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Health Anxieties - how woukld you handle this?


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Hello Everyone,

I have long struggled with health anxiety and before I was diagnosed with OCD realised with hindsight that I was performing a lot of compulsions around my health  I was taking what are considered sensible precautions around my health such as checks on various bits but getting obsessed and doubting myself and my judgement , I was also checking far more frequently than advised. 

The reason for my post is this- sorry if this is a bit off putting - don't read if your eating - I have recently had a health scare - blood in my stools found yesterday for the first time. Now I did google which I know isn't always the best thing to do and it brought up various things from piles - harmless but painful to more serious stuff like bowel cancer. Here is my dilemma . I know that blood in stools is something you should get checked out. I don't think its unreasonable for me to contact the doctor. However as is my way I panic and want the anxiety removed asap. I spoke to my wife and she thought it sounded like piles but to monitor things for a few days before making an appointment with the doctor. 

I initially agreed but started to worry too much and gave in this morning and rang for an appointment. It meant coming out of work to attend the appointment. I simply could not stand the anxiety. The doctor seemed to think its piles and nothing more serious. Now I am relieved of course but should I have handled this any differently? for example I am off work next week so could have made the appointment for then making it easier to attend and not having to ask work for a favour. 

I seem at the moment almost incapable of standing any anxiety but health wise I have always been prone to think the worst. I know I was ruminating massively over this and OCD was in overdrive however would you have waited? at least a few days to see if things settled? As a result of the drama today I am mentally whacked and know this episode is largely responsible for it. 

I wanted if possible to gain a few views of what is 'normal' in this situation in terms of how to deal with it, how long to wait before seeking medical advice etc. 

Thanks in advance.

Avo

 

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Hi avo 

I get health anxiety sometimes although I tend to do the opposite and try to avoid going to the doctor at all cost! My partner though who is quite sensible about these things would probably get this checked out ASAP. I think that's quite normal. I think though the difference is she would book an apt but then not think too much about it until the apt came round. 

Hope you're OK and try not to ruminate on all this too much x

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I am of the age where sample stool specimens are taken every second year to see if blood is contained within them. Most cancers, not all, are age related. The older you are the greater the chance of having a cancer. This is the nature of a screening programme: those at greatest risk are screened.

I think most people would think it was piles. If it persisted I would go to the GP. I think most people would have waited a few days or a bit longer. Lucky for you that you have an amenable boss. A lot of people in the gig economy with scheduled work would not be so fortunate.

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56 minutes ago, gingerbreadgirl said:

Hi avo 

I get health anxiety sometimes although I tend to do the opposite and try to avoid going to the doctor at all cost! My partner though who is quite sensible about these things would probably get this checked out ASAP. I think that's quite normal. I think though the difference is she would book an apt but then not think too much about it until the apt came round. 

Hope you're OK and try not to ruminate on all this too much x

Thanks GBG, 

I think I would be struggling to stay away from Google until the apt came round, I am rubbish about trying to put things to the back of my mind. ! its just so damn draining . 

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. 

 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain
13 minutes ago, Avo said:

Thanks GBG, 

I think I would be struggling to stay away from Google until the apt came round, I am rubbish about trying to put things to the back of my mind. ! its just so damn draining . 

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. 

 

That's why we have to put up rules about how we should behave. No googling for you and do not talk about it with your close ones. And try not to analyze it in your head.

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58 minutes ago, Angst said:

I am of the age where sample stool specimens are taken every second year to see if blood is contained within them. Most cancers, not all, are age related. The older you are the greater the chance of having a cancer. This is the nature of a screening programme: those at greatest risk are screened.

I think most people would think it was piles. If it persisted I would go to the GP. I think most people would have waited a few days or a bit longer. Lucky for you that you have an amenable boss. A lot of people in the gig economy with scheduled work would not be so fortunate.

Hi Angst,

thanks for your reply, I get where your coming from about cancer and age - I am 40 so maybe just on the cusp of middle age ? I did however lose both my parents in their early to mid sixties of cancer so its always been at the back of my mind and played into my anxiety around health. 

My work is fairly flexible in some ways - I am a fairly hard working and reliable worker so I feel in the circumstances it wasn't that much to ask, I did cut my break short later in the day to compensate as well. I understand and indeed have worked in places where my request would have been turned down. 

Thanks again for your reply. I appreciate it. 

