Hi, haven't even namechanged for this, but need to seriously get a grip:
Have suffered on and off, all my life from some sort of health anxiety, always fixed on one thing. For a number of years when I was a child, I was convinced I was going to die "at the end of the week"
By the time I was a teenager, I had a period where I was convinced my teeth were going to fall out (!), then it was some sort of kidney thing, a couple of years ago I was convinced I was going to die of a heart attack and leave my kids without their mum. I had palpitations and chest pains. Obviously went to the doctor and got the all clear, he gave me a leaflet on health anxiety, (he was actually brilliant and sympathetic) and funnily enough the very day he actually said straight to me "look, you're not about to drop dead" my pains and palpitations disappeared!
So now it's a general there must be something wrong, I keep getting headaches, am convinced my blood pressure it way too high, ( I stupidly bought one of those machines but of course get really anxious before I use it) I do need to lose a couple of stone, but don't drink much or smoke.
Anyway, cut to today, got a letter from the doctors a few weeks ago inviting me (not just me, anyone over 40) for a healthcheck. Went last week to give blood, and go back in just over an hour for a BP check. blood test results (cholesterol and kidney function I think) and am now shitting myself (literally - sorry!) about it.
I'm here worrying that i'm going to be referred to someone because they're bound to find something wrong, I've got images of them calling an ambulance 
and allsorts. Head is pounding, and yet part of me is saying
"get a fucking grip girl, if there's a problem they'll sort it and think about people like Trazzle who go to get results today for something properly serious" 
Any words of advice? Hand holding? Sharp slaps across face??
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Mental health
Health anxiety - healthcheck today and need to get a grip
AFingerofFudge · 26/04/2013 10:55
Thanks Lonelybunny - just looked at the thread, and I can identify with so much that others have said....
Anyway, the healthcheck was pretty difficult in that I was hyperventilating by the time I got in there. Our GP practice is pretty good including the receptionists 
however I happened to get the new nurse who looked about 16 and clearly didn't know how to deal with an over anxious person.
Warned her my BP would be really high as I was so anxious....and it was!! She just looked shocked and said "oh I don't think I ought to put that down 
and so (on the advice of another nurse) gave me a machine to test my own BP at home and record the details for a week.
Thankfully it has been lower than the one in the surgery so far, so am feeling slightly better.
My cholesterol level was normal too (at the top end of normal though) so am feeling ok-ish - for today anyhow!
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