Do you worry about your health?

I used to be fit and healthy and it never crossed my mind that I could or would become ill. Then I did. I wasnt expecting it and just thought I was tired after having a hysterectomy. I can understand where MaggieT is coming from. Any little thing now I get fearful and can sometimes get myself quite anxious. I have regular blood tests and check the results thoroughly and thankfully so far I am stable. It is horrible what your mind can do and I quite often have to give myself a good talking to.

Whatever you think you might do with an awful diagnosis might not be the reality.

I must say over the years I haven’t spent a lot of time worrying about the chance of getting seriously although I always thought it odd that some people said why me when it happened.

Anyway a couple of years ago I got diagnosed with an extremely rare, aggressive cancer. From me being told through a million tests, pre op checks, long intricate surgery and follow ups I have been treated as well as I would had I been the Queen. My treatment and care from the N.H.S. has been superb, so much so that if and obviously I hope that I won’t get a recurrence I know I will get the very best available. Being so ill has been reassuring for me and we are so very lucky to have this wonderful service available to us all.

I agree...as you get older you can’t live in fear, although I do take care of my health because, if nothing else, it impacts my mental wellness. At 78 I’m feeling good, but It’s a work in progress. Yoga, gym, tennis and heavy labour in my vegetable garden - all are part of my ‘keep moving’ regime. Apart from the HRT patch I am not taking any other medication.

But - for peace of mind as the years go by I make sure I have an annual physical with my doctor which includes getting my bloodwork checked. Other ‘preventative’ check ups include twice yearly dental cleanings, annual skin scan with the dermatologist and a bi-annual mammogram. I am also very thankful - and grateful - that my body has hung in there and kept me healthy and active for all these years.

Try CBT. It works wonders for some people. I once knew someone like you, every mark, every blemish she’d be on the phone to another mutual friend crying and wondering if she had cancer. Well she did get cancer and she coped very well with it and the last time I saw her she looked fine. I hadn’t seen her since our sons left school and that was a very long time ago but I know through the grapevine that she’s fine.

Worrying is such a waste of time but I also know that some people need help so please try CBT. I try not to worry. Best of luck.

My mother in law worried constantly, about her health, her husband’s health, mainly though about not having anything to worry about!!! She nearly drove us mad. She died last month at 100. She was always miserable and for the last few years kept telling me how awful it is to get old. I found this really offensive as I was diagnosed with incurable cancer at the age of 60 and would like the opportunity to get a little bit older.

I had a health scare earlier this year with what turned out to be benign ovarian cyst.

While I didn't know whether it was cancer, I re-read my will, wrote a letter to my husband and to my son with some practical information.

It isn't pleasant facing the fact that we all have to die sometime, but for me knowning that I have done what I can to ensure that my passing doesn't leave my family with a lot of practical problems helps.

I suggest you find out whether you are as you think reasonably fit and healthy. Surely if you are forever going to the doctor you know that you are healthy?

Live your life NOW. There is no point in worrying about what might happen in the future.

I know that for a worrier it isn't easy to stop worrying, but do try.

Avoid people who always talk about their own or some relative's serious illness.

Take up a hobby with people who don't worry about their health.

You can train yourself not to worry, it is a long process, but it can be done.

I’m 67 and a type 2 diabetic and a retired nurse . I’ve always been the opposite of anxious. I don’t really worry about anything. I definitely don’t worry about my health . I chose to believe that none of these things will happen to me and never think about them ?

I’ve lived with chronic progressive illness for a very long time. You can’t live in fear, enjoy what you have while you can.

63 seems young to me. When I was 63 my husband died. After twelve years living abroad during I had only once visited a doctor I had to return to U.K. and redecorate the bungalow which had been rented out. I had a busy life travelling home and abroad rarely visiting the doctor until I was eighty when I was successfully operated on for bowel cancel but suffering from severe arthritis in my knees. I carried on travelling, decorating, gardening until I was 86 when I had to give up because of the arthritis in my knees,
Three years ago I was successfully treated for anal cancer and had to have help with housework and gardening. In spite of severe pain and mobility problems I still manage to cook and do small tasks. Apart from pain killers I only have tablets for blood pressure.

You need something to think about other than yourself. I have just bought a greenhouse and am planning the next few years of growing, not just for me but for my local hospice.

