Can't stop examining myself

[tingalayo]

Hi, I'm looking for support/advice/kind words/anything. I needed to pee very frequently yesterday and decided I must have a tumour pressing on my bladder, and I started looking for it by pressing both sides of my lower abdomen. I thought I felt like I could press in further on the right side than the left and now I can't stop checking that. Sometimes it feels different on that side and then I feel again and it doesn't. But I have to go back to it and then it feels different on that side again and I panic and keep squeezing and pressing. I'm so worried there's a mass in there, and then I tell myself it's wind or asymetric muscles and calm down but then go back to panic and more examining. I don't know why this has happened because my health anxiety is remarkably well under control and has been for a couple of years. What can I do to make myself stop?

[fizzymoon86]

I’ve had my health anxiety well under control for so long as well but currently in a spiral myself. All I can suggest is that you have to really take back control of your intrusive thoughts that make you want to examine yourself.

Have you got any hobbies you can do to distract your mind? Or every time you find yourself thinking about it go and do something. Do some chores, make yourself a drink, anything that means your hands are busy.


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[tingalayo]

Thank you for replying to me, I hope both our spirals are short lived! I'm working later so hoping that might distract me. It's a good thing to notice it for what it is, right? These days when my anxiety is much better than it used to be, I tend to approach things from an angle of "how do I stop this anxiety spiral" rather than "there's definitely something wrong this time" and I think that is progress x

[Anxietysufferer92]

I am in a right mess at the moment with my HA but one thing I will say is when I had frequent urination, it was a nasty urine infection. I didn't have stinging pain, just constant weeing! Have you had your urine checked? X

[pav1984]

Anxiety will make you pee more as well. Ironically your fear of how much you pee could be making you pee more.

Caffine, drinking more water, and you may not be peeing more but just noticing it more.

There are things like water infections that will make you pee more also.

Chill out a bit and relax. There are so many reasons for this but health anxiety will mean that you disregard these.

Not a pop, we are all the same.

Keep an eye on it and if no improvement then ask your doctor. But most likely an innocent reason for it.