Hypochondria attack!

[East]

Yeah I know, which is why I want to go for a general checkup soon... I'm just scared though, I have my logic with me and I know what's best, but I can't shake this fear. I can and will do it though, I really should.

There is always fear and anxiety going to the doctor but the worst thing in most cases is to be diagnosed with something too late.....most things can be treated if diagnosed early enough

If it helps...I was a lot like you but I got over it and now it is minimal at best. If you just suck it up and face your fears they will diminish. I had a heart attack and three stents put in...mostly from smoking cigarettes....and thanks to the preventative measures and excellent surgeon and doctor I am in better heath today...mentally and physically....than I have been in the past 30 years.

[Anonymous]

Mmm... damned smokes haha at least I've cut down by more than half of what used to be my daily average, hoping to be smoke-free by the end of this year.

[East]

Mmm... damned smokes haha at least I've cut down by more than half of what used to be my daily average, hoping to be smoke-free by the end of this year.

The way I quit was so easy it is almost insane. I took a quiz from the Cancer Society Lady and she told me at the end that if I wanted results..the thing I had to do was to pity people who I saw smoking. I thought it is a joke.....

...but I tried it. POWERFUL STUFF! I only had to pity three people before my urge to smoke went away. I think I was so horrified having to pity people even though they didn't even know it that I never wanted to touch another cigarette so I didn't ever have to do it again.

I have been dying to ask that lady for years how she figured out that bizarre solution for me from that quiz?

[ChadCoxRox]

I'll keep that in mind and try to let this go. I really made a mess of myself with this one.

The ONLY ''mess" you will make is if you don't follow through. You must work to change your beliefs about healthcare so they can work in your favor rather than fueling fear.

[Borg69]

Between peeing and pooping, I've had just about every color of the rainbow come out of me at some point. I wouldn't worry unless there's actual physical pain, and/or it lasts for more than 4 days.

[Buzzer]

Well yeah I know, I'm not holding the doctor responsible for anything. And as if this could be a wake-up call for me, I wish it could; I have a health-related anxiety attack every other day... one day I have a brain tumor, the next day it's lung cancer, MS, going blind, etc.

Maybe I do need help...

Do not google things. Ever. Anything you google will lead to a site mentioning your symptom in relation to a cancer. Every. Single. Thing. When I looked up the symptoms of a bad back injury I got a couple of years ago, guess what googling them led straight to? Lung cancer websites.

Don't google symptoms. Ever. Even if you are not a hypochondriac the internet will make you one. See a doctor instead.

[East]

Do not google things. Ever. Anything you google will lead to a site mentioning your symptom in relation to a cancer. Every. Single. Thing. When I looked up the symptoms of a bad back injury I got a couple of years ago, guess what googling them led straight to? Lung cancer websites.

Don't google symptoms. Ever. Even if you are not a hypochondriac the internet will make you one. See a doctor instead.

LOL...so true. In my hypochondria days there was no internet BUT I had a two volume GIANT Encyclopedia of Medicine and everything led to cancer

[Buzzer]

LOL...so true. In my hypochondria days there was no internet BUT I had a two volume GIANT Encyclopedia of Medicine and everything led to cancer

And websites are so uselessly vague, they will just list general symptoms but not really describe them in a meaningful way to distinguish between, let's say, "back pain typical of lung cancer" and "back pain due to muscular inflammation and tendon injury." When I sheepishly mentioned to my doctor having read online that pain in the same areas I was having pain were symptoms of lung cancer, she teasingly slapped my arm and said "If you were in here with pain from lung cancer, you would know it. You would be in the most agonizing pain you can imagine." Websites won't mention that. They'll just say "back pain, especially persistent pain which manifests in shoulders." Useless, and so vague that almost anyone can then convince themselves they have cancer.

[Uneunsae]

It's NEVER lupus!

[Uneunsae]

And websites are so uselessly vague, they will just list general symptoms but not really describe them in a meaningful way to distinguish between, let's say, "back pain typical of lung cancer" and "back pain due to muscular inflammation and tendon injury." When I sheepishly mentioned to my doctor having read online that pain in the same areas I was having pain were symptoms of lung cancer, she teasingly slapped my arm and said "If you were in here with pain from lung cancer, you would know it. You would be in the most agonizing pain you can imagine." Websites won't mention that. They'll just say "back pain, especially persistent pain which manifests in shoulders." Useless, and so vague that almost anyone can then convince themselves they have cancer.

What people forget is that medical websites are still part of the medical industry which thrives on making people paranoid about their health and buying more pills. If people would just log off for a few hours, get some fresh air, exercise, eat right, and quit smoking, much of their health problems would disappear.

Big pharma loves you all!