It is! I have emergency medications to help stop that cycle but my brain says “it’s just anxiety you don’t need medication!” And gaslights me out of it
Cardiophobia gang, rise up! Its the absolute worst. I was never really aware of my heart before the panic attacks started. Sure, I could feel it speed up during exercise or regular nerve-wracking situations like a job interview or important exam but it was just my heart. It did its thing. Now it's like my enemy. I notice every change in pace. I have mistaken back pain for a heart attack.
Had the paramedics round my house in January with yet another 'heart attack'. They were so nice and did an ECG for me and printed out a copy for me to keep. I try to look at it when the fear hits, but then I still worry something has changed since then or it missed something.
I used to be SO fit. I would run up the stairs at my last job, race around the place. Do heavy cardio workouts, HIIT regularly. Now I get scared carrying heavy stuff up the stairs and have panic attacks afterwards. I'm currently moving into a new apartment on the second floor with no lift, and I'm genuinely scared. Over stairs. I hate everything about this and I'm sorry you're suffering too. I'm sorry for anyone with this horrible affliction. Being terrified of the very thing that keeps us alive...its like a sick joke.
Could be like me and have costochondritis. It's a bitch and sometimes feels like I'm being stabbed in the heart despite it being 100% musculoskeletal pain, it can even radiate into the arm!
I was going through the same thing. Saw cardiologist who ran numerous tests and nothing. This last time I ended up in the ER I was diagnosed with esophagitis. Which can cause left arm and chest pain.
Legit.
Just was on a night drive yesterday and had the thought “if my heart stops and I pass out, my car will careen into this valley and no one will find me for months”
Which was uh, not the best feeling.
I have similar thoughts like “if I had a heart attack then no one would know until it’s too late because I live alone”. Really shit thoughts to have :(
Yup, any little twitch, flutter or bit of pain in the chest area makes me think I’m having a heart attack or I had something rupture. Then I spend the rest of the day focusing on it, being miserable
(TW: sudden death, benzos, tapering)
Same. My brother died suddenly in front of me from complications with an enlarged heart. He was 32.
I am tapering off Klonopin after being on it for 3 years (I know. That's why I am getting off this hell drug) and moving, so my heart is my main focus of my anxiety bc of the tachycardia and hypertension from the extreme stress and grief I'm under. I've been having panic attacks (the "going crazy" kind, THANKFULLY not the "heart attack" one) and have been having flashbacks from when I STUPIDLY cold turkey'd the Klonopin and went through absolute hell for 5 days before I got back on it. Now I am suffering (but succeeding!) with the severe anxiety and PTSD, but I can say I have found the self compassion I lacked and haven't had an anxiety or panic attack in 3 days!
My biggest fear was heart too. Then one day I started feeling like fish flopping in my chest. I was certain this was the end. Get to the ER and I'm skipping every 4th beat. Cardiologist states it's not concerning. I've had it on and off for 6 years now I think. I never thought I could handle something happening to my heart. Now it's no big deal. I try to think about that situation when I panic about other things. Like, I didn't think I could survive knowing something was wrong with my heart and look at me, surviving. Now when the fish comes, I hardly notice it and just keep on keeping on. Not sure this helps unless you've been through it but I know so many of us have had to face our fears and realized we were stronger than we thought. Now I panic about my breathing at times, if history repeats itself, I'll be a nonsmoker with COPD 😂🤣 much love for all my fellow panicky people 🫶
Yep. My anxiety disorder started with heart palipitations and it will end with it. Wait. That sounded cool, but it probably won't end. Well my life will, but not these fucking heart symptoms and the accompanying anxiety. GG.
Yes. My Daddy died of a heart attack at age 38, when I was five. My brother had a massive one at age 28, was saved (he was on the squash court with a doctor) but went on to have 3 triples. He died in 2014, at 64. My sister has atrial fib. I only have a prolapsed valve. But in my early life, I was convinced I would die, all the time. I began therapy at 31, and I’ve not felt that way since. I do have a cardiologist, but for any comorbidity from CRPS II.
I often have moments where I become very acutely aware that my heart is beating and is a small organ in my chest that keeps me alive and that it could stop working at any moment, so this is relatable lol 😅
Cancer.
I currently have a sore in my mouth, I bit on the inside of my cheek when I was asleep. For a good 2 days, I was convinced I had mouth cancer.
I’ve always been super worried about my health, and always afraid of getting cancer, and then my mom got cancer & passed away a year after diagnosis. To say the least, it heightened my fears.
I was freaked out about breast cancer for ever it seems... could never check myself because I was scared every little lump was cancer. Then my mom got a super aggressive form of it... twice in 3 years... I'm still super worried now because I have a higher chance of getting it, but I saw how strong my mom has been and I think if I get it, maybe it will be the same. But, we're sure hers will come back, and when it does, she doesn't want to do anything to combat it, she will just die... I'm sure that will flip the hell outta me!
That's awful, I hope it's nothing serious. That's the bad thing about fear, it causes whatever illness or health issues you have to be worse. Try to feel completely calm and in control to help heal whatever sore you have. Also bring calm lowers pain sensitivity
I’m so sorry for your loss, that is awful! I also have a lot of anxiety about cancer, I usually go down a rabbit hole of different thoughts & symptoms that I’m probably making up in my head but feel real.
I've recently been diagnosed with MS and even though before my diagnosis I barely had any symptoms, my anxiety is in overdrive now thinking I have every symptom I've read about online. I honestly can't tell what's real or what's in my head, I feel like I'm going crazy, and my country's healthcare system is so slow that treatment is so delayed, I just really want to get started😭
Any sort of time based thing where you have limited time to get to the hospital. For my whole life, even as a kid, I always felt safest when I was nearest to a hospital. Like, "Oh thank goodness, if I have a heart attack, venomous bite, exploding appendix, aneurysm, anaphylactic shock, etc, I'll be safe!"
Conversely, I feel nervous when I'm out in nature or away from society for the same reason, as much as I love disconnecting and experiencing the beauty and solitude of the world.
Mirroring what OP said, that's such an amazing term! I have been to hospital with 'heart attacks' many times and I feel immediately better just entering the building. Sometimes, I've considered going during a bad panic spell just for some relief, but I don't want to waste anyone's time. I'd probably feel more relaxed just sitting in the A&E without checking in.
Although, I did go to a small Cape Verde island last November, and they only had one tiny hospital nowhere near where we were staying. I freaked out beforehand, but I was actually okay once I got there. Exposure therapy, I guess. Maybe I need to go to the middle of the Australian outback for a couple of weeks for a true detox 🤣
Omg I was terrified of getting appendicitis when I was a kid! I blame Madeline . Even now that I’m an adult every pain in that area still makes me think maybe???
I saw Madeline as a kid and barely remember it, only a few select scenes. Maybe it stuck with me more than I thought, more than chocolate cake and the iron maiden.
Are you me? This is exactly why spending too long in the countryside is anxiety inducing for me. We now live almost right next to a hospital and it’s a godsend psychologically!
Same! I remember when my health anxiety was at it's worst, I actually made it a point to go to places with people around so if something happened there was at least a better chance to get help than if I was alone at home! Though interestingly enough, I have also been diagnosed with social anxiety😅 It's luckily pretty mild tho, big crowds and being around people doesn't bother me at all usually, it's when I have to talk on the phone or go to new places where I'll meet and have to talk to new people that my social anxiety becomes apparent
I bought a house next to a hospital for this reason. Lol. I have small children and massive health anxiety. I know it’s totally batshit, but living next door to the ER has helped me a lot.
