Hypochondria (could trigger)

Hi everyone, I'm new to the boards. I want to begin by writing out my most recent fears, anxieties, etc because maybe it will help me.

Fellow hypochondriacs, it's probably best not to read my post because I know how it is....I don't want to cause new issues to obsess over.. some things I write may trigger some of that.

I deal with terrible anxiety, OCD and hypochondria. Some of my hypochondria has developed from others being sick/dying around me, or it just seems to come out of nowhere. If I hear of an illness from a friend, the TV, magazine article, etc, that's it, I have that illness. I try my best to stay away from web sites that list symptoms because I just freak myself out.

One of my latest obsessions was melanoma. It started by my friend being diagnosed with it and they didn't know if it had spread to other areas of her body (there was a chance it had, but to make a long story short, it didn't and they got it all). I thought it was a good idea to get my skin checked, so I did. My doctor wanted to remove two areas on my skin for biopsy. Well that did it for me. I was unbelievably paranoid that I was dying of melanoma, it had spread throughout my body! Simple skin biopsies had me unable to think about anything else. I wasted an entire week freaking out, panicking about this, unable to function only to find out that everything came back fine. An entire week...

Then my thoughts started with other forms of cancer (bone, ovarian, lymph). I had on and off pain in my left hip and I was sure it was bone cancer. That fear subsided when I talked to my mom who said she, her sisters and everyone else in the family has left hip pain, it's seems to be hereditary. My mind has been eased over that one and I barely notice it anymore.

Then I watched this show on flesh-eating disease the other night, now I'm sure I'm going to get it somehow. Had a friend who died of meningitis, now every headache is meningitis in my mind. My father almost died of a aneurysm, now I'm sure that's my fate as well.
Saw a flyer informing the public about rabies, now I'm positive I've contracted it. I had two bats flying around in a room I was sleeping in 5-6 years ago (didn't know I should have maybe got a vaccine) and have since developed a severe bat phobia. I thought there might have been one in the room I was sleeping in about a week ago (different house). I woke up suddenly thinking I MAY have heard one..they make very tiny squeeking noises, I think it's their "radar" or something.
I never did actually see one...it was dark though. Also, I was too petrified to look any further and I didn't find one later on or anything. I'm not sure if my mind was playing tricks on me because of my severe phobia. Did I come into contact with one and not know it and now I'm sick? I think it was my imagination, but what if it wasn't? My husband doesn't think there was one, he thought if there was he would have seen/heard it at some point and our dog would have been trying to chase it. I don't want to go to a doctor over things that were just in my imagination. I also worry that I'm infected and have passed it to him via sharing drinks, kissing, etc.
What about the 5-6 year ago incident? I've read that it can stay in your system 7 years. Should I see a doctor?
I hate being this way!

Then there's hiv. I have no risk factors for hiv, hardly any "history", but I'm sure I have it.

What's interesting is that I did a search on these forums and cancer, hiv and rabies fears seem to be brought up way more than once. . Is it just an hypochondria/OCD "thing"?

I'm so tired of living this way.
How the heck to I get over this? I've tried meds, I'm doing counselling, I can't put up with this much longer.
Thanks for taking the time to read this far.
Sorry this is so long!

Sorry I don't know what to say right now. Just, I know exactly how you are feeling, I share some of your concerns and it's awful. I would tell you that it's going to be okay but within a few minutes you would probably start worrying again. Sorry. I am thinking of you. xxx