View Full Version : HA Fruition??
Okay Guys and Gals here's my question.
Of all of our HA fears and phobias...MS/ALS/Cancer blah blah blah...the list goes on for miles...of all of it how many out there have actually had their HA fears come to fruition?
I have run the gamut with my HA and none of it has come to be. Not saying I won't ever get sick but so far (thank God) the only sickness I've had has been the one inside my head - my HA disorder
Thank you,
N.
Okay so I posted this 5 days ago. I think it's a little telling that no one has responded - and a good point for those of us that have suffered with HA. It was sort of what I expected.
Have a great day:)
N.
ServerError
02-06-16, 22:43
I worried about being too ugly to get a girlfriend, then went on three dates with three different girls this week, none of whom want to see me again. Not health anxiety as such, but it shows that my fears were grounded in reality.
Seeing the doctor tomorrow. Might get her to up my Sertraline dosage to 6,000mg...
MyNameIsTerry
02-06-16, 22:45
It's a subject that someone raises from time to time. Maybe the last one want long ago hence less of a response?
Hahaha...very good! But if you're that ugly why did they agree in the first place?
Also, there are always blind girls you could go out with.
Or you could become a punk rocker. That's why Punk was invented...so ugly guys could get chicks too.:D
MyNameIsTerry
02-06-16, 22:52
Hahaha...very good! But if you're that ugly why did they agree in the first place?
Also, there are always blind girls you could go out with.
Or you could become a punk rocker. That's why Punk was invented...so ugly guys could get chicks too.:D
Don't forget beer and money? :yesyes:
Don't forget beer and money? :yesyes:
HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Even Better!!
I can say, of the tens of thousands of posts and fears I've read on these boards, I know of two people who actually had something happening. They dealt with it and are doing well. Also, their anxiety took a back seat while they were dealing with things and has stayed there since.
Positive thoughts
Fishmanpa...That is a great point! Even if someone does in fact have what ever it is they are worried about...which as you pointed out is very rare...the majority of the time it can be dealt with medically.
Thanks!
N.
PS - Even Ugliness lol.
MyNameIsTerry
02-06-16, 23:11
Sometimes life just intervenes. Whilst probably 99.9% of health worries go nowhere, there are also people who are ill around here but it may be something they were not worrying about.
Some on here have said they are reluctant to discuss their real illnesses because of scaring others but those of us who are not triggered, or perhaps have a better hold on our anxiety, tell them they should be free to discuss whatever they want and are rightly deserving of even more support.
There are members on here with cancer and beating it. Some just have a different attitude and are getting on with things too, whether beating it or sadly not (whatever the illness) and they set an incredible example in doing so.
Another good point, Terry. A couple of celebrities come to mind who actually did get sick and have been around far longer than any of the doctors said they would be.
Actress Valerie Harper Given 3 months to live in 2009 still here - and British rocker Wilco Johnson given only months to live back in 2013...still rockin'...and not in a chair.
MyNameIsTerry
02-06-16, 23:27
Carnation's mum too. She was told many years ago she had terminal cancer and recovered to live to her old age cancer free! Things will have moved on since back then.
Did someone mention my name???? :D
Yes, I know several people that were diagnosed with terminal cancer and have survived, especially my Mum, which was 45 years ago and still clear at 83. :)
By the way, love Wilco Johnson. :yesyes:
MyNameIsTerry
03-06-16, 00:16
Ears burning? More like a heat seeking missile! :roflmao:
We thought you were asleep! Were you eavesdropping young lady! :D
I wonder what the general age group of the "worried I have ..." posters is? My mental picture is of a physically healthy person in their twenties or thirties, when the illnesses they fear are relatively uncommon, but I could be wrong. That's not to downplay the health anxiety, which is a very real and frequently debilitating condition.
MyNameIsTerry
03-06-16, 05:54
I wonder what the general age group of the "worried I have ..." posters is? My mental picture is of a physically healthy person in their twenties or thirties, when the illnesses they fear are relatively uncommon, but I could be wrong. That's not to downplay the health anxiety, which is a very real and frequently debilitating condition.
I agree and I bet if we asked "when did it start", it would be younger years too in the more mature members on here. It may be more complex in the latter though because all this information floating around us every day is surely a reason why HA worries in particular will have increased in more recent generations.
Seems like an opportunity for a poll there.
It may be more complex in the latter though because all this information floating around us every day is surely a reason why HA worries in particular will have increased in more recent generations.
