"Dr google will see you now!!!"

[hanshan]

Apart from an increase in obesity and associated illnesses, people today are much healthier than any time before.

Unfortunately, greater understanding of physical illness has actually led to greater illness anxiety among susceptible people - an odd case where more knowledge has actually had a negative effect.

[unsure_about_this]

Dr Google needs a holiday people.

It also every mark, ucler, lump I always think this is cancer staight away because cancer

Before the days of the internet, and when I first had the Internet at home I rarely read health stuff on the internet only the last 6 years when my mum asked me what crohns was that was my uncle suffered from when he was in his teens, I think he still has his spells.

Dr Google needs to be put on the naughty step.

---------- Post added at 13:10 ---------- Previous post was at 12:41 ----------

Mainly of the symptoms we get or we worry about having are not always serious, but I jump the worst thing first which is cancer or some deadly disease matching symptoms

[unsure_about_this]

Even when I had CBT I got told not to google, I thought I had bowel cancer went thought a number of trips to the hospital, scans by looking at my symptoms, testicle cancer (pretty sensible this was) and got referred, just some cysts
Everything is serious to me until it been proved

[Dave_Lister]

Mine started this time with smelling cigarette smoke. I didn't think it was anything serious until I went on Google. I immediately have had anxiety over a brain tumor, and now have moved on from that to MS, and am trying to shake this. Google is not a good idea. I have been told by a couple of docs to stop it.

the only thing that sucks is that I have to wait for another month before my ct scan on my sinus and brain. That is the toughest part.

[unsure_about_this]

I am seeing Dr Google next week. Some of the docs and the CBT coach in the past told me to try to reduced the amount of times I Google.

---------- Post added at 08:38 ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 ----------

Mine is my face I am worry (freckles, moles etc) I think everything is cancer.

[LouiseC1896]

Hi, I'm new here, I have severe health anxiety! I've wasted so many days googling my 'symptoms' and convincing myself I'm dying. I am always in a state of panic, sometimes, probably everyday I panic, start to shake and sometimes have chest pain. This year alone I convinced myself I had lymphoma, bowel cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer and last week cervical cancer until I got my later in saying my smear test was clear. Now the other day i discovered three moveable lumps in the tissue of my forearm and have been googling like crazy and convinced myself its sarcoma. I am so embarrassed to go back to the doctors. I just move from one cancer to the next! I am utterly convinced I have cancer and can't stop googling!

[unsure_about_this]

Try you best not to Google louiseC I have done the crime of Google in the past and still do it from time to time.

The problem for me I sometimes find it hard to believe the GP sometimes still

I believe my health anxiety really started in secondary school in CDT

[laura95]

I have 2 swollen lymph nodes, one in the neck and one in my armpit. Found the neck one 3 weeks ago, and the armpit one 1 week ago. Every day since I have touched the nodes and googled for hours. It is taking over my life and I feel horrendous, convincing myself I have lymphoma because of the characteristics of the nodes that Dr Google tells me i.e. hard and with no other obvious cause such as recent cold or virus. Common sense dictates I'm fine; the nodes are movable, not getting bigger and I'm well otherwise. Even the doctor told me they were fine yesterday, but he noticed my anxiety from the second I sat down. It's easier said than done to not worry about the big C, my Grandma died from it many years ago, I lost my uncle to it last month, my auntie is in remission after being diagnosed 2 years ago and a close friend had a malignant testicle removed this summer and he is only my age. I'm 21.

This fear is consuming me and it all began when I asked Dr Google to diagnose my baked bean sized lymph node. I'm so stupid.

[AccountantAndy]

Hi Laura

I seem to be inadvertently following you around, Sorry!

You said something in your post that I totally understand with about your relationship with the Big C, albeit mine is with my heart.

My family has a bit of a history of heart issues, I've seen a work colleague drop down dead with a heart attack right in from of me and my mothers partner died suddenly from one within a year of this. Finally, my uncle (the healthiest person I know) recently had to have stents in. Needless to say a lot of my health worries centre around my heart and chest. The big C has never really bothered me and my closest as much and therefore it doesn't seem to be in the forefront of my mind when trying to work out symptoms.

Google can be horrendous when in a state of anxiety due to the sheer amount of (conflicting) information out there especially when you're searching for the thing that frightens you the most. However, I wouldn't have found this place without it.

[unsure_about_this]

hi Laura

Please do not Google I have done the crime of googling my health worries and if I find something I am straight on Google and down the GP.