# Did hypochondria hit again?



## Apollonios (Mar 9, 2011)

Hello all.

I have some time to write there, mainly due to loss of much time (it was the last year of school), and later due to lessening symptoms (I felt I didn't have to say anything about recovery, as I didn't do anything particular). In fact, after I stopped therapy sessions and discontinued an antidepressant I had, living in a less stressing environment, gradually the dp/dr went away by itself. But not completely. Sometimes I feel it when anxious or unable to cope, but it is transient. I believe that it is a coping mechanism for those who cannot or believe they canot face their problems. So the prevalence of it in post-traumatic stress patients, who where unable to cope with the situation they passed.

Now with anxiety. Generally I am an anxious person, but really I have much time to feel real debilitating anxiety. One of the manifestations of anxiety I have is hypochondria. I had it for years now, usually about strange or serious diseases. My two greatest obsessions where first rabies and then cjd, but periodically diabetes, multiple sclerosis, testicular cancer, aids, als, and even Alzheimer's disease. Now it is with salmonella.

My short history is that. I was generally fine and well untill 5 days before. Relatively fine and well, because again I had questioning crisis if I exist, and also hypochondriacal symptoms. I remember sometimes waking up with somewhat upset stomach and having softer stool, and thinking that I might have an intestinal worm from those many animals we had then (dogs, cats, chickens). I am also interested in a girl at that time, so I am anxious about her, how to approach her, if she likes me, etc. The problem is compounded by me being more shy than normal and the strict background I thing of her, as her father has to do with church, and, although he is kind and open and she seems fine, I don't know what she truly believes about me.

When I called her two weeks nearly before, she hadn't time to speak much, but I took it as her not wanting to speak to me, so I was depressed for some days. I also had psychosomatic symptoms, such as diarrhoea mainly in the morning. Now I called her less than a week before, and the next day I started questioning myself about her again, so I was depressed. Then I observed that I would fatigue more easily when walking fast, and saw that I had a constantly higher heartbit, as when suffering from an infection. I also had some feeling in my nose of it being imflamed, although I didn't have mucus in a great quantity (I had before on May a throat problem that involved the nose and continued for a month, in the past I had much problems with allergy and also I have a deviated septum, so I believe that I have a sinus infection).

I should note here that I love reptiles. From an early age, I would catch various reptiles and amphibians, later had red-eared sliders (unfortunately I didn't know anything about their care so they died), and now I have a crested gecko for nearly a year. The problem is that reptiles can carry salmonella in their digestive tract, which sometimes can be transmitted to humans - it is truly the only disease they can pass. This bacterium can be found in small quantities in healthy animals, and it is not shed all the time. A healthy human cannot be infected easily from a reptile, nevertheless hand washing and cleaning their feces regularly is advised. I didn't have anything all those years, so why should I have now? I question myself, and then dout.

The problem now started from Thursday, when I was searching for some new bogus from the antireptile fanatic Clifford Warwick. All people with reptiles know that there are animal rights organizations and affiliated groups that try to target reptile owners, one of the less organized group of animal keepers, trying to scare people with exaggerated claims. Their final goal, ofcourse, is to terminate animal ownership, but this is no publicly stated except for radical groups, in order to gain donations from pet owners.

I then searched a little about salmonella and reptiles, and that little became one and a half day of continuous searching. My symptoms intensified, and now I believe that I have it in some way. What if I have a systemic infection? What if I am a carrier and transmit it to others? I have various symptoms, such as discomfort at the stomach, soft stool bordering to diarrhoea sometimes, slight problem in the nose, lump in throat, pain when I press the abdomen, constant higher heart rate, cold hands sometimes. I also lack the motivation to do anything, I don't want to talk with my friends, have a constant fear behind all emotions and feel fatigued even if I sleep well. My dp/dr has intensified, but now not as me being unreal, but more of a withdrawal from the real world. Nearly the same symptoms though appear when I am greatly stressed. Or simply I try to reassure myself while having a serious infection?

What to do? What advice do you have?


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## Apollonios (Mar 9, 2011)

Today I feel better. I went out with my friends yesterday night, and for a little forgot my problems. When returning to home I remarked that if I had a serious infection, I would be exhausted, which I didn't. So most probably I had nothing. Then today it seems that nearly all my symptoms have faded away. it would most probably happen by itself some day, though.


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## Apollonios (Mar 9, 2011)

Now I started feeling compelled to search for things that upset me. I don't want to search for them, but I feel as I must, because it is very important to know about them. Obsessive compulsive symptoms.


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## Ruhtra (Aug 14, 2013)

My advice would be to stop obsessing over your ''symptoms'' and stop reading crap on the Internet. I used to do exactly the same, haha.

''Don't stuff up your head with things you don't understand.'' : )) http://www.gasl.org/refbib/Jerome__3_Men.pdf


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## googleeyes (Apr 25, 2012)

I think you have answered the question for yourself. You need to just stop self-analyzing.

From the symptoms you describe and the way you describe it seems like simple anxiety. Try to get out of your head, spend less time thinking and more time just being.


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