- Username
- electrolove
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I had a spot on mine and had an emergency room dr, a urologist and a dermatologist both evaluate to rule out cancer. duh, of course it was just a regular old spot. I know I shouldnt have sought this reassurance but I was going through Paxil withdrawals at the time and very vulnerable. during that same time I also asked for and received a full heart evaluation including echo and nuclear stress test because I worried I damaged my heart from hormone therapy
I’ve had a myriad of health anxiety periods. I found that the best thing to do is to distract yourself, especially when you feel the anxiety worsening. Try doing something that can get your mind on something else, something to really engage you.
I do this thing where I essentially give it a week (or however long may be practical given the circumstances.) If I notice something on a Sunday, I tell myself I can call and make a doctors appointment on the following Sunday. Usually by the time the week has passed, the problem has resolved itself or I’m no longer concerned about it enough to want to go to the doctor. I also will try and plan stuff with friends for the day I said I’d call for an appointment, so that I don’t get as much of a chance to call.
That’s good advice. I’m doing well fighting the urge to compulse (check it, look up info and pictures to compare) but that urge to want to know is so strong lol
I find that being in public places surrounded by others helps remove my mind from the situation. I'll get in the car and drive to a place, grab coffee (decaf) and just people watch
That’s smart, I find I feel the same to be honest. You feel more like a normal human that way.
right! my house is not my friend when I'm in a cycle. it's like being home makes it harder to resist.
Thank you guys. You’re right..interaction helps. I’m struggling with whether or not I should go to the doctor or not for it...
Hi all! First post on this forum. I’m a long time sufferer of OCD and my current rituals focus on STD testing and believing that I’ve had sex with random people who aren’t my husband when I’ve been drinking. I’ve stopped drinking for the time being to avoid the trigger, but how do I stop thinking that the last time I got really drunk, I might have cheated? I know in my heart it’s OCD playing tricks again (seriously I must have done about 30 STI tests in the last few years) but I don’t know how to stop the thoughts or the compulsion to do it again? It’s been weeks and the anxiety isn’t dimming. I would usually just take the test and then.at least get some peace away from the obsessive thought!!
My OCD is generally around my health. It is hard for me to differentiate between what is real and what is OCD. I have a skin condition (HPV) and it’s truly not bad at all although my OCD theme is very focused on it. I’m in constant fear that it will get worse, spread or ruin my life some how. Does anybody else have health anxiety OCD? Or OCD about contamination? I feel like it’s really difficult to combat my OCD at times because there is a level of rationality behind it. I do have the skin condition already that I’m worried about so my OCD has “evidence” to make me more worried about it. Does anybody else have an OCD theme that is hard to differentiate between what’s real and what’s OCD? Sorry for the long post but I’m very interested to hear more about your experiences!
I'm trying hard not to ask for reassurance here, but I'm in need of some advice. I know that I've been diagnosed with OCD, and I'm fairly confident that I've dealt with it consistently over my life. The theme has changed over time, and my current theme is being concerned that I may have narcissistic personality disorder. While I know that this obsession with NPD is a product of OCD, I also can't help but feel that I match so many of the symptom critera that it may be something worth looking into and working on. As you might expect though, this is kind of a huge conundrum, because searching for an actual diagnosis or talking to a psychotherapist might make my OCD about the topic even worse, or even if I get through ERP and then look for a diagnosis, it may cause me to relapse. I guess I'm just wondering what I should do about this. Should I just live with the doubt forever? If I do, would I be putting others at risk? What if there are actual things I need to work on, and by not seeking NPD specific treatment, I'll never get better? Should I work through ERP first and only then start thinking about this stuff? Or should I just not seek these answers out period? Again, trying not to ask for reassurance. I guess I'm wondering what y'all would do if you were in this situation.
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