I spent thousands on supplements, medications, scans and appointments (Picture: Natalie Dyson)
It was a normal morning four years ago, in 2022. I was doing my make-up in my bedroom mirror when I saw a mole near the crease of my armpit.
My first instinct was panic. Had it always looked like this? Was it normal?
Immediately, I assumed I had skin cancer and started to catastrophise. I told myself the mole had changed months ago and I had missed it. I was convinced I had cancer and that it had spread.
I called my GP straight away, but was told an appointment could take weeks. My head spinning with ‘what ifs’, I booked an appointment with a private dermatologist for the following day.
It cost £500, but I didn’t care. If it stopped these feelings of intense doom, it was worth it.
Ask Metro
Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications.
I suffered from severe health anxiety for four years up until 2025 – and spent over £6,000 on supplements, medications, scans and appointments to diagnose illnesses I thought I had (and to prevent illnesses I worried I could get).
It’s safe to say the quality of my life really suffered.
It started in September 2021 when I was pregnant with my second child and I developed a pain in the side of my breast. Immediately, I assumed it was cancer – it was just the first thought that came into my mind. I don’t know why.
I suffered from severe health anxiety for four years (Picture: Natalie Dyson)
This fear intensified during my 12-week scan, when the midwife said she saw a shadow in my womb and brought in a colleague in to look at it.
The midwife eventually explained it was a scar on my placenta and nothing to worry about – but it was too late, I was already spiralling. Once again, I thought I had cancer; this time, in my womb.
I spent the rest of my pregnancy getting two scans a week – each costing £60 – to see if the private clinicians could spot the same shadow. I couldn’t even be happy when they told me the baby was healthy; I just wanted to know if they could see any shadows.
It started to take over my life. The shadow was all I could think about and it completely took the joy out of my pregnancy. My partner, friends and family were reassuring; but I hid how many scans I had from them, so they didn’t know how big the problem really was.
When I found another problem, I immediately forgot about the previous one (Picture: Natalie Dyson)
My worries eased after I’d given birth – but that was because, with my health anxiety, I could only focus on one thing at a time. So when I found another problem – such as my mole – I immediately forgot about the previous one.
When the private dermatologist looked at the mole under a microscope and told me it was fine, I left the clinic feeling lighter than air – but soon doubt started to creep back in. What if he’d looked at it wrong? What if he’d misdiagnosed me?
Don’t miss our Money tips! Add us as a Preferred Source
At Metro Money, we’re here to bring you all the latest news and advice on personal finance, cost of living, saving and investing. As part of our vibrant community of highly engaged readers, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories.
Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.
Our Money experts are here to give you the latest tips and insider guides
10 days later I went to my GP. She was clear she agreed with the dermatologist – that it was not cancerous – but because I was so anxious and had rung her about three times, she put me on a two-week cancer waiting list.
I remained convinced I had skin cancer until the NHS checked me over, and when they also said I was fine, I finally felt free of that particular concern.
I used to feel ill because of my stress about getting ill (Picture: Natalie Dyson)
But I couldn’t stop diagnosing myself with every cancer going. I assumed a headache was a brain tumour and I had three appointments at a private clinic, at £60 each. I found a mark on the roof of my mouth and was sure I had mouth cancer, so I paid £110 for a dentist to check. I would spend up to and over £40 a time on as many multivitamins as I could get – I used to Google ‘what would prevent cancer?’, and buy whatever the internet told me about.
Family members were starting to lose sympathy. I would ask for reassurance from my mum, and you could hear in her voice that she was fed up with me. So I would go to a lot of these appointments in secret.
Being so stressed about my health even begun to make me actually ill. I would be run down all the time – and then worry about being run down. It dominated all aspects of my life; it was really isolating, and I became really lonely, unable to even text my friends back because I was feeling anxious so much.
The spiral of doom was unending, especially as I had to pay for things on credit cards and go into my overdraft, which also stressed me out – but I couldn’t stop.
One of the biggest sums of money I parted with collectively was when I was pregnant with my third baby in 2024. I was having scans twice a week from six weeks, at £60 per scan again, to make sure he was OK and still moving. I only stopped at about six months when I could feel him moving.
I was the manager of a dental practice at this point and would sit in front of a computer all the time, so I was able to research and fuel my worries.
I was so unhappy. Normal life was passing me by, I wasn’t present for my children. I was a mess.
I’m so busy with flowers now – having something to focus on has changed my life (Picture: Natalie Dyson)
In January 2025 I started making flower boxes after watching a video on TikTok as a hobby to occupy my mind. I posted them on Facebook and got a good reaction; suddenly, I was making 20 bouquets a day.
In a way, I swapped one obsession with another, but at least it was a much better one. At last, I was doing something other than stressing about my health.
In October 2025, I made the decision to quit my job and start floristry full time. I opened my own shop a few months later and I’ve never looked back.
I still get the occasional flare-up of health anxiety, but I don’t get panic attacks any more. I feel amazing. I’m so busy with flowers and having something to focus on has completely changed my life. I simply don’t have time to stress about my health anymore.
When I look back on those four years, I feel guilt towards the people around me who were trying to support me. What they were saying was right, but I never listened to them.
But I don’t regret the money I spent. Getting those instant reassurances were exactly what I needed at the time and I would have been so much worse without them.
The best thing is that I’ve got a new life and a new focus now. And that’s worth more than anything.
*As told to Charlotte Owen
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing izzie.price@metro.co.uk.
Share your views in the comments below.
Arrow
MORE: I’m an asexual, non-binary, married mum – none of that is contradictory
Arrow
MORE: ‘I helped my mum and sister escape our controlling dad – then he murdered them’
Arrow
MORE: Woman’s tanning bed habit left her with a ‘hole in her face’
Comments
Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google
Add as preferred source
The Slice
Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.