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View Full Version : I don't know whats going on or what to think... Help please?



UncertainSoup
19-03-11, 04:15
Okay so honestly I don't know if i would consider myself a person that suffers health anxiety. Maybe if i do it is just a slight case.

It started a couple years ago when i would have chest pains but i later learned that it was just anxiety. I have been to the doctor and been told that I am healthy.

The most recent health problem i have had turned out to be a slight case of acid reflux. The acid reflux started out with a pain in my neck, beneath my lymph nodes. I have a friend who was 16 at the time and he was diagnosed with cancer. I am not sure what type but it was something with his neck. (oddly enough in the general area that i was having neck pain) So i managed to conjure the idea that this was what I was suffering from after i remembered my friend. After i found out i had acid reflux of course my worries disappeared and I felt like my normal self again.

Idk if i would consider myself a person who suffers from health anxiety because I don't just worry i have some disease for the hell of it. I start to worry when I experience some sort of pain in my body that I don't know what is causing it.

Maybe someone can answer this for me as i am unsure of the correct answer... but in my mind I believe that every pain in my body is associated with some sort of underlying health issue whether it be serious or trivial. My question is : do we experience pains in are bodies that are harmless and just are part of a day to day thing?

My general rule of thumb before i start worrying about a pain that i am experiencing is: The pain has to be persistent for at least a week. If i am feeling the same pain for at least a week without it going away I begin to worry about what it could be and thats when my slight case of health anxiety kicks in. I never can tell if its the pains that kick start my health anxiety when in reality they are just anxiety-related pains or vice versa. (it just seems to be one big, confusing cycle.)

Lately I have been having a brief somewhat dull pain that I feel in my thighs and then sometimes I feel it in my calves and even my feet. This has lasted for 4 days now and has triggered my health anxiety. I started worrying that I might have a brain tumor or some neurology disorder because I googled leg pain and all this stuff like sciatica and neurological disorders came up. Idk what it is and idk if it is something that I should be worried about.

I know that this must seem like one big confusing rant, but I hope someone understands what I am talking about so I can receive some advice. Thank you.

Phoenix_
19-03-11, 13:48
Firstly I want to say that people who suffer from health anxiety dont just worry for the hell of it. This may not be the way you intended it to come across, but it does to me. If I could go each day without thinking that I am going to die etc, I can assure you I WOULD :)

Secondly, our bodies are constantly changing and are under stress a lot, so everyone gets pains now and then/daily. Its just natural! Your health anxiety that you may have, you seem to be on top of to a degree...eg setting yourself the week to see if the pain goes away! So well done!
Your leg pain can be from many things not necessarily going to be neurological! When you are distracted doing other things is it still noticeable? If it is there for a week go to the doctor just to put your mind at rest.
And lastly DO NOT google your symptoms! The Internet will only show up stuff related to cancer etc first not that maybe your posture needs adjusting or you have a trapped nerve!
Relax and keep busy if you get panicky. Hope that helps some what.

UncertainSoup
19-03-11, 18:37
your right im sorry for making it sound that way.

I forgot to mention that I am 18 yrs old and I consider myself to be healthy. I exercise and try to eat as healthy as I can which since I am in college is harder than it sounds. Sometimes I think to myself and feel foolish for worrying about stuff like this because its not exactly the normal thing that college students should be worrying about.

I appreciate the advice. I WILL not google my symptoms ever again. It was just in my mind I felt like that was the right thing to do.

Lastly, I am just curious what would you do if you had some sort of pain that last for a couple of days then went away only to return a couple months later? Maybe i am over analyzing this and that could be part of my problem but Im just curious.



Firstly I want to say that people who suffer from health anxiety dont just worry for the hell of it. This may not be the way you intended it to come across, but it does to me. If I could go each day without thinking that I am going to die etc, I can assure you I WOULD :)

Secondly, our bodies are constantly changing and are under stress a lot, so everyone gets pains now and then/daily. Its just natural! Your health anxiety that you may have, you seem to be on top of to a degree...eg setting yourself the week to see if the pain goes away! So well done!
Your leg pain can be from many things not necessarily going to be neurological! When you are distracted doing other things is it still noticeable? If it is there for a week go to the doctor just to put your mind at rest.
And lastly DO NOT google your symptoms! The Internet will only show up stuff related to cancer etc first not that maybe your posture needs adjusting or you have a trapped nerve!
Relax and keep busy if you get panicky. Hope that helps some what.

Phoenix_
20-03-11, 19:45
Hey Im at 21 at uni and I feel the same way too. I have a lot of unhealthy friends and I also think why am I the one worrying about my health etc. But I try not to dwell on it as it makes me more upset about the anxiety and feeling normal.
It depends on what/where the pain is. It could be to do with posture? a trapped nerve, even stress! Which may be the best bet if it goes for months and then re appears.
I find if I notice a pain, I become overwhelmed by it, even if was only a slight pain, the more I then focus on it, the worse it gets!
If you are worried the best advice would be to see the doctor. Although googling seems the best option perhaps just come on here next time.
Hope your feeling better.