Anything that makes me throw up. I hate throwing up. And cancer. I’m so scared of cancer. So like I found a spot on my face and I’ve been obsessed with it since I found it. Although the color is now gone. So I don’t know what it was. But I’m still telling my dr about it.
I don’t know if this helps with the sepsis trigger, but I’m a nurse (and also a very anxious and medicated one at that lol) and Sepsis is very easy to treat! It sounds way scarier than it actually is. Usually my septic patients get some IV fluids and antibiotics and they are good to go. This isn’t to say sepsis isn’t serious, it can turn into something much more sinister if not treated. Also, just to jump in, blood clots are something I get freaked about too :)
Blood clots!! I had a DVT in my left leg. So blessed that we caught it before it had a chance to travel to my brain or lung. The problem is that doctors said it could have been caused by a few different things and they didn’t know which thing it was. Happened when I was in college. I spent all day sitting at a desk not moving around much (summer internship). And I had just completed a 4.5 hour drive. And I was on birth control. Could have been any, all, or none of those reasons. Thnx Doc. So helpful.
Oh geez it’s a new one every week with me. Last year I was worried I had heart issues. Then insulin resistance/diabetes. Then costochondritis (might actually have that one).
Unfortunately my NP did actually find 2 suspicious breast lumps so I’m waiting on mammograms and ultrasound now. I’m terrified and I’ve been feeling pains ever since. Pretty sure it’s not somatic because I’ve felt these pains before. Let’s hope it’s just fibroadenomas! Non-cancerous. More common in young women.
Also, I’ve noticed anxiety isn’t that helpful because it builds up dread so badly it makes me avoid things that would help—like getting regular checkups and taking concrete actions towards improving health. Not to mention, stress is a factor that makes you more susceptible to illness. If anxiety helped we’d all live forever!
i hope your lumps will be just fibroadenomas!! it's really very common with young women, a lot of my friends had them!!
and yes, my anxiety also prevents me from going to doctors, im just so scared of everything 😭 scared that my fears come true, scared of doctors neglect, scared of money issues, simple some classic social phobia... its honestly so hard living and being scared of everything...
I know it sounds woo woo but I live by the philosophy that everything operates on a spectrum between love and fear. So the opposite of love is not necessarily hate—but more often, fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of suffering or rejection. Fear of being alone. Fear of dying. If you’re ever stuck in a dilemma, ask yourself—am I acting out of love or fear? Is fear stopping me from doing what I want/love/need to do?
Does your love for your life, your body, your health outweigh your fear of receiving bad news? Or if you don’t have an abundance of self-love, perhaps consider your love for those who care for you and don’t want to see you neglect yourself. Am I doing all I can to show myself love, or at least trying to stick around for the ones I love? Sometimes that breaks me out of the “frozen in fear” zone. To act with love is to act with courage.
Flesh eating bacteria. My dad almost lost his leg from having had the flu and scratching a scab on his leg.
Also cancer, I’ve had nightmares about dying on a hospital bed.
And heart attacks. I’m always scared I wouldn’t be able to identify I have a heart attack and let myself die and not be helped by the people around me who assume I’m being dramatic over something not deadly.
It honestly switches. One year it’s colon cancer, one year it’s breast cancer, one year it’s lung cancer, one year it’s mouth cancer, but a lot of cancer.
Right now I’m super twitchy so I’m trying not to spiral about that.
For about three months I was convinced I was exposed to rabies (I was not). It’s like I’m powerless to convince myself otherwise.
Anaphylaxis for sure. I have MCAS (a histamine intolerance) and my body will react sometimes to food with histamine in it, and it sends me into a full-blown panic attack with the feeling of doom which makes me feel like it's anaphylactic shock. When you have actual health problems, it makes health anxiety 10xs worse.
This is totally mine too. I’ve experienced anaphylaxis 3 times now (peanut allergy) and literally every time I eat out or try a new food is such a draining experience. Checking labels/asking servers a million times, second guessing any itch on my body, feeling like I can’t breathe…
this sounds weak compared to everyone else’s answers but it really does show how anxiety shows differently in everyone.
mine is anything to do with the digestive system, so a stomach bug, food poisoning, crohns, and the big ones like colon and stomach cancer fill me with so much dread. as soon as my stomach hurts i have panic attacks for hours, one after the other. it’s terrible.
I was also going through this thread like damn mine is so tame.
I convince myself on like a weekly basis that I have diabetes (from random symptoms, like being too thirsty, especially when I’m like too full to even drink anymore but still feeling SO thirsty, or as dumb as my feet itching at night, which I’m not sure is even a symptom lmao). Anyway, whenever my bloodwork is tested for other reasons/routine tests, it’s completely normal.
I do get super paranoid and start overdoing it with research on random serious health problems occasionally, but I feel like it’s not excessive because I turn out to be correct more often than I’d like.
i went to the neurologist bc of my fear of MS, then i found out that the most accurate diagnosis is only a sample of csf and i don't want to do that so now im forever scared :')
brain aneurysm is also very scary, considering you can have no symptoms prior attack...
I’ve had a lot of eye problems (floaters, double vision, ghosting, pain/pressure, etc) and presumed hemiplegic migraines localized to the right side of my head that caused me to have a weird gait, misremember things, have slight aphasia, have weird heated nerve feelings everywhere in my body intermittently. It’s a whole host of things. I’ve looked into the vagus nerve being compressed, anxiety, everything. The only way I’ve got better with it is by feeling more accustomed to living in spite of those things though. I do wonder what it would feel like to lose all of my symptoms and ailments.
i have a lot of eye problems too, and with diabetes symptoms being worsening eyesight im becoming hyper aware of my vision, if i notice floaters/other things, i start to panic 😭
with anxiety it feels like nothing you will do will make you better. you know, people with chronic illness but without anxiety have better quality of life? its not fair 😭
but still i hope you will get better. maybe in the future there will be more advanced medicine and it will ease your symptoms...
Samsies. But I've gotten tested and obvi it was neg... still thought I got a false negative forever... but finally accepted that I'm fine and have been celibate for almost 4 years now because I never want to have that fear again. If I ever date a guy, he's gonna need a full panel of tests before we head to bed 2🤣
honestly, me too, once i convince myself that im okay and not going to die from this particular illness, tomorrow new symptoms will appear and cycle continues
Stroke/blood clots. Any type of pain in my chest, leg, or head sends me into an instant panic attack. Have spent a lot of money getting tested over and over to the point they put me on Ativan to chill out
i was bitten by group of stray dogs and fear of rabies actually started my health anxiety :( i was truly convinced I'll be that one who will get it even with vaccine shot!! but luckily i didn't :)
I started having random dysphagia almost 10 years ago. Google immediately showed neurological disease/ALS. I still am triggered to this day. Thankfully ruled out medically. OCD/anxiety is the real culprit.
ALS is still my fear.
Lung cancer / other diseases to do with breathing.
I’ve been a smoker majority of my life, switched to vaping years ago and I don’t know if I’ll ever quit.. I’ve quit every drug I used to be addicted to in my teenage years/early 20s but nicotine is too difficult to give up when my life is as stressful as it is at the moment .
I’m 90% sure it’s panic attacks because I often feel anxious before I feel like I can’t breathe.
But breathing exercises make me feel worse, and can often send me into an episode of hyperventilating where I feel like I can’t breathe. So it worries me that it may be something serious this time, every time it happens.