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3 minutes ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

That's why we have to put up rules about how we should behave. No googling for you and do not talk about it with your close ones. And try not to analyze it in your head.

That's very true - Google is a slippery slope for an OCD sufferer it aids compulsions no doubt! I am trying to move on but must admit I have tired myself out by worrying.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. 

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Taking into account family history is very important.  My mother had breast cancer. My sister had screening immediately after my mother’s diagnosis.

My sister had pancreatic cancer and is doing exceptional well some years after surgery. My sister has and had no psychiatric disorder and googled reputable sites and with the assistance of the knowledge gained she got the appropriate tests and then the eight hour long operation. She definitely considers that the knowledge helped. She obviously had some worry but developed an action plan to get the tests and an appropriate surgeon. It is especially important in pancreatic cancer that early action is taken. 

It is a pity that so many people with OCD treat the internet as a compulsion. That is why treatment to defeat the disorder is so important. The danger is that OCD health anxiety can consume our lives. We need to ration our time on google and be active rather than passively worrying.

Edited by Angst
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I suppose googling is like many other things - it is not damaging per se but can be if done compulsively. Like hand washing and checking and many other things. The key is to find that non-compulsive happy medium. I totally agree people should advocate for themselves and do research. 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain

Threadmaker can easily take a loong break from google, let's say 6 months. He will not die or even be harmed. If he get into any major accident (god forbid) and he find himself needing help he just goes to the emergency, without googling.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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12 hours ago, Avo said:

I wanted if possible to gain a few views of what is 'normal' in this situation in terms of how to deal with it, how long to wait before seeking medical advice etc. 

Hi @Avo, sorry to hear about the recent health scare and your anxiety because of it, I can relate as I went through something similar just a few months back!  I'm about the same age as you (38) and as part of our annual health screening they do stool tests.  One of my two came back positive and so they recommended that I follow up soon with a doctor.  Of course this made me quite anxious, but fortunately there was no issue (side note: colonoscopy's are weird, but interesting.  Seeing your insides on a video screen?  Trippy!).

In general I think, especially when you have health anxiety, that its a good idea to take a wait and see approach unless the symptoms are truly causing you trouble (intense/persistent pain, high fever, etc.).  That said, the medical guidance in the US and here in Japan is, if you notice blood in your stool its probably a good idea to talk to your doctor about it sooner rather than later.  While there are many benign explanations (especially if the blood is red, meaning its occurring closer to the, ahem, exit area and thus less likely to be serious) its one of those things that can be a sign of serious problems and a doctor is best qualified to make that determination.  That said, its also unlikely to be something TRULY urgent so you don't have to panic.  In the future if this occurs I would phone your doctor, see what they recommend (wait and see, come in for an exam etc.) and go with that.  So seeing the doctor so urgently may have been a LITTLE excessive but not completely unreasonable.  

I will, however, agree with others advice, Googling your symptoms is almost always a bad idea :)  According to Dr. Google every symptom we have is proof we are going to die of all the worst diseases that have ever and will ever exist!

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10 hours ago, dksea said:

Hi @Avo, sorry to hear about the recent health scare and your anxiety because of it, I can relate as I went through something similar just a few months back!  I'm about the same age as you (38) and as part of our annual health screening they do stool tests.  One of my two came back positive and so they recommended that I follow up soon with a doctor.  Of course this made me quite anxious, but fortunately there was no issue (side note: colonoscopy's are weird, but interesting.  Seeing your insides on a video screen?  Trippy!).

Hi dksea,

Thanks for responding to my thread, sorry to hear you had a similar issues yourself, like you say we are a similar age. The doctor used a slightly more 'basic' technique to diagnose my piles :blush:. However I have had so many worries over the years around my health that there is not much left that hasn't been prodded and inspected, you kind of become a bit numb to any embarrassment! 

I think your right I was maybe a little too anxious to get the appointment booked and trying to get my anxiety eased somewhat.

I see your in Japan - (a place I have always wanted to visit it looks such an interesting country)  Am I right in thinking your from the USA originally - what took you to Japan?

Was your check up through a work based health insurance or is there some kind of 'free at the point of use' health care a bit like the NHS in the UK? 

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It’s the colour that’s significant.  If it’s bright red then as dksea’s says it’s nearer the exit and more likely to be piles. If it is darker then more likely to be higher up in the body. Most people notice the bright red and not the much darker red which is why screening for those at risk is a good idea.

