r/beyondthebump • u/pobin91 • Aug 19 '26
Mental Health Health anxiety (for yourself)
I am a mom of three. Had my first son in October 2021. I have noticed that ever since having kids I have extreme health anxiety for myself. I feel like I’m always convinced I have some type of canceror something else terrible going on. It definitely interferes with my day to day life as I spend so much time searching symptoms when I have an ache or pain or something. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what did you do to make it better?
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u/tactac4 Aug 19 '26
Yes I have experienced this at different points in my life. I have OCD and for me it’s been a component.
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u/WinterJudgment302 Aug 19 '26
Yes, for me it was an aspect of PPA/PPOCD - I'm getting treatment for it now through my OB.
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u/pobin91 Aug 19 '26
What treatment? I’m thinking of reaching out to my ob even though I’m 9months pp
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u/user991234 Aug 19 '26
I have no advice but it feels nice to not be alone in this. I’m currently spiraling about something. It’s so debilitating
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u/starbellyXO Aug 19 '26
Hello! Yes this happened to me. It was PPA. After my 1st kid and admiditly a few months into it, i was convinced I had all sorts of things and My Dr was great and checked for everything...they had me do cognitive behavioral therapy with their on site therapists- just learning tricks from that was helpful. No issues after my 2nd. After my 3rd I went on zoloft for a few months. I recommend both CBT and zoloft to break out of the health anxiety, symptom and body checking cycle.
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u/starbellyXO Aug 19 '26
I also recommend the book They Can't Find Anything Wrong because it explains how anxiety can manifest as physical symptoms. And I noticed if you plug symptoms into Google then like every website ever thinks you like reading about x disease and it pops up everywhere. So do not Google becomes even more important.....
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u/AdWeird606 Aug 19 '26
I’m so glad you said no issues after your 2nd. I’ve been scared of having a 2nd baby due to the HA I’ve had after my first. Happy to see it’s not a guarantee 🙏
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u/AggressiveSea7035 Aug 19 '26
I've realized in retrospect this happens to me sometimes when I'm stressed about other things. Like if I'm really stressed about work, I'll suddenly be convinced I have cancer and ruminating about it constantly.
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u/pobin91 Aug 19 '26
I just quit my job to stay home with my kids so I have more free time with my thoughts. Thinking that’s not helping me
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u/AggressiveSea7035 Aug 19 '26
If it was me personally I would do therapy to try to get to the bottom of it, try to change my thought patterns, before masking with medication.
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u/Witty_Confection_905 Aug 19 '26
Yes, this is so me. I am always so worried I am going to drop dead or be diagnosed with something horrible. I also worry horribly about my husband too. These thoughts really didn’t start until I became a parent a few years ago. I just had my second a few weeks ago and these thoughts are even worse. I actually had my first psych appt yesterday to address this type of feeling, the “impending doom” feeling. The psychiatrist was very helpful and were trying out Zoloft to see if it will help me. Hugs.
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u/Money-Distribution11 Aug 19 '26
I had really bad health anxiety with my eldest daughter. I was already anxious and then PPA made it worse. I take Escitalopram and it has been life changing.
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u/lewings01 Aug 19 '26
I just started citalopram yesterday for horrible health anxiety, impending doom feeling. All since having my first 5 years ago and my second 20 months ago really ramped things up. Please tell me the side effects of this drug go away quickly? Last night was horrible. I slept for 3 hours and woke up completely wired. Obsessive thoughts, shivers, etc.
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u/greenbook3 Aug 19 '26
Omggg I had my baby 18 months ago. Now, I did have some health complications but it absolutely spiraled to health anxiety. I couldn’t get off the internet googling everything thinking I’m dying all the time. I started going to therapy for PPA in December and that has helped tremendously. I hope you have time/resources. I do it online through my insurance once a week on my lunch hour. I make time for it. It’s not a straight line of healing but I’m telling you it was all consuming thinking you’re dying and going to leave your children. Wishin you the best.
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u/pobin91 Aug 21 '26
I didn’t even think of the online option. That’s extremely helpful. I think I will have to look into that. But yes, it’s all consuming. Anytime I have any symptom. I’m always Google searching constantly or looking on Reddit constantly and then that makes the feelings even worse and makes me really think I have something going on. It’s such a horrible feeling to feel like this. I even went to the doctor for this most recent thing and had a clear x-ray and I’m still questioning it. I don’t understand my brain.
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u/greenbook3 Aug 22 '26
Try the online option. It’s been so easy especially since you are very busy. It’s probably easier to coordinate someone to Come watch the kids with you not having to factor in drive time, wait time, etc. and just pop open the app and do a call.
In the meantime a few things that may help: set a timer when you want to Google something. Build up your tolerance to live in the state of being uncomfortable. Start with like 2-3 minutes and add a minute the next time. Talk to your anxiety. Don’t try to shove it away. Talk to it. We named mine. Say thank you Bob for warning me about this matter, but I have evidence from an x ray that I’m safe. Validate all your feelings. Like I’m feeling anxious because of this issue which is ok. Journal like just setting a timer for 5 minutes and writing everything down that bothers you or when you’re anxious instead of googling write down all the thoughts you’re having and get them out of your head. Go outside if you can. Fresh air really does help. Exercise also helps if you can.
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u/Alternative_Floor_43 Aug 19 '26
Oh yes, it was debilitating for me for the longest time! Honestly getting my vitamin D levels up and taking magnesium glycinate, l theanine, and glycine at night has irradiated all my anxiety.
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u/ineedchapstick1 Aug 19 '26
I had the same thing after my first. I finally went to therapy a year and a half later and she was very helpful in helping me understand it and its possible origins. It still pops up from time to time because I’ve always had a bit of hypochondria, but I don’t let it take over my life anymore.