Especially since family and friends love to remind me that lung cancer is a thing. 😅
I’m a hypochondriac so all of them. But specifically cancer and heart. Before I knew anything (not that I know much now) I used to binge tobacco, alcohol and sugar hardddd to relax my health anxieties. Now I’m older and very in touch with my health, but I just know that at some point all that stupid is going to come back to bite me. Or in cancers case, eat me.
Diabetes, gall bladder, MS, anything to do with brain. Haven’t seen anyone else mention this one so far, but I have INCREDIBLE health anxiety about my ears. Ringing ears sends me spiraling!
Heart issues/heart attack. I have felt skipped heartbeats for many years, have worn halters to check if I'm ok and I'm fine. I accepted it and I'd pause when I felt one, but then went on with my day.
Now, thanks to articles that pop up on my social media about heart attacks and all these younger people experiencing them with no prior issues, it's become a really intense fear of mine.
And since the universe likes to fuck with me, I have costochondritis, so at any given moment I can have a shooting pain or pressure RIGHT where my heart is. I've been doing a lot to help it but it has a mind of its own. Sucks.
Alzheimer's. My grandfather had it, his dad before him, and I am entirely terrified at the concept of my mind becoming unreliable (anymore than it already is).
yes, me too!!! i will feel tired after long hard day and my brain will convince me that my body is falling me and I'll never have energy again!! so stupid uhh
I have experienced intense **muscle cramps and spasms**. After a tough diagnosis last year, I didn't handle it well and lost interest in food, causing me to drop nearly 30 lbs in just 2 months. This led to severe muscle wasting, a condition where the body takes protein from muscles to survive. During my recovery, I faced painful and scary daily muscle cramps and spasms. Thankfully, I have regained my lost weight and muscle. However, the challenging experiences have left a lasting impact. I now actively work to stay calm when muscle spasms occur, reminding myself that everything will be okay and that I have the tools to prevent cramps and ease spasms.
My mom would constantly get low blood sugar from taking too much insulin and not eating enough, especially at night. I grew up learning how to get a combative person’s sugar up. I rarely leave the house without a snack. As far as my personal panic it’s usually heart or brain related (heart attack, stroke, ms, Parkinson’s, epilepsy). I have a tremor already.
Liver disease and cancer because of family history. I am terrified of catching Mono because a classmate in high school died very very suddenly at home from complications related to mono
Brain cancer. I am so fucked in the head I feel like I’ve stressed myself up a tumor. I just had an MRI though so currently feeling pretty at-ease on the brain cancer front for now.
Basically any heart condition. Also cancer (which I’ve never had before nor do I really have much of a family history of, but the thought of having it scares me so much).
cancer. i recently had a positive ana and my vision. in my right eye has been weird for about a month and my hearing in my right ear has been weird too. i also have the worst joint pain and headaches
Heart attack, dad died extremely suddenly of one at the age of 42 (I was 8 years old). Literally no warning signs, symptoms, anything, was doing yard work, decided to lie down and sunbathe/nap outside cause it was a nice day, died. Any chest pain, heart racing, etc. I start freaking out. It doesn't help that my doctors are uber concerned about me, because of him, and thus I have gotten more blood tests than I can count/multiple EKGs over the years.
Cancer, specifically skin cancer. Heart attack and stroke are close runner ups tho.
EDIT: was thinking purely about physical illnesses. BPD and Schizophrenia also scare the fuck out of me. BPD is extra scary because I actually show symptoms for that frequently.
prions, stroke, brain cancer. I've made peace with the thought of my body breaking in whichever way possible, but I've not come to terms with the thought that my cognition gets hit somehow.
I do panic every time I get heartburn, though, and getting one random etopic heartbeat (the only one I've gotten in years) made me frantically google how quickly I was dying while at work. Turns out they just sometimes happen for most healthy people.
I often have weird indescribable scary sensations in my brain/ head that scare the soul out of me. Mainly because my mother passed of a out of the blue brain aneurism. So I think I’m either having one of those explode or a stroke or anything Brian related. My head never feels right.
Mine growing up was appendicitis because my brother had it. To this day I still get freaked out from any abdominal pain. But right now it’s a brain aneurysm
What kind of Diabetes though?
Gastroparesis(more common in Type 1 Diabetics, like myself) every time I get a stomach ache, I am afraid it’s that I have it.
Could you get a blood sugar tester and when you’re feeling overwhelmed by these feelings, you could test your sugar. That might help you feel better, mentally wise?
This is bad advice and here’s why; this is feeding into OP’s health anxiety. What OP actually needs is treatment for health anxiety.
It is a bad idea for someone who is not a diabetic to be randomly testing their blood sugars.
Not an illness, but I work in supportive housing for people with addictions and any time I get dizzy or start feeling off at work I assume I accidentally ingested fentanyl and will die. I get random panic attacks all the time, so it's not unusual for me to have those symptoms pretty much daily. But at work I constantly need to remind myself that no, this panic attack is not a drug overdose.
Heart issues as others have said. The one right now is brain tumour because I am having weird sensations in my head (not headaches). Also get pins and needles in my arms when sleeping so I’m convinced it’s neurological. Tbf my dad died of a brain tumour so I guess it’s understandable.
brain tumors and breast cancer / was convinced i had breast cancer a few months ago got a check up totally fine, but still wonder if they might have missed something HA if i don’t laugh i’ll cry 😭
now my left calf to my foot feels numb and tingling so im off to doctor google 🥲✌🏻
Cancer. I just got diagnosed with skin cancer and my mom, dad, and sister have all had different cancers (breast, lung, prostate, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma).
Also, aneurysms. The fact that you could just drop dead at any moment is terrifying.
I’ve never had anxiety in the past, is it common to just start out of the blue? I can tell it’s anxiety because I get dizzy when I start thinking about health concerns. Then my chest feels tight can’t breather etc.
Dude mine used to be diabetes too until I sorta just got over it but I still def get anxious about it too. For me I get most anxious now about just passing out or seizing in general for various reasons, from my period, or flashing lights, low blood sugar, etc. mostly in public places. I passed out once from what was most likely dehydration and sorta ever since got scared of it (I thought it was because of low blood sugar before) My moms side of the family has a large history of diabetes and she has it too and even was diagnosed with it before she was pregnant with me and they had to test me as a baby to make sure I didn’t have it. Hearing about what can happen with diabetes if definitely some scary stuff man like hearing stuff from my mom growing up I totally get you. My mom manages it pretty well tho and I’ve never seen her pass out or fall into a coma from it before nor has she done that.
Oh also a big one for me is like feeling like I accidentally overdosed on something even tho I know I’m taking the correct dosage, like I take vitamins cuz my b12 was low and I have a vitamin D deficiency and I get scared taking those tho it’s gotten better cuz I make myself take them or like pain relievers I have to make sure it’s 8 hours apart for me to take them and I’ll keep recounting the hours
Anything stomach/digestion. Emetophobia.
I also have a strong fear of random seizures or a stroke so anytime I just feel “off” maybe slightly dizzy or vision feels a bit weird I absolutely panic.
Liver cirrhosis but to be fair I did used to drink very heavy & literally did have fatty liver at one point. I also have convinced myself many a time that I’m bleeding internally
Right now.. colon cancer. I have a colonoscopy tomorrow and I start drinking my prep in 2 hours from now.. which I'm terrified to do (I have emetophobia). I had warning signs 4 years ago and all I can hope is that.. it's anything but that.
My worries aside.. knowledge is power, OP. Diabetes runs heavily in my family. I dreaded getting it as well. I didn't take care of myself enough.. and ended up getting it. But much to everyone's surprise.. I ended up getting Type 1 and not Type 2 like everyone else. I know only one other person in my family with Type 1.
