Are You A Hypochondriac?

[Christine]

Ummm, yeah, but justifiably so I think. It has actually gotten better in my "older" age.

I used to worry as a child that I would get leukemia (or whatever I heard on the news). One day I was staying with a friend of mine whose father had throat cancer. He had a terrible choking spell and it obviously bothered me because for several days after, I could not swallow my food without choking. My mom had to take me to the doctor to "speak to me" about it and then I was fine.

Of course, being a hypochondriac and then actually getting cancer is the worst. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer about 10 years ago and pretty much wigged out. Now I've been struggling with breast lumps for the last year and it has really done me in. I am convinced something "big" is going to take me out--the big "C". But, when I'm not in the middle of a health crisis, I'm usually fine and don't worry about things too much anymore.

Like ChrisandSteph, my son also has some medical issues--one of them being peanut allergy. That set me off awhile too. I have found that one of my ways of dealing with stress and anxiety is that my mind goes off in different directions, where it shouldn't, and usually they are health related.

On the other hand, I hardly ever go to the doctor unless I'm really sick. Not one to run to the doctor with sniffles, aches, etc.

 

[Jackie0824]

I am not one. BUT my husband is. Oh my goodness. If somebody here states they have a stuffy nose, or a sore throat... believe me, by the next day he has all the same symptoms.

 

[minkydog]

I'm not a hypochondriac and I have no patience with those who obsess about their health. It's one thing when they have legitimate illness--I'd be pretty obsessed if I had cancer or heart disease or life-threatening allergies, I suppose. But I hear from people all the time about their imagined diseases-- West Nile Virus, flesh-eating bacteria. I want to scream "Do you actually know someone with those diseases?" (as opposed to hearing about this on the news or from a friend of a friend?). With them every rash is measles, every cough is lung cancer, every headache is a brain tumor. I say, be more scared of the things that really will make you sick, like obesity,high blood pressure, smoking, drugs, speeding, & alcohol abuse. Buck up ! Bunch of whiners...

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I'm not a hypochondriac and I have no patience with those who obsess about their health. It's one thing when they have legitimate illness--I'd be pretty obsessed if I had cancer or heart disease or life-threatening allergies, I suppose. But I hear from people all the time about their imagined diseases-- West Nile Virus, flesh-eating bacteria. I want to scream "Do you actually know someone with those diseases?" (as opposed to hearing about this on the news or from a friend of a friend?). With them every rash is measles, every cough is lung cancer, every headache is a brain tumor. I say, be more scared of the things that really will make you sick, like obesity,high blood pressure, smoking, drugs, speeding, & alcohol abuse. Buck up ! Bunch of whiners...

There are some people who generally are just worried about silly things - like catching the bird flu by eating chicken, and stupid stuff like that. But true hypochondria is not something that I would wish on anyone. It's an abnormal fear that consumes you, takes over every aspect of your life, and can be dibilitating. When I went through it, I may have appeared to be a "whiner" to some, but "bucking up" and dealing with it was impossible for me to do. Like I said in my earlier post, I needed meds and psychological help to get past it. Fortunately for me, I have a doctor who was very patient and understanding, and after he realized what was really going on he got me the help that I desperately needed. What's funny is that I don't get worked up by colds or illnesses. But little pains, bumps or twitches freaked me out. I'm much better now, but every now and then I feel the fear creep back up. Mine was a result of post traumatic stress, but it can happen to anyone for no reason at all.

 

[florida-again]

Good grief, no, and people who are get on my nerves.

No way?

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Nope, I'm not. As a matter of fact I tend to ignore things for too long. I also do not run my kids to the dr for every little thing. I do when there is a real problem that the dr can help with (my mom didn't even do that with us kids), but not for a simple cold, etc.

 

[buckylarue]

No way; I've got enough real things wrong with me, I don't need to be imagining things!

 

[imsorry]

Yes, big time. And it is not easily controlled, so I think it is mean for people to get mad at me. All I have to do is hear about an ailment, and I get the symptoms. But the pain feels real to me - very real. I also worry about getting cancer, ms, etc. It is very hard to turn it off - I have heard it is one of the hardest things to "cure".

