Health Anxiety

[NovoJester]

Please hit me with your best health anxiety tips or tricks? I’m having the worst time with it and unfortunately probably going through an actual MS relapse at the same time.

I think I’ve driven my mental health team crazy today. This morning started with a phone call to say I needed an urgent brain scan and to get myself to the eye hospital so I’m currently sitting in a and e there checking that I can still see every two minutes.

The checking is hell on Earth! I like the idea of setting a time to check and waiting till then but I think I’m too stressed to implement it right now...

how are you today? @NovoJester ?

@DragonMamma I am actually a bit calmer today. My sepsis/NF fears have definitely subsided as the fevers have gone down. I ended up throwing out the thermometer...

I’m checking less too.

How are you doing?

That’s good! I’m also a bit calmer today. I’ve been allocated a counsellor through a work scheme so I’ll be seeing them in 2 weeks time. I feel better being proactive about it - I’m a bit of a ‘doer’ so being passive in dealing with it really hasn’t helped either.

I’m just going to try and avoid thinking about everything for now by keep myself silly busy!

I’m a bury my head type which clearly is doing more damage :/
I’ve booked a gp appointment for Friday. Been having weird tummy pains, and I’m convinced it’s something awful. I have back/ chest/ limb pains v often which gp has said is nothing serious (??) but when combined with abdominal pains in a google search is truly terrifying. I’m a mess. It’s made me a bit snappy at the kids too :(
I don’t know which symptoms are anxiety and which if any are linked to the tummy problem.

Hi everyone, how are you all doing? My health anxiety has really really flared in the last few days- I’ve been obsessively checking my body. A couple of nights ago, I was online symptom searching until about 2am and I ended up crying myself to sleep really don’t know where to turn or who I can talk to

Sorry to hear that :( Googling symptoms is just the worst it has never reassured me it just sends me down a rabbit hole until I’m convinced there’s something definitely wrong.
Have you seen a gp? I’ve not actually mentioned the health anxiety. I keep skirting round the issue. Easier said than done though. I went to gp on Friday and felt a bit fobbed off but have blood tests booked. I feel v worried about that :/

@Spoonsmum I’ve not seen a GP but I’m hoping to book an appointment soon. They know I have health anxiety but I don’t think they take it seriously

@Spoonsmum also hope your blood test goes well!! If it does, will it reassure you or will you still worry about the symptoms you’ve been having? I know every time I’ve had tests done and they’ve come back clear, I still worry

Last time I had some blood tests they were clear and it was an immediate relief. I literally cried I was so nervous about them. But after the initial relief I convinced myself they weren’t fine. Like maybe they’d given me the wrong results or hadn’t picked something up. So it didn’t last long.
I think some doctors would take anxiety seriously. The one I saw this week was a bit unapproachable (in my opinion) and I didn’t feel comfortable really opening up. I was considering asking the receptionists if there’s a doctor who is ‘good’ (I know not the right word) with mental health issues. Or one who may be easier to talk to. Although I’m worried that’s gonna make me sound rude

but after the initial relief I convinced myself they weren’t fine. Like maybe they’d given me the wrong results or hadn’t picked something up. So it didn’t last long
I am exactly the same! I always make some excuse as to why good news must be wrong!
Also I really don’t think it’s rude to ask for a doctor who is good with MH. At my surgery, on their website they list doctors and list their areas of special interest so it might be worth having a look on yours to see if they do a similar thing? But if not, don’t worry about asking to see a specific doctor