clove444

Date posted: 1y

how do i fight health OCD over real sensations

i’m in this weird position of having health/somatic OCD but also having physical health conditions. it’s so annoying because for example i’ll feel a sensation in my chest and logically i’ll know it’s just something like GERD flaring up but my brain will keep telling me “what if it’s not??” and i won’t be able to take my mind off the sensation/doing checks/any techniques i’ve been taught by doctors to try make the sensation go away. i don’t even know how to properly ERP it because i KNOW that there’s a sensation that isn’t psychosomatic and that there’s a real risk to my health because of the other conditions which could send my health into a tailspin on any given day. it just feels like it’s perfectly justified for me to have a valid reason to be concerned with how volatile my health already is

Mreow

Date posted: 1y

I have GERD and I struggle with this too. Gerd can be a symptom of many things, bad or not so bad. I went to my doctor. He gave me some medicine and told me if things get worse to let him know. They haven’t. The issues stick around for a while but come and go. It’s taken a while to figure out how to treat it. I work on it as I work on my mental health bc stress can just make it worse. What I’m trying to say is, I’m working on middle ground. Going to the dr. (but not excessively) and trying to practice trust and uncertainty, and working on therapy. While trying to not jump to any conclusions. OCD always wants us to come to a conclusion. Part of ERP is telling it you ain’t doing that right now.

clove444

Date posted: 1y

@FJustRightOCD i’ve been doing my best today to try just tell myself that it could or couldn’t be whatever i’m getting paranoid about or that i’d love it if the sensation never goes away and stays forever. it’s really hard and makes me so anxious but i’ve heard it gets worse before it gets better so hopefully it works

Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

What makes your health volatile?

clove444

Date posted: 1y

@Will86 i have crohn’s disease and GERD and asthma and they still think there’s more that they need to look into (you know comorbidities and blah blah). my health is constantly all over the place because of it and i guess my fear is that one of them will cause something else bad to happen as a knock on effect which is pretty plausible and not that uncommon at all

Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

@clove444 The interesting thing about somatic ocd is these are not perceived sensations. They're real... they are happening/happened. The biggest issue is 1) we fear we won't stop thinking about them or 2) our minds misunderstand the sensations and sound the fire alarms. This is why medical clearance is important and once it's obtained you you can get your shoes dirty so to speak. Example is I DO have palpations. My brain DOES tell me I am going to have a fatal rhythm and die. Seems logical right? Well it's actually not. Palpations are super common and typically harmless but my warning bell said Holy shit im headed out. Now what I didn't add is minus a few other health conditions im a healthy 37 yo without a history of severe or dangerous cardiac problems and I've been cleared by 3 cardiologist, an electrophysiologist and more NP/PA than I care to discuss.

clove444

Date posted: 1y

@Will86 i have a doctors appointment tomorrow so hopefully she can help give some clarity and then i can properly go into ERP. thank you for the help again!

Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

@clove444 Absolutely, keep in mind this probably won't do much beyond tell you to go forward with ERP. OCD is a dick and likes to play twist the words or add new situations. Be honest about your ocd also.

Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

Yess trust and uncertainty! These are HUGE especially cause we tend to disagree with our drs when we don't feel it paints the picture our mental alarms did. What methods do you use when dealing with drs to try to not persuade them to agree?

Mreow

Date posted: 1y

@Will86 I let my doctors know I have a lot of health anxiety and OCD, and my GP knows when I’m being disproportionately anxious while also giving me some straight up advice to follow up on something or not to worry. Of course my ocd is always like “what if he doesn’t take u seriously when sometning is really wrong bc he just thinks ur anxious?” But so far so good with him, he’s been my doctor for over 10 years so I guess that makes it a little easier too.

clove444

Date posted: 1y

@Will86 my doctors know i have a history of anxiety and OCD so there have been times where they’ve seen through my fears and just straight up told me it’s my anxiety. other than that i guess i usually just trust when they’ve done things like scans/blood work etc. i know that’s reassurance seeking so i definitely need to stop that but i do think i’ve got better at it than i used to be

Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

@FJustRightOCD That is an amazing relationship to have with your pcp. Great advice! I've also been honest with mine. I also make a list of topics I want to discuss and then remove things from it as my mindset changes and I realize ehhh this is leading them on or not needed. I also don't try to force answers on them with a lot of symptoms since as someone with somatic ocd I notice EVERYTHING!

Will86

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y

@clove444 Better is great but remember not to stop pushing. Your mind is going to fight you for a bit. Don't expect perfect but never stop pushin.

Mreow

Date posted: 1y

Like bc I’m so anxious and he knows that, he wouldn’t make me worry unless there’s a very valid concern. It’s so helpful

ChaoticCatte...

Date posted: 25w

Contamination/health OCD struggles

Recently, I’ve been struggling a ton with what I eat/put into my body? I’m a first year college student with a few different health issues (including IBS), and lately it’s been hard for me to find food on campus that doesn’t upset my stomach. I also have pretty severe emetophobia, and feel extremely anxious when I feel sick. The ironic thing is that being anxious makes me feel even worse, so I end up sticking myself in an impossible loophole. My OCD has taken hold of these fears over the past few months, and it’s been such a struggle. Especially since people have been getting food poisoning from various dining halls on my campus lately. My OCD has gotten so bad that sometimes I’m too afraid to eat food other than what I buy myself. I feel so trapped. I don’t want my OCD to affect my physical health or prevent me from eating, bc I love eating!! It’s the fear of getting sick that’s the problem. And it’s even harder when everything is so unfamiliar. Just wondering if anyone could relate. Advice is appreciated!

cows12465

Date posted: 24w

suic. ocd tips

so I need to get back into ERP, but it’s so hard to manage these thoughts and learn to deal with them. like I swear my mind has to make everything about it. Like every time I clean my room, my mind’s like yup make sure it’s clean so when your parents find you, or something so stupid like if I get a headache, my mind convinces me that I like the pain and that that’s why I get my thoughts because I actually want to do it. It’s so exhausting. Because I know I would never want to take my life and I treasure my life so why does it do it to me? It’s hard to comprehend the fact of these thoughts too because I don’t know many people with this exact theme. It’s such a scary feeling. And I’m constantly questioning whether I have actual depression or if it’s just my OCD. Yes I have been diagnosed with suicidal OCD, but my mind still tries to convince me otherwise. I just don’t know how to let these just sit and pass without panicking.

cows12465

Date posted: 24w

suic. ocd advice?

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how do i fight health OCD over real sensations

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