Help! Cure for hypochondria?!

im a big hypochondriac. i think watching childrens hospital when i was little did it for me!
i kind of have phases of it... or phases where im worried about different conditions haha. im not sure how to stop being one..! good question.

I'm interested in knowing whether hypochondriacs are more health conscious than 'usual'

I've always been a bit of a hypochondriac, for as long a I can remember. My earliest memory of it was being about 7 or 8, my stomach rumbled while I was in bed and I coughed up a bit of a reddish liquid. Naturally, I was convinced my liver had popped. I stood wailing at the top of the stairs about it, completely inconsolable. It was just a stomach rumble and the liquid was ribena. I laughed about it for years, and through the years I've had little episodes. I just seem to be incapable of thinking "Ah, it'll be nothing" when most other people do. My initial reaction to harmless symptoms has been "What is this? Is it going to kill me?". It's been almost constant for the past 4 months now, whereas it's just been periodic since I was little. I'm not sure what triggered it this time or why it's stayed for so long but I think I'm slowly getting over it, though I have days where I feel like I'm right back at square one.

For example, recently I decided I had cervical cancer... I came to this conclusion after I'd been bleeding a bit after sex and went looking for answers and found a lump on my cervix, all by m'self. I was utterly horrified, never been more convinced that I was going to die... so, I fled to A&E with my poor henpecked boyfriend. I was utterly shameless, I happily dropped my knickers for the doctor to have a look... hairy legs and all! It turned out to be nothing, the blood was just my period (I had initially suspected it MIGHT be, but cancer seemed more plausible) and the lump she said was nothing, just the natural feel of my cervix. I outright asked if it was cancer, she said not. She said it was a perfectly healthy looking cervix. For about 48 hours I was chuffed, not only was I not dying.. but I had a healthy looking cervix

Theeen... the doubts came flooding back. What if she'd been wrong, what if it was too early to tell, what if I really was dying and nobody had noticed... panic, panic. So, I booked myself in for a cervical smear... had to have a proper test. Only problem is, I'm too young. In South Yorkshire you have to be 25 or they send the tests back unanalysed. Apparently this is because the cervix is still developing and until the age of 25 too many people are getting "abnormal" cell reading, when they aren't abnormal at all. Furthermore I was told that if it was anything serious, I'd be very symptomatic... in lots of pain, bleeding, etc. I'd had none of this. So, again... I spent 48 hours happy and safe in the knowledge that I was young and healthy, vowing not to go looking for things again.

Since then, I've had a few hours one day when I felt a few painful twinges in my lower abdomen... I panicked again. But, they were always followed by the need to go to the loo. Since drinking more fluids in the day, there's been no sign of them for over a week. So, I'm guessing that cancer pains don't just come and go, and they'd have been more severe. But, I have my doubts... And nooooow, just as I'm calming down again... Jade Goody has cervical cancer! I can't tell you how horrified I was when I found out, and it was entirely selfish... for some reason, seeing this has brought me right back to square one with the whole thing and I'm contemplating pestering yet another doctor. It's relentless. I'm in no pain, whatsoever, I can have sex with zero pain or discomfort. There's no blood. No symptoms, just this lump that I've been told isn't even a lump. Why am I so convinced?

I'm exhausted, this is only my latest obsession. A month or so ago I was convinced a new mole was skin cancer. I'm annoying everyone I know, my poor mother is a nurse and knows every gruesome detail about my body. I've pointed out countless gross things to my boyfriend who's been extremely kind and patient. But, I'm pretty sure that It'll go away on its own. I get better, believe it or not, by the day and my episodes are further apart. I can distract myself these days, whereas it used to be really difficult and when I get anxiety palpitations I don't give them a second thought. Come to think of it, I've given myself a whole variety of physical problems JUST from the anxiety itself. A lump in my throat, muscle pains, mouth sores, headaches, tachycardia... it's ridiculous.

Not exactly sure what my advice to you is, since I'm not there myself. But, I think the knowledge that you do have hypochondria always being in the back of your mind means it's not a permanent issue. Those who haven't even considered hypochondria have the biggest problem. Seems that hypochondriacs who are aware of it are just anxious behind it and I think, until that's recognised and treated properly... it's not going to fully disappear.

You sound similar to me... obviously without the cervical cancer worries, not even my hypochondria is that bad.

I've had hypochondria/health anxieties on and off for years. Various illnesses I've thought I had: about 10 varieties of cancer, diabetes, AIDS, parkinson's, ME, glandular fever... the list is exhaustive. However, I've been a lot better lately... I've been facing these problems in make or break situations. Challenging such thoughts as illogical, reinforcing them with "but I've had this before and it was nothing" - there's various techniques you can use to lessen the negative thoughts and health anxieties.

One thing I've noticed about it is - more than any other mental illness or condition, it's not taken seriously and is in fact ridiculed by the general public. People can't comprehend it at all, and sufferers are treated with disdain and scorn.

If anyone needs advice/wants a chat about it, drop me a line.

That's very true. Even family have been known to ridicule my worries. What I find most frustrating is that I know in the back of my mind that it's all the same as every other time, just the hypochondria but... it seems to take nothing away from the anxiety and general feeling of gloom that follows me around sometimes.

Anyway, same here... people can PM me for whatever.

It's frustrating how people perceive hypochondriacs... other disorders/illnesses such as depression are treated seriously, but hypochondria isn't at all. And yet - if these people who sneer at it tried living with it they'd find out it's not all fun and games, and that hypochondriacs aren't just "time wasters" or "attention whores". Waking up each day for a period of time certain that you're going to die of some horrible illness is pretty nasty, and naturally interferes with your life.

It's weird, some days I genuinely feel depressed because of it. Even if I'm not worrying, I sometimes have the after effect of feeling really low for a few days. I just want to hide away in bed all day. These days are much better than the days of full blown worrying, that moment when you spot something and the horror you feel... genuinely believing this is it. It's horrible. Like facing your mortality on a regular basis. Because you get so convinced, you may as well have actually been given the news. It's draining and really saddening. I challenge anyone to go through that and take being mocked about it lightly.

I completely agree, I have laid in bed at night and have physically shook with fear after I've convinced myself that I'm going to die. I really don't think many people could experience that and then be fine about others taking the ***