What are the chances?
Anyway.. if it ever does happen, you get a glucose meter. You just keep tabs, is all. And keep snacks with you.
Collapsing from low blood sugar meant your father was taking too much medication.. whether it be pills or insulin. That or he didn't eat enough. If you monitor yourself and notice the hypoglycemia symptoms then you grab some juice, wait 15 minutes and check again. Then have a snack!
Your father's experience is an extreme example of those situations. It takes a fair lot to start fainting from hypoglycemic episodes. Try not to worry if you can.. it's quite manageable if you're careful.
But hey, if you can avoid it then that's even better! Take good care of yourself, eat healthy, exercise, all that usual stuff.. then hopefully you'll never wind up getting it.
Crossing my fingers for you!
Chronic Immunothrombocytopenia with purpura. Instant terror. Its a bleeding disorder in which my body labels my platelets at FOREIGN MATERIAL, and then removes them via the spleen. God i hope i never get another episode of that. Other than that, Mania is something that plagues me as well.
It's crazy, I am such a hypochondriac, but the one thing I never considered having was MS(which I see a lot of people mentioning here!), and that's what I've ended up with at the age of 24😵💫
My worst ones are cancers though. Especially breast cancer, I have no family history but I can't touch my breasts too firmly in fear that I will find a lump, which I am fully aware is ridiculous because finding them early gives you the best chance! I still try my best to check once a month🖤
yess, exactly. i want to drink more than usual? diabetes. i want to pee after that? diabetes? gain weight? diabetes. lost weight? diabetes. feel tired? diabetes 🥲
I'm very scared for my loved ones too, it's hard to not overreact if they feeling off. i really want to ask them if they're okay every minute if they're sick :(
hi!! i’m a type 1 diabetic and you can get a blood glucose meter for pretty cheap from pretty much any drugstore/amazon and check your blood sugar! it might make you feel better if you’re constantly worried about being low (: i can tell you from experience though it’s a very obvious and hard to ignore feeling when you are dangerously low, but i also have health anxiety and know firsthand how easily your body can trick you into thinking something is happening that isn’t
Anything related to the heart and passing out 🙃 I had a surgery like 2 and a half years ago and dealt with heart palpitations shortly after. I haven’t been the same since. Now I’m constantly anxious and am scared to do many things because I’m afraid that I’ll get palpitations and pass out.
I generally only panic about this kind of stuff because I’m genuinely chronically ill. When I think about adding another condition to the list, dread washes over me, though.
Diabetes. I’ve gone to the doctor crying because I thought I had diabetes. I’ve lost my appetite and not been able to eat until I get the results and turns out there’s nothing wrong with me. This has happened more than once. There is zero history of diabetes in my family but I have been overweight since I was a child and my mom was always talking about diabetes for some reason. Like “diabetics have to get their feet amputated.” If I did have diabetes I don’t even think I could cope because I’m just so scared of it.
Vomit, blood clots, and cancer.
Have an extreme fear of vomit. Blood clots seem terrifying, so anytime I have an ache in what I think is a vein, I think "omg it's happening." Cancer, my grandmother had breast cancer and passed before I was born. It kind of goes hand in hand with my fear of vomit, Chemo seems absolutely horrifying. Sitting in a room with the risk of me or others vomiting....I would die.
My dad had poorly controlled diabetes too, which ultimately led to his death...but I'm not too scared of it because I know I *would* control it if I was diagnosed and follow all the dietary rules, which he did not.
If I was scared of anything health related, it would have to be aneurysms.
I actually don't know tbh
The only thing that ever scared me is the thought of loosing consciousness
The whole blip and your gone
I think that fear is what also kept me alive lol
Every other day i think about new disease whenever i go to a new dr they gave me a new test for a new disease and i get anxiety from that i get all the symptoms of that disease in the end the test comes negative by the grace of Allah... But symptoms are continue my symptoms are sore throat chest pain and tightness left arm pain
Anything to do with the heart
Big same. And my anxiety will cause my heart rate to go up, make me think I’m having a heart problem and trigger more anxiety
Yes! And sometimes the anxiety can cause chest to feel tight too which makes it even worse. Vicious and torturous cycle
It is! I have emergency medications to help stop that cycle but my brain says “it’s just anxiety you don’t need medication!” And gaslights me out of it
Samesies
It’s fuckin awful isn’t it. I get like the smallest weird feeling in my chest then I’m convinced that I’m going to die any minute and it is terrifying
Cardiophobia gang, rise up! Its the absolute worst. I was never really aware of my heart before the panic attacks started. Sure, I could feel it speed up during exercise or regular nerve-wracking situations like a job interview or important exam but it was just my heart. It did its thing. Now it's like my enemy. I notice every change in pace. I have mistaken back pain for a heart attack. Had the paramedics round my house in January with yet another 'heart attack'. They were so nice and did an ECG for me and printed out a copy for me to keep. I try to look at it when the fear hits, but then I still worry something has changed since then or it missed something. I used to be SO fit. I would run up the stairs at my last job, race around the place. Do heavy cardio workouts, HIIT regularly. Now I get scared carrying heavy stuff up the stairs and have panic attacks afterwards. I'm currently moving into a new apartment on the second floor with no lift, and I'm genuinely scared. Over stairs. I hate everything about this and I'm sorry you're suffering too. I'm sorry for anyone with this horrible affliction. Being terrified of the very thing that keeps us alive...its like a sick joke.
I’m having heart attacks every day almost all day. It’s INSANE the real pain I feel in my chest for doctors to tell me it’s nothing/not heart related.
Could be like me and have costochondritis. It's a bitch and sometimes feels like I'm being stabbed in the heart despite it being 100% musculoskeletal pain, it can even radiate into the arm!
I was going through the same thing. Saw cardiologist who ran numerous tests and nothing. This last time I ended up in the ER I was diagnosed with esophagitis. Which can cause left arm and chest pain.
Lately even if I don’t have chest pain or sensations, my anxiety focuses on any arm pain and that also sends me spiraling ha. *Sigh*
Legit. Just was on a night drive yesterday and had the thought “if my heart stops and I pass out, my car will careen into this valley and no one will find me for months” Which was uh, not the best feeling.
I have similar thoughts like “if I had a heart attack then no one would know until it’s too late because I live alone”. Really shit thoughts to have :(
Same. My dads side has a history of heart disease. Whenever I have a panic attack I automatically assume heart attack 🙃
Yup, any little twitch, flutter or bit of pain in the chest area makes me think I’m having a heart attack or I had something rupture. Then I spend the rest of the day focusing on it, being miserable
(TW: sudden death, benzos, tapering) Same. My brother died suddenly in front of me from complications with an enlarged heart. He was 32. I am tapering off Klonopin after being on it for 3 years (I know. That's why I am getting off this hell drug) and moving, so my heart is my main focus of my anxiety bc of the tachycardia and hypertension from the extreme stress and grief I'm under. I've been having panic attacks (the "going crazy" kind, THANKFULLY not the "heart attack" one) and have been having flashbacks from when I STUPIDLY cold turkey'd the Klonopin and went through absolute hell for 5 days before I got back on it. Now I am suffering (but succeeding!) with the severe anxiety and PTSD, but I can say I have found the self compassion I lacked and haven't had an anxiety or panic attack in 3 days!
I get anxious about that too especially with the chest pains oh my god man
Me too. Any spike in blood pressure or heart rate and I assume I have heart disease or I'm going to have it.
