I have health anxiety and covid

[3AndADog]

Hi,

I’m double vaccinated and on day 5. I’d been doing really well at avoiding the panic attacks and severe anxiety. But today I just can’t stop googling. I feel mostly better after 3/4 days of feeling dreadful - I had the most awful back pain, headaches and lethargy, started off with a tight chest which didn’t really develop into a cough - but I have this lingering sensation in my chest (almost tightness? Not pain, just an awareness I guess. Verging on breathless but not really that either. Like a heaviness I guess) and I get dizzy when I stand up. And as soon as I feel dizzy I feel panicky. I have been googling long covid relentlessly. It’s ridiculous. But I have 5 more days in isolation and I don’t know how to avoid the anxiety. I thought I was doing so well.

I’m 40, healthy, double vaxxed, so in theory should have very little to worry about. I also have an oxygen meter and it shows 99/100 with pulse 62. Why can’t I stop panicking?!

Any positive stories, similar experiences with covid you can share?

I haven’t had similar but I do have anxiety. What can you do to distract yourself from googling and reduce the anxiety?
Hope you feel much better soon.

I don’t suffer from anxiety normally but I was the same, at the time Tbe vaccines had on,y just begun for the over 80s and I was 54.

As each day got closer to the end of isolation the anxiety eased, I was ok all the way through apart from sense of taste and smell. I took my temp about ten times a day.

Hopefully the anxiety will dissipate soon.

The weird chest sensation is what I had too. I kept thinking I’d be on a ventilator every time I couldn’t catch my breath. It got worse the more I thought about it too and it became a vicious circle. Like a vague sense of suffocation.

It soon went away but funnily enough today two months after Covid I had the exact same sensation start up after a steamy shower. My chest felt very tight and I couldn’t catch my breath so I’m wondering if I have long covid or it was a relapse. The loss of smell and taste completely unnerved me too.

I’m your age and caught covid before vaccines. Had a cough for a week, had a headache for 3 days and felt the odd chest tightness you describe for about 5 days. Never any fever and still able to sort the DC out with food and do some laundry in between some sofa time. Started feeling obviously better at day 5 and completely better by day 7 apart from another 2-3 weeks to get my smell and taste back. That was just over a year ago and I’ve hardly been ill since so no long covid issue.
I know we’re all different but hopefully my account gives you something to compare against and perhaps some reassurance.

I know it must be hard, but stop googling! Stay away from internet if it makes you worry.
Having O2 meter is great, it seems like it's a clear indicator if you are doing good/bad. Sounds like you are doing great.

You are young, and double vaxxed. Your chance of getting seriously ill is very low.

Can you stock up on magazines and books? Anything to keep you off Google. Hope you feel better very soon x

Thank you so much. Yes it does reassure me to hear similar stories.

I’m fully isolating from the whole family which doesn’t help - miss the dc like mad - and not having normal household jobs to get on with doesn’t give me a real idea of how well I am. I have no idea if I’d manage an hour in the kitchen for example. While everyone is at school tomorrow I might try going downstairs and making myself a drink.

Did anyone have disrupted sleep even when they started to feel better? Last night I had awful tinnitus while drifting off to sleep, and kept hearing vague noises that woke me up and I wasn’t sure if I was imagining them or not, and generally just slept really lightly all night. It’s kick started my anxiety again that my sleep will be forever impacted, maybe I was hallucinating, hearing things, going mad. Argh I hate anxiety so much.

That will most likely be your unsettled brain. Try not to google or think of covid stuff just before you go to sleep. Do you have Netflix? Below Deck is guaranteed to give you a brain escape

Sounds like the physical manifestation of anxiety.

Hi OP your oxy Sats are brilliant!
To give you a example I had tightness of chest but my Sats were between 91-94 with covid (pre vaccination)

Things I can recommend which may help is listening to yoga nidra sessions which help your breathing skills anyway but will also relax you. It can also help with insomnia.

Have things like high vitamin soups, turmeric and lots of fluids. It sounds like your doing really well, try Netflix with films to keep you distracted etc.

I’m no stranger to physical anxiety symptoms unfortunately. I had a significant anxiety breakdown 18 months ago and was pretty much fully recovered. This is why I can’t let it happen again. But I’m struggling, I really am. I am hyper analysing every sensation. Today I have been quite dizzy and woozy when up and about (totally physically fine when at rest) and it’s just sent me into a tail spin. What if this triggers my panic attacks? What if the sensation never goes away? What if I have another 18 months recovery from this?

I find yoga nidra a little too deep but I do Calm meditations daily, they were hugely instrumental in my recovery from panic and anxiety. I just feel on high alert. And I hate it.

Make sure you are getting lots of fluids and also eating well.
If you do feel woozy clench your fists as it should help blood flow (I have low BP). It does take it out of the body so just go slow and take it easy.

Fellow anxiety sufferer here - have been through episodes of illness and then triggers my panic attacks - got covid 3 weeks ago left with breathlessness on inhalers etc - had asthma over 35 years ago! So yet again my anxiety starts - turn off the news for a start - how about some anxiety meds from the doc while you are not feeling well - I was prescribed diazepam- they are not long term but helped me cope during the illness - your oxygen sats are perfect - it will just take time 💐 but you will get there -

Unfortunately I have anxiety linked to health too and these worries can continue after you get better from the Covid if you have any of the long Covid symptoms. I hate anxiety. It sucks.