I don't like getting old, but i never thought about it much until i developed problems with my spine and my mobility. Now everyday is racked with pain in my fingers, toes, one leg and my lower back. When i think about how active i was and what i am reduced to now it could very definitly make me depressed. But i try not to let it get the better of me and remain as cheerful and positive a i can. There are days when i worry about what i might be like in the future if i am like this now at 68. If i am lucky enough to live another 20 years will i end up in care or will i be confined to the house. I have some good friends and family so i tend to be thankful for that. But i will never want to be a burden to them

Hmm1 Yes, to an extent I worry. I have breathing problems, while i can do everyday things, walking uphill is tricky (we're in a hilly part of town). I do know if I get Covid it could be curtains, but I'm not ready. I am trying to find out how I can improve my breathing naturally but have to know first what damage has been done to my lungs.

Just look at the number of older people you know who have coped with illness/cancer/operations etc. It's a fact of life that we are going to deteriorate as we age, but it's also a fact that we just have to manage it and we have a health service which will usually help. . At 76, the worst thing that happened to me was a stillbirth in my 30s, since when I've survived cancer in my 70s.
However, if it is really blighting your life I think that you should explore the possibility of a course of Talking Therapy which, I think, all health authorities offer.

Calendargirl - I’ve got my fingers crossed that a new GP surgery will identify the obsession about her health and treat the cause, not just throw different medication and hospital appointments her way.

I don't think about my own health at least very rarely. I have enough to be concerned with health issues of my AC and DH. DD died last year with breast cancer. Found out then that the type was linked to prostate cancer which my husband was diagnosed with in 2006. Two sons, a GS and GD to be concerned about on that illness. Also DH had bowel cancer (his mother died of this) so again concern for AC on that. Worry about myself, haven't got the mental or emotional space.

I don’t particularly worry about my day to day health but having nursed both my parents and watched their decline and passing two years ago I find it hard not to be a bit afraid of the future. It is getting better but I do understand how this sort of low lying anxiety can impinge on you. For me, talking and a small dose of a serotonin uptake medication have been great but obviously that is me, and I certainly have no authority to be telling anyone else what to do! It is a terrible and lonely feeling to be worrying all the time, especially with the world the way it is at the moment and you have my sympathy. I really urge you to talk to your doctor and see if they can help or find you someone who can. Life is too precious to waste worrying! Best of Luck ??

I'm the same as Maggiemaybe really. I haven't visited a GP for 3 years come November after I'd had a TIA ( unbeknown to myself ) I literally " got on with it ".

If you have reached this age without a serious illness, consider yourself very fortunate. Rather than worry about what might be, consider what you want the rest of your life to be like, and go for it. I am your age and have had cancer four times, still here, but wasted a lot of time worrying. What will be, will be. Stay positive and stop worrying, it isn't good for you!!

Kate me too! If there’s something medical on TV or papers I try to avoid it otherwise I’m sure I’ll recognise some symptoms or I’ll remember them for next time!

Years ago, I was given the advice 'don't worry about what you can't influence' and that has stayed with me. I agree with others on here who say you will be surprised at how strong you can be if the worse happens.

Hetty58 - sounds as if we know the same person!! I do try and ignore lots of my friend’s complaints - she’s taking pictures now of a bruise on her arm where she had a ‘flu jab! It’s the boy who cried wolf syndrome.

However, at the bottom of it there must be something in her past that’s caused this hypochondria? It’s more mental than physical, so as a friend I need to be supportive without overindulgence. Her XH believed it was being the youngest of 4 and a bit ignored, but it’s gone on since I’ve known her (30years) and getting worse. Apparently her older sister’s the same, but thankfully isn’t local. Obviously with lockdown here, she’s not ‘seeing’ any medics, but phones her GP every week to ‘keep him in her loop’.

Newatthis
That's my belief. When that finger of fate points at you, you can't avoid it.

Maggie, I pay for a health check with Blue Crest every 2nd year. they flag up health issues as green for none, yellow perhaps and red for talk to the GP. I get the red ones checked out. As a result have agreed to have blood pressure pills and am using diet for cholesterol lowering.

www.bluecrestwellness.com/

It is absolutely natural to want to keep as healthy as possible and not to overlook symptoms. But I think it helps to have a trained person/group deliver a report and to work from there rather than try to match odd changes in oneself to something discovered on google.

All the best.

I spend so much time worrying about everyone else’s health that I don’t have time to worry about mine! I tend to go with my instincts as to what in my own health needs worrying about and what doesn’t. I try and keep fit but am losing a battle with dodgy joints, and as for blemishes on my skin, I think I have cornered the market! I get covid anxiety from time to time but try not to be consumed by it. I get out in the fresh air as much as I can and let the old endorphins kick in.

I agree, Marydoll. Being miserable seems to drag people down. I know a great-Gran who is 94, and has various painful conditions. I have never seen her without a beaming smile on her face, which means she is never short of company, which helps her to cope with life!