Extreme fear of getting cancer taking over life

[scaredgirl86]

It seems my health anxiety has been getting worse, i fear all cancers one of my main ones i fear is breast cancer, i've been obsessed worried for 10 years ince i found out my grandma had it. I always seem to worry that everytime i get pain there i think it's bad. The fear is taking over my life , i'm afraid talking about will cause it, i'm afraid if i like a guy who looks like someone who's with a lady who had it, crazy i know. My sister knows someone at work who's 30 has it and now i'm worrying again as i'm almost that age, i don't know how to stop it, it is rare for someone late 20's early 30's to get breast cancer? I'm going out of mind

[countrygirl]

Its incredibly rare for anyone in their 20's or 30's to get breast cancer the most cancers are found from 60 yrs onwards. The incidence increases from 40's which is why they are starting breast cancer screening in peoples late 40's now in some areas.
My mother died of breast cancer so I totally understand your fear. If you have close relatives who developed breast cancer under age of 50 then you can be tested for faulty genes but once past age of 50 then the really serious gene defects are unlikely to be the cause.
You have to learn to live with this, short of having a double mastectomy which no one would do anyway there is no way of removing the risk. You do not have a close blood relation with breast cancer under 50 so you are not at increased risk over the general population.
Be as healthy as you can, no smoking, as little alcohol as possible, eat lots of green vegetables and get exercise. check your breasts once a month so you are aware of what they normally look like but no prodding or poking as you will cause inflammation that will make your breasts feel lumpy.
There really is nothing more you can do.
Plus while you are obsessing and worrying about this you are wasting your life! Please try and enjoy your life now.

[scaredgirl86]

Thank you very much, your right I just got stop these crazy thoughts its hard but I got to do it I don't want to let health anxiety ruin everything

[white1989]

hi hun,

I know this an old post but it came up when I put breast fears in the search engine, I'm just like you in that I worry incessantly about cancer and it is really taking over my life, I'm only 26 too so I feel I really shouldn't be worrying so much but I just can't control it! I've had two appointments at the breast clinic over the last couple of years to have lumps checked because I've been so paranoid, and at each appointment they've told me that I have nothing to worry about at my age, even though I do have a family history of breast cancer. The specialist also told me that 9/10 breast cancer cases are not hereditary, which I was surprised to hear.
I've currently got really bad shooting pains in my right breast and its making me so so worried, it started this morning and its been there all day, have you ever had this sort of pain? its seriously worrying me, just wish I knew how to think rationally xx