Hypochondria...Ruining my life

My anxiety is taking over my life.  I am pregnant and have 2 beautiful girls.  ALl I do is think about diseases.  Now I think I have ovarian cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer or some digestive cancer.  I have not enjoyed my pregnancy, or anything else in life for that matter.  The ovarian cance thoughts started when my doc told me I have an ovarian cyst, she's repeatedly told me it was benign, but I can't help to think otherwise.  Also, in the mornings, or when I'm nervous I get diarhea (diarrhea), of course I think it's a horrible disease.

I just had alot of blood work done and all seems to come out perfect.

I want to enjoy life again, I pray that I am healthy...everyone claims I am.  I want to be mentally fit for my girls.

ANxiety and your head can be your worst enemy.

Someone please help

[tash south africa]

hi there, this is the first time that I have come accross this site and in a strange way it has made me feel a bit better. You are nt alone, I completely understand your fears. I am on no medication at the moment but was on cypralex (an anti depressant) specifically for pannic attacks and anxiety. Any physical impulse on my body gets researhed on the internet and suddenly becomes a dreaded disease. My headaches are brain tumours, a racing pulse is heart disease, diorhea is the early symptom of heart failure , it goes on an on.. just 2 hours ago I got stung by a bee and it took me till now to realise that i wasnt going to have an allergic reaction to it. I saw a psychologist for 4 months, came off the medication and no longer have panict attacks but have started suffeing increasingly of anxiety and 'hyperchondria'. I have a good life, didnt have a **** childhood, Im 27, earn good money, have a loving boyfriend and family, but my fears often threaten to ruin these relationship. has anyone had therapy for a longer period of time and has it helped?

[borninquisitive]

Outside of seeking help from a professional, I might try to find books to read in the comfort of your own home. Not to supplant outside help but as an addition to.

I did come across a book but can not attest to content (helpful etc.)
It's titled, "Worried Sick?" The exaggerated fear of physical illness. Written by Fredric Neuman, MD (Director of the Anxiety & Phobia Cneter of the White Plains Hospital)

Which I had seen mentioned here:

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20060315/1049.html

Best.

[worriewort]

Hi there:
I've read all of your responses.I am 39 years old. I too have the same thing. Mine started last year. the dr put me on the birth control pill because I had a period in between my cycle and thought it would help out with my PMS.  I noticed I felt a little anxious while on them. Then I got bronchitis, I thought I was going to die. I would go back to the dr so they could listen to my chest, etc...I would worry, worry, worry. I have 2 healthy children, 9 & 4 and a wonderful husband, great job,but I constantly worry about my health, and theirs. I would go on the internet and look up all the worse case scenarios and my mind would go crazy. I started seeing a therapist and we did some relaxing techniques and by the summer months I was fine, I even caught a simple cold, nothing major...but would dread the "flu" season because I was afraid of what happened last year. Well, Nov 2006, I got bronchitis again and it was a repeat perfomance. I am seeing my therapist and doing okay. The anxiety really comes on before/during my period.  And I do remember after the birth of both kids, I had some anxiety. I really wonder if it's my hormones. I had some blood work done and according to my dr it "within normal range", however, not sure if my results are is in my "normal range".  Today, my daughter and husband have the "stomach flu"..and so far I'm keeping calm.  

In the past 6 weeks, I have joined yoga class, eating healther (i'm about 25 pounds overweight), and walking..I do feel better when I'm taking care of myself. I just want to be happy and that's what I'm trying to do without the medication and continuing seeing my therapist, who is excellent.
  
I'm glad there are people I can talk to here with the same thing.

[orphanannie59]

Alybella
Mine started when my mother was sick with lung cancer, and I learned how to search the internet about illness.  I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia after she died, and thought I was dying myself. I had bad anxiety, and was on too many medicines to mention, which only made the symptoms worse (in my opinion). No one is going to be able to tell you the magic words to help you, unfornunately, I wish I could.  I know what you are going through.  I still find myself thinking I have awful dreaded diseases everytime something new pops up. One day I just decided I wanted to be happy, and off all of the medicine and did just that. I am happy now, and don't ever want to go back to that way of thinking. I can tell you that when the time is right, you will decide that life is not about worrying. Take control of the things in your life you are able to control.  Your diet, exercise, spiritual, etc.....Read about what we are putting into our body's, and the affect all of it has. I assume you are young, and have all of the aging pains and worries coming on you. So try your best to take control now.  I wish you luck, and hope you find your answers.

[ALybella]

I too have a great childhood, great parents, friends, etc... My husband thank God makes good $, I just graduated summa *** laude, I have 2 beutiful healthy girls and a boy on the way.  ALl my bloodwork is perfevct, YET I freaking hate my life.  How can this disease ruin all the blessing that I have.  I sometimes feel as if I can no longer go on.  A trace of blood in urine, Dr. said not worry, I have a kidney stone, but ihhhhh no, I think Kidney cancer or bladder cancer.  I have a cyst that will be removed during C-section, 2 Dr.s said not worry it's benign, hell no, I think for sure ovarian cancer.  It goes on and on.  Disease I thought I have had in the last few years, that have taken aways my happiness:

MS - this was a really bad time
Heart Disease - Cardiomyopathy
Lymphoma - In grown hair in armpit
The list goes on and on
Colon cancer - Hemmorhoid - had 10 different hemmocults (negative) anaoscopy from colorectal DR.


Now since my nerves have been worst that ever, I feel as though when I get loose stool, I must have a digestive cancer.


It's a battle I'm fighting every minute of my life\, and to be honest I don't know how much longer I can deal with this.

