up. If I am stressed out about anything, my HA will flare up.

 

[bigjetplane23]

1. YES, YES, and YESSSSSSS. Can you believe I have even delayed becoming pregnant? Because in my mind, how could I do that? If God knows if i’ll even be here next year, how could be pregnant and then I’m sick. I haven’t searched for a new job because what if something happens and I need health insurance and I don’t have the insurance yet because I’m so new to the job. A lot of things have been delayed or canceled due to HA. And I’m not proud of it.

 

[cathylynn]

1. YES, YES, and YESSSSSSS. Can you believe I have even delayed becoming pregnant? Because in my mind, how could I do that? If God knows if i’ll even be here next year, how could be pregnant and then I’m sick. I haven’t searched for a new job because what if something happens and I need health insurance and I don’t have the insurance yet because I’m so new to the job. A lot of things have been delayed or canceled due to HA. And I’m not proud of it.

I delayed my second child 10 years apart, all because I thought I had MS, I didn't but I was sure of it. Its strange how what you think can actually give you symptoms, i'm sure I would have had 3 kids, always wanted to be a mom, but it took 10 years to have my second because how can I bring another baby into the world that i wouldn't be able to take care of. I wasted alot of years worrying, so sad.

 

[SB2017]

Yes! Doing it now actually. I won’t allow my husband to book, or acknowledge our vacation next year because I told him I’m sure I’ll be diagnosed with breast cancer or some other type of cancer with all my medical appointments coming up this month

 

[Jonathan123]

How very sad it all is. Lives upset because of the way we think. We should look at animals as an example. They live from day to day. As long as there is food and comfort available then that's all their immediate concerns satisfied. Watch a herd of sheep being chased by a sheep dog. They panic and run all over the place, but as soon as the dog has gone they go back to munching grass as if nothing had happened. We anxiety sufferers don't do that. We hang on to the fear and often exaggerate it out of all proportion. Keeping things in perspective and seeing reality and not illusions is what is needed. If we have been told it's all 'nerves' then begin the process of recover by seeing all the symptoms as smoke and mirrors. Mr. Anxiety's box of tricks in inexhaustible. There is no illusion he can set up that we will not believe if we allow it. Just as the mind can get into a positive productive mode, it can do just the opposite so that fear becomes a habit. Like the sheep accept that the danger is past and go back to life as it should be without apprehension and fear. Not easy by any means, but it can be done if we accept it all.

 

[Michael1973]

1. YES, YES, and YESSSSSSS. Can you believe I have even delayed becoming pregnant? Because in my mind, how could I do that? If God knows if i’ll even be here next year, how could be pregnant and then I’m sick. I haven’t searched for a new job because what if something happens and I need health insurance and I don’t have the insurance yet because I’m so new to the job. A lot of things have been delayed or canceled due to HA. And I’m not proud of it.

I've been wanting to find a new job for a while now, but I delayed my initial search back in the spring due to an upcoming health procedure, just in case they found something awful. My biggest concern is that once you start a new job, they're not going to want you taking time off for medical treatments. My search has slowed down in recent months, mostly due to lack of good job opportunities, but now that I'm having a new round of symptoms, there's that again...

Yes! Doing it now actually. I won’t allow my husband to book, or acknowledge our vacation next year because I told him I’m sure I’ll be diagnosed with breast cancer or some other type of cancer with all my medical appointments coming up this month

I never discuss my health obsession with other people. If my friends or family talk about the future, I just act like everything is fine when I might very well be thinking, "Yeah, if I'm still healthy then..."

 

[kammie72]

Im putting off my mammogram by 3 weeks until after the new year (normally I go December 27 but I’m going January 20) because I’m going to Chile and Argentina for New Year’s Eve and I want to have fun before the ball drops (the bad news ball, that is). I have about 5 screenings to do in the new year and assuming that because I’m going on a luxurious trip (a friend is getting comped a lot of this for her job) that something bad is going to happen to me. Like something bad comes with something good so I’m assuming that one of these screenings will end up with s bad diagnosis. Sad, right? I’m praying every day for God to have mercy and keep me healthy…

 

[Michael1973]

Im putting off my mammogram by 3 weeks until after the new year (normally I go December 27 but I’m going January 20) because I’m going to Chile and Argentina for New Year’s Eve and I want to have fun before the ball drops (the bad news ball, that is). I have about 5 screenings to do in the new year and assuming that because I’m going on a luxurious trip (a friend is getting comped a lot of this for her job) that something bad is going to happen to me. Like something bad comes with something good so I’m assuming that one of these screenings will end up with s bad diagnosis. Sad, right? I’m praying every day for God to have mercy and keep me healthy…

I can relate. I skipped taking vacations a number of times for various reasons (toxic work environment, COVID, etc.) and now that I'm past all that, whenever I get a new symptom I start thinking "I missed traveling all those years, and now I'll get sick and won't be able to travel again."

The fact that somebody I was connected to on social media, who was barely a year older than me, just passed away suddenly from a random illness, does not help.

 

[SB2017]

Im putting off my mammogram by 3 weeks until after the new year (normally I go December 27 but I’m going January 20) because I’m going to Chile and Argentina for New Year’s Eve and I want to have fun before the ball drops (the bad news ball, that is). I have about 5 screenings to do in the new year and assuming that because I’m going on a luxurious trip (a friend is getting comped a lot of this for her job) that something bad is going to happen to me. Like something bad comes with something good so I’m assuming that one of these screenings will end up with s bad diagnosis. Sad, right? I’m praying every day for God to have mercy and keep me healthy…

Oh this is me. I was due the end of October for mine but I had a cruise booked October 27th and refused to go beforehand because I didn’t want to get bad news before my trip. It’s scheduled for this Thursday and now I’m thinking “great, I’ll get bad news before the holidays”. Just can’t win.

