Health anxiety

[Polly29]

Hi
I've been suffering from health anxiety for a few years and recently started CBT to help address it.
My biggest fear used to be HIV. After years of internet research and linking every minor ailment to it, I got tested and the results were negative.
I was fine for around 2 weeks and then the HA thoughts and behaviours all started again.
In the past two days I've spent hours online researching lypmhoma, TSS, meningitis and septecemia - all because the glands in my neck are slightly sore. I've been having panic attacks, checking myself for other symptoms and calling my doctor.
I know all this is classic HA behaviour but it's really getting me down and distracting me from all the positive stuff in my life (and causing a lot of strain in my personal relationships). The CBT helps to some extent in the short term, but I have no control over the urge to worry, seek reassurance or investigate illnesses, no matter how hard I try. Every day brings a different concern.
Does anyone have any advice or things that have helped them relieve this? I'm scared that the only way I'm going to get through this is to systematically get tested for every single condition that pops into my head whether I'm ill or not - and I don't want this to spoil my quality of life any more than it already has. My doctor warned me that this could happen (as one condition is eliminated, focus changes) but I feel like the only way to stop worrying about something is to have unequivocal proof it's not there!
Sorry for the ramble!

[molkogirl]

Hi, Sorry your feeling so bad at the moment, you are not alone, i understand how you are feeling.
When i had cbt years ago the therapist told me that the problem i had was a 'need for certainty' when really there are many things in life that bring uncertaintly. It sounds like you are trying to gain this certainty too. My guess, based on my own experience of HA is that even if you did get tested for these things you would still find something else to worry about. Its just like the doctor said focus changes.
I struggle myself so i know how hard it is but my therapist insisted that i had to learn to live with a certain level of uncertainty in order to recover. Hope you feel better soon. Take care x

[Stormsky]

Ladies , perhaps you need to look at why you have a need for certainty for everything?
Its all well and good keep treating symptons, getting this test and that test to make us feel better for a while... but then the next issue comes up and your back again looking for certainty again...
Need to start treating the source of why you have uncertainty about health in the first place.

[neroo]

Stromsky is right when you rule out one problem another problem will spring up in its
Facing the fear and letting it rush over you

[molkogirl]

I have uncertainty about everything, not just health. How would i go about finding out why i have all this uncertainty? i just thought it was because i have ocd and that makes you doubt everything. I really do want to get over this. Thanks for any advice x

[neroo]

Your have to not be to hard on yourself, your dealing with something has had years to gain control

I gained control by saying ""go on then give me a heart attack" for me it was about facing death and realizing that even if i gave i, nothing would happen i was still there because it was all in my head

Your not going to die anytime soon

[Stormsky]

I have uncertainty about everything, not just health. How would i go about finding out why i have all this uncertainty? i just thought it was because i have ocd and that makes you doubt everything. I really do want to get over this. Thanks for any advice x
I get what your saying, but maybe its looking at your past to see if anything negative made you this way... or perhaps your right and OCD is the cause.. but ocd is just stuck in a pattern of thinking, so again needs to be corrected..

[molkogirl]

I dont know what made me this way to be honest but i agree it needs to be corrected. Just wish i could correct it. Maybe its because i have lost people in the past quite suddenly and thats put me on the look out for things. I am trying to just accept the uncertainty at the moment but its very hard. x