Eye worries - help!

[BritishBeef]

Hi all!
I've suffered from Health Anxiety for the last 20 years or so. I also suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

I have worried about every part of my body over the years. My big worry is cancer. I am often convinced I have it or will have it soon

My latest worry is my right eye and I'm driving myself nuts!

Last week I had a routine eye test to get an up to date glasses prescription.

During the part of the examination where the optician looks into your eye with the help of that very bright light thingy I noticed that the optician was taking longer than usual on my right eye.

The optician then said 'have you ever been told that you have some stray pigment in your right eye' (something like that but I have worried myself so much that I can't remember exactly).

'No' I said. 'Is it common?'

'No' she replied. 'You're going to need to go to the eye hospital to get it checked out'.

'you usualy see this sort of thing after a head injury' she said.

I haven't had any head injury that I'm aware of?!

Internally I freaked out. The rest of the exam was a blur and all I could think about was what could it be?

At the end she said that apart from what she found my eyes were fine and healthy and that she'd send a referral for the hospital to my doctor.

I left and went into full panic mode - 'I've got eye cancer' was all I could think.

Ten minutes later I had to go back and tell the optician that I suffered from health anxiety and that I would be really worrying about this. She told me not to worry about it and that 'she wasn't worried' and that 'she had referred patients with a lot worse'. She also stated that she had referred some other patients with similar problems and they were fine. She ended by saying 'you're not going to go blind put it that way'.

I guess that should have reassured me but it hasn't. I just didn't like the wy she talked about it during the exam, like there was something to be worried about.

I keep thinking that if there isn't anything to be worried about, why refer me to the hospital??

I am driving myself mad and worrying myself silly.

To make things worse, ever since the eye test I have been getting pain in my right eye and every now and then it waters on it's own.

So here I am convinced that I have cancer of the eye or something equally horrible and because I'm in the UK, my hospital appointment isn't likely to be for months as it's a 'routine' referral. I can't wait that long!!!!

Thanks for reading this far - I just wanted to share my concerns. If you have any advice it is very much appreciated.

Regards,

Geoff.

[Angel]

there was this one time, i was on my bathrrom floor, kause i kept thinking i was goign to throw up, kause my insides felt like liquid and i didnt want to fuck up the nice floor by getting vomit on it.

And i thought i had food poisoning.

But then i was like "wait, i didnt even eat today."

And then i got up and went to my friends house.

it was fun.


You will be okay, geoff.

[winry]

Yes, I get that too. As soon as the idea that there could be something wrong with you enters your mind, it is hard to get rid of it. The thought just develops and there is nothing you can do to stop it, right?

I find that whenever something like this happens, deep down, my common sense is telling me that there is not likely to be anything wrong and that I should calm down and be patient. However, the raging impatience that the worry/anxiety causes is torture. I have found myself at the walk in clinic many times!

And the worst thing is, that I never learn each time. It's like, each time is a separate thing, so just because the last one was ok, it doesn't mean that this one will be! Hehe.

Anyway, I hope you're doing ok. Hypochondria is horrible - I don't think I have a huge case of it, but it is definitely affecting me a lot.