Hypochondria?

Nana56

I'm just wondering is it hypochondria to be aware of your body ?
My DH ,thinks I suffer from it.
To be honest I do go from one concern to the next.
At the moment I've had an occasional sharp, stabbing pain in my left rib, night underneath.
Probably muscle pain from strength training at the gym. Still googling it!!
Obviously, if I had severe constant symptoms would go to GP.
Only happened twice but now waiting for reoccurring.
Oh well!!

Nana56 is it hypochondria to be aware of your body?

I don't think so.

You or GP will work out the stabbing pain, no hypochondria.

Every time I've been aware of a problem in my body there was a real problem that required working out. Two knees - sorted by surgery, other serious hard to diagnose illness - sorted by surgery.

Thanks for all your messages. It's reassuring that I'm not the only one.
By the way, my current obsession is pain on my left side. Only had a very sharp, stabbing brief pain once with several weeks between episodes.
Not in chest, left edge if side if that makes sense. Can't go to Dr as no symptoms between episode.
Maybe muscle strain. too heavy wright's in strength training ?
I'm going mad !!

I agree with M0nica that a misdiagnosis can cause untold stress and pretty much cause hypochondria.
About 10 years ago I was told, after a chest X-ray, that I had a mass on my right lung. I have the letter from Barts here to this day. It makes me physically sick to read it. I gave up work in a flash, planned my funeral, threw out stuff on a daily basis, cancelled a holiday, and basically prepared to die. Because the appointment for the next tests ordered dragged on for 3 weeks, I then used my private medical insurance and saw a top consultant who ordered a CT scan that day. Thankfully, nothing was detected.
The point is, sorry for the long-winded explanation, that for 18 months afterwards my life was in ruins. Every tickle, every pain, every niggle, was cancer because that is what had been implied. I am not prone to self pity, but I was a complete wreck. I hardly slept, lost weight and couldn't get the diagnosis out of my head. It affected my brain if you like, and my mental health was atrocious, let alone the effects on my family.
I am a " fighter," not that there was anything tangible to fight here, but it took every ounce of strength to get me back to my former carefree self. I am still left with hypochondria, it's a horrible illness. My way of dealing with it is to tell myself that with the number of symptons I can regularly find, that I should be dead before the day is out, so stop worrying.

Petra that is my problem. The cost of my travel insurance has tripled.

Fortunately, about the time I saw a specialist about my caarpal tunnel syndrome, I had a mild reoccurence of the 'stroke' ssymptoms that was so obviously carpal tunnel and not stroke, that there could be no argument. The nerve conduction tests you have before the carpal tunnel op, revealed a cervical spine problem that accounted for all the atypical symptoms of both 'strokes'.

But going back to the subject of this thread. These events have changed my whole reaction to minor problems, from being fairly gung ho about everything. I now neurose and google the slightest twinge. The year between misdiagnose and the start of the unravelling sent, my stress levels spiralling out of control , which of course provide symptoms of that as well. My DH was also worryingly ill, now sorted. The effect on my mental health has been quite bad.

MOnica
It makes me wonder how many people are being misdiagnosed.
My friend had exactly the same thing happen to him.
At the hospital he was insistent that he hadn’t had a stroke. He is type one diabetic and knew that he had taken 2 tablets together that he shouldn’t have.
The Dr refused to change his diagnosis.
His travel insurance for his holiday in the USA went through the roof.

I'm 72 and hadn't seen a doctor in 10 years at least but in June I rang the surgery as I had swollen feet, was a little breathless and could feel my heart racing. After phone consultations, tests, visits to a hospital and cardiologist I have been diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation, am on 4 lots of meds - for life - and even now it's not really under control. Must admit it has thrown me slightly but I don't really worry about it too much, it won't help and would make me and those around me miserable. I'm semi retired, we have our own small family business that we run from home so it's impossible to get away from but does keep me from getting bored. My youngest grandchild is just 6 months old and I hope to live long enough to see her maybe to her teens, by which time the oldest would be 30 - and maybe a doctor, that would be amazing!.

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.

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!

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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 .

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 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.

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,

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.

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.