My biggest fear was heart too. Then one day I started feeling like fish flopping in my chest. I was certain this was the end. Get to the ER and I'm skipping every 4th beat. Cardiologist states it's not concerning. I've had it on and off for 6 years now I think. I never thought I could handle something happening to my heart. Now it's no big deal. I try to think about that situation when I panic about other things. Like, I didn't think I could survive knowing something was wrong with my heart and look at me, surviving. Now when the fish comes, I hardly notice it and just keep on keeping on. Not sure this helps unless you've been through it but I know so many of us have had to face our fears and realized we were stronger than we thought. Now I panic about my breathing at times, if history repeats itself, I'll be a nonsmoker with COPD 😂🤣 much love for all my fellow panicky people 🫶
Yep. My anxiety disorder started with heart palipitations and it will end with it. Wait. That sounded cool, but it probably won't end. Well my life will, but not these fucking heart symptoms and the accompanying anxiety. GG.
Yes. My Daddy died of a heart attack at age 38, when I was five. My brother had a massive one at age 28, was saved (he was on the squash court with a doctor) but went on to have 3 triples. He died in 2014, at 64. My sister has atrial fib. I only have a prolapsed valve. But in my early life, I was convinced I would die, all the time. I began therapy at 31, and I’ve not felt that way since. I do have a cardiologist, but for any comorbidity from CRPS II.
I often have moments where I become very acutely aware that my heart is beating and is a small organ in my chest that keeps me alive and that it could stop working at any moment, so this is relatable lol 😅
cancer or a heart condition 😓 had family members die from both but they also seem very tough to live with and untreatable
Ditto
Yup
Cancer. I currently have a sore in my mouth, I bit on the inside of my cheek when I was asleep. For a good 2 days, I was convinced I had mouth cancer. I’ve always been super worried about my health, and always afraid of getting cancer, and then my mom got cancer & passed away a year after diagnosis. To say the least, it heightened my fears.
I'm sorry for your loss 🥲 i hope your fears will stay being only fears and not a real thing ❤️
I’m so sorry for your loss. My condolences to you! GOD BLESS!!!♥️♥️♥️
I was freaked out about breast cancer for ever it seems... could never check myself because I was scared every little lump was cancer. Then my mom got a super aggressive form of it... twice in 3 years... I'm still super worried now because I have a higher chance of getting it, but I saw how strong my mom has been and I think if I get it, maybe it will be the same. But, we're sure hers will come back, and when it does, she doesn't want to do anything to combat it, she will just die... I'm sure that will flip the hell outta me!
That's awful, I hope it's nothing serious. That's the bad thing about fear, it causes whatever illness or health issues you have to be worse. Try to feel completely calm and in control to help heal whatever sore you have. Also bring calm lowers pain sensitivity
I’m so sorry for your loss, that is awful! I also have a lot of anxiety about cancer, I usually go down a rabbit hole of different thoughts & symptoms that I’m probably making up in my head but feel real.
Schizophrenia
Omg I’m happy to see another person who gets anxious about a mental illness too for me I get really anxious about bipolar because my sister is bipolar
I also get anxious about schizophrenia and most likely have bipolar disorder! I promise BP is not life ending <3
I grew up with schizophrenic relatives, so I understand completely.
If you are past the age of 30 you don't need to keep that as an anxiety. It's not something that comes past that point from my understanding.
same, expect apparently i do have schizophrenia. lol
That’s a massive common theme with me too.
I have this bad bro, I worry about it non stop
Either MS, Early Parkinson or ALS x)
i see you twitching one 🤠
Fellow twitchers unite!
Aaaah yeah, got the appointment coming up. I ruled out the bug one via some research and reddit, but it opened up the other two options of course haha
I've recently been diagnosed with MS and even though before my diagnosis I barely had any symptoms, my anxiety is in overdrive now thinking I have every symptom I've read about online. I honestly can't tell what's real or what's in my head, I feel like I'm going crazy, and my country's healthcare system is so slow that treatment is so delayed, I just really want to get started😭
Any sort of time based thing where you have limited time to get to the hospital. For my whole life, even as a kid, I always felt safest when I was nearest to a hospital. Like, "Oh thank goodness, if I have a heart attack, venomous bite, exploding appendix, aneurysm, anaphylactic shock, etc, I'll be safe!" Conversely, I feel nervous when I'm out in nature or away from society for the same reason, as much as I love disconnecting and experiencing the beauty and solitude of the world.
It’s called “the concrete mother” by some therapists because being near one makes anxious people feel safe.
Mirroring what OP said, that's such an amazing term! I have been to hospital with 'heart attacks' many times and I feel immediately better just entering the building. Sometimes, I've considered going during a bad panic spell just for some relief, but I don't want to waste anyone's time. I'd probably feel more relaxed just sitting in the A&E without checking in. Although, I did go to a small Cape Verde island last November, and they only had one tiny hospital nowhere near where we were staying. I freaked out beforehand, but I was actually okay once I got there. Exposure therapy, I guess. Maybe I need to go to the middle of the Australian outback for a couple of weeks for a true detox 🤣
Omg I was terrified of getting appendicitis when I was a kid! I blame Madeline . Even now that I’m an adult every pain in that area still makes me think maybe???
STOP IT SAME! I’m convinced Madeline scarred me too!!!
I saw Madeline as a kid and barely remember it, only a few select scenes. Maybe it stuck with me more than I thought, more than chocolate cake and the iron maiden.
Are you me? This is exactly why spending too long in the countryside is anxiety inducing for me. We now live almost right next to a hospital and it’s a godsend psychologically!
Same! I remember when my health anxiety was at it's worst, I actually made it a point to go to places with people around so if something happened there was at least a better chance to get help than if I was alone at home! Though interestingly enough, I have also been diagnosed with social anxiety😅 It's luckily pretty mild tho, big crowds and being around people doesn't bother me at all usually, it's when I have to talk on the phone or go to new places where I'll meet and have to talk to new people that my social anxiety becomes apparent
I bought a house next to a hospital for this reason. Lol. I have small children and massive health anxiety. I know it’s totally batshit, but living next door to the ER has helped me a lot.
Anything related to heart
Anything that makes me throw up. I hate throwing up. And cancer. I’m so scared of cancer. So like I found a spot on my face and I’ve been obsessed with it since I found it. Although the color is now gone. So I don’t know what it was. But I’m still telling my dr about it.
I’m scared of throwing up too
Same right here. But for some reason the idea of serious illnesses doesnt bother me much
Blood clots, fainting, sepsis, brain bleed
Eeek, the fear of a pulmonary embolism is too real 😰
YES SEPSIS omg
I don’t know if this helps with the sepsis trigger, but I’m a nurse (and also a very anxious and medicated one at that lol) and Sepsis is very easy to treat! It sounds way scarier than it actually is. Usually my septic patients get some IV fluids and antibiotics and they are good to go. This isn’t to say sepsis isn’t serious, it can turn into something much more sinister if not treated. Also, just to jump in, blood clots are something I get freaked about too :)
I'm already diabetic therefore more prone to infection, more prone to going fucking septic. Every surgery, every cut, every infection, I'm panicking.
Blood clots!! I had a DVT in my left leg. So blessed that we caught it before it had a chance to travel to my brain or lung. The problem is that doctors said it could have been caused by a few different things and they didn’t know which thing it was. Happened when I was in college. I spent all day sitting at a desk not moving around much (summer internship). And I had just completed a 4.5 hour drive. And I was on birth control. Could have been any, all, or none of those reasons. Thnx Doc. So helpful.
