Severe health anxiety -- can someone put my mind at ease?

[Wendyworrier]

Going to get a mole removed this coming week and I haven't felt health anxiety like this for a while. I can't concentrate at work, can barely hold a conversation and I've taken klonopin for the past week (I don't usually take it) because I'm convinced the lab results of the biopsy will tell me something awful. Has anyone been through this? Can someone help? I've been Googling all the terrible outcomes of this and feel paralyzed with fear.

[BrookeLynnnn]

Google is absolutely our worst enemy! Try & keep your mind busy so you don't sit & dwell on this. & just breathe. My mom has severe health anxiety & she's had two moles removed for biopsy & they came back fine

[Wendyworrier]

Thanks, BrookeLynn, for letting me know. I feel a lot better when I hear about others going through the same stuff.

[Dahila]

Hey welcome to the forum. Sending mole to the lab is pretty standard practice. I had it done several times and each time it came as benign. Try not to expect the worst)

[Wendyworrier]

Hey welcome to the forum. Sending mole to the lab is pretty standard practice. I had it done several times and each time it came as benign. Try not to expect the worst)

Thanks Dahila, I appreciate your response. Good to know it's standard procedure -- that makes me feel a little better actually :-)

[Dahila]

No problem, many people like us have health anxiety, I am actually waiting for my CT scan result and worrying a lot......

[jessed03]

Yes, don't Google. Assuming you live in America, Canada, Europe, Aus, or parts of Asia, you have access to great doctors. Let them handle your health concerns. Google's never even been to med school!

Claire Weekes has this phrase called "second fear". When you have an initial worry, for example your mole could be cancerous, it creates an initial surge of anxiety. That initial surge of anxiety is likely to be fairly unpleasant, but is manageable. The problems begin when you start searching Google for answers and find some rather scary information. Or they begin when you begin to ruminate about the possibility of something being wrong, and talk yourself into a state. In both cases, you're adding a second fear to an initial feeling of anxiety. In other words, you're topping up your anxiety with more anxiety. And that's emotional suicide. Imagine you were carrying a weight, and then all of a sudden you doubled that weight. It would bring you to your knees. That's essentially what you're doing emotionally.

So prevent second fear. Because, even if the most catastrophic event imaginable was happening, it doesn't and will never serve you well. Its only function is to choke you - metaphorically. You can prevent second fear being added to an initial worry by understanding the cognitive thinking errors (you can Google them). I'll bet you're making many every minute of every day, and you're suffering because of it. Catastrophizing may likely be one. Obviously other activities will also be to blame for adding a secondary fear. Googling, talking too much about your problems, too many trips to the doctor - they can all worsen your initial problem.

So cut away all of the rubbish. It's useless, and will do nothing more than make you suffer, long after your test results are back. Deal only with your anxiety disorder. Don't deal with a whole heap of unnecessary, preventable emotions and fears.

Good luck with your results.