wish google didnt exist some times!!

[dreena]

hi all, not been doing to bad with my health anxiety, about 3 weeks ago i tore a ligament in my knee and was laid up with it for a good 2 weeks, then last week caught this awful cold/cough that everyone has at the mo, still feel bit crappy from it, and also i have a bit of discomfort/pain under my left rib, well i googled the symptoms and have scared myself stupid :( trying to be happy for my husband and kids but now im so scared its serious. feel like such an idiot and worried myself so much i now feel totally mentally and physically exhausted. i dont want to feel like this at all, but especially at xmas!! help :(

[Mark13]

Before the internet, I had a large medical dictionary with conditions and symptoms.

So, us folk with health anxiety will always find a way to scare ourselves daft.

In like to go with percentages. If it feels like a cold or flu, then the likelihood is that's exactly what it is. If you have anxiety, and you get aches, pains, twitches, nausea, dizziness, the look at the anxiety as a cause first :)

Obviously there's no substitute for medical advice, but most major illnesses are pretty rare and our condition gives rise to a whole host of symptoms.

I still look up symptoms on the web, but I tend to plump for the least scary possibility, so maybe my health anxiety is on the wane.

I get pain under my left rib quite often, for me it's trapped wind / bowel pain caused by stress. I've had it on occasion for years, since having stress related IBS 20 years ago. I ignore it and it goes away, as do most of our symptoms when you don't worry about them.

But believe me, I know how hard that is to do.

All the best.

Mark

[shanna]

I wish google never existed to. I can't seem to keep myself way from it.
I had h pyloryi stomach infection a few months ago since then i have had every major cancer you can get.

Living with a health anxiety is a nightmare, I wish a had a magic wand to switch my mind of.

I have no logic when the panic hits and it hits hard.

I have just started seeing a therapist think she is going to do cbt hope i can can get something out of it.

I am going on holiday in couple of weeks and feel utterly miserable when i should be so happy. Sorry for depressing everyone
:weep:

[mifta]

I know exactly how you feel. A couple of weeks ago I had routine bloods taken for my annual bp check. 2 days later I had a call from the docs to say they needed repeating. My wbc count is slightly elevated at 11.7 with neutrophils at 7.6. This is barely elevated, and I had a sore throat when I had my bloods taken yet dr google has diagnosed me with chronic leukemia. This resulted in me having a number of panic attacks over last weekend and a trip to the walk in centre as I thought I was going mad. I couldn't stop the thought and it was the worst feeling I have ever had in my life. I resorted to a new tactic to me, but known to most on here and that was Claire Weekes book, and as I am 'glimpsing' the truth, I do feel a bit better. Take care.