kendo59
28-08-08, 18:04
When is a headache, just a headache?
Part of our 'condition' of Anxiety, especially Health Anxiety, is that every twinge and ache, every pain and pimple, that 'ordinary' people shrug off with barely a second thought, for us becomes a major worry, often taking over our whole lives. Every headache becomes (in our minds) a brain tumour, every twinge makes us believe we have cancer, every pimple becomes a life-threatening blood clot or as-yet un-named fatal disease.
All the reassurances from the doctor that there is nothing wrong, make us believe the doctor is wrong (and sure it happens - but how realistically)?
"I'm convinced I have a brain tumour/heart murmur/ulcer/cancer (delete as applicable) but I've been to the doctor 15 times in the past month, and he keeps telling me there is nothing wrong with me. I went to A+E the other night and they took X-Rays and blood tests, but nothing showed up. I must have a very rare unidentified type of cancer if none of their tests pick it up. What should I do?"
Duh, Helloooo???
How much of this is self-perpetuating paranoia, or old-fashioned hypochondria?
I have a curry, and next day a bit of indigestion. Or is it? Maybe it's an ulcer? Maybe it's stomach cancer? I overdo the housework or gardening, and next day feel a twinge in my leg or back, and for a fleeting moment imagine the worst. It can't just be a simple harmless twinge. It must be DVT, or cancer. Then we start to obsess. The minor twinge becomes a constant ache, and we obsess over it all the more, the ache becomes (in our heads) bone cancer. The more we worry, the more we obsess, the greater the disease becomes, the more we get stressed and tense. Oh no, I've got cancer of the spine! Then I get a headache from the worry. Not just any old headache, oh no. It has to be a brain tumour - Oh my god - the cancer (from the twinge) has spread into my brain, I've got brain tumours the size of golf balls!!! Meanwhile the indigestion has become a fear of being sick. Best not go out in case I throw up. The headache has become a fatal brain tumour (in our imagination).
And it doesn't just affect the individual. Oh no. You make a post, detailing all your symptoms & fears, and within a couple of days, other people also start identifying and making posts with the same problems. It starts with one person posting about their condition with the illness, and then suddenly there are a dozen other people all making posts having the same trouble.
Has anyone noticed the pattern? Last week it was "Ectopic Heartbeats". First one person posts about it, then suddenly there are a dozen people all posting that they have it too. This weeks ailment is "Emetophobia". One person mentions it, then suddenly other people hop on the bandwagon all claiming to suffer from it too.
It's as if these conditions are contagious and you catch them off t'internet.
I've heard of computer viruses, but really.
Is it a part of General Anxiety/Health Anxiety that we become so paranoid and let our imaginations run away with us, and turn every simple tummy-ache or twinge into a life-threatening cancerous tumour, despite constant reassurances from medical professionals that there is nothing wrong? Or is a big part of it just simple old-fashioned attention-seeking hypochondria?
What is the best way to help someone in that state? Humour them & placate them? Tell them "oh there are some good treatments for cancer these days, have you asked to be referred to a cancer specialist"? Or is it best to just tell them "Stop being such a hypochondriac, you t**t, your stomach cancer is nothing more than a bit of indigestion from the prawn vindaloo & 12 pints of stella you had last night".?
This post has been automatically edited by the NMP post filter
Part of our 'condition' of Anxiety, especially Health Anxiety, is that every twinge and ache, every pain and pimple, that 'ordinary' people shrug off with barely a second thought, for us becomes a major worry, often taking over our whole lives. Every headache becomes (in our minds) a brain tumour, every twinge makes us believe we have cancer, every pimple becomes a life-threatening blood clot or as-yet un-named fatal disease.
All the reassurances from the doctor that there is nothing wrong, make us believe the doctor is wrong (and sure it happens - but how realistically)?
"I'm convinced I have a brain tumour/heart murmur/ulcer/cancer (delete as applicable) but I've been to the doctor 15 times in the past month, and he keeps telling me there is nothing wrong with me. I went to A+E the other night and they took X-Rays and blood tests, but nothing showed up. I must have a very rare unidentified type of cancer if none of their tests pick it up. What should I do?"
Duh, Helloooo???
How much of this is self-perpetuating paranoia, or old-fashioned hypochondria?
I have a curry, and next day a bit of indigestion. Or is it? Maybe it's an ulcer? Maybe it's stomach cancer? I overdo the housework or gardening, and next day feel a twinge in my leg or back, and for a fleeting moment imagine the worst. It can't just be a simple harmless twinge. It must be DVT, or cancer. Then we start to obsess. The minor twinge becomes a constant ache, and we obsess over it all the more, the ache becomes (in our heads) bone cancer. The more we worry, the more we obsess, the greater the disease becomes, the more we get stressed and tense. Oh no, I've got cancer of the spine! Then I get a headache from the worry. Not just any old headache, oh no. It has to be a brain tumour - Oh my god - the cancer (from the twinge) has spread into my brain, I've got brain tumours the size of golf balls!!! Meanwhile the indigestion has become a fear of being sick. Best not go out in case I throw up. The headache has become a fatal brain tumour (in our imagination).
And it doesn't just affect the individual. Oh no. You make a post, detailing all your symptoms & fears, and within a couple of days, other people also start identifying and making posts with the same problems. It starts with one person posting about their condition with the illness, and then suddenly there are a dozen other people all making posts having the same trouble.
Has anyone noticed the pattern? Last week it was "Ectopic Heartbeats". First one person posts about it, then suddenly there are a dozen people all posting that they have it too. This weeks ailment is "Emetophobia". One person mentions it, then suddenly other people hop on the bandwagon all claiming to suffer from it too.
It's as if these conditions are contagious and you catch them off t'internet.
I've heard of computer viruses, but really.
Is it a part of General Anxiety/Health Anxiety that we become so paranoid and let our imaginations run away with us, and turn every simple tummy-ache or twinge into a life-threatening cancerous tumour, despite constant reassurances from medical professionals that there is nothing wrong? Or is a big part of it just simple old-fashioned attention-seeking hypochondria?
What is the best way to help someone in that state? Humour them & placate them? Tell them "oh there are some good treatments for cancer these days, have you asked to be referred to a cancer specialist"? Or is it best to just tell them "Stop being such a hypochondriac, you t**t, your stomach cancer is nothing more than a bit of indigestion from the prawn vindaloo & 12 pints of stella you had last night".?
This post has been automatically edited by the NMP post filter