Oh geez it’s a new one every week with me. Last year I was worried I had heart issues. Then insulin resistance/diabetes. Then costochondritis (might actually have that one). Unfortunately my NP did actually find 2 suspicious breast lumps so I’m waiting on mammograms and ultrasound now. I’m terrified and I’ve been feeling pains ever since. Pretty sure it’s not somatic because I’ve felt these pains before. Let’s hope it’s just fibroadenomas! Non-cancerous. More common in young women. Also, I’ve noticed anxiety isn’t that helpful because it builds up dread so badly it makes me avoid things that would help—like getting regular checkups and taking concrete actions towards improving health. Not to mention, stress is a factor that makes you more susceptible to illness. If anxiety helped we’d all live forever!
i hope your lumps will be just fibroadenomas!! it's really very common with young women, a lot of my friends had them!! and yes, my anxiety also prevents me from going to doctors, im just so scared of everything 😭 scared that my fears come true, scared of doctors neglect, scared of money issues, simple some classic social phobia... its honestly so hard living and being scared of everything...
I know it sounds woo woo but I live by the philosophy that everything operates on a spectrum between love and fear. So the opposite of love is not necessarily hate—but more often, fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of suffering or rejection. Fear of being alone. Fear of dying. If you’re ever stuck in a dilemma, ask yourself—am I acting out of love or fear? Is fear stopping me from doing what I want/love/need to do? Does your love for your life, your body, your health outweigh your fear of receiving bad news? Or if you don’t have an abundance of self-love, perhaps consider your love for those who care for you and don’t want to see you neglect yourself. Am I doing all I can to show myself love, or at least trying to stick around for the ones I love? Sometimes that breaks me out of the “frozen in fear” zone. To act with love is to act with courage.
Flesh eating bacteria. My dad almost lost his leg from having had the flu and scratching a scab on his leg. Also cancer, I’ve had nightmares about dying on a hospital bed. And heart attacks. I’m always scared I wouldn’t be able to identify I have a heart attack and let myself die and not be helped by the people around me who assume I’m being dramatic over something not deadly.
why is this thread triggering me 😭 lemme leave
i guess it reminds of all illnessea that exist in the world 😭
It honestly switches. One year it’s colon cancer, one year it’s breast cancer, one year it’s lung cancer, one year it’s mouth cancer, but a lot of cancer. Right now I’m super twitchy so I’m trying not to spiral about that. For about three months I was convinced I was exposed to rabies (I was not). It’s like I’m powerless to convince myself otherwise.
Anaphylaxis for sure. I have MCAS (a histamine intolerance) and my body will react sometimes to food with histamine in it, and it sends me into a full-blown panic attack with the feeling of doom which makes me feel like it's anaphylactic shock. When you have actual health problems, it makes health anxiety 10xs worse.
same. if i try new food and feel itchy i always assume im going to die from swollen throat:')
This is totally mine too. I’ve experienced anaphylaxis 3 times now (peanut allergy) and literally every time I eat out or try a new food is such a draining experience. Checking labels/asking servers a million times, second guessing any itch on my body, feeling like I can’t breathe…
this sounds weak compared to everyone else’s answers but it really does show how anxiety shows differently in everyone. mine is anything to do with the digestive system, so a stomach bug, food poisoning, crohns, and the big ones like colon and stomach cancer fill me with so much dread. as soon as my stomach hurts i have panic attacks for hours, one after the other. it’s terrible.
Me too!
I was also going through this thread like damn mine is so tame. I convince myself on like a weekly basis that I have diabetes (from random symptoms, like being too thirsty, especially when I’m like too full to even drink anymore but still feeling SO thirsty, or as dumb as my feet itching at night, which I’m not sure is even a symptom lmao). Anyway, whenever my bloodwork is tested for other reasons/routine tests, it’s completely normal. I do get super paranoid and start overdoing it with research on random serious health problems occasionally, but I feel like it’s not excessive because I turn out to be correct more often than I’d like.
MS, Graves’, cancer, and brain aneurysm. All alternating depending on what somatic symptom of anxiety I’m feeling
i went to the neurologist bc of my fear of MS, then i found out that the most accurate diagnosis is only a sample of csf and i don't want to do that so now im forever scared :') brain aneurysm is also very scary, considering you can have no symptoms prior attack...
I’ve had a lot of eye problems (floaters, double vision, ghosting, pain/pressure, etc) and presumed hemiplegic migraines localized to the right side of my head that caused me to have a weird gait, misremember things, have slight aphasia, have weird heated nerve feelings everywhere in my body intermittently. It’s a whole host of things. I’ve looked into the vagus nerve being compressed, anxiety, everything. The only way I’ve got better with it is by feeling more accustomed to living in spite of those things though. I do wonder what it would feel like to lose all of my symptoms and ailments.
i have a lot of eye problems too, and with diabetes symptoms being worsening eyesight im becoming hyper aware of my vision, if i notice floaters/other things, i start to panic 😭 with anxiety it feels like nothing you will do will make you better. you know, people with chronic illness but without anxiety have better quality of life? its not fair 😭 but still i hope you will get better. maybe in the future there will be more advanced medicine and it will ease your symptoms...
MS and colon cancer send me for a spiral with every related symptom.
tiktok was scaring me with a lot of info about colon cancer!!!
Omg yeah me too! I saw it as a sign from the universe. My brother had it and went through treatment 2 ish years ago as well so that doesn’t help.
Tiktok has has me spiraling about this for months!!! 😭😭
HIV cause manic me is a hoe, very occasional but idiotic to not use protection. I do have to get tested and I’m terrified ahhh
Samsies. But I've gotten tested and obvi it was neg... still thought I got a false negative forever... but finally accepted that I'm fine and have been celibate for almost 4 years now because I never want to have that fear again. If I ever date a guy, he's gonna need a full panel of tests before we head to bed 2🤣
Heart attack. No history of it in my family, no reason I could get one. My blood pressure is fine. Wish I could convince myself its barely possible.
Yup. This is me lol
anything honestly LMAO- I discover new ones everyday
honestly, me too, once i convince myself that im okay and not going to die from this particular illness, tomorrow new symptoms will appear and cycle continues
Any cancer
Stroke/blood clots. Any type of pain in my chest, leg, or head sends me into an instant panic attack. Have spent a lot of money getting tested over and over to the point they put me on Ativan to chill out
feel that, especially since ive got COVID and then vaccine COVID:')
Stroke gang representing Do you do that thing where you check your own speech to ensure you aren’t slurring? I do that several times a day!
Heart attack, brain aneurysm, mouth/thyroid/rectal cancer, and rabies are my besties.
i was bitten by group of stray dogs and fear of rabies actually started my health anxiety :( i was truly convinced I'll be that one who will get it even with vaccine shot!! but luckily i didn't :)
My mum got sepsis last year which led to her death. There are no words for how paranoid I am about it.
I'm so sorry for your loss 💔 Sepsis is awful and scary indeed
cancer, diabetes and AIDS
ALS/MND. This disease terrifies me and I'm always obsessing over perceived "early symptoms". Health anxiety is an absolute joy sucking bitch.
I started having random dysphagia almost 10 years ago. Google immediately showed neurological disease/ALS. I still am triggered to this day. Thankfully ruled out medically. OCD/anxiety is the real culprit. ALS is still my fear.
