<p>Well, I am. Over the course of my life I have been “convinced” that I had breast cancer, melanoma, ALS, and leukemia… to name a few. This hypochondria seems to ebb and flow, but all I need is one odd symptom and it’s “on” again. Back in my thirties I had one spell that was so bad that I tried counseling - I don’t know if the counseling really helped, but at least I quit going to the doctor so often.</p>
<p>Anyone else out there who over-interprets every cough to be lung cancer? (I’m only half-joking…) Funny thing is, I really do have two major chronic conditions (type one diabetes and hypothyroidism) that I sort of diagnosed myself - so I’m not always wrong, just mostly wrong. </p>
<p>It sounds like you have a lot of anxiety (& maybe a lot of time on your hands?)</p>
<p>I am the opposite.
I ignore things until they stand up and demand to be counted.
I didn’t go to the orthopedic dr to have my knee X-rayed for instance until I had great trouble walking (& had ground away all my cartilage).
The only time I was on top of it, was when I was pregnant.
I told my Dr that I didn’t think the baby was moving. He whisked me in for a non stress test and they took her out
shortly thereafter, ten weeks early.</p>
<p>It’s probably better to be more proactive as far as your health is concerned.</p>
<p>Actually - I’m not particularly anxious! That’s the weird thing. I’m thinking I may just be wired this way, since my sister tells me that she’s the same way (nature? nurture?)</p>
<p>My husband often thinks he has a serious illness, and he is definitely anxious and stressed out. One example : He complains of having a chronic cough , convinced he has cancer…no one ever hears him cough , but if he brings up the subject , he usually clears his throat a little. He never follows through with going to get his lab work done or any advice the doctor gives him ( which has been to try a mild anti-anxiety medication ) He also complains that he is always so tired and cannot understand why ? He is not a good sleeper at all , often times staying up until 4-5 am, napping and getting up and heading out the door to work….not a mystery to me, but he is just baffled by his fatigue :/</p>
<p>I always assume the shoe is about the drop and I’m about to get some horrible disease. My thought is why not me? So I get a sinus infection and I assume the cat scan will show a brain tumor. I take a new drug and look it up online and about talk myself into the side effects. </p>
<p>I have to schedule my 6 month mammogram recheck. Last time I had to take quite a bit of xanax to get through the door. </p>
<p>I did end up taking zoloft for about 3 months after the last surgery and mammo “scare”. It really helped, then I felt okay enough to go off of it. We’ll see how I make it through the next mammogram. </p>
<p>My very first mammogram showed a “suspicious area” and I had to come back for extra views. Of course, I couldn’t get an appointment for the repeat mammogram until six weeks later. It was awful, but it all turned out okay.</p>
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<p>Me, too! Right now I’m obsessing about an unexpected weight loss of about five pounds. My rational brain tells me that I’ve cut 300-400 calories from my daily diet over the past three months AND I’m hyperthyroid right now (adjusting dosage of thyroid medicine) - a perfectly reasonable explanation for the weight loss. Unfortunately, my irrational brain keeps whispering that I have cancer. Good grief.</p>
<p>Count me in as one of the anxious about medical stuff. It feels better to know I’m not the only one.
I also don’t know where this kind of thing comes from. I have a parent who also worries, so I wonder if it is learned behavior. </p>
<p>I would stop reading the internet medical pages I’m the total opposite, I always expect the least “worse” outcome for every little thing that happens. I don’t think they have a name for the opposite of hypochondriac. Hopefully I’ll never have something serious wrong that I assume is “nothing.” I had a lump in my breast and I went to the doctor and told him I poked myself with a ski pole a few month earlier (which I did) and I thought that I’d developed scar tissue…he was more freaked than me, but it was scar tissue deep in my breast from when I poked myself with a ski pole. in a major tumble. But, it’s not a good idea to research every little bodily function…seriously. I went hyperthyroid after 3 decades of hypothyroid and I told the doc that I thought I was finally going through menopause and could stop taking BC pills. (I was on BC pills), he was perplexed because he pretty much thought my thyroid had stopped functioning a decade a go. I stopped the Bc pills…I WAS menopausal and my thyroid settled back into a Synthroid induced rythmn within a couple weeks of stopping the BC pills. I torked by back and everyone though I’d slipped a disk, but I knew I didn’t have a slipped disk, turns out I have a loose pelvis…probably from birthing 3 kids without much pain or stress. I’m not a laid back person by any means, but I somehow I trust my body is going to carry me through. </p>
<p>My D is a hypochondriac. It was a huge issue for her sophomore year in college. She had problems with birth control prescribed for acne, and she spiraled out of control. A naturopath helped her eventually, but she still struggles from time to time with the “what if” monster. The internet is not a good thing for hypochondriacs. :)</p>
<p>My son is definitely a hypochondriac. Just the other day he asked if I thought a lump on his shin might be bone cancer. Then I reminded him that he told me that he got kicked playing soccer the day before and that’s why people wear shinguards. </p>
