What types of HA are there?

[Kraggy]

Sooo, I've been wondering this lately...

What types of HA are there?

For instance, Because I have HA I keep on feeling the need to search myself for lumps, bumps ect ect, and whenever I find one....well I just get terrified, and I find alot, At a daily basis.

Some people say they get terrified of Headache, Which I do not seem to be all to much afraid off, But this person does not have a habit of searching his or her body for lumps & bumps?

What type of HA do you have, Or should I say, What is the main Fear of your HA?

Kind Regards,

Kraggy

[jinglebells]

For me, it's cancer, every symptom leads back to the big C. I am also a lumb and bump checker, I check everywhere!

I remember a few months ago sticking my fingers right down my throat (as far as they would reach) and discovering a lump. For reassurance I wanted to examine my bf throat. He allowed me to do this but has never learnt to repress his gag reflex, so as soon as I touched he throat he gagged. looking back on it, it seems very funny, he was trying to cook dinner at the time, I was attempting to probe his throat with my fingers and moaning at hiim for gagging!
I later discovered it was my epiglotis I was touching!

[Kraggy]

ah yes..for me it is cancer aswell I must add.

And I to have stuck my finger in my throat to check for bumps...except I went up & not down :P

I just noticed really big Lymph Nodes on my jaw, which got me terrified...But I also got a Herpes Simplex Version 1 outbreak (The sores on the lips) which I hope is causing them...First thing in the morning will be to make an appointment with my doctor, untill then I wont be able to rest in peace..

[Valka]

I mainly overreact - I'll take any ache, soreness or weirdness in my body as a sign of serious disease and become absolutely certain that I'm dying. Last year I also started checking my body for signs of illness, after becoming obsessed with a lymph node (which later turned out to be mildly infected from my psoriasis, whereas I was convinced I had lymphoma!). I've been working very hard on recovering for the past 3-4 weeks and I realized last night that I'd stopped feeling my neck in bed at night, etc., which is a good sign.
Also, my health anxiety itself sometimes creates a lot of physical symptoms which can make me feel absolutely rotten (dizziness, muscle/joint pain, nausea, upset stomach, stiff jaw etc.).

[Valka]

And yes, I would say cancer is my main obsession as well. Sometimes I'll find a 'new disease' that takes over for a while (I was sure I had HIV for ages when I was 19-20) but mainly the cancer thing keeps coming back.

[lauren6]

Fear of being in an emergency room in pain and being ignored (this does happen here!) and just wanting to die because the pain is unbearable and they're making me wait too long to detect it.

My other biggest fear is a toothache. I have had a lot of problems with my teeth and every twinge, I freak out.

I don't generally fear cancer although I have had things where they did a cancer test so the fear was justified. Basically, any change, any pain or new sensation scares me more than the average person who dismisses these as part of life.

[nickieb]

I think there is this hypochondria side to it where we think we have everything & then there is the side we our anxiety makes us poorly & we suffer anxiety of stress & depression from the constant worrying

[thefears]

I am one that thinks I have cancer all the time.

As a smoker, I never used to worry about it, but for some reason, maybe due to recent poor health, I've had Lung Cancer, Mouth Cancer, Throat Cancer, Breast Cancer, Chronic Fatigue, CNS disease, Asthma, meningitis, Diabetes, Pregnancy, Going Mad and a host of others.

At the moment I feel its breast cancer, sometimes i'm utterly convinced, as ive had an achey feeling in my armpit and down the side of my left breast for about a month now. I'm trying to let it go, but sometimes it gets the better of me. I constantly have my hand in there checking for lumps.

[reddevil]

Mine is cancer and tumours.

I don't tend to worry about the heart etc.

Red

[jojo2316]

Mine is cancer too. At the moment it is breast cancer. I am constantly checking for lumps (and constantly finding them, too). I can't seem to get any relief from this fear........ I've been checked by doctors and had ultrasounds, but for some reason I don't feel reassured............. it's horrible.
But I've also been a worrier about sensation as well as a lump and bump checker. For a while, for example, I became obssessed with the sensation of breathing, convinced mine felt wrong and that I had lung cancer.......

[Little Miss Anxious]

My thing is Cancer too, but I only seem to think the worst if its womens stuff, e.g if I get cystitis or something I automatically think I have some kind of womens cancer & get myself into a real state over it. If I get something like a sore throat or headache I can rationalise that for the minor ailment it probably is rather than thinking brain tumour or throat cancer.

I reguarly check my skin (& get my husband to look out) for irregular moles or skin changes as I do sunbathe on holidays & occasionally use sunbeds, I think that is just more of a common sense thing for me than HA though.

Its strange how some things bother us & some we can keep a rational head about ??

[Kraggy]

It seems that for most people, Cancer is the driving fear behind their Health Anxiety. Same goes for me, Heck, I was even afraid of having Cercical cancer, Because I did not know what Cervical Cancer was, But I read I had symptons on google (Stomach pains ect) I could bang my head against the wall when I found out what it was exactly...

As for moles, Yeah I check them alot to, But I dont ask my friends & parents to check it for me, simply because they dont understand and get mad or laugh at me.

ah well, luckely the good doctor doesn't mind ^^

Kind regards,

Kraggy :bighug1:

[SleeplessFog]

My sister died 2 years ago from a long illness. I have had anxiety for a long time...but very mild. After I got sick this year...it went into full HA moderate most of the time.

A lot of people I know have had cancer (not related). Some people have died, others have lived. Ever since I started getting migraines I was afraid I was bleeding or had an aneurysm.

They couldn't do anything for my sister...so I am afraid they won't find out whats wrong with me and I won't be able to have anything done either.

Now I am scared since I got an MRI and 2 CT scans and neck xray that the radiation is going to make me have a tumor for real :weep:

[Valka]

Its strange how some things bother us & some we can keep a rational head about ??

I've been thinking about that as well; there are some health-related things I'm totally relaxed about. Personally, I seem to be a lot more scared of things that happen inside my body (as in cancer, heart disease) than things that you catch from someone else. I've never been nervous about germs or anything like that.