How can I manage intense health fears linked to my OCD?

Spiraling in my health fears.

Hey all. Coming on here just to rant really. Any advice or similar experiences would be great to hear. Trying not to ask for reassurance at all. My OCD has always been health related. It’s always been an extreme health fear of some sort. I had a fear of schizophrenia after a severe panic attack that gave me months of Dpdr. Kind of got over that w the help of my ocd therepist. Then followed visual snow because of floaters and probably pretty normal visual disturbances normal people have. I had on and off anxiety but nothing as bad as that was. Now I had another bad anxiety attack at work two days ago and my thoughts and obsessions have been at an all time high. I can NOT seem to shake this. I felt extremely dizzy during my panic attack (it was brought on by taking antibiotic on an empty stomach and almost fainting) and now I’ve done hours of googling symptom checking and hyperfixating on a new disease cause Alice in wonderland syndrome and vertigo. I will stare at things to make sure they aren’t getting bigger or smaller around me. I feel dizzy when turning my head to fast or looking around to fast. It’s crazy how these thoughts make you genuinely feel the symptoms you are fearful of. I go on my birthday vacation in a week and I just don’t want this to ruin it. It’s like a fine line in my mind between me being like (this is JUST your ocd thoughts and no you might actually have this because you’re body is showing symptoms) I am repeating mantras like this is just your ocd. Just your intrusive thoughts. I’m trying to have my mind else where like doing house cleaning and duties. I am planning on going to the gym. I want the reassurance that I don’t have these diseases soooo bad. But I know that willl only feed into the monster of OCD. How have my fellow ocd warriors conquered these moments ????

Health Concern OCD

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 20w ago

I’ve been there so many times. The worst is when you are *pretty sure* it’s just OCD so you tell yourself that, but then you feel irresponsible because *what if this one time it actually isn’t OCD and I’m ignoring signs?* Honestly my only advice is to keep doing what you’re doing - going to the gym, doing your housework, living your life as if there’s no OCD present. Trust that your body will work through the adrenaline and cortisol and your job is just to keep living your life and making decisions based on your values and not in reducing anxiety. I won’t give you reassurance about your health but I can assure you that you have been through this before and come out the other end stronger.

Username: gracexocdgracexocd

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 20w ago

@Anonymous Thank you

Username: St.DymphnaSt.Dymphna

Date posted: 20w ago

Just a few days ago I mistook my antidepressant withdrawal symptoms (yes this is a thing and then show up in weird ways) for having alpha gahl disease or however you spell it. I’m not gonna tell you what it is because I don’t want it to stress u out so don’t google it lol. But basically I was paranoid I had been bitten by a tick and that the tick transmitted the disease and this made me starve myself and not eat certain foods (bc of the nature of the disease) I honestly didn’t really conquer it through exposures I just had some reassurance they were my withdrawal symptoms a few days later and that made me more open to eat normally again. It’s crazy what we believe…

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 20w ago

I have severe health OCD and somatic OCD. They like to feed off of each other. It’s exhausting. Last night at work I thought I was having a heart attack and an anaphylactic reaction. This, amongst other things, happens nonstop every single day. I’ve also been convinced I have breast cancer since getting home from work and finding a spot I never noticed before on my breast. I think it’s a small scratch, but my mind is telling me it is inflammatory breast cancer. I’m always constantly dizzy and derealization/depersonalization happens a lot. I also suffer with other subtypes: contamination, perfectionism, “just right”, relationship…you get the idea. I can’t live my life because of OCD.

Username: gracexocdgracexocd

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 20w ago

@Anonymous How is the nocd therapy working for you?

Username: Schoolie93

Date posted: 1y ago

Health anxiety

Hello does anyone else find that maybe they read about a symptom they have and then look it up and they see so much more about it. Then the compulsions of wanting to check and recheck and figure out without getting certainty that they may in fact have this disease? I seem to loose all control when it comes to stepping back and not looking stuff up even when I know how this is going to affect my ocd and make me feel worse. I’m looking for some type of certainty that I don’t have it and there is none. Living in the uncertainty is so hard. Why as ocd people is it so important to have this reassurance when no one else in life has this either. If you can relate to health obsessions and compulsions, what things work for you to take a step back and not spiral into a hole of this ruminating over and over again. Feeling anxious and depressed. I feel by the time I realize I’m doing it, it’s too late and I’m right in the middle of it. How can I catch myself BEFORE I go to the journey of doing compulsions from things I worry about. Does it get easier over time to see the process and catch yourself from doing compulsions from something I’m ruminating about? The thought is uncomfortable but when the thought comes I just need to stop there! But I never do! Help! Does this happen to anyone else and can you relate? Any tips or suggestions? Thx

Username: mimi94

Date posted: 51w ago

Fear of schizophrenia

Hi everyone! This is me writing this while having an intense OCD attack and seriously I don’t know how to handle it. At this point I cry almost every day, I’ve lost my appetite, and I don’t know what to do anymore. This summer I’ve seen a movie where one of the characters had schizophrenia and did what my intrusive thoughts were about, which is harming others. I panicked immediately and did what I wish I didn’t, but I didn’t know back then it was a compulsion: I googled the symptoms. I felt relief at first, but then I started asking myself what if I have those symptoms? What if my thoughts will become voices and I’ll believe them? (This is still one of my biggest fears) Ever since then it’s a never ending cycle, everything I see and hear I question if it’s real or only me hearing/seeing it. I overanalyse my body sensations like when my ears ring, or I feel a tightness around my head etc. I went to see a therapist to start treatment, and he told me I have nothing to worry about, cause it’s unlikely I’ll develop it. I felt at ease, and for a few weeks I felt so much better, cause that talk with the therapist went well and I finally got the diagnosis which is OCD. But then, I was scrolling on Instagram, and I saw a video and ever since then it’s getting bad again. It gotten so bad that my mind “plays” random phrases/music/words in my head, and it’s sometimes in my internal voice, sometimes it’s in others’ and it’s so scary cause I’m just going on with my day and they’re just there. Also for example I hear my mom cleaning the dishes and as she puts them away they make a sound and I hear a word in it, but it makes no sense yet I panic over it cause it was a word? I feel like I don’t even have own thoughts anymore, other than those and the ‘What if this means…?’ thoughts which cause me so much anxiety I feel like I’ll explode. The reason I’m writing this is that maybe someone who went through the same thing can help me, and give me some tips how to stop ruminating and mentally+physically checking (my emotions, my facial expressions, body sensations etc.)? I’m currently going to a group therapy which is seem to help, but I feel like I need to see a therapist alone where she/he can help me with my exact problem? Maybe it’s seeking reassurance and that’s a compulsion cause what if this isn’t OCD but still I don’t know what to do. Thank you!

Username: Learningtoco...

Date posted: 40w ago

Health ocd

I feel like throughout my life my ocd has taken on different forms and I feel like every time I have issues it’s actually my ocd just getting bad again. Like someone reveals the scooby doo villain and surprise it’s just friggin ocd again . My main “flavor” that I have struggled with ever since the end of 2019 has been severe health ocd . So badly that I have had countless dr visits , hospital visits ranging from panic attacks to lingering anxiety that builds up after weeks of obsessing and loosing sleep . Is there anyone here with some tips to get through this kinda of thing? I’m in therapy and that has helped a lot but I still feel like I pops up and wrecks my life every 4 months or so

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How can I manage intense health fears linked to my OCD?

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