it takes time

[herbie73]

Hi all, I haven't posted for a while, just wondered do you ever get completely over health anxiety or do you always have that niggle at the back of your mind.I am a lot better but I still prod and pokecand fret about symptoms, over the last 3 months I have worried about boob issues, then sore ribs, then I felt that I had a lumpy abdomen and then last night I was conviced I had a swollen lymph node under my arm which turned out to be a spot, and today its back to my lumpy tummy which Ican only feel if iI prod in a certain way Ialso have these bumps on my inner thighs, anyway any advice how to stop over analysing symptoms, many thanx hHerbiexxx

[johnburns232]

I think we're always naturally ''very aware'' of our bodies and changes, although often benign. In fact a Doctor once told me that HA sufferers are actually among the most physically healthy people in the entire world. (Even though it probably doesn't feel like it half the time!)

I'm a lot better than I was and I don't even think I ever had it half as bad as some people I've spoken to, but I still get those niggles if I see something or feel something odd. It's just learning to live with it and reprogram our minds to forget it.

Everyone will get odd twinges, pains, marks, bumps, lumps on their bodies from day to day. I think some anxiety is twined with a bit of OCD too, so as well as looking out for problems, we want perfection - and no body is perfect, symmetrical or bump free. If you look hard enough you can find anything. And if you google it...well, there's where the spiral starts.

[herbie73]

Thanx for replying, everything you said is absolutely true, it's good to know that we are healthy, its probably because we take better care of ourselves and we are very vigilant, I'm a complete heath freak, I'm vegeterian, don't smoke only drink a couple of glasses of wine at the weekend, try to exercise 3 or 4 times a week, I'm always looking for the next preventative cure for cancer, what a crank, anyway thanx xx

[Carnation]

Great advice JohnBurns, I totally agree. :)
Just to add to that.
A Medical Professional told me recently; who had actually suffered himself, that you never go back to bottom of the pit, you might have relapses, but you won't go back to the height of the illness. You know the signs, you take more care and you now have the knowledge on how to deal with it. :)