View Full Version : How did your HA start?
So I have been dealing with HA like many of you have since around the middle of May 2016. It all started with a dog bite which convinced me it had rabies, since I never thought to check for its tag until later. Then in June my HA transfered to Lung Cancer fear. Well I got checked by my GP, had a chest Xray, and had them listen to my chest, all clear. My HA has been doing better, its off and on but overall I am better than when it first started. I did have a major panic attack yesturday while I was working, thankfully I wasn't near people at the time.
Anyways, I have been thinking about why I have this HA, as I have never really been an overly anxious person, up until recently. And that is what kind of has me concerned. I read...I know Dr. Google is a jerk, but still...one of the signs of cancer is a sudden change of mood or outlook, such as a sudden onset of depression or sudden panicked thoughts that cannot be explained. And that is what has happened to me kinda. I mean I have been to Iraq and Afghanistan, had mortars and rounds fired at me, and although the moments were tense, I have never had long lasting effects from these experiences. And then all of a sudden, I get bit by this stupid wiener dog, which barely cut the skin, didn't bleed, and I am convinced I am going to die from rabies. And this darned cough has me convinced I have lung cancer. I have never been an overly emotional person my entire life, and I can count the number of times I cried in my adult life on one hand, twice was from this HA nonsense.
So anyways, for you all, did your HA have a trigger or were you always just sort of anxious, and have a slow ramp up to HA?
I was always sort of anxious person. I also have PTSD, have you been diagnosed with anything?
Not as far as my HA goes, but I do have Tourette's syndrome which shares similar quirks as OCD, which might explain why I just seem to dwell on these thoughts as much as I do. I haven't seen a mental health specialist yet, I am trying to learn how to cope with things myself, but if it continues I just might.
Beckybecks
10-08-16, 18:37
I feel that in this modern world we're exposed to far too much information about diseases, the symptoms and treatments or dangers. We have ads on tv reminding us that vague niggly things that we wouldn't normally worry about COULD be something far more serious and that we should pay attention to all our symptoms and treat them as serious 'just in case'.
I don't know about you, but for me this just triggers my HA and I'm being made aware of more and more illnesses that I might have.
I collect all this information in my mind so that each little ache and pain has to be analysed and considered.
Then there's Google and how easy it is to get hold of medical information. We never used to have all that.
All of it just feeds our HA.
For me, my HA stems from spending a lot of time in hospital as a child. Once my anxiety began twenty odd years ago it was just a natural progression, something else to worry about. Especially as I already had a fear of hospitals from when I was a child. Now the fear of being ill is linked to being hospitalized.
BeckyBecks you're so smart!!! I feel this is EXACTLY why my HA started and still is such a struggle today.
I think with Ocd you probably tend to dwell which can cause anxiety, than the anxiety feeds the Ocd. I think the fact that you were a soldier that was in a war could cause anxiety years later. It's your life but a mental health professional may be needed at some point. Again your decision. Thank you for your servicing our country.
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I think for me being foster care and watching my grandma and being in a a abusive relationship feed my mental health issues now.
Lockey1995
10-08-16, 21:10
Friend had appendicits in year 7 started from there he told me what he went through, I've been terrified since.
I completely agree with the information thats out there now a days, its everywhere. Whether it is TV or radio ads its nonstop...selling drugs that cure and cause cancer at the same time. "have you passed gas in the last year? well its probably colon cancer, and unless you take proflactin you will die. Warning proflactin causes brain cancer." "do you have brain cancer from taking proflactin? Well moflactin will cure what ails you. Take moflactin today. Warning moflactin causes colon cancer."
And doctor google, which is addicting because I always am sure I will find the answers I seek THIS time, is not very helpful either because the symptoms are so vague. Its like oh you have chest pain? LUNG CANCER!!!! I kind of notice that cancer is the first thing in every list for any symptom you type in. Plug in toe pain because you stubbed your toe and you will have toephoma, a rare toe cancer.