Edited by Angst
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2 hours ago, Handy said:

You do know if blood is on the outside it's not the same as if was on the inside?  Im curoius how you found blood on inside of your stools?

Hello Handy,

 The doctor explained the difference, the blood I spotted was on the paper in bright red speckles, this was enough for me to use the phrase blood in stools as a general description of my dilemma I didn't actually pick through any matter. I was of the opinion that if this was required there are medical professionals better placed than me to analyse the matter itself.

. The alarm bell for me was the fact that I had bled out my backside which I know can have more serious causes and for someone with health anxiety it was a perfect storm so to speak.!

 

 

Edited by Avo
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Should you have handled it differently you ask? 

The normal consideration of others would probably be wait and see if it recurred. Or what you did do, report it to your doctor. 

The abnormal, OCD health anxiety, response is to commit the compulsion to Google, then awfulise on the various scenarios. 

The normal scenario at the doctors might be to trust what the doctor is telling you, without awfulising and catastrophising. Your aim has to be to work towards being able to take that normal position, without googling reassurance-seeking and carrying out compulsions. 

Edited by taurean
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Thanks Roy,

Its tricky to see the wood for the trees at times. Health anxiety has always been one of my themes, when I was around 19 or 20 what I now realise OCD latched onto health, in particular testicular cancer, rather than do the monthly check as recommended by the medical profession lasting a couple of minutes I would check multiple times a day going down the slippery slope of compulsions, as I now understand the more I checked the more doubt in my judgement I felt and would end up booking a doctors appointment for re-assurance that all was ok 

I lost hours at a time in my own world of compulsions around the health theme and was at the doctors probably at least twice a month but spent almost all my time in between panicking and checking and keeping the cycle going. 

There was no google at that point which to be honest was probably a good thing but I still spent many many hours checking and fretting .

 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain

We cant know for sure if we will die or be damaged. Death is the ultimate endstation.

I have had it and it has always been that I want to know if. There really is no easy way. Sit with the uncertainty and do not use google. I am struggling myself with health and it is probably my biggest one. But it is possible to improve. Before I was frighten even if I smelled something which could indicate solvents. This week I stood beside someone who painted with solventpaint. I got triggered but I told myself that I cant know and I will not try to know. The thing is that you cant really know that good on your own. It really do take resources (equipment) to even see if there are dirt on something. A doctor can do testes and such but your OCD will ALWAYS tell you there is more and YOU NEED to research it, but you don't need to, it is a false statement.

The ultimate goal is to live healthy and be cautious of harmful things. I do think that is the hardest for a OCD-sufferer. Because that is uncertainty and being able tondeal with it. Some people (in general)do go to the other extremes, where they deny every risk there is: "you will die someday anayway".

What are you obsessing about currently regarding your health? I am actually intrested and maybe I could give you se more specific advices. Next time on my computer

 

/mobile

It was one example but I can tell you that the naggy feeling youbget from OCD really can get greatly diminished and even removed if you work with it. I find it fascinating because it is like the sharp edges disappear.  From getting stinged from everything you suddenly find yourself much rounder.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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I agree with you Avo it is the repetitious nature of checking that constitutes a compulsion.

If we say that a compulsion is an unsuccessful attempt to reassure ourselves that our obsessional anxieties will not come to pass such as checking the  front door to ensure that it is locked so that no uninvited guest can enter. Then it is strange that people with health anxiety seem to google to confirm their worse fears.

I think that it is a feature of the medium. A door check in the physical world  provides us with binary information: it is either locked or unlocked. Of course this binary perception is still unclear for those of us with OCD. We still check again.  But the world of the internet provides us with an abundance of information. And it is this abundance of information which provides abundant fuel for the catastrophising feature of OCD. We focus on the most negative item of information. We are pessimists: we assume the worse.

Edited by Angst
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Everyone has anxiety about their body, it's perfectly normal & not always OCD.   Its when they actually have something serious that it can turn into OCD.  Also, anxiety protect us. . 

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18 hours ago, Handy said:

 Its when they actually have something serious that it can turn into OCD. 

OCD has nothing to do with whether or not a person actually has another serious medical condition.  OCD sufferers anxiety can, and very often is, about fears that have little to no realistic basis in reality.  The diagnostic criteria for OCD do not require one to have another serious medical condition at all.  Your statement is absolutely and completely false.

Edited by dksea
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