Hypochondria Chat

I have this one friend who basically packed her entire life into a single bag just in case an earthquake hit, and then—of course—it actually happened, and she was so paralyzed by fear she completely forgot about the bag 😍

lonetiger98 said:I actually have a bag packed with all my essentials ready to go, just in case I end up in the hospital unexpectedly!😂
It gives me a certain sense of security, I suppose.😁

Haha, well, my bag is mostly just a mountain of vitamins... just in case I need them.😁
And, naturally, some anti-anxiety meds...

I’m actually curious about everyone else's experiences here; how did your hypochondria first kick in? Was it something you've dealt with your entire life, or was there one specific turning point that set everything in motion?
For me personally, it all started after I gave birth. Toward the end of my pregnancy, I developed Hellp syndrome—which is relatively rare—and I suppose I just convinced myself that if something that obscure could happen to me, why couldn't any other rare medical nightmare strike at any moment? So, here I am, fighting this nasty bout of health anxiety for a year and a half now... I even have a running list of various grim illnesses I’ve "suffered through" (some of them twice, no less). The real trouble is that once I fixate on something, I take it incredibly seriously—I become 100% convinced that whatever I'm feeling is the real deal.🤷

Mine started acting up right after she dealt with some health issues. She wasn't always like this—but honestly, once everything hit her all at once, she just completely spiraled.🙄

Ever since I was diagnosed with Hashimoto (damn... Japanese person 😬), I’ve been scouring the web and reading about how much higher the risk is for developing other autoimmune issues
. As if that wasn't enough, in just the next few days, I somehow managed to come down with lupus and MS—and then diabetes and high blood pressure decided to show up too
. Naturally, with all that going on, my skin rashes weren't doing me any favors either, and Dr. Google started hinting at even more possibilities
. Not to mention how often thyroid issues are linked to the adrenal glands... yeah, I had all of that
. It’s just awful... I find myself withdrawing lately; even when the thought crosses my mind, I’m just not the person I used to be
. Honestly, I'm just scared. Everything feels unsettling, and I immediately spiral into a panic attack
. Like that one time something poked my arm—I’m embarrassed to admit I think it was just a mosquito—but I panicked so hard that I rushed to the ER claiming I was having an allergic reaction. They loaded me up with Benadryl and sent me right back home 🤦
.
So... that's where I am. I don't tell anyone anything; it's just me and Dr. Google 😁
.
Regarding the "go-bags"... I actually have a survival bag 😁. You know, for earthquakes, fires, that kind of thing
. Inside, I keep the essentials: antibiotics (don't ask where I get them), painkillers, a needle and thread, bandages, pads, wipes, disinfectant, a water bottle, a lighter, and a flashlight
. 😬
And hey, if anyone here thinks they're perfect, feel free to cast the first stone
.

Hey everyone! So, I’m dealing with a massive issue—at least it feels that way to me (I'll try to keep this brief). I live far away from my family and my closest friends, and while I’ve met some new people here in the city, it just isn't the same. I don't have much going on—maybe two hours of work a day—so I end up being home alone most of the time, just bored out of my mind. Well, recently, I became convinced that I am deathly ill. But even after all the research, I still can't shake the suspicion that something is wrong. I went to see my doctor to get a referral for blood work, and I was mostly fixated on my white blood cell count—which, as you can probably guess, led me down a dark rabbit hole regarding leukemia. Why? Because I’ve been waking up drenched in sweat three nights in a row, I have these tiny red spots on my skin that are barely visible to the naked eye—almost like someone took me with a technical pen—and I have pain in my spleen and kidneys... Anyway, I show up first in line for my blood and urine tests, and the nurse tells me the results will be ready at 2:00 PM. I cannot even begin to describe the terror and nausea I felt. I couldn't think about anything else; I couldn't eat, I was crying, my stomach was in knots... it was just awful. I spent seven hours walking all over town waiting for those results—not intense exercise, just walking downhill and sitting in parks (I'll explain why that part matters later).

