For the past few weeks or maybe about a month, my hypochondria has been out of control. That combined with my OCD is making me a nervous wreck about anything health-related. Having two surgeries recently has made me worry more about my health, I'm constantly afraid that I'm going to contract some kind of infection related to my surgeries. Right now I have a viral respiratory infection and I'm freaking out that it's going to turn into something worse.
This is an OCD ritual but it ties into the hypochondria- I spend about a half hour every morning checking myself in the mirror. I make sure that every part of my body looks exactly the same as it did before, that nothing looks weird, and then once I've stopped I end up checking again the next time I use the bathroom. It's infuriating. It's also infuriating that I can't touch toilets, door handles, TV remotes, house telephones, payphones, condiments in restaurants, etc. without freaking out. I take hour-long showers. I'm completely paranoid. The OCD exaggerates everything that's already wrong because of the hypochondria.
The stupidest and worst thing I do is look up symptoms on Google. I know very well that "Dr. Google" is the biggest quack in medical history but I can't help it. I have a symptom, I look it up, and I panic that I'm coming down with something incurable. I've been out of control lately, this crap needs to stop.
It's even gotten to the point where my doctor will tell me I definitely, completely, 100% DO NOT have some illness and I still convince myself somehow that I have it. I feel like I'm going crazy here.
Has anyone else felt like this before?
Does anyone else have the hypochondria/OCD combo and if so were you able to find treatment for it ever??
Please help, I feel so paranoid...
Keddy