That's exactly the case with me. :scared15:
We thought you were asleep! Were you eavesdropping young lady! :biggrin:
It's been a long time since I have been called a young lady. :D
MyNameIsTerry
03-06-16, 08:29
That's exactly the case with me. :scared15:
It's been a long time since I have been called a young lady. :D
He's chatting all the young women up on the forum from what I've seen! :winks::D
I'm the same when it comes to information overload but not for the same reasons. It's why I can struggle a bit with email, PM's, etc. I was drowning in the stuff in my work and endless "to do" lists and papers to read through & comment on.
I guess modern life can just be overwhelming. I've often said in offices you finish one piece of work and get three in it's place. :mad: Perhaps it just was too much? I often wonder whether a simpler life would be better now. I can struggle with too much around me at home too. I guess I have a problem in that I look at things as "tasks" rather than "pleasures". :doh:
I remember having a fear of appendicitis when I was about 10- decades later my appendix is very much still retained within my innards despite having had a lot of abdominal surgery!
I hugely admire all those with anxiety facing major diagnosed health conditions and think it's very sad that they are put off posting on here for fear of upsetting the Worried Well.
MyNameIsTerry
03-06-16, 08:38
I remember having a fear of appendicitis when I was about 10- decades later my appendix is very much still retained within my innards despite having had a lot of abdominal surgery!
I hugely admire all those with anxiety facing major diagnosed health conditions and think it's very sad that they are put off posting on here for fear of upsetting the Worried Well.
I'm like you, I support anyone but I will make more of an effort with someone who I know has something big on their shoulders. They still have anxiety to manage and adding a big health problem on top of all that anxious thinking can be very overwhelming so they should quite rightly be getting more support, even if it's just blowing off steam or having a laugh to take their minds off it.
I just hope they have some people to talk to. If it's not seen on the forum, PM support, email, etc.
P.S. You might have missed it (I'm sure you would have commented) but ncfcfan came back recently to talk about a worry over his meds and said his 2nd cancer treatment had finished and he has had the all clear! :yesyes: I meant to tell you and must have forgot! His love life seems fine too and he sounded more upbeat. :yahoo:
That's really good news!! He has been through such a lot both medically and emotionally-I'm sorry I missed the news but thanks for updating me
He's chatting all the young women up on the forum from what I've seen! :winks::biggrin:
That's because he is a musician and most musicians are like that , including Mr C. :lac:
I think the banter goes with the territory......
My health anxiety hit me hard when my dad became ill with Parkinsons disease.
He was always a very fit man, ex army, ex boxer, ex builder and to see someone that was so fit and healthy quickly turn in to a helpless and weak person brought it home to me. I had a shock factor in this case of my own mortality. :scared15:
---------- Post added at 09:05 ---------- Previous post was at 08:59 ----------
I just wanted to add that in my therapist's opinion, anxiety is a result of just being overwhelmed with too much around you and not enough relaxation and quality of life. :shrug:
MyNameIsTerry
03-06-16, 09:12
That's because he is a musician and most musicians are like that , including Mr C. :lac:
I think the banter goes with the territory......
Yeah, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood,...George Formby :roflmao:
Sounds like your therapist is talking about GAD there. I think that definitely is just about hitting your limit and then struggling with everything.
I remember when I were a lad .. we walked two miles t' doctor, and he were hopeless ...
But anyway, there was no internet, and only Dick Tracy had a mobile phone strapped to his wrist. The most reliable, up-to-date source of health information was the Readers Digest, but every household had an ancient and hopelessly ou-of-date book lurking in a cupboard somewhere called the "Home Family Doctor" or similar.
My brother and I used to go through our copy laughing in fear at the scary pictures of amputees from World War One. I think our book even pre-dated penicillin.
But I digress. In the absence of any real information, people with health anxiety had fewer things to worry about. Nevertheless, I suspect they still feared about their health, only in vaguer terms. "Run down" was a common term, for which a doctor would prescribe a "tonic". Digestive problems were often described as "bilious", and so on.
It's true that we know better now, but diagnosing a psychological problem from a physical symptom is still problematic.
We live in a time were people who have a particular symptom can reach for their device of choice, type a few search terms into Google and boom, up comes pages and pages worth of information.
The trouble with that, though, is that people tend to gravitate to the absolute worst case scenario. In the first instance they're searching for reassurance, but we all know that you could have the most mundane symptom, and somewhere in the magical world of Google there will be something attaching that symptom to some catastrophic disease or condition.
