Did a specific event in your life cause your Health Anxiety to start?

[Phill2]

Yep
My son was killed in a car accident aged 29.
His daughter aged 2 had been murdered 12 months before that.

[Scass]

Oh Phill. I’m so sorry.


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[KatieJayne]

Yes for me. A pregnancy loss that was managed badly by the NHS, with a lot of conflicting advice/results and a very lengthy process. I now don’t trust anything and I feel a huge need to protect myself from any harm in advance - hence endless googling!

---------- Post added at 21:27 ---------- Previous post was at 21:26 ----------

Yes two things the first post natal depression and the second I had an ectopic pregnancy and ended up seriously poorly.

That is just like me. So sorry you went through this.

[Angelica Schuyler]

I know how it all started for me, too. I had cancer when I was a teenager, and developed hypochondria while in college. It was managed well by medication until my mother died rather suddenly almost two years ago. Now I can't stop thinking that I have an illness that will kill me quickly, too.

[RadioGaGa]

Personally, I was always more anxious as a child. I had a severe phobia of vomiting, which almost manifested as health anxiety. But, certainly nothing too major until the death of my grandmother.

Maybe don't read this section if you have a fear of death
I was only 11 years old at the time, but my grandmother was hospitalised with COPD. Long story short, her condition deteriorated and, to put it bluntly, they shipped her into a side room.

We got the call that day to go to the hospital as her condition had worsened. She was in a sort of coma, and we just sat with her until about 2am. At this time, we heard the horrendous 'death rattle' and she passed away not long after.

To put it mildly - that destroyed, terrified, shook me up....can't describe it for a LONG time after. I remember not long after I took what was probably a panic attack (although not a full blown one, but VERY close to it).

So I believe this is what triggered it - seeing first hand the transition from life to death, at such a young age. And it has scarred me.

Nearly 15 years later, I still miss my grandmother dearly

[popejoan]

Hello, sorry to hear about your mum.
Mine is similar. My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 15 and she was 38. She survived because it was caught early.
But we went through chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she lost a breast. I watched her go through it all.
I believe my health anxiety started with my young, healthy mum going through cancer.
Now I am 34 and I've been through so many fears and each time convinced myself this time I have it.
Sending love to all of you. This is not easy what we're going through.

[JamesRed]

I've thought about this a lot and I think it comes down to two things:

1) My Mum is a very anxious person. She's practically scared of most things, which in turn makes me think it rubbed off on.

2) I remember when I was around 12/13, the daughter to a friend of my Mum was diagnosed with cancer. I remember the thought of being shocked someone so young could get it (as I'd never considered it before) and that started off my anxiety.

[popejoan]

Yep
My son was killed in a car accident aged 29.
His daughter aged 2 had been murdered 12 months before that.

So sorry to hear this Phil.

[Purple Blood]

I was getting frequent nosebleeds(well not really nosebleeds,just blood when I blew my nose) around this time last year,so I began worrying about my health more than usual.The nosebleeds stopped eventually but shortly after I got the flu.I went to the doctor during the examination she thought she felt "something" on my abdomen...It turned out to be just fat but after that I just spiraled.I thought it really was something sinister and she just dismissed it,the thought really scared me.I've had health anxiety ever since,I think it's mostly fueled by my stress about other things,I'm trying not to fixate on it too much though...It was really bad during the summer,I was staring at my thighs all day long looking for bruises or petechiae

[Phill2]

I was getting frequent nosebleeds(well not really nosebleeds,just blood when I blew my nose) around this time last year,so I began worrying about my health more than usual.The nosebleeds stopped eventually but shortly after I got the flu.I went to the doctor during the examination she thought she felt "something" on my abdomen...It turned out to be just fat but after that I just spiraled.I thought it really was something sinister and she just dismissed it,the thought really scared me.I've had health anxiety ever since,I think it's mostly fueled by my stress about other things,I'm trying not to fixate on it too much though...It was really bad during the summer,I was staring at my thighs all day long looking for bruises or petechiae

Thanks guys
As they say "IT" happens.