Hypochondria?

Nana56 I think the term “they” would use now is health anxiety more subtle, slightly less offensive and oddly vague imo.

You are not alone! I'm the same. I'm 75, never really had a real day's (physical) illness in my life. I am however, a nervous wreck. Any ache or pain is fatal which is awful when you consider what some people, including members of my own family, have been through. I had thorough blood tests last week and everything came back perfectly fine.

Hypochondria is when you keep thinking you have a serious illness (but don't).

It's not about "awareness" of your body - which is a good thing I think - but more about reading minor things to do with your body as major and worrying.

It may be that you always think something is wrong without any diagnosis or fact checking.

I'm sure someone will come along with a simpler and more coherent explanation in a minute!

Worried well is another term used for the same thing. Not Spaghetti describes it clearly.

In 1979 my mother kept being told there was nothing wrong with her and bordering on hypochondria. She actually had end stage lung cancer and died shortly after.

It was not the GP misdiagnosing, it was a large teaching hospital in Scotland.

Stress, physical or emotional, can cause odd symptoms. I had a few during the last few months of my daughter's life. Got them all checked out because it would have been stupid not to but there was nothing wrong. As MrB said, it would have been odd not to have been affected by stress one way or another in such circumstances.

As a former dance teacher, I think probably most people are not very "body aware".

Strength training is likely to cause a few aches. The heavy gardening I do certainly does. That's life, innit? Especially as we get older.

Yes, ‘worried well’ is what many of us suffer with as we get older.

My dad died 50 odd years ago after a sudden heart attack, which he had assumed for the previous day or so was indigestion. We would be more aware nowadays.

Having said that, we spend a lot of time worrying about ‘stuff’ that isn’t serious.

It’s finding a sensible balance, and realising at 70/80 you are not going to feel as fit as you did 40 years ago.

Thanks for the comments. I think I di have hypochondria. Today been to yoga but couldn't relax.
I kept waiting for the sharp rib pain to return. Of course it didn't,

My friend, whom I love dearly, has hypochondria. Of course, she doesn’t think she has and insists on putting herself through all sorts of tests and medications. Having recently moved house, her new Surgery seems as happy to agree to her demands as her last one did.
She speaks to her Surgery at least once a week - just to keep them in the loop, as she keeps a daily diary recording all her ‘symptoms’.
Needless to say, as a real hypochondriac, she won’t accept what her GP/Consultants say and so the cycle is set in motion again.
Both her ex-husband and I had hoped her new GP would tackle the root problem, but sadly not and she continues to get multiple prescriptions (often stockpiled) and follow-up appointments, all of which come back as unremarkable and are never mentioned again.

Both my DH and I are hypochondriacs. Actually it does spoil things somewhat. I try not to worry but as I get older I worry about pretty much everything! Hard not to. In fact sometimes when I wake up in the morning I don’t know what to worry about first!

My lovely sister in law is a definite hypochondriac. She has one thing after another but is still going ‘strong’ at 81. When I phone her, i hesitate to ask how she is but I do and she says ‘oh you know me’ . She cheers up when we chat and sounds brighter.

I’m the opposite and probably a ‘head in the sand’ type. I always think ‘oh it will pass’ and it usually does. I know I’m lucky not to have any serious conditions .

I have doctor induced hypochondria. Last year I was twice diagnosed as having had a minor stroke (TIA) even though, apart from being left sided the symptoms were clearly not strokes.

But a young doctor in a vascular unti kept insisting they were strokes, and refused to consider anything else, after a while I begin to wonder whether she is right. It made me hyper aware of any trivial medical symptom, was it another 'stroke' was it something else?

This year has been spent untangling the whole thing. One stroke is officially on the recordsnow as a mis-diagnosis. The real cause diagnosed and treated and the second is heading in the same direction.

But it has made me hyper aware of every symptom I worrying, what it is, is it a stroke, is it my heart, whereas until the beginning of last year. I dismissed most minor aches and pains as just that and didn't worry.

The damage one over-confident very young doctor can do is quite mentally damaging.

I am a bit like you Nana56, had a pain under my right rib cage, read an article that says taking paracetamol can result in fatal liver failure. Of course I would have had to overdose on it, but had been getting toothache and took 8 paracetamol in 24 hours, which is fine, the stated dose, but began to worry that maybe I had accidentally taken more. Kept looking at my complexion and eyes to see if they were yellow. That was over a week ago and feel fine now, but do have to go to the dentist. And am not taking paracetamol because I now worry about it.
My health is a trigger for anxiety. I suppose I am an hypochondriac. 😕

I am like you Kate 1949.. been healthy most of my long life. and now difficult to not worry about seemingly small problems..