I often use the phrase "you know too much but at the same time you don't know enough" when dealing with an HA sufferer. Sure, that ache in your stomach may be stomach cancer, but it is far far more likely to be some kind of bug or benign condition.
Google is, of course, a search engine. It only gives you what you ask for. I think the medical profession should make a bit more of an effort to highlight this to people. It truly must cost health organisations worldwide absolute fortunes, so surely it would be a good idea to try to curb these habits in people.
We live in a time were people who have a particular symptom can reach for their device of choice, type a few search terms into Google and boom, up comes pages and pages worth of information.
The trouble with that, though, is that people tend to gravitate to the absolute worst case scenario. In the first instance they're searching for reassurance, but we all know that you could have the most mundane symptom, and somewhere in the magical world of Google there will be something attaching that symptom to some catastrophic disease or condition.
I often use the phrase "you know too much but at the same time you don't know enough" when dealing with an HA sufferer. Sure, that ache in your stomach may be stomach cancer, but it is far far more likely to be some kind of bug or benign condition.
Google is, of course, a search engine. It only gives you what you ask for. I think the medical profession should make a bit more of an effort to highlight this to people. It truly must cost health organisations worldwide absolute fortunes, so surely it would be a good idea to try to curb these habits in people.
I agree with this and while i think the internet and google are fantastic and useful in many ways this is not one. I am a prime example of the above, and although to most people 'not checking google' is quite simple, it's so damn hard when the worry and anxiety come in,
My GP has told me to stay off google in the past, he used to snigger when i said 'i searched on google and it came up with..' and to me even though i know it's silly and anxiety, i still get angry thinking "Well it COULD be right"..
When my anxiety is low, i have such a rational side and can clearly see the error of my ways but it all but disappears when i'm feeling ill, anxious, depressed.
To answer the OP i have never been diagnosed with any of my fears and it's been a very long time, the only thing i 'got right' was IBS.
I didn't have HA as a teenager but i would say i had GAD and didn't know it, now i'm 26 and have HA, GAD and depression, it can be crippling some times and keeps me in the house for weeks on end, but other times i can be very happy and enjoy life.
I'd say i'm lucky compared to some on here because i have breaks from it, and although i want to beat it more than anything i am still happy in life mostly
Google is, of course, a search engine. It only gives you what you ask for.
Not only that but it learns (cookies) from what you click on. So if you search stomach ache and then click on cancer, it will know that you prefer getting results about cancer and send you off to the happy land of "Panicville" on your next symptom search.
Think about it... search for an item and it shows up on your Facebook ads etc. It's all in an effort to sell product. Unfortunately, it also sells fear to the anxiety sufferer.
Positive thoughts
That's because he is a musician and most musicians are like that , including Mr C. :lac:
I think the banter goes with the territory......
My health anxiety hit me hard when my dad became ill with Parkinsons disease.
He was always a very fit man, ex army, ex boxer, ex builder and to see someone that was so fit and healthy quickly turn in to a helpless and weak person brought it home to me. I had a shock factor in this case of my own mortality. :scared15:
---------- Post added at 09:05 ---------- Previous post was at 08:59 ----------
I just wanted to add that in my therapist's opinion, anxiety is a result of just being overwhelmed with too much around you and not enough relaxation and quality of life. :shrug:
Lol - Admittedly I do find the fairer sex far more interesting:)
Yeah - As far as Google and the like go they have definitely been a driving force in the rise of HA sufferers. I'm not sure where it's all going to be honest.
N.
Ok. Originally posted 5/28/16 and nothing. That's approaching 2 months. That's gotta tell us HA sufferers something.
N.
Shazamataz
22-07-16, 07:50
I's a good thing, right? That nobody has posted 'I was worried I had such and such disease and I was right!'
I think my concern is that now I've developed severe anxiety which manifests itself with intense physical symptoms I could get something and be fobbed off because I have anxiety.
I do have some actual medical conditions with Crohn's Disease being one of them. I did experience misdiagnosis of this and ended up severely ill and this triggered some health anxiety in me as it makes it hard for me to trust doctors. Luckily my GP is VERY good, it's the specialists I don't like!
One GP I saw said I should never say that I had anxiety and should let doctors treating me make a diagnosis with a "clean slate". Now I no longer take escitalopram this makes the "what meds are you on?" question a non-starter as regards the anxiety causes all these symptoms factor..
It's getting past the obvious anxiety versus physical symptoms association which is the problem and some doctors are much more competent than others.
The thing I find difficult to accept is that, although a lot of us have had many health worries and most have been nothing, that isn't to say you won't get them in the future.