Yes Google's can be so negative as so can the news. Everything is made to be fatal. I once talked to o my Dr once he said despite everything you hear fatal diseases are rare. I to get worried when I hear other people's health problems.
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We can live in very negative world, it can be hard to block out.
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So far this year I have convinced myself of lung cancer, breast cancer,stomach cancer and so on..... get checked and I am always fine.
About 10 years ago I went to the doctor because I was sick, one of my symptoms was thrush (yeast infection on my tongue), once the nurse practitioner took a look inside my mouth she said "You know that's one of the symptoms of HIV, right?". I of course did not have HIV, I just had a really bad case of strep throat, but after many hours of scouring the internet looking up my perceived symptoms, Dr. Google told me I indeed did have HIV...from there it was lymphoma, then leukemia, colon cancer, etc. Needless to say, I've never been the same since that day at the doctor's office.
I was a nursing asst they are not supposed to say things like that. Thrush can be caused by a lot of stuff. Some Nurses just shouldn't be nurses.
Yeah that was horrible bedside manner, I would have filed a complaint.
I agree. I worked with a lot of great nurses, and I worked with some bad ones. That nurse was a bad one. It a hard job but if you choose to do it, you have people emotions in your hands. You need to think and than speak.
At the time I was so scared at the thought of having HIV that any ideas of filing a complaint was close to the last thing on my mind...it actually wasn't until years later that I realized what that nurse did to my psyche.
I honestly can't really pinpoint the beginning, as my mom had really bad HA and so I was around it growing up all the time. I think I just kind of absorbed her beliefs and fears. The first time I remember actually being scared was at age 10 in school when a peer was taken out for the year for a brain tumor. Our guidance counselor came in and told us if we had headaches to tell our parents because we might have a brain tumor. I went home crying because I had a headache! I believe my parents called the school and complained!
The second really big panic I remember was 13 when I had a discoloration on my back and went to a dermatologist. The doctor said "We'll do a biopsy to rule anything out like cancer" and I went home and cried all weekend, thinking it was possible I had cancer. Again my mom called the doctor, who said "oh I didn't think it was a real possibility, just have to do it to cover our bases."
Then it was downhill from there!!!
Oh I understand about not filing a report, but that was u professional. That's one of the things they tell you in the nursing program don't scare the patients .
jessicalittler79
11-08-16, 05:04
Mine started over the death of my sister at a young age ...mine started with heart worries daily and just went to other things
I am sorry about your sister.
I've always been a "worry wart" but in turned into health anxiety in my 20s and was on and off through them. About 3 years ago it got MUCH worse and has since. :(
Mine started in my teens with a panic attack became fixated on my heart, disappeared then in my early 20s my best friend died and got brought back to life after an addisonial crisis she is now permanently disabled and needs 24 hour care. So since then I haven't been able to shake HA xx
Like GadGirl mine started from a panic attack and I became convinced I had a heart condition. I'm still in shock that it set off this anxiety as in the past I've had an allergic reaction to Penicillin (not severe but lips and face swelled, I got hives all over and was vomiting) and I also had quite a severe miscarriage (fainted from blood loss, I didn't think it was possible to lose so much blood and not be in a critical condition). None of these set off health anxiety, if I had either of those experiences now I'd probably be sent to an insane asylum as I'd be well freaking out. I also had a c section which went well but again, I don't think I'd be as 'calm' today.
Carrie8484
11-08-16, 21:34
It started when I was 9 years old, I became an emetophobic (phobia of vomiting) after being poorly in front of my entire school class and have been terrified of vomiting or catching stomach bugs ever since. I've always been anxious and my health anxiety became worse in recent years and moved onto a fear of developing cancer. Ive had a few health scares where I've needed scans etc due to bleeding and pain and this made me more hyper aware. Cancer is my biggest fear along with a big fear of appendicitis and meningitis.
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