My friend has this. She is always at the doctors, having scans and tests or at A and E.There is nothing wrong with her. I can't understand how she gets so much done as my surgery don't answer the phone until all appointments are gone.

Unfortunately polnan my anxiety got out of hand recently and for the first time in my life I am on anti anxiety meds. I am annoyed with myself.

Don't be annoyed with yourself Kate1949, uncontrollable anxiety is such a horrid feeling, your life goes on hold while you dread something & can't distract yourself. Also if I'm really anxious, I put off doing the planning that will make things go smoothly because I don't want to think about it, & being unprepared makes it even harder to cope. Anti anxiety meds sound like a sensible step, & the new ones aren't addictive so with time you may well be fine to come off them. Hope they're working for you.

Thank you valdavi. You are right. Anxiety is truly horrible.

M0nica

I have doctor induced hypochondria. Last year I was twice diagnosed as having had a minor stroke (TIA) even though, apart from being left sided the symptoms were clearly not strokes.

But a young doctor in a vascular unti kept insisting they were strokes, and refused to consider anything else, after a while I begin to wonder whether she is right. It made me hyper aware of any trivial medical symptom, was it another 'stroke' was it something else?

This year has been spent untangling the whole thing. One stroke is officially on the recordsnow as a mis-diagnosis. The real cause diagnosed and treated and the second is heading in the same direction.

But it has made me hyper aware of every symptom I worrying, what it is, is it a stroke, is it my heart, whereas until the beginning of last year. I dismissed most minor aches and pains as just that and didn't worry.

The damage one over-confident very young doctor can do is quite mentally damaging.

I have recently read 'OverDiagnosed.' It was a real eye opener.
Over the years, it seems, all the diagnostic tests, and lowering of bars for determining illnesses, have lead to thousands of people being made into 'patients.'
Of course, some are beneficial, but many benefit the pharma companies more than individuals.

I never used to be anxious but since my husband died and I am on my own and I have fainted 3 times for no reason they can find I am paranoid. I’ve had MRI scan, BP24 hour cuff, 24 hour heart minitor and ECG and the usual blood and urine tests. Nothing has flagged up. I get palpitations now and stupid things set it off. I wake in the night with my heart racing and it terrifies me. Does anyone else suffer with palpitations? How do you deal with them.

I think we have the same friend kircubbin2000. My friend must have a file of medical records as thick as if for a family of six!
I genuinely think she won’t be satisfied until she gets some sort of devastating diagnosis.

Not quite the same, I know, but DD2 has finally had a colonoscopy after waiting almost a year - several cancelled appointments. Meanwhile my friend rings her surgery and gets an endoscopy at a local hospital within 2 weeks. Needless to say, her results were unremarkable.

M0nica

I have doctor induced hypochondria. Last year I was twice diagnosed as having had a minor stroke (TIA) even though, apart from being left sided the symptoms were clearly not strokes.

But a young doctor in a vascular unti kept insisting they were strokes, and refused to consider anything else, after a while I begin to wonder whether she is right. It made me hyper aware of any trivial medical symptom, was it another 'stroke' was it something else?

This year has been spent untangling the whole thing. One stroke is officially on the recordsnow as a mis-diagnosis. The real cause diagnosed and treated and the second is heading in the same direction.

But it has made me hyper aware of every symptom I worrying, what it is, is it a stroke, is it my heart, whereas until the beginning of last year. I dismissed most minor aches and pains as just that and didn't worry.

The damage one over-confident very young doctor can do is quite mentally damaging.

I recall you speaking of this previously M0nica when you were finding out about getting medical records altered. Well done you!

I also get an occasional stabbing pain under my ribs and apparently I have gall stones, they discovered this over 10 years ago during a scan but omitted to tell me. Nothing to be done unless the pain gets too severe, but it’s a reminder whenever I have too much ‘fatty’ food that it’s time for some serious salad eating!

My SiL definitely has this. She at the doctors every week. and has tried. unsuccessfully, to claim various disabuse benefits. What’s worse than this is people who crave attention for their children’s ‘illnesses’ This used to be called Munchausens by proxy. My neighbour’s GD is ‘under the doctor’ for several imagined conditions that are discussed excitedly by her mother. The ‘illness’ fades and she moves onto the next one. I once taught a lad who was grossly overweight and was fed, at the school gates with chocolates and milkshakes. His mother announced that he only needed to gain another half stone and they’d get a mobility car. Child abuse in both cases. Hypochondria seems innocent in comparison.