Hyperchondria

OCD; I have two adult children with it and hypochondria can be part of it. If you do not want to be on medication, I highly recommend behavior therapy. It gives you a "toolbox" of tactics to deal with the symptoms. There are some medications with very few side effects that take care of the irrational thought process. One of my children is on meds and one is not. Both have happy successful careers and families.

J., I am a hypochondriac myself. Growing up with a Doctor as a father, and a mother/stepdad/grandma all nurses, you tend to know a lot more medically then you ever needed to. It has gone overboard since I had my son. I believe my emergency c-section triggered it to progress. It was traumatic, and I thought I was going to die.

Having a child, you tend to worry more anyways, but for us anxious people, you also worry about everything else more.

I deal with it by using self hypnosis, positive reinforcement, and a second opinion( usually from my own mother :) ) This usually involves her helping me seperate my rational thoughts from irrational. I also have a wonderful PCP who sits with me at every visit and goes over any questions( I have quite a few).

I've also realized that going on google and typing in your symptoms of such and such, will only make things worse. So, I usually ban myself from the computer when I feel the need to get clarification from WebMD.

If I have a valid, rational concern, I usually call my doctor's office. They are wonderful there. Now, if my concern is irrational ( which it usually is about 80% of the time), I tend to use self hypnosis to block out the bad, irrational thoughts. I also force myself to put on my shoes and go for a walk to clear my head. It works .

With my son, however, that's a different story. It's always very hard when he is sick or not feeling well. I use the same rational/irrational for him as well. That and now that he is older, he can tell me what is wrong .

You can personal message me if you would like to. It is nice for someone else to have the same kind of fears. Know that you aren't alone girl. I also am a stay at home mom( for the moment, until we move to NH). I think it's worse when you have all day to stew in your worries.

Just remember to take deep breaths, and focus on clearing your mind. It does get better!

J.:

Okay - first off - take a DEEP breath...let it out slowly. Repeat. Again. breathe...okay?

About your skin cancer. If the mole you have talked about has changed, see a Dermatologist. They can remove it and test it. Instead of worrying about it - what a hypochondriac does - DO something about it.

Yes. It sounds like you are a hypochondriac. Please talk to your Primary Care Physician and start on the road to a less-anxiety filled life.

Next - STOP!!! Your mind is a VERY powerful thing. You can TALK yourself into ANYTHING. Seriously. STOP. Think of POSITIVE things. Your beautiful daughter. STOP with thinking you are sick. When you find yourself thinking these thoughts - start focusing on something positive in your life. keep a daily gratitude journal - this will help you see ALL THE POSITIVES in your life.

Please talk to your PCP and have them give you some anti-anxiety meds or a referral to a therapist who can help you pinpoint WHY you are persistent in feeling "sick".

Lastly - BREATHE!!! Remember to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. When you start feeling like this - like you have some disease - write down your positive thoughts. Refocus on the good in your life. Don't let this consume you!!

Im totally with you! Hypocondria is a form of ocd I am on anti-anxiety meds for that and other reason although i dont know if it works. Since Ive been on it I have still convinced myself of at least 3 different types of cancer, and several other conditions. It does help my brain shut off at night so i can sleep which is the only reason im still on it. I feel for you, I know how it can consume your every thought :(

"Ever since I became a mother..." Your body used nutritional resources from your body to make another person. Your body is depleted and needs to replace the nutrition. The brain and body need omega-3 fats, protein, and minerals. Cut out the processed "food" and eat better and be sure to exercise, such as going for a daily family walk that lasts half an hour or more. Be sure to walk during daylight hours.

No scientific studies have examined the effect of nutrition on hypochondriasis. However, people with hypochondriasis who also have anxiety or depression may benefit from avoiding alcohol and caffeine.

Following these nutritional tips may also help reduce risks and symptoms:

•Eliminate all suspected food allergens, including dairy (milk, cheese, eggs, and ice cream), wheat (gluten), soy, corn, preservatives, and chemical food additives. Your health care provider may want to test you for food allergies.
•Eat foods high in B-vitamins and iron, such as dark leafy greens (such as spinach and kale), and sea vegetables.
•Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits and vegetables.
•Avoid refined foods, such as white breads, pastas, and sugar.
•Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. This helps stabilize blood sugar (which can improve mood) and improve digestion (which may reduce awareness of normal body sensations as food passes through the intestines).
•Eat more lean meats and cold water fish for protein.
•Use healthy oils for cooking, such as olive oil or vegetable oil.
•Reduce significantly or eliminate trans-fatty acids, found in commercially baked goods such as cookies, crackers, cakes, and donuts. These fats are also found in French fries, onion rings, processed foods, and margarine.
•Avoid coffee and other stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco.
•Drink 6 - 8 glasses of water daily.
•Exercise moderately, for 30 minutes daily, 5 days a week.
You may address nutritional deficiencies with the following supplements:
•A multivitamin daily, containing the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, D, the B-complex vitamins, and minerals such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, and selenium.
•Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil, 1 - 2 capsules or 1 - 2 tablespoonfuls oil daily, to help decrease inflammation and improve immunity. Omega-3 fatty acids can have a blood thinning effect and may increase the effect of blood thinning medications, such as Coumadin (warfarin) and aspirin.
Massage
Some health care providers believe that regular visits to a massage therapist (which include techniques to relieve stress) may help reduce symptoms of hypochondriasis. It is possible, however, that for some people, having regular massages could draw attention to their physical complaints, and increase their symptoms.

