Does checking statistics help with the HA? [Archive]

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rainbow

25-10-16, 10:29

Just wondering how many of us look at statistics in regards to whatever illness we are worrying about. I look at them obsessively when going through a bad spell and find at first I feel a little better but then that little voice in my head says " well you could be that one in 2000" so I end up feeling bad again. How much can we use statistics to alleviate our fears?

Gary A

25-10-16, 10:31

rainbow

25-10-16, 10:41

Yeah, you're right. HA makes you go round in circles. Do you think statistics are helpful to people that don't have HA?

Gary A

25-10-16, 10:43

Yeah, you're right. HA makes you go round in circles. Do you think statistics are helpful to people that don't have HA?

People who don't have HA probably don't need them to be helpful. I would wager that people that don't have HA are, for the most part, no more interested in health statistics than they are any other type of statistic.

Colicab85

25-10-16, 10:45

I do this a lot and it rarely makes me feel better at all.

I haven't done this for a while though.

axolotl

25-10-16, 11:07

I was thinking about this, based on another thread on here which is getting very detailed about statistics. It depends, if your fear is something staggeringly rare, and you start rationalising that something is staggeringly rare, it helps,

The problem is using this rationale will help in many cases, but isn't getting to the root of anxiety, and what if your latest fear is something that isn't particularly rare, or something you are the right age for or have other factors that mean you are at a higher risk than others? How comforted are you going to feel then? It's still getting a fixation on something you haven't got, and probably won't get, whether you have a 0.01% or a 1% chance, or a 10% chance of ending up with it.

Plus, just as few of us are qualified or equipped to understand health websites, few of us are qualified or equipped to fully understand the raw numbers of health statistics.

Gary A

25-10-16, 11:12

The problem is that when you're in the throes of health anxiety, even a 0.01% chance of having a particular illness is 0.01% enough to make you intensely worried.

rainbow

25-10-16, 11:20

Thanks for the replies,

My HA is becoming worse as I get older, I turned 50 this year and I seem to automatically think that I will definitely get cancer. Bowel cancer being my main worry.

I know my thinking is irrational but I just can't stop this catastrophic thinking. Looking at statistics it says that for the age group 50-54 for women the rates for bowel cancer is 37 in 100000, can't figure out the percentage. Also in my whole area of about 400000 people there are about 17 people diagnosed with bowel cancer every year. Not sure if that's a high number or not. All these figures go round and round in my head constantly.

paranoid-viking

25-10-16, 11:22

Yes and no. As someone pointed out; when yu are at the roof of anxiety, nothing works obviously.
But I can mention one incident from my life: when I was around 20 I had a little fear for a few days of penis cancer(not a jok, please dont laugh). But - and this was before Internet was widespread I came across info in a Medical Encyclopedia I think where it was stated that it was almost non existing at that ONLY men over 70 were affected and absolutely no one my age. So the anxiety and fear of it diasppeared immediately and was never brought back. Case was closed. Let us hope it doesn`t show up when I turn 70.:blush:

rainbow

25-10-16, 11:33

paranoid-viking

25-10-16, 11:56

I guess that the older we get the best thing we can do to avoid the worst scenarios is to live healthy. There is never a 100% guarantee but living helathy is significantly reducing the risk of an eraly death or ill health. Being comotted to a nursery home and spending your last years disabled and weak is not something to look foreward to either.

unsure_about_this

25-10-16, 15:53

I try not to look at the stats for various cancer as it will make me feel worst, sometimes I have a sneaky look at the latest stats if I am worried about my health. I know I should not read them as am not tried to understand them.

Fishmanpa

25-10-16, 16:03

The statistics for the cancer I had put me basically in the ground. The fact I had an unknown primary put in the 1-2% of all head and neck cancers and the survival rate was very poor. I'm clean over 3.5 years later. Everyone is different and one never knows what the next day will bring. Just be thankful for what you have today!

If stats make you happy so be it but I'm here as living proof to tell you that it just doesn't matter. It's like chasing the wind! Out of nowhere, my wife has a 1 in a million+ illness!