 

[rnd4life]

I don't really think I'm a Hypochondriac but I've been told I am.

I did go through a phase a few years ago when I was pregnant with my son where I thought for sure I had a brain tumor. I had terrible headaches on the left side of my head, right behind my ear, so I was always at the doctor about it. It was the weirdest thing I had ever experienced because before that I never worried about anything like that.

I got over that a few months later but it really runied the first few months of my pregnancy and getting pregnant that 2nd time was something we had dreamed of for almost 8 years.

 

[Christine]

It is very hard to turn it off - I have heard it is one of the hardest things to "cure".

I've read that too. There is almost a 99% failure rate in treating the disorder.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I've read that too. There is almost a 99% failure rate in treating the disorder.

I didn't realize that! Well I must be the 1%, lol! It really is something you can't just "turn off". Christine, I'm going to use you as an example. All the fear and emotions you've been going through the past week while waiting for you biopsy results is what a true hypochondriac lives through every single day, every waking hour. No matter how hard you try, you just can't think of anything else. And you really do feel the symptoms of whatever it is you think you're "dying" of! It's amazing how powerful the mind is. It's horrible to feel like you're sick and dying when you really aren't. And once your doctor proves to you that you're ok, you have a short period of euphoria until the next thing comes up, and then the whole pattern just repeats itself. Part of treatment is recognizing you have a problem, and then seeking help and learning what triggers the fears. Anxiety meds helped for me, and while I won't say that I'm completely "cured", I've learned how to recognize and manage the fear and emotions. For me, it started the week I brought my son home from a month long stay in the NICU. His genetic disorder diagnosis and illness was a complete shock to me, and shattered my "perfect" world. It was something that happened to "other" people, not me! I also learned that I had a weird genetic mutation that caused my son's condition. I had lost my father to a stroke unexpectedly the year before. It was stressful and I was scared for my son, and all the emotions manifested itself in my "symptoms" and fear of death and dying. I suppose this is TMI, but I just wanted to get it out there that this can be a very serious sickness, and because of my experience I just don't find it something to be very funny or trivial.

 

[Christine]

I have also heard the hypochondria is a result of fear of losing control of some type. Much like the eating disorders are really "control" issues, so is hypochondria--just in a different direction. Some event will usually trigger it where a person realizes that they have not control over things and will start "body monitoring" as a defense mechanism to try to gain control. Running to the doctor, having tests done, all provide comfort for the short term, and then it just comes back again.

 

[ckmommy]

I feel as if I have become one in the past year. My MIL died of Brain cancer almost a year ago. Which was about 4 months after I had my last child and had my tubes tied. For about the last six months, I have had the feeling that I am going to die of something. If there is a story about Breast Cancer on the news, I am sure I have that. I get migrane headaches. I got one 2 weeks ago, and some how, I conviced myself I had brain cancer. I think I have stressed myself out so much that I have gotten tension headaches everyday. I sit on the computer and diagnose what I feel are my symptoms. It is very sad. I have read that getting your tubes tied can create these types of thoughts--something with the hormones. I have a OB appointment set up to talk to my Dr. about all of these thought going on in my mind. I am glad to hear there are others that feel the same way that I have been feeling.

 

[minkydog]

I didn't realize that! Well I must be the 1%, lol! It really is something you can't just "turn off". Christine, I'm going to use you as an example. All the fear and emotions you've been going through the past week while waiting for you biopsy results is what a true hypochondriac lives through every single day, every waking hour. No matter how hard you try, you just can't think of anything else. And you really do feel the symptoms of whatever it is you think you're "dying" of! It's amazing how powerful the mind is. It's horrible to feel like you're sick and dying when you really aren't. And once your doctor proves to you that you're ok, you have a short period of euphoria until the next thing comes up, and then the whole pattern just repeats itself. Part of treatment is recognizing you have a problem, and then seeking help and learning what triggers the fears. Anxiety meds helped for me, and while I won't say that I'm completely "cured", I've learned how to recognize and manage the fear and emotions. For me, it started the week I brought my son home from a month long stay in the NICU. His genetic disorder diagnosis and illness was a complete shock to me, and shattered my "perfect" world. It was something that happened to "other" people, not me! I also learned that I had a weird genetic mutation that caused my son's condition. I had lost my father to a stroke unexpectedly the year before. It was stressful and I was scared for my son, and all the emotions manifested itself in my "symptoms" and fear of death and dying. I suppose this is TMI, but I just wanted to get it out there that this can be a very serious sickness, and because of my experience I just don't find it something to be very funny or trivial.

