How did your health anxiety start?

[jinkx]

Hi, my name is Abby and I'm 18 years old. I've developed health anxiety at a really young age, maybe at 12. I had sore throat for 3 weeks during that time and I couldn't figure out why it wasn't going away and I decided to Google it. It listed a lot of diseases and I freaked out. Throat cancer, lung cancer, name it. And then I digged deeper and searched the symptoms within minutes I was feeling every symptoms that I've ever read. Went to see a doctor who assured me that nothing was wrong and I didn't believe her. (I was 12, what did I know, haha) but soon after not thinking about it, it went away.
After that, I had a few health anxiety attacks over the years, but it wasn't that bad. But now it's just getting ridiculous, I am feeling anxious every SINGLE day. Up to the point where I'm afraid to swallow because I'm afraid of having my saliva go inside my lungs.
I'm glad to have found this site as it comforts me knowing that I'm not alone but at the same time it just saddens me to know that a lot of people are like this.

[KeeKee]

I bet Google is at the start of almost all of our health anxieties.
I was in college and remember being told I'd need to do a presentation (I've never been able to do them, even in school), shortly after that I started suffering panic attacks (through the night, never during the day). I thought it was some sort of heart issue though as my panic attacks were literally just pounding heart as though I'd just had the biggest work out of my life. I went to A&E after a weekend of this and ever since then I have had various health 'issues', many of which were brought on by Google.

Ironically though my first ever health related Google search was 'waking up with pounding heart' and panic attacks did come up first and foremost. That was why it took me a couple of days to actually go to A&E. I was 24 when my HA started, I'm 27 now.

[jinkx]

I bet Google is at the start of almost all of our health anxieties.
I was in college and remember being told I'd need to do a presentation (I've never been able to do them, even in school), shortly after that I started suffering panic attacks (through the night, never during the day). I thought it was some sort of heart issue though as my panic attacks were literally just pounding heart as though I'd just had the biggest work out of my life. I went to A&E after a weekend of this and ever since then I have had various health 'issues', many of which were brought on by Google.

Ironically though my first ever health related Google search was 'waking up with pounding heart' and panic attacks did come up first and foremost. That was why it took me a couple of days to actually go to A&E. I was 24 when my HA started, I'm 27 now.

Do you still Google?

[KeeKee]

Do you still Google?

Occasionally, I learnt my lesson the hard way though. I've been to the doctors worried about heart issues, bruising, changing shape of boobs (although your meant to for that), 'melanoma', pain in stomach, left hand feels different to right, tiredness, bad neck, stomach pain, breast pain, leg pain, blood clot worries and so on. I'm actually terribly ashamed everytime I go to the doctors so I avoid Google 95% of the time. My doctor has been a star throughout all of this though and although they may be fed up and think I'm pathetic, they haven't been anything less than helpful.

[geezer46]

My first encounter with h/a started when i was 15 ,huge panic attacks out of the blue.I thought my time had come i did not know what was happening to me,i am now 69 so i did not get h/a from looking up google lol.Since then i have had everything under the sun,i think mine may be hereditary so i feel i was hardwired to suffer this awful illness from get go.Never feel ashamed to see your doctor you are ill,i tell people how i am,it is nothing to be ashamed of KeeKee i go to see mine when i need to and i have had it all these years,my wishes to all geezer46.

[DisgracedAngel]

I've always been a hypochondriac, which is odd considering that my mom is a nurse and she always had to, and still does, reassure me that I'm not dying. I think it got worse with Google. Even though I was still a hypochondriac, I can say I lived a much more peaceful life without using Google. It actually makes me sad to see how far I've fallen :-(

[countrygirl]

I have posted this many times in reply to this question. Mine was triggered by illness and death of my grandmother when I was 5 yrs old ( she was acting as my mother at the time). By age of 6 I was displaying health anxiety. I also had severe asthma and did not see any Dr until I was 7 yrs old and it was sheer luck that I was still alive. I can remember vividly not being able to breathe and telling my mother that I thought I was going to die and she ignored me.

Mine was straight forward cause and effect and has had huge effect on my life. Age and experience has helped enormously now I am 55yr old!