Has anyone ever been right?

[molrol]

I was interested to know if anyone has ever actually been correct in their self diagnosis??

I think part of the reason i get so hung up on illnesses (skin cancer mostly) is because part of this anxiety disorder seems to not allow me to really believe i am ok. The rational side of my brain, and my friends, doctors and family tell me i'm fine yet there's always this 'what if' in my head that says, 'what if they're wrong?' 'what if you develop it next week.' 'what if that mole IS cancerous after all and you miss it.'

It seems that some of the 'symptoms' people describe are just manifestations of the brain but has anyone ever been right? I consider myself a high melanoma risk due to being fair and very moley so even though i know i worry about it due to HA, but that doesn't stop there being the possibility that i develop it!! And obviously, people do actually get diagnosed with these illnesses on a daily basis!!

[Fishmanpa]

I was interested to know if anyone has ever actually been correct in their self diagnosis??

I think part of the reason i get so hung up on illnesses (skin cancer mostly) is because part of this anxiety disorder seems to not allow me to really believe i am ok. The rational side of my brain, and my friends, doctors and family tell me i'm fine yet there's always this 'what if' in my head that says, 'what if they're wrong?' 'what if you develop it next week.' 'what if that mole IS cancerous after all and you miss it.'

It seems that some of the 'symptoms' people describe are just manifestations of the brain but has anyone ever been right? I consider myself a high melanoma risk due to being fair and very moley so even though i know i worry about it due to HA, but that doesn't stop there being the possibility that i develop it!! And obviously, people do actually get diagnosed with these illnesses on a daily basis!!

I speak from reading thousands and thousands of posts over the last couple of years. I can say I know of 2 people that actually had a serious issue and they're doing fine.

Positive thoughts

[isybelle]

Yes, once.

I thought I had a detached retina and was right despite an optician telling me my eyes were fine.

If I hadn't kept on googling and got to eye casualty it could have been far worse.

That's where my health anxiety started.

Oh actually I've got another one!

A month ago my son started saying his side hurt and he was walking a bit hunched over.
Everyone said it was growing pains or a pulled muscle, but I immediately thought appendecitis and I was right, he had it removed the next day.

I think that is what has caused my latest relapse to be honest.

[Fishmanpa]

Be careful, the HA mind will latch onto these very, very rare cases. Keep perspective based on the 100s of thousands of posts and fears here (and other anxiety websites) compared to the reality.

Positive thoughts

[angrry]

I have been right about all minor illnesses and about my gallstones which ended up with surgery to remove my gallbladder. I have been wrong every single time when I have thought I was suffering from a serious illness, almost always cancer. Once again i am deep fear that I have cancer, colon to be specific. I am hoping my perfect record continues and I am wrong again.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think you have to separate things into major, minor or mental health.

Major issues are the rarity and when they happen, they are in the national media.

More minor things are more common I reckon as you are working more with a GP with very limited time and limited experience as well as access to testing. I think they are more inclined to make assumptions, miss things, etc and patients end up pushing to get what they need.

Certainly when it comes to mental health issues, yes, GP's make plenty of mistakes. But what I mean is that they misdiagnose one mental health condition rather than another e.g. depression has been commonly diagnosed instead of anxiety for years and is a well known problem of years ago, bipolar was often diagnosed as depression, etc.

In your case of cancer, you are talking the major category for me. These things are rarer because of the outcomes involved. If doctors mess this up, we hear about it in the national media. Yes, it does happen. I realise thats scary for people with HA but there is a reality here too that mistakes have been made BUT the very fact they are so rarely reported in the national media proves to me that they are in fact rare cases.

A GP misdiagnosing a common digestion problem for another, is likely more common but it's not dangerous and you end up getting there in the end with it.

[somdayillbeok]

I have only been right once. I had horrible dizziness, I felt sick all the time, gaining weight, and sweating all of the time. After looking online Found that the closest thing I could have would be hypothyroid.

I went to my doctor and he confirmed what I have figured out. Now, this is something less serious. But I have never been right about something more sinister. Like cancer, etc. (knock on wood) I have diagnosed myself with some much, but in the end found out that I was worrying over nothing.

[Dolphin8808]

I think the same thing... I mean some people have to be RIGHT.... because these are very real things that people are diagnosed with daily. If we keep looking, eventually we will find something.

I am the same, rather fair and have lots of moles and freckles.

[spacebunnyx]

I have been right a couple of times and wrong many many times. If I was right I'd be dead 20 years ago. Still here though!

[TheMadOladCoger]

Hello,

I wanted to say that I have been right once but this was after being wrong about the same problem twice before I got it right. With all of the serious things I have thought I have had I have never been correct. I think thats a good thing as I have diagnosed myself with some serious problems in my short time with HA.

Peace

[Iblametheparents]

I have diagnosed myself with the following:
HIV, autoimmune hepatitis, cirrhosis, gallstones, peptic ulcer, ovarian cyst/cancer, uterine cancer, breast cancer, anal cancer(!), lung cancer, melanoma of the eye, rabies, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer of the brachial plexus, oral cancer, achalasia/barrett's oesophagus, melanoma, melanoma, melanoma.
Sought reassurance from GP on at least half of them and NEVER been right.

[Fishmanpa]

There are several threads currently on the boards where the poster is certain they have something serious and it's turned out to be benign or something common and/or minor.

People get sick. People with HA get sick. The problem is the mindset that a cough or a streak of blood or a pain etc. etc. etc. is cancer or some other deadly serious disease. If it really happened that much, there wouldn't be a HA forum ;)

Positive thoughts

[its1111]

Thank you for this thread. It's reassuring...and while none of us will make it out alive, we can hope our minds will not convince us we're gone just yet! I'm definitely one that needs this reassurance often.