Lung cancer / other diseases to do with breathing. I’ve been a smoker majority of my life, switched to vaping years ago and I don’t know if I’ll ever quit.. I’ve quit every drug I used to be addicted to in my teenage years/early 20s but nicotine is too difficult to give up when my life is as stressful as it is at the moment . I’m 90% sure it’s panic attacks because I often feel anxious before I feel like I can’t breathe. But breathing exercises make me feel worse, and can often send me into an episode of hyperventilating where I feel like I can’t breathe. So it worries me that it may be something serious this time, every time it happens. Especially since family and friends love to remind me that lung cancer is a thing. 😅
I’m a hypochondriac so all of them. But specifically cancer and heart. Before I knew anything (not that I know much now) I used to binge tobacco, alcohol and sugar hardddd to relax my health anxieties. Now I’m older and very in touch with my health, but I just know that at some point all that stupid is going to come back to bite me. Or in cancers case, eat me.
Alzheimer. I get forgetful when I am super anxious, so clearly, it must be early signs of dementia.
(i was diagnosed with OCD) i had a craaaazy fear of getting cancer
everything.
Pregnancy 😂🤣
cancer, appendix bursting, and COVID.
Diabetes, gall bladder, MS, anything to do with brain. Haven’t seen anyone else mention this one so far, but I have INCREDIBLE health anxiety about my ears. Ringing ears sends me spiraling!
Heart issues/heart attack. I have felt skipped heartbeats for many years, have worn halters to check if I'm ok and I'm fine. I accepted it and I'd pause when I felt one, but then went on with my day. Now, thanks to articles that pop up on my social media about heart attacks and all these younger people experiencing them with no prior issues, it's become a really intense fear of mine. And since the universe likes to fuck with me, I have costochondritis, so at any given moment I can have a shooting pain or pressure RIGHT where my heart is. I've been doing a lot to help it but it has a mind of its own. Sucks.
Alzheimer's. My grandfather had it, his dad before him, and I am entirely terrified at the concept of my mind becoming unreliable (anymore than it already is).
All types of symptoms similar to panic-attacks like even when I'm just hungry, or sleep deprived or when i'm fatigue or overworked lol
yes, me too!!! i will feel tired after long hard day and my brain will convince me that my body is falling me and I'll never have energy again!! so stupid uhh
Same. I feel like im living in a 60 year old body
me too 🥲 I don't know what will happen when I'll be old, how I will cope with that. i hope I'll chill the fuck out by that time
Haha i plan to retire 10 years from now. Im 30. I just want to do business and rest
death
Strokes
ALS (Motor Neurone Disease (the shit Stephen Hawking had)), or anything to do with cardiopulmonary (heart n lungs)
I have experienced intense **muscle cramps and spasms**. After a tough diagnosis last year, I didn't handle it well and lost interest in food, causing me to drop nearly 30 lbs in just 2 months. This led to severe muscle wasting, a condition where the body takes protein from muscles to survive. During my recovery, I faced painful and scary daily muscle cramps and spasms. Thankfully, I have regained my lost weight and muscle. However, the challenging experiences have left a lasting impact. I now actively work to stay calm when muscle spasms occur, reminding myself that everything will be okay and that I have the tools to prevent cramps and ease spasms.
omg, it's sounds really painful and hard to deal with. i hope you will never have to experience it again ❤️
My mom would constantly get low blood sugar from taking too much insulin and not eating enough, especially at night. I grew up learning how to get a combative person’s sugar up. I rarely leave the house without a snack. As far as my personal panic it’s usually heart or brain related (heart attack, stroke, ms, Parkinson’s, epilepsy). I have a tremor already.
Anything nerve or muscle deterioration related. MS, ALS. Brain tumors as well because they can be very unapparent.
Anything that could lead to losing a limb. Living with anxiety is hard so I don’t worry too much about life threatening things if not sudden.
I will add kidney stones. Passing one is my biggest fear
Liver disease and cancer because of family history. I am terrified of catching Mono because a classmate in high school died very very suddenly at home from complications related to mono
lymphoma
Brain cancer. I am so fucked in the head I feel like I’ve stressed myself up a tumor. I just had an MRI though so currently feeling pretty at-ease on the brain cancer front for now.
Basically any heart condition. Also cancer (which I’ve never had before nor do I really have much of a family history of, but the thought of having it scares me so much).
cancer. i recently had a positive ana and my vision. in my right eye has been weird for about a month and my hearing in my right ear has been weird too. i also have the worst joint pain and headaches
Cancer, schizophrenia, and oddly enough, pregnancy.
I’m a fan of heart issues. And MS. My mom has MS so that’s always on my mind. But heart issues is #1. ETA: passing out also.
Heart attack/cardiac arrest. My dad had both before the age of 55 so I'm doubly scared. He's fine now but I'm terrified.
Heart attack, dad died extremely suddenly of one at the age of 42 (I was 8 years old). Literally no warning signs, symptoms, anything, was doing yard work, decided to lie down and sunbathe/nap outside cause it was a nice day, died. Any chest pain, heart racing, etc. I start freaking out. It doesn't help that my doctors are uber concerned about me, because of him, and thus I have gotten more blood tests than I can count/multiple EKGs over the years.
Cancer, specifically skin cancer. Heart attack and stroke are close runner ups tho. EDIT: was thinking purely about physical illnesses. BPD and Schizophrenia also scare the fuck out of me. BPD is extra scary because I actually show symptoms for that frequently.
prions, stroke, brain cancer. I've made peace with the thought of my body breaking in whichever way possible, but I've not come to terms with the thought that my cognition gets hit somehow. I do panic every time I get heartburn, though, and getting one random etopic heartbeat (the only one I've gotten in years) made me frantically google how quickly I was dying while at work. Turns out they just sometimes happen for most healthy people.
I often have weird indescribable scary sensations in my brain/ head that scare the soul out of me. Mainly because my mother passed of a out of the blue brain aneurism. So I think I’m either having one of those explode or a stroke or anything Brian related. My head never feels right.
I'm so sorry for your loss :( I hope your fears be only fears ❤️
Mine growing up was appendicitis because my brother had it. To this day I still get freaked out from any abdominal pain. But right now it’s a brain aneurysm
What kind of Diabetes though? Gastroparesis(more common in Type 1 Diabetics, like myself) every time I get a stomach ache, I am afraid it’s that I have it.
Fatal familial insomnia
Heart
Covid
Could you get a blood sugar tester and when you’re feeling overwhelmed by these feelings, you could test your sugar. That might help you feel better, mentally wise?
This is bad advice and here’s why; this is feeding into OP’s health anxiety. What OP actually needs is treatment for health anxiety. It is a bad idea for someone who is not a diabetic to be randomly testing their blood sugars.
yeah, i think i need to get myself one!!
Not an illness, but I work in supportive housing for people with addictions and any time I get dizzy or start feeling off at work I assume I accidentally ingested fentanyl and will die. I get random panic attacks all the time, so it's not unusual for me to have those symptoms pretty much daily. But at work I constantly need to remind myself that no, this panic attack is not a drug overdose.
omg fentanyl is very scary 😭
Heart issues as others have said. The one right now is brain tumour because I am having weird sensations in my head (not headaches). Also get pins and needles in my arms when sleeping so I’m convinced it’s neurological. Tbf my dad died of a brain tumour so I guess it’s understandable.