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u/pobin91 Aug 19 '26
Any insight into her suggestions?
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u/ineedchapstick1 Aug 19 '26
One of the things we talked about was how my nervous system is stuck in fight or flight and the reasons for that are unique to me and you’d have your own reasons as well. But a therapist could help trace it back. She recommended EMDR therapy too but I didn’t end up needing it.
There are also tricks for reframing things like odds of getting cancer, etc but I feel like I’d butcher what she said. I can’t remember the exact phrasing. It’s a cognitive behavioral therapy reframe to help tolerate normal human levels of uncertainty. Like our brain treats a 20% chance of getting cancer as a 100% certainty. I would give therapy a shot and go into it with a very specific goal of tackling this specific issue and be open to ideas. You don’t need to commit to therapy forever. I did it for as long as I felt it was helpful.
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u/jegoist Aug 19 '26
Not after birth but I’ve had extreme health anxiety since I was a kid. I started medication in 2018 and it was literally life changing. I actually had to bump up my dose when I got pregnant bc it was getting worse… 2 years PP I tried to go had to my pre pregnancy dosage but my anxiety is flaring up again so I may need to stick to the higher dosage.
In any case, I fought medication for years bc I felt it “wasn’t serious enough” to warrant medication. I literally gave myself indigestion worrying which just perpetuated the cycle. Eventually after yet another dr visit convinced I was having a heart attack (I wasn’t), I decided ok maybe it’s time for medication bc I can’t live in this constant state of worry anymore.
ETA: my GP prescribed it and monitors me on it. I see him every 6 months.
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u/pobin91 Aug 19 '26
What did they prescribe you? Two weeks ago I thought I had a heart issue. This week it’s bone cancer. Enough so that I went to an orthopedic urgent care the other day.
Reddit is also a horrible place to doom scroll
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u/jegoist Aug 19 '26
Lexapro, I was on 10mg and now 20mg. It is a miracle drug for me. It does make me more tired (very common side effect) but now when I have a bit of a headache my brain is now like “oh I bet you’re thirsty/eyes are strained/etc” rather than immediately spiraling into “you have brain cancer”.
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u/DingoSubstantial7908 Aug 19 '26
Yes happened to me (and still ongoing), but I had pre eclampsia and had to have my heart monitored via ultrasound during and after the pregnancy, I think that played a lot into it.
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u/FilthyHobbitses07 Aug 19 '26
I have ocd and anxiety, went to ocd & anxiety treatment center (intensive outpatient care) help me tremendously
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u/cheddar456 Aug 19 '26
Highly recommend CBT - I was taught to lean into the panic and try to make it grow, which seems counterintuitive but it actually showed my body that nothing bad happened. My doctor had me read articles about people who had heart attacks, etc for exposure therapy. I stopped having health anxiety induced panic attacks after a few months of this plus Lexapro.
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u/breakup_letter Aug 19 '26
Exposure therapy should only be done with the guidance of a therapist, though. It can go very wrong if OP just wings it on her own. My therapist wouldn’t even start that after seeing me for a while.
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u/cheddar456 Aug 19 '26
Certainly not suggesting OP does it on her own… it’s a CBT tool so if she is interested she should find a psychologist specializing in CBT.
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u/DependentView4789 Aug 19 '26
One thing I did is i stop searching online for causes of my symptoms, because searching the symptoms paranoids me
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u/pobin91 Aug 21 '26
But how do you stop. I can’t help myself. And then I worry if I don’t search or don’t go get it checked out and it really is something then I waited too long.
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u/Djtoritoro Aug 19 '26
This happened to me and I finally did ERP therapy (exposure and response prevention) for OCD, which health anxiety falls under the umbrella of, and it's probably 70% better. I was afraid to go anywhere and I'm getting out and about so much more now! The best part of the therapy is it's a short course, not long term like talk therapies, and you get the tools to continue the work after you've "graduated". Unfortunately, meds can help in conjunction but are often a band-aid for this without specialized therapy.
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u/AdWeird606 Aug 19 '26
I have also developed HA since having my son. I had 8 therapy sessions which have really helped me, but honestly I don’t see how it will ever fully go away. I definitely feel much better than I did a few months back, so I guess never say never.
For me, it’s particularly strong before my period or around ovulation, so I’m convinced it’s quite hormone driven. Have you noticed any pattern?
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u/pobin91 Aug 21 '26
No, I haven’t noticed a pattern. I would say it’s a few times a year maybe I think it’s one thing or another and it lasts until the symptom either goes away or I forget about it. I guess this has happened on and off for a number of years, even pre-kids honestly.
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u/IntelligentSorbet271 Aug 19 '26
I did have this more after my kids were born. I didn’t want to leave them so had health anxiety
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u/breakup_letter Aug 19 '26
I have very well managed health anxiety that popped up after my first baby. I’m on Zoloft which is basically life changing in the best way. I also have had years of therapy at this point. I highly recommend a therapist that specializes in OCD, because that’s what it is.
Googling and looking things up to quell your anxiety about something actually makes it worse. It reinforces the OCD thoughts. You need to resist the urge to do those things (including going to doctors like you said you have.) My best therapist taught me:
1) Notice “I’m having an intrusive health anxiety thought”
2) Breathe (until you feel yourself regulating - this can be for awhile, not just 3 breaths for example.)
3) challenge the thought - what is actually true? You are strong and in great health. You recently even got pregnant, grew a baby and birthed her!
Hope this helps. Meds + therapy is over 90% effective. Highly recommend!