 

[Phillies Phan]

Oh this is me. I was due the end of October for mine but I had a cruise booked October 27th and refused to go beforehand because I didn’t want to get bad news before my trip. It’s scheduled for this Thursday and now I’m thinking “great, I’ll get bad news before the holidays”. Just can’t win.

Or, much, much more likely you’ll receive the good results and have a much happier holiday season.

 

[Linnoix]

Yes and yes. My whole life basically stopped last year around this time when I self diagnosed myself with colon cancer. The only thing I didn’t postpone was a meet up with old friends from high school. My mom and husband encouraged me to go and surprisingly, I listened. It is so incredibly frustrating.

 

[kammie72]

Oh this is me. I was due the end of October for mine but I had a cruise booked October 27th and refused to go beforehand because I didn’t want to get bad news before my trip. It’s scheduled for this Thursday and now I’m thinking “great, I’ll get bad news before the holidays”. Just can’t win.

@SB2017 you will be fine!! All will be well, sending healthy energy your way!

 

[chickentender]

1. No
2. Yes. My anxiety fluctuates. It depends on my levels of stress and monthly hormone cycles also play a role.

 

[JFireStar]

I was convinced I had pain hyperacusis (noxacusis) and I ended up living in complete noise isolation alone in my room for about 6 months straight. Whenever I exposed myself to noise my ears would burn very intensely. Eventually I did a test which proved that it was all in my head, and then over the next week the pain started to decrease more and more. Now it's almost entirely gone, but I still do have some loudness hyperacusis that I'm trying to get rid of by desensitizing myself to more noise.

 

[cathylynn]

I am so happy not going to the dr. I had a period of time I didn't go to the dr for 7 years, no problems, didn't have my health anxiety at all. I decided to go, and of course she found a suspicious mole, she thinks its melanoma, torment until the results came back, it was normal. Now its time for colonoscopy, been holding off until after Christmas, don't want to spoil christmas if something is wrong. Then next mammogram, my sister had breast cancer, so now have to go every year, so always worry about that now, put them off for years. When i was in my 20's when this all started with me was I had a droopy eyelid, and got scared reading all the horrible diseases it could be. It progressed into a full depression, numb feet, weakness, too much to remember. A neurologist thought It could be MS, so that put me in a tailspin. Back then there weren't conclusive test to prove it was. So I have lived my whole life thinking I would be in a wheelchair. I had a new baby at the time, and couldn't imagine doing this to my family. I put off having my son for 10 years because of this. Well, 50 years later and i'm still here and pretty healthy. I hate that I worried myself into this for most of my young life.

 

[Mcarva]

I feel like I could have written many of these replies. I have lived with anxiety and "what if" since I was a young child. I am having a colonoscopy tomorrow and worrying myself sick that "today could be my last day on earth," "I just know they are going to find cancer", "what if something goes wrong during the procedure", "what if I don't wake up from the sedation", etc., etc., etc. Being a more than moderate wine drinker only makes matters worse as I know alcohol increases the risk of many types of cancer and I feel I have done myself in. Been fretting over this since October!!! Mammogram in April. Thinking that if I should get through the colonoscopy ok, then that means the mammogram is going to be bad. And if that test comes back ok, then it's the "what if I take a stroke," "I just know I'm going to take a heart attack", etc. It never ends. I am sorry I can't be of much help. No matter how much I try not to discount the positives that the odds are most likely in my favor, it doesn't help. So many years wasted on negative thinking. I'm 65 years old and have been like this since I was 9 or 10.

 

[JustMe83]

I have two unrelated questions for others who experience regular health anxiety.

First, has your anxiety ever caused you to postpone major life decisions? The last time I had myself convinced that something truly awful might be going on, I was also wanting to look for a new job. However, I put off submitting even a single job application until I had my medical tests, figuring a new employer wouldn't be happy if I needed time off for medical treatments. Of course no such medical treatments were necessary. But now I'm back in the same mindset, only with a whole new set of symptoms.

Second, do you find that your anxiety comes and goes depending on how pervasive the symptoms are? I notice some days if the discomfort lingers for many hours, I spend much of that time in panic mode, but as soon as the symptoms subside it's like a light switch gets flipped and I immediately start functioning like a normal person for a while. It feels weird to me.

Yes that happens to me. No symptoms and I’m good. But with the slightest symptom I put a stop to everything and panic and obsessed over it. I feel that now.

 

[kammie72]

I feel like I could have written many of these replies. I have lived with anxiety and "what if" since I was a young child. I am having a colonoscopy tomorrow and worrying myself sick that "today could be my last day on earth," "I just know they are going to find cancer", "what if something goes wrong during the procedure", "what if I don't wake up from the sedation", etc., etc., etc. Being a more than moderate wine drinker only makes matters worse as I know alcohol increases the risk of many types of cancer and I feel I have done myself in. Been fretting over this since October!!! Mammogram in April. Thinking that if I should get through the colonoscopy ok, then that means the mammogram is going to be bad. And if that test comes back ok, then it's the "what if I take a stroke," "I just know I'm going to take a heart attack", etc. It never ends. I am sorry I can't be of much help. No matter how much I try not to discount the positives that the odds are most likely in my favor, it doesn't help. So many years wasted on negative thinking. I'm 65 years old and have been like this since I was 9 or 10.

How did it go?