For example a very close relative of mine had an 'ailment' let's say, this 'ailment' could have meant something serious so needed to be checked out. Anyway over the course of say 20 years this relative had this exact 'ailment' many times more (all normal/benign). The last time they had this 'ailment' it turned out to be the big C.
You can never be too careful and that's the worry.
You see so many signs or adverts saying if this or that occurs get checked out to be safe and I've had a few of these. I know there's no harm in getting checked out but many people believe this seeking reassurance prolongs or feeds the health anxiety. How do we know when to go to the doctors and when to accept it's nothing?
I believe I have come a long way with my health anxiety. 3 years ago I was where many members are now every small thing terrified me beyond belief, but like others after numerous (normal) blood tests etc I've become fed up with my own HA and it isn't half as bad.
There's also things such as vitamin deficiencies or treatable illnesses that can cause symptoms and although it doesn't worry me (I'm convinced I've got Vit D deficiency) it would still be nice to get tested and I wonder if this falls into health anxiety? For example a year ago I started feeling very, very down. I developed dark circles under my eyes, started getting bruises all over my legs, felt physically weak etc. I'm not worried about it as I've had tests in the past (and admittedly went to the doctors about the bruising) that would have shown up if anything was out of the ordinary but if there was a cause such as Vit D deficiency (I haven't had much Sun in the last 5 years) that could easily be fixed, I'd want to know as it could have prevented a year from hell.
spacebunnyx
27-07-16, 11:48
I've had real issues... for example a breast abcess... which although very real and pretty serious at the time was not in fact as bad as the worry of breast cancer that I had in my head. I think there's a difference between "real" health concerns and psychosomatic ones... and it's incredibly difficult to tell them apart sometimes. Xxx
I've had real issues... for example a breast abcess... which although very real and pretty serious at the time was not in fact as bad as the worry of breast cancer that I had in my head. I think there's a difference between "real" health concerns and psychosomatic ones... and it's incredibly difficult to tell them apart sometimes. Xxx
A lot of the people actually are suffering physical symptoms, but these symptoms are produced by other issues rather than the "OMG I'm going to die" issues that people mistake them for.
The medical world walks a bit of a tightrope at times. They have a duty to alert people to symptoms which may in fact be a sign of something serious, but the problem is that these symptoms are ALWAYS far more likely to be a sign of something pretty benign and treatable.
Therein lies the tightrope. How do you alert people of very real risks but at the same time tell them that, actually, your symptoms are most likely caused by a whole host of other, mundane, things? Add to that the problem of Dr Google and the issues that in itself throws up, you can quite easily see why health anxiety is such a common thing nowadays.
MyNameIsTerry
27-07-16, 13:11
A lot of the people actually are suffering physical symptoms, but these symptoms are produced by other issues rather than the "OMG I'm going to die" issues that people mistake them for.
The medical world walks a bit of a tightrope at times. They have a duty to alert people to symptoms which may in fact be a sign of something serious, but the problem is that these symptoms are ALWAYS far more likely to be a sign of something pretty benign and treatable.
Therein lies the tightrope. How do you alert people of very real risks but at the same time tell them that, actually, your symptoms are most likely caused by a whole host of other, mundane, things? Add to that the problem of Dr Google and the issues that in itself throws up, you can quite easily see why health anxiety is such a common thing nowadays.
They look towards the greatest risk. A load of HA sufferers suffering more of the anxiety they already have, anxiety that will just latch onto something else anyway, or the one person out there who might not go to their GP who ends up a tragic case?
The answer is simple. You prioritise the real casualty.
Add to that the fact the NHS, and the politicians, will come under fire from pressure groups, the media, etc saying they aren't doing enough (and most of these people won't have an interest in anxiety or maybe not even an understanding of it) and it's becomes a "my dad's bigger than your dad" situation, of which the life threatening serious medical issue will always win.
Carrie8484
27-07-16, 14:13
Dr Google and staying away from him is one thing.. But everywhere you turn there are TV adverts and posters telling you about the warning signs for cancer, cancer research etc . The newest posters I've seen in train stations are about blood cancer. There's currently an advert on tv from cancer research with sufferers of all ages. The poster in the Dr's is about bowel cancer and throat cancer.
The odds of getting cancer are becoming higher. So what are we to do?
The most reassuring information I've seen is from the breast screening service. It tells you out of every 100 mammograms,4 will be abnormal and 1 woman will be diagnosed with cancer. It explains the facts and nakes you feel more at ease. I think facts are important when dealing with HA sufferers like myself
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