"Eat. Drink. Enjoy the work you do. Be thankful for the blessings God gives you in this life. Live, love and seek out the things that bring your heart joy. The rest is meaningless... Like chasing the wind." King Solomon

Trying to maintain....

Positive thoughts

rainbow

25-10-16, 18:52

Fishmanpa

25-10-16, 19:04

So maybe I'm not doing myself any favours looking at statistics then, but I feel it can put things in perspective....a little.

Fishmanpa - I hope your wife is recovering well.

I'm not really sure what you meant by your post, did you mean the type of cancer you had had high statistics and that your prognosis was poor?

Thank you... I appreciate the kind thoughts.

I really do think, if you find comfort in numbers that statistics can be helpful. That being said, anxiety often trumps all logic and numbers so for many, as illustrated by a couple of recent threads, they don't help. However, if you can hold onto logic and quell the "what ifs" then statistics can help.

What I meant by my post was based on the type of cancer I had and the actual diagnosis SCC, N2b, MO, Stage IV HPV+, Unknown Primary (1-2% of ALL H&N cancers), the statistics and prognosis was pretty dismal with more than 50% not making it past the 5 year mark and many not making it past two years. I'm 3.5 out and clean so I beat the negative statistics.

Positive thoughts

rainbow

25-10-16, 21:44

Thank you for you kind reply and explanation, its very much appreciated!

You seem very strong and positive and are very much the voice of reason on so many of the posts on here.

HA is a horrible thing to have to live with, constant fear and worry but I'm trying to remain as rational as possible but sometimes the bad thoughts find a chink in my armour.

androidz

25-10-16, 21:54

I don't know, I was pretty sure that it helped everyone, it definitely helped and still helps me, but from reading this forum I see that this might not be true for everybody.

Also best wishes for your wife Fishmanpa, I had no idea about that.

lessthanjared

25-10-16, 21:59

I suppose that is a very very rare cancer so the statistics would be very comforting. Bowel cancer is very common. I know that age is a huge factor but I'm getting older now and getting more scared. This is no way to live.

My 25 year old daughter has been having headaches for the past 2/3 months and went to the gp yesterday, he's sending her for a scan, I'm terribly worried, she's not at all! Looking at statistics for a brain tumour in her age group is about 2 in 100000, low I know but I'll still be a mess until I know that she's ok.

If you have no risk factors or symptoms of colorectal cancer then I wouldn't jump to conclusions just because of your age (and this is coming from someone who also has severe HA). The only reason that you think that it's "very common" is because it is common as far as cancer goes. In general, like any cancer, it is still uncommon compared to the myriad of other diseases that could convince you that you have it, if that makes sense. The actual statistical risk of developing colorectal cancer (according to Cancer.org) is 1 in 21. Beyond that, the chance of dying from it is a mere 1/50. It just seems like you'll be the "unlucky" one because you're looking at the situation through your anxiety-tinted glasses. Routine cancer screenings might be a good thing to look into, and of course discuss your concerns with your GP.

As for your daughter, do you think that if she went out and bought 1 lottery ticket today that she would strike it massively rich? If not, then you probably shouldn't be worried about a tumor just because of a headache. There are so many thing that can cause headaches, a vast majority of them being less than sinister. I've struggled with this specific fear in the past, so I'm with you on that.

I don't want this post to sound condescending so sorry if it comes off that way, I'm just letting you know what personally helped me with my anxiety. My thoughts are with you though.

rainbow

26-10-16, 10:53

Thank you, I didn't find your post condescending at all.

1 in 21 seems quite high to me but of course my anxiety is extremely high at the moment. I go from one cancer fear to another and the older I get the more likely it seems. I've read that 1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime, that's half the population!! It horrifies me to the point of severe anxiety and depression. Is this what I have to look forward to? My family having to watch me die a horrible death!!

