information overload:(

[Savvy_Darling]

One of the things I most regret doing (and I'm sure many of you can agree) is googling. Having read so many things on illnesses and symptoms I have a library of horrible health information in my brain.. And it's like once you learn something it's pretty hard to forget about it ya know?
I haven't googled really anything lately but with previous knowledge I have stored away it always comes back to bit me in the butt.
For example, my new obsession with swallowing and feeling like I have Ben having difficulty swallowing or mucus in my throat / possible dry mouth.. I've had reoccurring thoughts of esphougeus cancer.. Because I remember reading about a girl having it and she had difficulty swallowing. SO when that pops in my head I get mini anxiety attacks where I feel really scared and that I'm surely gonna die this time. The same with my vein obsession that's been going on for a couple monthes... I remember reading something about tumors needing more blood flow.. Something from a breast cancer survivor having noticed odd veins and had said the thing about it being caused from cancer.
So when I look at my veins in the mirror on my chest and the really noticeable blue ones in my upper arm I totally freak out and get scared about it being cancer..or a heart problem I suppose. :( anyways these things I've read only make my anxiety about what I've been worried about 1000x worse.. Because o start to picture how I'm dying for sure this time and I get so scared.
I feel really anxious this morning and I've thought abou the things I mentioned above and I've had a couple quick panic attacks where I just feel so intensely frightened. I just wish I never read about anything like that because I know my anxiety uses it to justify itself..any rational thoughts go out the window. Man I'm just feeling so overwhelmed and the impending doom feeling is in full swing today I feel it. :( I just wanted to post and wonde if anyone else has felt this way? Just could use someone to talk too... Thanks

[KeeKee]

Yes I feel the same. I haven't Googled very much at all in approx a year, but what I've read is still in my brain just waiting to remind me.

I recently had an ovarian cancer worry and the doctor even said "You've been googling ovarian cancer symptoms haven't you", i hadn't but I've remembered them from before. I truly wish I'd never Googled. At the peak of my health anxiety I probably spent at least 40 hours just googling various things.

I also wish I never went on the Dailymail as I get worried about things I've read on there too.

[crazygal]

Google is a nasty addiction. The other night I spent about 3 hours straight googling hep c transmission. I even kept reading the same articles over and over to make sure I read the ways it's transmission to be sure I didn't miss anything.

Back in may I had a serious fear of melanoma. Daily I was googling different moles and comparing them with my moles. Mind I've had these moles pretty much my whole life plus I don't spend any time in the sun and I'm black. So the chances of me getting melanoma are low but I was convinced I had melanoma because of a melanoma mole I saw on google that looked similar to one of my moles.

Of course the mole turned out to be nothing. But Google helped fuel my fear. Even now I'll still Google melanoma but I remember to stop myself. Especially since I just went to the doctor to check it out.

Google is the devil when it comes to HA.

[Savvy_Darling]

I've worried and googled about both of the things you ladies mentioned.. Last year (and the first thing I ever posted about was about ovarian cancer) I was obsessing over the O.C. Thing.. I could name all the symptoms off the top of my head. It's sad!! All because i was peeing more than usual and coincidentally read something on Facebook about a young cheerleader getting it and doctors thinking that she was just pregnant.. So I can definitely relate to that fear even though I've gotten over that one and moved on to other cancers I'm convinced I may have ;(

Crazygal.... Girl don't even get me started on melanoma!! That's been an on & off fear of mine.. And I don't even dare look up anything about it anymore because for awhile I was paranoid over every mole and freckle I had to the point I was terrified I had melanoma and convinced it was growing inside me. I wanted to remove all my moles..Ugh don't even wanna think about that because I could get started again. I'm pale and more at risk than you would be but what that shows me is that even though you're at such a low low low risk for it you still worried like crazy about it.. Anxiety can be a real b*tch

[KeeKee]

Melanoma was a big fear of mine over Christmas I was 99% sure I had it. I didn't of course but I'm very pale and as a child had almost white hair so I'm terrified of it and convinced I'm at high risk.

[Colicab85]

The Daily Mail is hateful. Scare mongering bunch of morons.

[Savvy_Darling]

Keekee I really feel your pain! That's how I feel too :( like we talked about on one of my older posts about spider veins and pale skin.. We are so similar! Ugh. Another reason I hate being fair skinned.
I wish I could get myself to the doctors to ask about my swallowing thing and veins in my arm I've been worried abou way too long now... But I'm sooo scared to find out if there's something wrong like I'm not ready for that and ignorance is bliss.. Although even know it's kind of not with anxiety because at the same time not knowing something freaks us out. So basically I'm a mess :( what's new. Like I'm basically convinced I have some sort of cancer as that is the only explanation I have for my worries .. I hate thinking like that too but I can't help it.. I actually had a dream last night about melanoma.. This mile was growing right in front of my eyes on my foot.. How scary is that. Not even safe in my dreams most th time anymore.

---------- Post added at 11:59 ---------- Previous post was at 11:54 ----------

Colicab- I've stumbled on a few daily mail articles .. In America literally everything is fear mongering. News articles, some commercials.. When I go on my Facebook I had to unfollow pages that were putting out articles that were purely to scare the crap outta people.
So cruel and horrible for us anxiety sufferers because we really dwell on stuff like that. Normal people can disregard it as stupid.

---------- Post added at 12:27 ---------- Previous post was at 11:59 ----------

Side note- my throat is really acting up now and I wonder if it's because I'm feeling really anxious so maybe it is anxiety related? I don't know but I cancan't stop feeling like I need to swallow or clear mucus out of my throat . So frustrating and making me anxious