Have you tried telling yourself to stop thinking about it whenever you start in on a condition or an illness? We can be in control of our thoughts. It does take a conscious and concerted effort to change the way we think.

When you start to think about a condition or illness replace that thought with something that you're grateful for.

I think it's normal to some degree. Ever since I had my son 3 years ago my biggest fear has been dying and not being there to take care of him and watch him grow. That someone wouldn't know to put moisturizer on him after his bath or just love him as much as I do. Before he was born I had never really given death or my life span much thought. But I realized the constant fear would not change the result if it were my destiny so I try not to dwell on it because it will make you crazy! So, If anxiety meds help to take the edge off and bring you back to reality than go for it or at least talk to someone. It has to be our natural mothering instinct and the fear of losing the most precious gift you have ever received (your children) and one's ability to cope with that.

Hypochondria is definitely something you should talk to a counselor about. If you're opposed to going on anxiety medication then no one can force you to go on them. However, it's good to know who is ABLE to prescribe you medication before you seek out therapy. A psychiatrist can prescribe medications whereas a psychologist does not. Both can offer you therapy to help with with hypochondria.

I think it's healthy that you've recognized this as an issue to the extent that you're reaching out to the community for advice. I am sending you my most heartfelt compassion. A lot of us have been where you are on some level!

I think "FromMyView" is spot on with her advice. Focus on positive, healthy lifestyle changes. Weave in a new change each week, don't try to do everything at once.

I would also recommend trying herbal supplements before you try any medication. St. John's Wort and Holy Basil have helped me significantly in easing anxiety. Try to find good organically sourced ones (the brand I take is New Chapter, which you can find a co-ops and Whole Foods but there are probably other good brands available). Also a good flower essence to drop into your water and body products for a couple of months would be All-Heal, which helps you trust your body's ability to heal itself (on a lot of different levels--physically, emotionally, etc.) and I really love Dr. Bach's Rescue Remedy flower essences (or equivalent is Flower Essence Society's 5-flower formula) for when you're really stressing over a worry and need immediate support.

Take care and let us know in a couple of months how you're doing.

This sounds more like (YES) an anxiety disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder, or one of many millions of things available for us to diagnose.So my question is: WHY don't you want to go on anxiety medication? Most people want to get some sleep. And if you are really worried about skin cancer, get it checked out. Then you can lie awake about something else. Believe me, we are mothers and we can worry ourselves awake every night of the week. And by the way, ask your doctor about Melatonin (it is over the counter and is safe, but check first so you don't worry about that)> oh you poor thing. hug

First of all, you're not alone. A lot of moms get stressed out when they are overwhelmed with feeling protective of their children.

There are ways to deal with this without medication. Counseling is a terrific first action. Ask your primary care physician or your ob/gyn for a referral. Not sure how old your kids are but this could be partly due to postpartum depression. In any case, a skilled counselor can help. The previous post is right about a psychiatrist being able to prescribe medication, but that doesn't mean they all do it, and certainly not as a first resort. Others may prescribe it very short term just to get you calm enough to work in therapy. A psychologist cannot prescribe medications, but most of them work with or have a professional relationship with someone who can do so. Just see someone you are compatible with who has experience in this area.

You can also do many proactive things to improve your health and your mood - exercise, yoga, relaxation techniques, biofeedback, and more. Your counselor can help you, but if you have a local gym that has babysitting, you can join (a lot of them have deals right now) and get yourself moving. I'm in a great class 3 days a week with terrific women - we laugh and support each other while working out. Exercise also gives you the endorphins that help the brain and the mood.

Nutrition helps the brain a lot. There is a phenomenal new product that helps reduce stress and improve brain flow to the brain, while being totally safe with no caffeine and no crash. It's called 24K and it's made by the top food science company in the US, Reliv International. You buy it directly from the company - you have to be referred by a distributor but then you can buy it on line or by phone. It won the Stevie Award from the American Business Association for the best new product of 2011. I can tell you how to get it - you can try a sample and see what you think.

I've also used nutrition to treat my clinical depression as I did not want to stay on antidepressants. I think they can be useful, but they are just treating the symptom and not the cause.

So there is a multi-pronged approach you can take, and you should not look at anything as the "only option" - you are not alone but you can take some positive steps in several directions to get yourself back on track.