<p>I worry sometimes that he will have something wrong with him and everyone around him will dismiss it because of his history of catastrophizing little problems. </p>
<p>Yes, the internet is terrible for hypochondriacs. Like Kelsmom’s D, I had some serious issues with hypochondria during my sophomore year of college. Fortunately, I was able to get it under control pretty quickly with SSRIs (which I continued with for years) and some Cognitive-Behvioral Therapy (first step: no googling).</p>
<p>I know it is something I will always struggle with to some extent; my mind still jumps to catastrophic places whenever I experience common symptoms. Now, though, I’m able to deal with the automatic fear rationally enough that it doesn’t become the consuming obsession it once was.</p>
<p>“I would stop reading the internet medical pages.”</p>
<p>^This. </p>
<p>I was diagnosed a few months ago with a chronic condition, but during the two months before diagnosis I did way too much googling of my symptoms and the stress that caused from imagining all sorts of horrid things definitely made my symptoms much worse! The doctor who finally diagnosed me banned me from doing any reading about my condition on the internet - especially forums. My PCP also prescribed Zoloft and the medication I take for my condition (Elavil) is also an antidepressant, but when given in low dosages is used for pain - which is what I take it for. </p>
<p>During my first colonoscopy (at age 50 years, one week), the doctor found a good-sized polyp. When I googled it (size and location), I discovered that there was a fairly good chance it would be cancerous. It took over a WEEK to get the results back. I was a nervous wreck by then! The results came back negative. Next time, I will try to stay off the internet!</p>
<p>When I was younger, I was constantly sick (bronchitis, pneumonia, chronic stomach pain, ear infections). Doctors could never figure it out and I was absolutely convinced that I was dying every time I got sick. Every autoimmune disease I could find I was convinced I had. </p>
<p>I was finally diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, anxiety, and depression. Once I had those under control, I suddenly no longer had any interest in finding what new disease I was dying from. </p>
<p>OTOH, since I’ve started my public health classes, I have become increasingly paranoid of hospitals. So many infections, so many mix-ups, etc. It’s terrifying! </p>
<p>I am in that bucket in some ways … I have my first colonoscopy next week and I am already imagining various outcomes. I do read the internet pages and most of the time it helps me put likelihoods for me in perspective, so my hypochondriac tendencies are minor and more something that my family jokes about rather than is concerned. Most of the time I realize how blessed I am to have good genes and mostly healthy habits, because I see what others have to deal with by reading those internet medical stories, symptoms and diseases.</p>
<p>The prep is worse than the actual event, snowflake. Promise.</p>
<p>My DH is the opposite of a hypochondriac. He minimizes everything. He thinks he’s fine no matter what. This has led to a few issues (eg trying to walk on a broken ankle/leg/torn ligaments and making it worse).</p>
<p>My BIL and SIL are hypochondriacs, but take terrible care of themselves, which aggravates it. In truth I have suspected munchausen syndrome. </p>
<p>Yeah - I’ve been a hypochondriac long enough (before the internet even!) than I know how to reign myself in, most of the time.</p>
<p>And the bad thing is, even a hypochondriac is right, some of the time. Nine years ago I went through a spell where I was really tired, hungry/thirsty all the time, and losing weight. Of course, I immediately thought diabetes (and cancer…it’s always cancer in my head…) I went to my doctor who initially told me that it “couldn’t” be diabetes because I didn’t “look” like a diabetic and I didn’t have any of the classic risk factors (I wasn’t overweight, I exercised daily, etc.) When I insisted, she ran the blood tests, and I was right: diabetes (you can’t argue with a A1C of 11.4).</p>
<p>I have my first colonoscopy in July. I am really trying not to obsess!</p>
<p>Hypochondria is most definitely a form of anxiety. My dad was one and I was a bit when I was younger. Once I had kids I switched to worrying about them! Then I went for counseling and went on meds and now I only worry a little and it is appropriate worry. Not obsessive.</p>
I’m the total opposite, I always expect the least “worse” outcome for every little thing that happens. I don’t think they have a name for the opposite of hypochondriac. Hopefully I’ll never have something serious wrong that I assume is “nothing.” I had a lump in my breast and I went to the doctor and told him I poked myself with a ski pole a few month earlier (which I did) and I thought that I’d developed scar tissue…he was more freaked than me, but it was scar tissue deep in my breast from when I poked myself with a ski pole. in a major tumble. But, it’s not a good idea to research every little bodily function…seriously. I went hyperthyroid after 3 decades of hypothyroid and I told the doc that I thought I was finally going through menopause and could stop taking BC pills. (I was on BC pills), he was perplexed because he pretty much thought my thyroid had stopped functioning a decade a go. I stopped the Bc pills…I WAS menopausal and my thyroid settled back into a Synthroid induced rythmn within a couple weeks of stopping the BC pills. I torked by back and everyone though I’d slipped a disk, but I knew I didn’t have a slipped disk, turns out I have a loose pelvis…probably from birthing 3 kids without much pain or stress. I’m not a laid back person by any means, but I somehow I trust my body is going to carry me through. </p>