hi, i've been in chat for a couple of weeks now so i thought i would introduce myself properly.
I am 31 and ever since i can remember i have worried and obsessed about things. My mum was ill a lot when i was younger and when i was 17 she died of cancer. Ever since, i have suffered from depression and anxiety, the worst of which has been health anxiety. :(
I have been to the doctors so many times with symptoms i was convinced were cancer. I also developed a habit of checking symptoms over and over again to see if anything had changed - weird i know! [:I]
About 3 years ago, i had been quite stressed out and my anxiety got completely out of control. I had this horrible feeling i had cancer even though i couldn't find any symptoms to 'prove' it. I felt sick with worry all the time and thought about illness and dying all the time - i felt like i had completely lost control of my thoughts.
Since then i have been taking fluoxetine which has made a massive difference. I actually believe the depression is over now, and although i still have episodes of anxiety it is much more under control. I'm now trying to find out as much as i can about anxiety so i can keep in control of it when i stop taking my meds. Which is how i found this site...
Sorry this is a long post, but i have found it so helpful reading other people's posts. It has really made me realise i am not alone. Plus it has taken me about 15 years to get this off my chest so i might as well do it all in one go!
I am so pleased i have found this place, i have met so many lovely people in chat already, and i look forward to meeting more of you soon.
Take care,
mag xxx [8D]