You are right and I'm sorry you felt attacked by my post. True hypochondria is a medical disorder similar to anxiety and is very hard to overcome. Having had a few panics attacks in my life, I know beyond doubt that I would not want to live that way every day. I guess what I was really railing about is the media-driven near-hysteria I see all around me about illnesses which most people will never encounter(unless they work in a teaching hospital) while at the same time ignoring the things that they could do to prevent treatable illnesses, like hypertension, heart disease, and addiction.

 

[Christine]

I feel as if I have become one in the past year. My MIL died of Brain cancer almost a year ago. Which was about 4 months after I had my last child and had my tubes tied. For about the last six months, I have had the feeling that I am going to die of something. If there is a story about Breast Cancer on the news, I am sure I have that. I get migrane headaches. I got one 2 weeks ago, and some how, I conviced myself I had brain cancer. I think I have stressed myself out so much that I have gotten tension headaches everyday. I sit on the computer and diagnose what I feel are my symptoms. It is very sad. I have read that getting your tubes tied can create these types of thoughts--something with the hormones. I have a OB appointment set up to talk to my Dr. about all of these thought going on in my mind. I am glad to hear there are others that feel the same way that I have been feeling.

It stinks, doesn't it Amy? I do these things too and it is most often when I am stressed and tired. If everything in my life is going well, I have almost no symptoms.

For instance, I have been under INCREDIBLE strain for the last month because of some breast biopsies. I got the good news today that they are benign. I was euphoric (and still am), but almost immediately I feel that I'm fretting over "okay what's next." And "even though I was just with the surgeon, my left breast hurts and I don't think it should be hurting this much, maybe it is getting infected." Then there was huckter's post on her SIL's colon cancer. No, I do not think I have colon cancer but I know so many people that do that I feel doomed to have a bout with it. I HATE, HATE, HATE. But I have dealt with this all of my life. Except for on these boards and with my closest friends, I do keep it a secret. Most people don't know I'm this way and for good reason--you can see that there are some people who cannot tolerate it in others.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I have also heard the hypochondria is a result of fear of losing control of some type. Much like the eating disorders are really "control" issues, so is hypochondria--just in a different direction. Some event will usually trigger it where a person realizes that they have not control over things and will start "body monitoring" as a defense mechanism to try to gain control. Running to the doctor, having tests done, all provide comfort for the short term, and then it just comes back again.

Thanks Christine, you said it the best - that's EXACTLY what it is!

 

[Rozzie]

I am turning into one and it is not fun. As a neuro nurse, I deal with everyday people my age dying of brain tumors. I always ask "what were your symptoms?" Always headaches of course. About 6 months ago, I was getting severe, throw up in the toliet headaches, and I had myself dead and buried. I never went to have a MRI and they have disappeared. I am assuming just cluster/tension headaches. Work was very stressful, people dying all around you, and the question would arise "why not me?" Your family is dying off from breast cancer, and you wonder if you are the next target. People may giggle and poke fun at those like me, but I would not wish this fear to my worst enemy.
I found a nodule in my axillary, and my Dr. laughed me out of the room. Said it was stress. I don't know if where this fear comes from, but it is real, and it attacks every moment of peace you have. I am better now, the episodes of hypochondria have eased. Thanks for the poll.

 

[ckmommy]

II got the good news today that they are benign. I was euphoric (and still am), but almost immediately I feel that I'm fretting over "okay what's next." And "even though I was just with the surgeon, my left breast hurts and I don't think it should be hurting this much, maybe it is getting infected."

How true is that!! It is always something!!!