MyNameIsTerry

26-10-16, 11:00

Rainbow,

Where does the 1 in 2 people come from? Stand up to cancer campaign? Does that include all the low grade cancers in that figure? The low grade cancers that have very good treatment rates, and some cancers we can have for many years with little change e.g. prostate cancer, certain skin cancers.

All cancers are not equal. We were talking about some of these figures on another thread and Mercime mentioned how the figures being used might not be fully accurate in CH4's campaign.

In terms of the statistics thing in general, if you can use factual evidence, do it. Don't chase it though, look it up, log it and walk away from any more searches. Then use it in your counter evidence in a CBT tool like a Thought Record which you then follow up with reframing with a rational conclusion.

rainbow

26-10-16, 11:08

Thanks for replying,

Yeah it is the standard up to cancer campaign, do you think that's not accurate then? I do find the stats reassuring to a point but the bad thoughts do creep back in and then things become obsessive which is never good!!

I've had cbt but that was 5 years ago so I maybe need a refresher course. I have developed a huge phobia of doctors now so would have to force myself to go and ask to be referred. I hate HA!!

MyNameIsTerry

26-10-16, 11:16

I'm not sure, hopefully Mercime will spot your thread and give an update as she was checking some of the main cancer websites.

CH4 ran than same one last year and I'm pretty sure I was looking at Cancer Research and they had a different 1 in X figure. So, I'm wondering whether CH4 have been a bit naughty in order to inflate the issue to get more cash, which is easily done when you consider all cancers equal.

So, I think it's questionable. That figure is incredibly high.

How about trying the online workbooks like the CCI ones others on here use? If you can use facts, unlike those who still believe they must have something, you are one up on many people. Things like Thought Records and how to manage your thinking could help. The workbooks have plenty in about all that and on the website I use it also has a ton of therapy templates with examples to use.

rainbow

26-10-16, 11:29

Thank you,

If they are inflating the figures then that is so wrong, people with huge anxiety over cancer can really be triggered by these things. I didn't watch the programme on Friday, it would have been a massive trigger for me.

I will have a look for online cbt as I know that it does help me rationalise my thoughts.

I'm having art therapy today (my first session) this is because I've had a carers assessment as my 30 year old son has bpd and has self harmed prolificly for 14 years and has a prescription pill addiction along with a gambling addiction. So hopefully this will help with my anxiety levels at the moment.

MyNameIsTerry

26-10-16, 12:18

Lots of pressure on you then by the sounds of it! It must be hard containing your own anxiety issues with all that to contend with?

This is the site I get stuff off. It's got HA workbooks lower down but if you've used the CCI ones before, they may be the same:

http://psychology.tools/download-therapy-worksheets.html

When we hear cancer, we think about the nasty ones. My dad had a form of skin cancer on his nose for a couple of years and it was easily removed with nothing ever again (it must be 6-7 years on now). The consultant said it was very common, very treatable. So, I wonder about CH4, you know what they are like with controversial programmes. Technically they may be right, but statistics can be misused.

Just having a quick look at the 1 in 2 on the Cancer Research site it says that 19% of these are preventable smoker cases. So, is it really 1 in 2? What about non smokers? This is what happens when you "roll up" statistics into headline numbers, they lose their meaning. :winks: It also says 42% of cancers are linked to lifestyle factors, a big bonus for us there to look at what we eat & drink. So, that 1 in 2 can keep shrinking if we do the right things.

Enjoy the art therapy, that sounds really good! Is it a Mindfulness Based one (MBAT)?

rainbow

26-10-16, 16:13

Hi, yeah I have a lot of stress to deal with which certainly doesn't help with the anxiety.

I don't smoke, drink moderately but my diet is'nt as good as it should be and I'm actually around 5 stone overweight so this makes me think I'm much more likely to get cancer. I also don't get enough exercise as I have a condition in my legs called lipodema which makes walking for too long quite painful.

I had my first art therapy appt today and I think I will benefit from it. Not sure if it mindfulness based or not.

Thanks again for giving your view on the statistics it's been helpful.

rainbow

27-10-16, 09:54

Statistics aren't helping with my anxiety today, it's off the scale!!