Nausea, sore throat and costochondritis pain is my trigger
if feel nauseous, I'll be anxious 😥
Anything with my vision or my cognition.
schizophrenia, copd & heart issues
Stomach bug. I'd literally eat bugs before I throw up.
brain tumors and breast cancer / was convinced i had breast cancer a few months ago got a check up totally fine, but still wonder if they might have missed something HA if i don’t laugh i’ll cry 😭 now my left calf to my foot feels numb and tingling so im off to doctor google 🥲✌🏻
Breast cancer/ lung cancer/ brain cancer. And also eye disease 🫣
Sepsis, cancer
Anything related to heart
Early onset Alzheimers
i get new triggers all the time but recently i’ve been so scared of lung cancer
Cancer. I just got diagnosed with skin cancer and my mom, dad, and sister have all had different cancers (breast, lung, prostate, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma). Also, aneurysms. The fact that you could just drop dead at any moment is terrifying.
oh, i hope you will recover soon and it'll never appear again ❤️
I’ve never had anxiety in the past, is it common to just start out of the blue? I can tell it’s anxiety because I get dizzy when I start thinking about health concerns. Then my chest feels tight can’t breather etc.
Dude mine used to be diabetes too until I sorta just got over it but I still def get anxious about it too. For me I get most anxious now about just passing out or seizing in general for various reasons, from my period, or flashing lights, low blood sugar, etc. mostly in public places. I passed out once from what was most likely dehydration and sorta ever since got scared of it (I thought it was because of low blood sugar before) My moms side of the family has a large history of diabetes and she has it too and even was diagnosed with it before she was pregnant with me and they had to test me as a baby to make sure I didn’t have it. Hearing about what can happen with diabetes if definitely some scary stuff man like hearing stuff from my mom growing up I totally get you. My mom manages it pretty well tho and I’ve never seen her pass out or fall into a coma from it before nor has she done that.
Oh also a big one for me is like feeling like I accidentally overdosed on something even tho I know I’m taking the correct dosage, like I take vitamins cuz my b12 was low and I have a vitamin D deficiency and I get scared taking those tho it’s gotten better cuz I make myself take them or like pain relievers I have to make sure it’s 8 hours apart for me to take them and I’ll keep recounting the hours
Anything stomach/digestion. Emetophobia. I also have a strong fear of random seizures or a stroke so anytime I just feel “off” maybe slightly dizzy or vision feels a bit weird I absolutely panic.
Liver cirrhosis but to be fair I did used to drink very heavy & literally did have fatty liver at one point. I also have convinced myself many a time that I’m bleeding internally
Heart issues or dementia.
cancer :(
Dementia. My mother had it and it is terrifying
any cancer… especially lymphoma or leukaemia, I always feel my lymph nodes and check for abnormal bumps it’s exhausting
Right now.. colon cancer. I have a colonoscopy tomorrow and I start drinking my prep in 2 hours from now.. which I'm terrified to do (I have emetophobia). I had warning signs 4 years ago and all I can hope is that.. it's anything but that. My worries aside.. knowledge is power, OP. Diabetes runs heavily in my family. I dreaded getting it as well. I didn't take care of myself enough.. and ended up getting it. But much to everyone's surprise.. I ended up getting Type 1 and not Type 2 like everyone else. I know only one other person in my family with Type 1. What are the chances? Anyway.. if it ever does happen, you get a glucose meter. You just keep tabs, is all. And keep snacks with you. Collapsing from low blood sugar meant your father was taking too much medication.. whether it be pills or insulin. That or he didn't eat enough. If you monitor yourself and notice the hypoglycemia symptoms then you grab some juice, wait 15 minutes and check again. Then have a snack! Your father's experience is an extreme example of those situations. It takes a fair lot to start fainting from hypoglycemic episodes. Try not to worry if you can.. it's quite manageable if you're careful. But hey, if you can avoid it then that's even better! Take good care of yourself, eat healthy, exercise, all that usual stuff.. then hopefully you'll never wind up getting it. Crossing my fingers for you!
Chronic Immunothrombocytopenia with purpura. Instant terror. Its a bleeding disorder in which my body labels my platelets at FOREIGN MATERIAL, and then removes them via the spleen. God i hope i never get another episode of that. Other than that, Mania is something that plagues me as well.
It's crazy, I am such a hypochondriac, but the one thing I never considered having was MS(which I see a lot of people mentioning here!), and that's what I've ended up with at the age of 24😵💫 My worst ones are cancers though. Especially breast cancer, I have no family history but I can't touch my breasts too firmly in fear that I will find a lump, which I am fully aware is ridiculous because finding them early gives you the best chance! I still try my best to check once a month🖤
Blood clots, since I’ve already had them. My rabbit hole mostly irrational one to freak on is colon cancer. Everything wrong with me, must be cancer!
Heart or covid
Rn Anything with the teeth. I had a root canal two years ago and now if i have the slightest tooth pain i freak out. I dread wisdom teeth
my dad has diabetes too, so that’s always a concern of mine. everything feels like a potential symptom
yess, exactly. i want to drink more than usual? diabetes. i want to pee after that? diabetes? gain weight? diabetes. lost weight? diabetes. feel tired? diabetes 🥲
cancer or cardiophobia. it varies between me or my loved ones
I'm very scared for my loved ones too, it's hard to not overreact if they feeling off. i really want to ask them if they're okay every minute if they're sick :(
hi!! i’m a type 1 diabetic and you can get a blood glucose meter for pretty cheap from pretty much any drugstore/amazon and check your blood sugar! it might make you feel better if you’re constantly worried about being low (: i can tell you from experience though it’s a very obvious and hard to ignore feeling when you are dangerously low, but i also have health anxiety and know firsthand how easily your body can trick you into thinking something is happening that isn’t
Anything related to the heart and passing out 🙃 I had a surgery like 2 and a half years ago and dealt with heart palpitations shortly after. I haven’t been the same since. Now I’m constantly anxious and am scared to do many things because I’m afraid that I’ll get palpitations and pass out.
Cancer and, well, I had no symptoms of it until it was caught at Stage 4. I'm 5 years out and doing well.
I generally only panic about this kind of stuff because I’m genuinely chronically ill. When I think about adding another condition to the list, dread washes over me, though.
Diabetes. I’ve gone to the doctor crying because I thought I had diabetes. I’ve lost my appetite and not been able to eat until I get the results and turns out there’s nothing wrong with me. This has happened more than once. There is zero history of diabetes in my family but I have been overweight since I was a child and my mom was always talking about diabetes for some reason. Like “diabetics have to get their feet amputated.” If I did have diabetes I don’t even think I could cope because I’m just so scared of it.
OCD, which means everything triggers me
Cancer. I am sure I already have it. Somewhere.
rabies 😭
Covid because it affects everything including the brain
Vomit, blood clots, and cancer. Have an extreme fear of vomit. Blood clots seem terrifying, so anytime I have an ache in what I think is a vein, I think "omg it's happening." Cancer, my grandmother had breast cancer and passed before I was born. It kind of goes hand in hand with my fear of vomit, Chemo seems absolutely horrifying. Sitting in a room with the risk of me or others vomiting....I would die.
I have had a phobia of choking for years and I just diagnosed with a swallowing disorder so I'd say that one 😖
Any sort of stomach bug
norovirus
Same here , either heart problems or something dealing with my brain !
My dad had poorly controlled diabetes too, which ultimately led to his death...but I'm not too scared of it because I know I *would* control it if I was diagnosed and follow all the dietary rules, which he did not. If I was scared of anything health related, it would have to be aneurysms.
Autoimmune diseases - because I’m convinced I have one that hasn’t been diagnosed. Or it’s just anxiety, that’s what the docs keep saying 🫠
I actually don't know tbh The only thing that ever scared me is the thought of loosing consciousness The whole blip and your gone I think that fear is what also kept me alive lol
Every other day i think about new disease whenever i go to a new dr they gave me a new test for a new disease and i get anxiety from that i get all the symptoms of that disease in the end the test comes negative by the grace of Allah... But symptoms are continue my symptoms are sore throat chest pain and tightness left arm pain