Checking, googling, reasurance seeking......

[TheGroundhog]

It's vital to remember that all of these behaviours are making your health anxiety (and that is what you have, not lung cancer, not a heart attack, no, that tiny perfect mole isn't skin cancer, your lymph nodes are just doing their own sweet thing, your brain tumour is a headache, you don't have MS or ALS, your whole digestive system is in turmoil - Because You Have Anxiety).

Every time you have a 'quick google', every time you ask your partner/mum/boss/stranger in the pub to look at a random spot on your shoulder, every time you ask for another test at the GP, every time you list any symptom on here;
You
Get
Worse.

You feed your anxiety.
You program your brain to do this more and more and more.

All you have to do is;
Stop.

Seriously, it's that simple (and that hellishly hard).

If this forum took a week where NOBODY posted a symptom, EVERYBODY pledged not to Google, and EVERYBODY pledged not to ask anyone irl anything about symptoms. I can GUARANTEE you would feel better by the end of the week. And then if you kept it up week on week you would feel better and better.

Is anyone prepared to try? Just use this thread for a week, talk about your anxiety, but NOT symptoms, not what you think you have, might have, definitely have and will die from on Tuesday. But that you are sad, scared, down. But again, not why. People can support you in you anxiety, most here are bloody experts.

It's just a thought, will probably roll past like tumbleweed, but in a week you could feel better than you do now, in a month, vastly improved, it's there for the taking.

[Malibustace]

This is a great post, and I will be trying my best to do as you suggest

[bubx]

This is such a good idea but I can't help that nagging voice at the back of my head reminding me... what if it's a brain tumour, what if it's something sinister

[Annaboodle]

This is a great post - thank you. The point about all the different types of reassurance-seeking is particularly well made. I think there's a danger of thinking that because you're posting on an anxiety forum you're of course doing something good for your anxiety. If all you ever post about is perceived physical symptoms related to whatever condition you think you have then it's the opposite.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Giving you a bump as you have already hit page 2. Another member has just raising something similar too so there is some who want to.

Just something to add from the point of view of a non HAer, I think also that there needs to be work on practical use of a GP i.e. the inserting waiting periods, because going to GP's when it is not needed is still reassurance-seeking and will get in the way of learning to tolerate the anxiety, thoughts, etc which there is lots of work going into in your OP.

[tryingtosurvive1]

good to see this. hopefully i'll have the commitment to post here for a few days at least!

[melfish]

Me too

[pulisa]

This is an excellent thread and I would like to contribute my bit seeing as I'm going through an HA episode at the moment and do not want to fall foul of all the horrible temptations available online.
I think another scaremongering area is NHS111.Honestly, it's no wonder A&E is crammed to the rafters. I'm not going to discuss my symptoms but they follow on from a pleurisy diagnosis last month. As a carer I can't afford to be ill and this is a major contributing factor to my HA..but it is no excuse and I need to deal with my panic which so easily gets out of hand.

[MyNameIsTerry]

This is an excellent thread and I would like to contribute my bit seeing as I'm going through an HA episode at the moment and do not want to fall foul of all the horrible temptations available online.
I think another scaremongering area is NHS111.Honestly, it's no wonder A&E is crammed to the rafters. I'm not going to discuss my symptoms but they follow on from a pleurisy diagnosis last month. As a carer I can't afford to be ill and this is a major contributing factor to my HA..but it is no excuse and I need to deal with my panic which so easily gets out of hand.

When my mum was ill with pneumonia a while back we called them. 30 minutes on the phone to be told it was a heart attack and the ambulance crew turned up with a different diagnosis. 30 minutes!

The crew did some eye rolling naturally. The out of hours GP actually told us never to call 111. That was quite an statement coming from a GP.

So, I agree. That service has problems.

I hope you feel better soon. You will kick it's bum, I have no doubt in my mind of that.

[pulisa]

Thanks,Terry . I'm never phoning 111 again-I only did so to get some advice on pain meds and was told I would regret it if I didn't go to A&E to get checked over.I didn't go and held out but feel I should go to the GP today. I feel I should be able to wait but admit that I'm not strong enough to at the moment. I will see what the GP says, accept it and move on.