Is your HA fixated somewhere?

[jackdobs]

Hi all,

just wondering about something. Since 2008, I've suffered from health anxiety. It's often come and gone and been accompanied with "rituals" (OCD type). Since July of this year, however, the health anxiety has been almost exclusively fixated on my mouth. I've worked my way round my tongue, roof of my mouth, throat, cheeks and inner lips, convinced in each case that the symptoms were cancerous.

Just wondering, does anyone else experience fixations on one part of the body? My partner said to me recently, "I wish you'd get obsessed with your middle toe or something!" after being so drained with my health worries. I wish it too! Or better still, I wish it just wasn't a thing.

Positivity :)

Jack.

[hopeful927]

Yes, that is health anxiety. I concentrate on my mouth and also worry about colon or rectal cancer. After showing my Dr my anus for the millionth time I said I wish it was another part of my body too!

[DaveCH]

Yes yes yes. I only ever have one symptom at a time and I become totally fixated on it it's the only thing I think about. My latest is constant throat clearing and feeling like I have to much Mucas in my throat. Have either of you had that with throat issues

[DaveCH]

Hi joe I should have said I finished antibiotics 4 days ago from a chest infection so I'm hoping it is just and irritation and Mucas lingering on from that. Feeling much better though the wheezing and cackling chest has stopped. Do you think this sounds likely along with anxiety and thinking about it all the time. To be honest I'm worried about bulbar ALS but I can swallow and eat and don't slur my speech and can whistle and have gag reflex ok. What do you think ?

[dizzy daisy]

Yes I do fixate on certain areas. It's a real pan and once you've spotted something you can't leave it alone. It's so awful but you're not alone xxxx

[DaveCH]

Joe don't I know it. I have had muscle twitching for 2 years so I know the twitching is stress plus the other 16 anxiety symptoms I have had hence why I have bulbar concerns from all my research back when the twitching started. Bulbar is swallowing and slurred speech isn't it ?

[TheMadOladCoger]

Mine isn't fixed somewhere more on something Lymph Nodes, but I still worry about every pain and what not.

Peace

[jackdobs]

Good to hear your opinions. It's just been so strange for me as my HA has always been around different areas of my body, yet for the past several months it's been exclusively the mouth area.

Just as a tip, when it flares up and you're worried about a particular symptom, I find it helps to write down all the other symptoms I've worried about in my mouth that either have explanations or have cleared up.

[rsanchez]

I have fixations with my heart predominantly. Sometimes I worry about my brain but my heart is the focus of my health anxiety.

[almamatters]

I wish I could stick to one area of the body. I get fixated on my stomach for a week, then it's throat, lymph nodes, head. It is mentally exhausting and very confusing for my doctor.

[majg18]

I'm fixated on my throat and mouth at the moment too!! The constant lump in the throat feeling really is doing my head in! Also while looking today (yep, constant checking) I noticed purple veins on the roof of my mouth, so obviously I'm thinking about that now as well!!

id of never noticed them without the constant checking! Great!

[Traceypo]

I move around too, when I'm good, I'm great, when I've got a snotty nose I'm terminally ill.
Funnily enough, once I move to something else, the old thing is forgotten, my old favourite is my heart, I can rationalise that now though, cause if I'd had the amount of heart attacks I believed I had, I wouldn't be writing this.

[uru]

So far

STI >cancer >brain tumour >flesh eating disease > CJD > skin cancer >HIV >skin cancer >teeth issues >GERD >GERD >GERD

[Cbear83]

Asbestos exposure :(

[Fallenangel76]

Mine is definitely my heart and not helping that the last few weeks my blood pressure has dropped alot so now think my heart is working right as heart rate lowered too and I'm also worring over bowel issues I'm so out of control on my body I'm wondering also if I have a problem with my adrenal glands I think I've burnt them out as feeling absolutely awful

[Masonn]

Mine is usually fixated on melanoma because my birthmark has a higher risk than a regular mole, but sometimes I worry about other things.

[olden]

I used to fixate on different things, but the past 12 months I have been fixated on my eyes. I miss fixating about other things, it's so hard to not notice visual symptoms!! I think I might go crazy.

[Em.ma]

Mine will change.
When I first suffered health anxiety it was all around my head/hitting my head/brain hemmorage was my biggest fear ever.
At the moment it's around my legs/insomnia. I've had several things in between to. Carbon monoxide positing was one of them for a long time as well