lessthanjared
05-11-16, 23:34
Can anybody else relate to this?
My name is Jared, and I'm 18 years old (definitely not the age where you should be concerned about cancer). I realize that this specific fear is more of a trait of a hypochondriac than of an HA sufferer, so bear with me here. Recently, I developed a bout of HA which led me to believe that I had developed Lymphoma. Although I have shaken this fear by now, it led to a change in the way I think. Previous to my struggles with HA, I had never really given cancer a thought considering its low prevalence among young people. Now that I have spent a lot of time researching and thinking about it, it has consumed my life. Not a day goes by in which I don't think about the fact that I (or my loved ones) could develop cancer. This fear is becoming all too real now due to the fact that my parents are getting older and thus becoming more susceptible to cancer. I can't stand the thought of watching my mother deal with such a thing, and it tears me apart. I've changed my daily habits (diet, exercise, etc.) to accommodate, which you could argue is a good thing, but it seems that everything I do/think about ends in the question "could this be giving me cancer?".
My mind has been my own worst enemy for my entire life, as long as I can remember at least, but this is the most debilitating its ever been. Not an hour passes by where I don't think about me or my loved ones developing cancer. It's ruining my life. Its also contributed significantly to my depression. It's almost gotten to the point that I no longer want to live anymore because of the harsh reality that we as humans can potentially have to go through. It makes me very depressed and lethargic, and some days I don't even want to get out of bed because I just don't want to think about the harsh circumstance of reality anymore.
Does anybody have any input? I'm about at my wits end and this is no way to live. Thanks for reading.
My name is Jared, and I'm 18 years old (definitely not the age where you should be concerned about cancer). I realize that this specific fear is more of a trait of a hypochondriac than of an HA sufferer, so bear with me here. Recently, I developed a bout of HA which led me to believe that I had developed Lymphoma. Although I have shaken this fear by now, it led to a change in the way I think. Previous to my struggles with HA, I had never really given cancer a thought considering its low prevalence among young people. Now that I have spent a lot of time researching and thinking about it, it has consumed my life. Not a day goes by in which I don't think about the fact that I (or my loved ones) could develop cancer. This fear is becoming all too real now due to the fact that my parents are getting older and thus becoming more susceptible to cancer. I can't stand the thought of watching my mother deal with such a thing, and it tears me apart. I've changed my daily habits (diet, exercise, etc.) to accommodate, which you could argue is a good thing, but it seems that everything I do/think about ends in the question "could this be giving me cancer?".
My mind has been my own worst enemy for my entire life, as long as I can remember at least, but this is the most debilitating its ever been. Not an hour passes by where I don't think about me or my loved ones developing cancer. It's ruining my life. Its also contributed significantly to my depression. It's almost gotten to the point that I no longer want to live anymore because of the harsh reality that we as humans can potentially have to go through. It makes me very depressed and lethargic, and some days I don't even want to get out of bed because I just don't want to think about the harsh circumstance of reality anymore.
Does anybody have any input? I'm about at my wits end and this is no way to live. Thanks for reading.