I hate, hate, hate my hypochondria.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

No matter what I do, I just can't shake it. And constant access to the internet doesn't help at all.

I also hate that every little ache and pain is amplified to the nth degree.

Currently, I'm on a esophageal and/or pancreatic cancer kick, with a little bit of stomach cancer mixed in.

All because I have occasional acid reflux/GERD symptoms, which are managed well with Prilosec. That's one condition I know I have and I'm fine with it, but my mind begins to wander.

And I think I might have IBS as well. I went through a 1-2 month spell just about a year ago where I was constantly feeling gassy and bloated. Doctor checked it out, did some blood tests, everything looked fine, and it pretty much went away for about a year before coming back.

It's a sad day though when you are actually rooting to have IBS.

The one good thing about hypochondria is you do get to say you've miraculously been healed of some of the worst diseases known to man. But man, do I hate it.

[RobinA]

1. Hypochondria

was taking over my life until, after several years, my doctor put me on Prozac. It gave me my life back.

(Anti-psych meders, don't bother with the healthy diet and exercise routine.)

[pscot]

2. Maybe you're just imagining

that you're a hypochondriac.

[MicaelS]

3. I feel sorry for you, I really do.

Thinking you have cancer is one the scariest experiences in life. When your doctor tells you that you do not, it is like a reprieve from a sentence of death. I just went through just such a situation. I wanted to kiss my doctor afterwards.

I hope you get better. Best wishes to you and yours, and hopefully, a happier 2014.

[Scuba]

4. I'm just sick about mine.

[Xyzse]

5. Agreed.

WebMD scares the crap out of me.

[mucifer]

7. webmd is made to sell meds not to help people.

If you’re looking for the name of a new pill to “ask your doctor about,” as the ads say, the Mayo Clinic Health Information site is not the place for you. If you’re shopping for a newly branded disorder that might account for your general feeling of unease, Mayo is not for you either. But if you want workaday, can-do health information in a nonprofit environment, plug your symptoms into Mayo’s Symptom Checker. What you’ll get is: No hysteria. No drug peddling. Good medicine. Good ideas.

This is very, very rare on the medical Web, which is dominated by an enormous and powerful site whose name — oh, what the hay, it’s WebMD — has become a panicky byword among laysurfers for “hypochondria time suck.” In more whistle-blowing quarters, WebMD is synonymous with Big Pharma Shilling. A February 2010 investigation into WebMD’s relationship with drug maker Eli Lilly by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa confirmed the suspicions of longtime WebMD users. With the site’s (admitted) connections to pharmaceutical and other companies, WebMD has become permeated with pseudomedicine and subtle misinformation.

Because of the way WebMD frames health information commercially, using the meretricious voice of a pharmaceutical rep, I now recommend that anyone except advertising executives whose job entails monitoring product placement actually block WebMD. It’s not only a waste of time, but it’s also a disorder in and of itself — one that preys on the fear and vulnerability of its users to sell them half-truths and, eventually, pills.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/magazine/06FOB-Medium-t.html?_r=0

[cloudbase]

6. This thread makes

my hair hurt.

[KT2000]

8. It's about anxiety

maybe you could talk to your doctor about anxiety issues. Actually your anxiety issues are reasonable considering all the bad news that is available - it is actually a logical response, just not a healthy one.

You could also adopt a proactive approach and clean up your diet as much as possible - especially for IBS symptoms. Do you eat hot foods like chilis?.

You are in good company though - David Letterman is a famous hypochondriac. If I'm not mistaken, his heart surgery somewhat cured him of that.