Anyone else make up "stories" about what their symptoms must mean?

[Caseyg89]

Hi everyone,

I have serious issues with doubting. For my own cathartic purposes, this is an example of some of the things I've doubted. 1. Thought an ultrasound misdiagnosed a tumor as a cyst, thought a positive pregnancy test was some sort of cancer (so ridiculous!), thought my H Pylori test status was incorrect, thought an ultrasound missed pancreatic cancer, thought an endoscope missed esophageal cancer, thought my pregnancy related anemia was from a bleeding mass, thought a second endoscope missed stomach cancer, thought a barium swallow also missed stomach cancer. I have quite the pattern here...

Does anyone else find they experience some symptom and try to figure out how i5 could be cancer? My husband calls them my stories. For example, a cramp is a tumor pressing on a muscle etc. I find I do this constantly. Any sensation and I just make up how it could be cancer and convince myself of this.

I've literally worried about stomach cancer for so many months. I have been having bad stomach issues so my doctor has recommended a few other types of examinations. My barium test came back as totally normal. I had awful blood work after having a baby (high white blood cells, high platelets, low red blood cells). Everything was out of normal range. 6 weeks later they retested my blood and everything is back in normal range. They also checked my liver functioning and inflammation markers. I just can't get past the fear of this being some sort of hidden stomach cancer that's hard to detect.

[Speranza]

I don't but I know people who do.

I think with Health Anxiety there is a deeper fear for many of us. We are actually frightened of facing the idea that one day we won't be here any more. I know it sounds bizarre, but next time you are afraid of cancer, try asking yourself, "What am I REALLY afraid of here?"

And if that makes the fear of cancer diminish for a few minutes you have the beginnings of a coping strategy. I find asking myself WHY often distracts me completely from any fears. And if you come up with anything else you are afraid of, try asking WHY again - and looking at people who are much nearer to that end of life than we are. My church has loads of people in their 80s and 90s and I've talked to them and they all assure me that fear of death we spend so much time on as younger people, diminishes rapidly as you age.

I believe them. I'm not going to waste any more time on it.

[melfish]

I am not scared of death per se, which is probably why heart disease and stroke and aneurysms don't feature on my list of fears. Nor does cancer, really. I am more scared of slowly becoming trapped in my own body and a burden. I guess that's why neurological disease has always featured most prominently.

[Fishmanpa]

I believe everyone here has done that.

Positive thoughts