Average age on here?

[ErinKC]

Personally I've never heard of a 60/70/80-something year old being scared of death - which is what I think the underlying mechanism of health anxiety is. But then again, by your 70s onwards, death is moreso a normal part of life. Whereas at our age, death is certainly an abnormal "thing" to encounter.

My mom is in her 60s and her HA is worse than ever, which I think is a good motivator to try and nip it in the bud as early as possible. Hers gets worse over time as she enters age groups where scary things are more common. It's like no she's just waiting on a diagnosis of something and it's much harder for her to manage.

[SnowyGreen]

'

[pulisa]

I'm 41 now and pretty much had health anxiety my whole life. Then last year I was diagnosed with cancer (it's all gone now), but now I don't have health anxiety anymore either... so that could be the cure

A harsh "cure" but I can see why, Snowy. You have to deal with the reality of a diagnosis, not the constant fear of it and the "worst" has happened now so you know that you can cope with it because there is no other option?

[Fishmanpa]

I'm 41 now and pretty much had health anxiety my whole life. Then last year I was diagnosed with cancer (it's all gone now), but now I don't have health anxiety anymore either... so that could be the cure

Congrats on beating the beast fellow warrior and survivor! In the time I've been on the boards I know of three others that have had something serious going on. All three faced it head on while their anxiety took a back seat. All three are doing well and their anxiety has remained in the back seat since. You can fear all you want but when push comes to shove, you do what you have to do.

Positive thoughts

[always scared]

Congrats on beating the beast fellow warrior and survivor! In the time I've been on the boards I know of three others that have had something serious going on. All three faced it head on while their anxiety took a back seat. All three are doing well and their anxiety has remained in the back seat since. You can fear all you want but when push comes to shove, you do what you have to do.

Positive thoughts

Originally Posted by SnowyGreen
I'm 41 now and pretty much had health anxiety my whole life. Then last year I was diagnosed with cancer (it's all gone now), but now I don't have health anxiety anymore either... so that could be the cure

Congratulations to both of you.

I wasn't going to post anything anymore. The last few days have been the worst by far with this new panic of mine. I just wanted to let you know how my effed up mind works after reading this post and I can't shut it off. Instead of taking this reply positively like a normal person . I took it and cried and had panic attacks all night long confirming my fears that I too may have cancer. Please forgive me I don't mean any disrespect. I know I need help but...

[pulisa]

But that is your choice. If you choose to live like this you can do but it's not living , it's existing under the control of irrational thoughts no matter how rational you believe them to be.

[Sparky16]

Congratulations to both of you.

I wasn't going to post anything anymore. The last few days have been the worst by far with this new panic of mine. I just wanted to let you know how my effed up mind works after reading this post and I can't shut it off. Instead of taking this reply positively like a normal person . I took it and cried and had panic attacks all night long confirming my fears that I too may have cancer. Please forgive me I don't mean any disrespect. I know I need help but...

I understand how you feel. You're in a bad place right now. You know there's a positive message to take from these success stories, but you can't access that right now. Getting help is a good idea. It's OK to step away from here for a while, too, if you're really primed right now to acquire new worries.

Edited to add that I'm in my forties and I have had HA since I was a teenager, which started after my Dad died of a heart attack,. Although I had regular old anxiety and social anxiety pretty much as long as I can remember, back to before I even started school. I have found HA gets harder as you get older it's harder to rule out diagnoses just based on your age anymore. I think the Internet has both helped and harmed - there's so much information available, and serious illnesses are frequently presented as the only answer to symptoms. On the other hand, there are groups such as this one, so I no longer feel like the only person in the world with this problem.

[Pamplemousse]

55.

Had it since I was ten and the severity of it varies. CBT just doesn't work for me.

[Js2019]

I am 23. I have had health anxiety my entire life...ever since I can remember. It has evolved throughout the years. I remember in grade school I basically lived in the nurse’s office, always asking to leave school because I was sick. I would constantly have her check my vitals signs. I was 7-8 years old, healthy, and from a great family. There was nothing in my childhood that brought on my severe health anxiety. As I got older I became obsessed about lymph nodes and lymphoma. The fears changed and I have been convinced I have had cancer, diabetes, MS and severe Illnesses. My healthy anxiety peaked even more when I was pregnant. As I’m getting a little older I am able to rationalize a little more. Medication helps and I have Vistaril to take when I have a severe panic attack. I am also starting therapy soon to hopefully end this and not live my entire life in fear.

[Capercrohnj]

43. I've always had anxiety but it gas been worse since being diagnosed with Crohn's and gastroparesis plus all the lovely surgeries, complications and symptoms related to those. I'm currently being investigated for another illness (hyperparathyroidism). Yah another without any treatment available except surgery. If I get this diagnosis it will explain and tie together all my symptoms. If not? Well I guess it's in my head.