Anonymous notyourprofsprof 3w

Thank you for this assurance, it is very helpful. A few things that play into my concern is that it IS pretty much always an overreaction, and medical help here can get real pricy real quick. Urgent care and the emergency room can still take hours to be seen and would generally be a waste of time for something that’s not that big of a deal in reality. Not to mention “research” online generally leads to fear mongering of “you have cancer, you’re dying, call 911 immediately” 🥲

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Anonymous OP 3w

It sounds like what you are seeking is calibration, and you need clear and direct honesty from someone you trust in order to calibrate yourself. You aren’t going to live with them forever, and learning how to judge when to take a concern to a doctor is a critical life skill.

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Anonymous notyourprofsprof 3w

That was while I was home for winter break, but at college I do live by myself. There’s freedom in that as well as some worry about no one being there if I need them. I’m figuring it out, adulting is just a bit terrifying haha

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Anonymous OP 3w

Yeaaaah. Adulting **can be** terrifying, and ND folks are seldom given the tools and knowledge to effectively learn adulting that works for them. But, you can learn to adult, it is not incompatible with joy, and despite the pain of learning “at the school of hard knocks,” you can come out the other side craving responsibility. Some of that work may require working with doctors and therapists, but if you can’t access that now, remember that now is only “for now” and not forever.

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Anonymous OP 3w

You can start the self-work now—there is no penalty for reading ahead. I’m just some rando, not a health professional. But, I do not believe it’s hypochondria to wish to understand your health. Hypochondria is when you stop or fixate at the worst possible scenario, and never consider the others.

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Anonymous notyourprofsprof 3w

I’ve always believed it’s hypochondria, I’ve just never known what to do about it or if there was anything to do. I’ve been able to start therapy but it’s through my uni so very limited by the academic year as I haven’t moved off the waiting list for someone more permanent.

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Anonymous OP 3w

I’m really happy that you have that at your uni and are utilizing it. Well, one thing you could do would be looking at the risk factors and how rare or common overlapping symptoms may be. GI upset, most likely from what you ate, but could easily also be psychosomatic. Ulcers? Unlikely at your age, but not impossible. Stomach torsion? Very unlikely without multiple, severe signs. Now, repeat this exercise with the word hypochondria. 🫡🙂

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