Scared

[bbryan0004]

Here I go again...
I have been suffering from health anxiety. I have a doctor's appointment in a month and was beginning to feel better. I have had some digestive problems in the past few months. Today, I was home alone and have been researching on google again! After checking cervical and uterine cancer, I begin reading about ovarian cancer and I have the symptoms. I feel like it's been right in front of me and I missed it. My appointment is a month away and I am so scared.

[annemieke87]

Hi Bryan, I feel sorry for you. May I ask if this is the first time you're thinking you have a serious illness?

[bbryan0004]

Hi Bryan, I feel sorry for you. May I ask if this is the first time you're thinking you have a serious illness?

I have suffered from hypochondria most of my life. As a little girl I was taken to the Emergency room for chest pains, side pains, nothing was ever found to cause my symptoms. As I got older, my worries became more complex in nature. I have self diagnosed a lot using Google. It's complex for me because I am at war between you're sick! You're going to die, to calm down its your anxiety. It effects my family, social and professional life a great deal. Nothing has worked in the past except letting in wane naturally on its own.

[SanFranLarry]

I will say what many doctors say, "never look up symptoms on Google." I used to do this and I felt I had everything from ovarian cancer (I'm a male) to vaginal warts!

[bbryan0004]

I will say what many doctors say, "never look up symptoms on Google." I used to do this and I felt I had everything from ovarian cancer (I'm a male) to vaginal warts!

How did you stop googling? To me it's a compulsion. I try to stop and can't

[Kirk]

I agree with SanFranLarry.

[Kirk]

I force myself not to google.

[Kirk]

I will say it can be difficult sometimes not to google.

[SanFranLarry]

Oh believe me, it is damn difficult. I stopped when I realized I was setting my damn anxiety off to the kilt. It isn't easy :)

[SanFranLarry]

I also saved a page from an Anxiety site that listed all the symptoms. So when I get concerned, I bring up that page and sure as hell, there is that symptom.

[WalkerOfDog]

I also saved a page from an Anxiety site that listed all the symptoms. So when I get concerned, I bring up that page and sure as hell, there is that symptom.
There's a sticky thread on these forums called Anxiety Symptoms - The List that is pretty comprehensive, I have it saved to my phone for the same exact reason.

I also struggle with googling symptoms, even though I know it's going to bring me the most dire, drastic and worst case scenario results and probably do more to hurt than help. Each time I'm about to self diagnose I try to ask myself "What am I really trying to answer by searching this right now?" and "What good will come of me knowing the worst thing that could happen?" If I can't think of anything I can do to fix the present situation, I try to walk away or distract myself with something else. It works about 50% of the time, but that also means I have half as much of my cancer, heart attacks and ebola outbreaks to worry about.

[Kirk]

SanFranLarry is right on target.