If anyone has fealt the same, please feel free to answer me...Please

God Bless

[sue-aloo]

I know the feeling all too well.  I thought I had brain tumors, MS, Lupus, etc.  I am not a psychiatrist, but what I have learned is that instead of dealing with the source of your anxiety, it comes out in other ways...like the hypochondria.  I don't know the exact reasoning why this happens but it does.  I know how badly that this can affect your life.  I feel you should get yourself to a good psychiatrist.  I know that you are pregnant (congrats!)  and I don't know if there are any meds that you can take at this time, but maybe talking about your fears will help you deal with it.  Then, once you have your new baby, he can prescribe something for your symptoms, to help you deal better with everything (those hormones are also going nuts right now!!)  I have been on an antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication for years now and I have gotten my life back.  I do still have symptoms but not to that terrible extreme that you have now.  I am able to enjoy life once again and that is what I wish for you.  Please keep us posted and God bless!

[tash south africa]

Hi allybella, don't give up, you have to believe that there is a way out of all of this. Seeing a psychologist did help a lot, but find the right one, if the first one didnt work for you, try another, dont give up.
I do find that eating healthy and exersizing does help a bit, they are kind og the foundations, if thats not there, theres nothing to build on or to keep yourself together.
Some days are worse than others, sometimes im conviced for sure that I am dying, whether it be from flu thats now definately tuned into heart failure, the worst for me is not being able to share with the people closest to me exactly how i feel, first of all its embarressing and seconldly they get tired of hearing about my 'ailments'
A lot of the time its a silent sruggle to keep going, sometimes taking a bath helps to break my thought processes. Basically what happens is that our brains misinterpret physical symptoms . so my therapist suggests that after the initial panic, instead of worrying about it, looking up possible causes on the internet and inevitably making yourself feel worse, is to take a couple of deep breaths and think about it logically. why cant a runny tummy be just that, or a stomach bug, not necessarily cancer.
Saying that, its VERY difficult to put it into practise, but you have no choice, we have to do it and conquer our fears.
dont give up.. and ood luck to you all

[dizzyeyes]

Dear anxiety forum...

I am glad to read I am not alone :o) Here's my story...

About 2 1/2 months ago I woke up dizzy, 1 month into the dizziness I notice my pupils were unequal and began seeing floaters..skip to the present my dizziness has improved but my pupils an floaters remain unchanged.  I have started having other symptoms now...pain the radiates from left forehead back to neck and wavy lines in my vision.  I have been to 2 neurologist, a opthalmologist, an ENT, and a nueropthalmologist, had an ENG (ear test), a MRI, and blood work (all normal).  I have been dx with Adie's pupil (benign condition so they all say) and that's it.  

I said all that to say this...these symptoms have thrown me in to full on anxiety attacks with constant fear of dying of some weird disease or cancer.  It fills every moment of my life.  I pray for peace.  I WANT TO FEEL NORMAL AGAIN!  Nice to know I am not alone.

Gloria

[Ms_Makita]

I can relate to everyone .I'm 28 yrs old,I had appendix out  in oct,week later found complex cyst ,right ovary enlarged golf ball size,since then ultrasound coming back abnormal.lost 100lbs in 9-10 months (130lbs now,5ft1) hair loss,I have suffered anxiety/panic attacks few times but I didnt let it control me like I do now.I'm afraid to leave house, unless it is to the dr,cant stand to leave house,or be alone,can barely eat,because now I'm worried about ovarian cancer,because I do have most of the symptoms.Constant pelvic and abdominal pain that has knocked me on my butt,cant sleep,edgy all the time.I'm on xanax and 20 mg lexapro which isnt helping.My heart is constantly pounding and I worry next is a heart attack! sheeesh! but I have found something that helps to relax me,CHAMOMILE tea,has relaxing side effect,make sure you ask dr because could cause side effects with certain med's,and I try to do something I enjoy to distract myself (reading)We tend to think the worst case,but postive thinking helps too,I know its hard,but either let anxiety control you,or you control it.I'm going to fight it! good luck to everyone!

[yam13]

Hi
I have just found this site and this post. I cant believe I have found others just like me . Hypochondria is ruining my life also. I am on prozac for the 2nd time it stopped working and the doc tried me on Zoloft but it was no good also Anafranil but because of side effects I was taken off it.
When I first went on prozac years ago it was very slow to work but when it did it was wonderfull. I also have some xanax but Im being very carefull with themthey do seem to work quite good. Im clad I found this site I think it will be of help
Thanks I will be back regards Yam13

[katinohio]

My mother-in-law has constantly interviened in our marriage for 20 years and now she has this "hypocondriac" thing going for her for the past 6 years to keep my husbands attention away from me! This woman will fake pain and or sickness and then run to the hospital for attention and make sure that my husband is right there by her side. My father-in -law doesnt see right thru this matter and really makes me mad because she is constantly doing this. When she hears of someone's pain or illness, she then takes the very same upon herself suddenly and darts for the hospital. It's so bad, that one day when my husband and I were visiting her, she was showing us something and she left the room. I couldnt figure why,so I went to find out only to catch her jamming her figure hard up her nose and then went running back to room to my husband that her nose was bleeding so bad! This is crazy! One other time, she called my husband while on our way to get an MRI of my husbands neck , only to be waken in the middle of the night from his dad calling from the hospital, (again) because his mother suddenly had severe neck pain. While there, she poured the pain on so bad that she started kicking her legs like a baby having a tantrum so she could get oxycotin. Later she visit her doctor and poured it on again to get a script for oxycotin and then bragged about it. She has been fine ever since and when my husband asked her about her pain she said, oh...umm I'm in remission.  This is really getting to me but dont know how to approach it any moree because my husband just yells at me! what to do?