At 2:00 PM, the doctor glances over the labs and tells me everything looks fine (though I had already studied the results myself to calm down, seeing that my WBC and platelets were okay; only the MPV was slightly elevated by 0.1, which unsettled me, though it's basically just the average platelet size—totally insignificant in reality). So, I step up and ask, "But what about the MPV??" The man just gives me this pale, blank look and starts explaining again that everything is perfectly normal. And fine... I felt too awkward to admit what I actually suspected. I was so convinced I was sick that I was almost prepared to tell him when the "TERRIBLE" results came back, but they were great—only my iron levels were a bit low, nothing major. Moving on, I told him, "My spleen hurts," whether I'm sitting, lying down, or walking—not constantly, but it comes and goes—and that my kidneys hurt. The doctor says, "Okay, let's do an ultrasound," and that turned out perfectly fine too. At this point, I’m practically begging him, "JUST TELL ME I'M SICK"—as if that’s what I actually want, I don't even understand myself anymore. I showed him those red spots, and he used a magnifying lamp to look at them, then told me I should see a dermatologist (I'd actually seen one a week ago for a rash, and he'd referred me out). So, the conversation with the doctor was over. I get home and tell myself, "No more searching for illnesses on Google, no more looking for lumps, none of that," and I actually stuck to it for maybe half an hour. Then I go for a walk, and suddenly my right leg starts hurting—and I had read about this guy who had leukemia and said his right leg hurt before he developed a fever and bruising. IT'S OVER. OH MY GOD, my leg hurts, what am I going to do? But seriously, my leg truly hurts; I can't even stretch it out properly, but I forced myself to keep walking, and then the other leg started hurting too. I could barely make it home (my hamstring feels like the tendon is aching). I woke up today and it still hurts, and now I'm wondering... maybe it was too much exertion while I was walking and waiting for my results (that's why I mentioned the walk earlier)... is it possible it's just stress? An imaginary sensation? An actual illness? Am I just a hypochondriac? I can't take this anymore... I'm crying, I'm anxious, I feel sick to my stomach, I just want to stop thinking about this. I keep searching my body for stupid things, and I'm terrified to even get out of bed because if I do, I'll start Googling again and "what-is-this." How do I help myself? If I go back to the doctor, they are genuinely going to think I'm losing my mind, and even my friends are starting to think I'm not quite right... please help.

Hey there. So, I'm 14, and I guess this whole thing started one summer when I kept getting flies landing in my eyes constantly. After that, I just started spiraling into this cycle of worrying and stressing out, and now I get this shortness of breath every once in a while. It usually only happens when I start fixating on bad stuff—like thinking about getting sick—but then, whenever I’m actually hanging out with friends or just chilling at school, it’s like it completely disappears. This has been going on for about a year now. This past summer, I even felt like my body temperature was running a bit high, maybe hitting like 98.7°F, though I honestly think it only spikes when I'm feeling super anxious or worked up. I've been reading online that breathing issues can be a sign of cancer, and even though I sent a bunch of messages to some doctors online who told me it's probably just anxiety, I'm having a hard time believing them. To make things worse, I read that constant low-grade fevers can be a symptom of cancer too, so now I'm just terrified. I really don't want to go to a doctor because if it turns out everything is fine and I'm just being a hypochondriac, I'm scared they'll tell me I need to go to therapy or something. I'm just stuck and I don't know what's happening to me. Do I have cancer, or what am I supposed to do here?

Honestly, I’m right there with you. I’ve gone in for two different ultrasounds—totally clear results both times—but man, the anxiety just won't quit. It sounds insane, I know, but it’s like... an ultrasound can’t detect something that you can actually feel with your own hands. It’s maddening. Like, if my tooth starts aching, I don't sit around guessing—I go straight to the dentist, right? I'm not the type to just imagine physical pain. So now, what am I supposed to do? Just gaslight myself into sitting through endless, pointless sessions with a psychiatrist or a psychologist or whatever? I can't help it; the sensation is real and it's bothering me. And for the record, I passed my last psych eval without any issues, so it’s not like I’m "unstable" or anything. The absolute worst part is that nobody takes me seriously. I’ve thrown money at private specialists and gotten nothing out of it. They just keep insisting that if they can't feel it, it isn't there—but I *can* feel it. It’s like if you tripped, hit the pavement hard, and saw blood everywhere, and people just stood around telling you, "Nah, you're fine, there's no blood." It makes no sense.

