I think I have somatic OCD or obsession and it's hard to explain

[tgl12001]

Hi everyone!

So I am a hypochondriac. I'm known to feel something and I would blow it out of proportion and think that it's something more serious. I go online, look things up and BAM! I think it's something serious. Case in point—I had a huge obsession over my head. I had headaches (like a normal person) but I began to notice that it was only on the left side of my head. Of course, I consulted with WedMD and the first thing I saw was "brain tumor." I panicked and called my dad, who's a doctor. He's convinced I was fine..but I was not convinced. So I rushed to see a neurologist who specialized in tumors. He said I was okay and that the headaches were stress-induced. I was apparently stressing over my health too much. He didn't let me get an MRI since I had just gotten a full body scan and it showed up fine.

Fast forward to more recent times. I began to have an obsession over HIV. I noticed that I was sickly and I'm aware that I had a promiscuous streak. So tested and it came out fine. Unconvinced, I had myself tested  over and over and over again (3 month, 4 month, 5 months etc. since risk event). Of course, negative. I'm now pretty much celibate because i'm genuinely terrified of catching anything.

Now, I think I've developed an obsession with my mouth. It all started when I had an aphthous ulcer. I FREAKED OUT. So I had my dad look at them and he said they're fine and that it could be an effect of my weakened immune system (had an eating disorder, was emaciated). I've been recovering rapidly from the eating disorder. But now, I'm still obsessed with my mouth. Any bump or sensation I feel, I run to the bathroom to look and 98% of the time, there's nothing there. Also, I'm known to grind my teeth at night or when I'm at work.

Is anybody else here facing health anxiety? What solutions do you suggest? They say that seeing a doctor will help. Well, my dad is a doctor. My mother is a nurse who was a dentist (double whammy with my oral concerns). And my aunt who lives with us, is also a nurse. So I have access to three trusted resources. But i still cannot seem to settle my mind at peace.

[sparky43]

It sounds to me that you have OCD.   You are switching from one specific fear to another, but they are all health related fears.  You are getting reassurance from your family, but reassurance only goes so far before your brain picks up on something else to feed your OCD.    You feel anxiety, someone tells you that you are fine, you feel ok for a while and then something else pops up.   OCD never really goes away - you just get better at dealing with outbreaks.

I would recommend seeing a doctor - someone you are not related to who can give you an absolutely objective diagnosis.   Doctors should not treat themselves or family members because it is difficult to be objective.   Also, you should see a psychiatrist or psychologist who specializes in treating OCD.

Also, stay off the internet.  If you look long enough, you will convince yourself that you have some disease because you have a similar symptom.

Work on getting your OCD under control and you will be able to put all this behind you and get on with your life.

[123tushar07]

you need to consult a psychiatrist for help not a regular physician,consistently checking things , testing and very high anxiety are showing signs of a problem you have in your brain not in your body.
So you need to consult a psychiatrist.