Hi i'm new and i have a health anxiety :-(

[Elsie]

Hi,

First of all i just want to say how happy i am that i have found this website!!

I have always been a worrier and quite sensitive but always felt quite sheltered by all the illness in the world up until Aug06 when my nan died.

From then till now I've 'had' bone cancer, leukemia, throat cancer, stomach cancer, bowel cancer and my new current worry is bladder cancer!!

My 'trigger' was my nan dying as she was the first person close to me to die and i was 28. At this point realised i was not immune to getting a serious illness and this is where my problems started.....:mad:

Before i was put on citalopram i spent most of the day worrying about the slightest physical symptom i experienced and went from nothing to terminal in the space of minutes. The process is so draining and really puts a hold on your life!

I am currently attending person centred counselling which is really helping whilst trying to wean myself of the anti d's as the side effects are no help to anyone with a health anxiety.

Apologies for going on a bit just feels good to get this off my chest as this isn't something you can speak to just anyone about as they simply just don't understand.

Arr thats much better!

Thanks for listening to everyone that hadn't got bored half way through :blush:

Elsie.

[Dazza]

Hi Elsie,

We are glad that you found this site too! You will find lots of useful info, advice and support here.

Don't apologise for the length of the post: often the longer the post, the more info you can give, and the more easy it is for others to give you a response. :)

It sounds like you are stuck in a cycle of anxiety, but great that you are getting counselling. it will help. i had person centred counselling for depression a few years back and it helped me greatly.

Take care and make full use of the forums by asking anything that is worrying you etc. :hugs:

[CONS]

Hi Elsie,

"My 'trigger' was my nan dying as she was the first person close to me to die and i was 28. At this point realised i was not immune to getting a serious illness and this is where my problems started"

Wow i was around that age when my best friend died and he was the only close person in my life to die who i cared for.

Made me feel strange when i read that in your initial post,

your in good hands here,

no post goes without reply to serious matters and together we make a great support and health service ;)

CONS

EDIT: Dazza never see you in chat room bro, hope you go in now and again :)

[crunchie01]

hi,

i too suffer from health anxiety quite severly at times, particulary cancer and hiv. like you i have always been a worrier but this year has been awful and like you again it started when i lost my grandma last october she was the closest person in the world to me and she means the world to me, she was the first person i had lost at the age of 29, it is a year on the 17th october

jenniexxxx

[yanksforever]

Welcome to the forum. We're glad you have found it. I have HA too and it's caused me some depression. But when I come to this website, I feel people like me have a voice. I have never been to counseling for this or taken any meds for it, but come here is what counsels me. I feel so much better by reading the posts here. I can say coming to this website has put me on the right path. It has better informed me than googling every single thing and coming out with Cancer every time.

Also when my HA started I got; a brain tumor, leukemia, bone cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, bowel cancer...and various heart ailments. HA is terrible, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[kellie]

Hiya :welcome: to NMP its great to have you here.
you will get lots of support/advice/reasurance and make some great friends along the way.

[kathylou26]

wow a lot of people's HA seems to have started when their nan or someone else close to them died, mine did when my gran died of pancreatic cancer when I was 19, now I think everything is cancer. She was the first person really close to me to die and she was only 68. It came as a massive shock as she went from being fine to dead in a matter of months. I wonder how many other's HA has started in this way, its not surprising really. I still miss her every day.

[kathylou26]

ps I'm new too Elsie, its really nice to feel your not alone isn't it? welcome:flowers:

[Elsie]

Arr thank you for all your replies sooooo much appreciated.

I really only did think it was me that was going through this awful experience, and its so comforting to realise i'm not abnormal!!

Most people i have tried explaining my feelings and my thought process to just tell me not to be silly or forget about it.....:mad: if only!

If i can help at least one other person feel better about anything they are worrying about i will be happy. We all need to stick together!!

Thank you again :)

Elsie

[Casey]

Hi Elsie,

I have health anxiety too. This site is so helpful because you don't feel so alone. I wonder how people used to cope before the internet...but of course they didn't have google then either! xx casey