Steven Murphy2 said:I could say the exact same thing. I’ve had two ultrasounds—results came back clean—but the anxiety hasn't budged. It’s surreal. An ultrasound can’t detect what I can actually feel under my skin. Look, if I have a toothache, I go to the dentist; I’m not the type to just sit there pretending everything is fine. So now, apparently, I’m supposed to trick myself into sitting through endless sessions with some psychiatrist or psychologist or whatever. It just won't let go. And I passed my last psych evaluation without any issues, so that doesn't help. The worst part? Nobody takes me seriously. I spent my own money on private specialists and got nothing out of it. They keep insisting there’s nothing there because they can't see it, but I can feel it. It feels like falling down, seeing blood everywhere, and having everyone tell you that you aren't even bleeding.

It’s the same story for everyone. Hypochondria is usually just a mask for deep-seated anxiety, much like OCD. When life gets stressful, the health fears and physical pains ramp up right along with it. Anyone who has actually sat down with a therapist has been through the ringer first—endless blood work, thyroid tests, MRIs, CT scans—you name it. Eventually, you just have to accept that it’s all in your head and stop living in fear. That's when you finally seek professional help.

Steven Murphy2 said:I suppose people might feel the same way about me. I’ve had two ultrasounds and they came back fine, but I'm still worried. It’s crazy, but an ultrasound can't see something you can actually feel. If my tooth hurts, I go to the dentist; I’m not the type to just pretend everything is fine. So now, I guess I should just lie to myself and go have pointless talks with a psychiatrist or a psychologist or whatever. It just bothers me and I can't help it. I passed a psych eval not that long ago, too. The worst part is that nobody takes me seriously. I spent money on private specialists and got nothing. They insist there's nothing there, but I can feel it. It feels like if you fall down, bleed, and see blood, people are just trying to convince you that you aren't bleeding.

If it physically bothers you and causes pain, maybe look into different diagnostic tests. If it’s just anxiety and you’re prone to this kind of thing, then there's a higher chance it's psychosomatic. Not every imperfection on your body is a disease.

I once believed a nurse in an ER who told me a person couldn't suffocate from cataracts, unless they were elderly with a weak respiratory system. It's worrying. I guess there's no reason why someone wouldn't use suggestions to their own advantage instead of always against themselves.

My blood pressure doesn't spike at the doctor's office. I used to be terrified of the dentist as a kid, so I avoided them for years, but then one day I just decided enough was enough; I didn't want my mouth rotting out because of fear. Since then, I have zero anxiety about dentists—none at all. I've even gone to oral surgeons a few times just to get things handled properly.

My weakness over the last 15 years has been getting blood drawn. It practically triggers tinnitus and gradual vision loss, leading to fainting if I don't lie down. So, I just lie down beforehand to be safe, and everything goes fine; I just need about 15 minutes before I can stand up. I'm not squeamish, so it isn't about that, and it's not about being weak since my blood work is good. It doesn't even seem to depend on how much blood they take, so the cause has to be that sharp needle.😁 I tried thinking about other things while sitting for blood draws, but it didn't help... honestly, my blood pressure drops just thinking about the whole scene.

It’s just fear—the more you dwell on it, the more it grows until it swallows everything up...
If you're dealing with a fear of heights, people usually suggest climbing something high up just to see how small everything looks from the top—makes the whole thing seem trivial, really. Maybe give that a shot...
In this situation, I’d probably suggest hitting up the doctor a bit more often—not necessarily for yourself, though, but maybe just go along as backup for a friend or someone else...