I used to check WebMD for my symptoms and stay up late worrying if something wrong with me…

[rosie4]

Now, I do the equivalent for my pup. It’s 2 in the morning here and I am convincing myself with watching videos and reading articles that the few things my pup did today or yesterday or last week means he has either x, y, or z.

Ugh, I wish I could just stop and go to sleep but I just worry, you know? Any other over thinkers/worriers out there? I know I am being irrational just as I was with WebMD (a common cold symptoms = death on there), but I just can’t help it! Why do I do this to myself?

 

[reyduhad]

@rosie4 Today my pup was a bit more tired than usual after a big day and I spiraled thinking she’d die in her sleep. Called the emergency vet last night because her poop was a bit soft. Google outrageous thing that could happen.

I feel this so hard. When does this constant worrying stop?

 

[hjt]

@rosie4 Yep, I have anxiety and intrusive thoughts. What helps me is to ration wether it needs to be dealt with right now or its less urgent

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@rosie4 When my puppy was 10-11 weeks old, during his first time with us, he had a cough. I somehow convinced myself that he had distemper, and spent my evenings googling every little symptom and watching his every move to understand if the disease was progressing and he was about to die. Then, the vet prescribed an antibiotic and cough disappear. Guess I was worrying for nothing!

 

[chr1]

@rosie4 I have a philosophy that i force myself to stick to. It is "Never google a symptom" Not for me, not for my doggo.

If something is worrying me to the point of wanting to google a symptom then i take that as the sign that I need to go see a doctor. In the case of my dog, i'll either bring my dog to the vet or call them and describe the symptom and ask if I should bring him in.

I can't emphasis how much better my life is now that I stick to this philosophy. Your mileage may vary though. I now live in a country with free health care and have a friendly local vet who doesn't mind me calling him to ask questions. I definitely couldn't do this when I was younger and couldn't afford to go to the doctor.

 

[ambi]

@rosie4 I used to suffer with health anxiety really badly to the point it was massively affecting my life. When I got a pup I agreed with my partner that if I ever had any concerns I’d just call the vet. That’s the thing with vets, you can call them for free and ask them whether they think it’s worth a visit or not - so far I’ve had no episodes of obsessively googling and the vet has been really helpful!

 

[danielle1993]

@rosie4 I’m like this a lot. My most recent I just posted about on here. Convincing myself I have traumatized my dog from moving. It’s gotten to the point the vet has been like “sometimes you just have to step back and watch them less bc they could be picking up on your anxiety” I wish I could stop it’s really actually a major health concern for me at this point too.