In reply to therising:
Yes I think finding the right doctor is definitely something I need to try and do next. At my local GP there are about a dozen doctors I can choose from, and I've tried to see all of them at least once to see if any of them click with me. Out of all of them, only one of them actually asked how I was doing and how my life was going, that was nice, it seemed like he actually cared about me and my concerns. All the rest were all professional and just wanted me in and out as quick as possible, but I don't blame them really. I think I need to start seeing just that one doctor and build a proper doctor-patient relationship with them so I can be more open with them in the future, and so they can get to know me better. It's just that I have that thought in the back of my mind that I'm a burden to them, so I try to divide the work amongst all the doctors instead of going to just one of them with all of my problems. I think I'll book an appointment with the doctor I like and this time be open with them about my concerns, that's much easier said than done, though.
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In reply to romantic_thi3f
A few years back is when I had my first run in with health anxiety. Before that point I hadn't really ever cared about my health all that much, I guess because I was young and because it was my parent's responsibility to bring me to the doctors whenever I seemed sick, but as soon as I became independent and the responsibility became my own, I started worrying about my health a lot.
It all started pretty much the exact same way all those years ago; I felt an unusual bump that I had never felt before which ended up being nothing, but from that point forward I kept imagining that I had pretty much anything and everything under the sun. Every single day I'd convince myself that I had some new problem with me, ranging from a lump in the throat feeling, trouble breathing, aches and pains anywhere and everywhere, what felt like issues with my eye(s), seemingly random muscle spasms, and the list goes on and on... seriously, in around a year I had gone to the doctors maybe 50+ times, and out of all the tests I got done pretty much 99% of the came back negative (one came back positive but for a minor issue).
This time around I can definitely manage my anxiety a lot better, I'm not in a constant state of panic or anything like I was a few years back, but it's still an issue.
Thanks for the bulk email advice and those resources, that's very helpful.
Ty both.