This spring, when every tree in Brooklyn seemed to be shedding pollen all at once, I developed a nagging itchy throat with frequent spasms of coughing that made it difficult to talk or walk. I attributed the problem to allergies even though I’d never had such a reaction before.
But when I got worse instead of better after taking antihistamines and after days of rain had presumably cleansed the air, I began to wonder if I had something more serious — maybe walking pneumonia or possibly even throat cancer from years of drinking hot coffee through a straw.
Though I tried to dismiss such sleep-disrupting thoughts, anxiety about my health loomed until the cough finally abated, then disappeared. But the incident hinted at what it must be like to have chronic health anxiety — a problem long called hypochondriasis, in which people are convinced they have a serious undiagnosed illness despite repeated medical reassurances that they do not.
