Health anxiety sufferer, positive and so scared

[CherrieBlossom]

I know there’s been so many of these threads, I didn’t post on other positive ones as didn’t want to hijack them with my ridiculousness.

Tested positive on LF last night and I’m freaking out. I have severe, diagnosed health anxiety which I’m on medication for, and covid has been a huge trigger for this the past year and a half. I’ve barely been anywhere and am careful with masks and distancing etc.

Please can anyone just offer me any words of comfort? My husband isn’t the most empathetic- that’s a whole other thread. I feel very alone and scared.

@oftenbaffled

Get yourself off the Coronavirus board would be a good start Seriously

Can’t argue with that. Noted.

Hi Cherrieblossom, am in the same boat here, very anxious. I am on day 8 since symptoms started and I'm still testing positive on the LFT which has got me worried.

Symptoms wise i am feeling weak, have a deep cough at times and congestion (which is improving). Can sometimes feel palpations. Just get so worried things will turn for the worse. Is there anything you do to ease anxiety?

@Bellybutton88
I think you can test positive up to 90 days after testing positive so the LFT are unreliable. If you are on day 8 I'd say you are probably over the worse now but it's so hard to worry, I have health anxiety and I feel the same

Hey @Bellybutton88 oh no I feel for you, I can totally relate to this awful anxiety 😞 I’m not 100% sure, but I don’t think you need to worry about still testing positive, I have a feeling that’s normal for maybe even a couple of weeks. It probably take a while for the virus to work it’s way out and be no longer detectable.

Your symptoms sound a lot like mine, it’s just horrible isn’t it? There’s not much I can do about my anxiety unfortunately except distraction, been watching a lot of Friends episodes on Netflix! How are you coping day to day?

Iv been rewatching friends too! Iv been coping okay up until today, today i feel like anxiety has gotten the better of me and i am feeling panicked, sad and lonely :(

@flyingthrnest thanks for your reassurance, how are you feeling at the moment?

@Bellybutton88

Iv been rewatching friends too! Iv been coping okay up until today, today i feel like anxiety has gotten the better of me and i am feeling panicked, sad and lonely :(

Aw no, I really feel for you. Would it help to write specifically the things you’re worried about? Sometimes I find it can help to do something practical like this just to get it down in black and white and understand our own fears better.

I think by it’s nature, covid is a lonely illness because we literally have to isolate ourselves for several days. And often just getting outside or going to shops, meeting up with people etc can help when anxiety gets really bad, just a change of scenery.

Hope you’re doing ok @flyingthrnest

Sorry to hear you're feeling so anxious, OP. Health anxiety can be truly awful.

Positive action can really help with anxiety. In relation to covid, these are things which may help, so which you may find helpful to do (if you're not already):

• take vitamin D, zinc and vitamin C in high (but safe) daily doses
• rest, but do get up and walk around/stretch when you can, to keep blood moving
• there's some evidence for saline nasal rinses, and gargling with saline or certain mouthwashes (e.g. Dentyl)

Hope you feel better soon, from the anxiety and also from the virus

I just went outside in my garden for a fifteen minute walk around and sat outside a bit and feel so much better. @CherrieBlossom if you're able to do go outside and get some fresh air it really helps ease the anxiety

@Squleamish thanks for this, I appreciate the tips, any others are welcome! I’m taking zinc daily but lost my vitamin d spray I had a few weeks ago which is so annoying as I wish I’d replaced it, I now can’t afford to. Am definitely trying to move around every hour or so.

And thank you @Bellybutton88 I don’t have a garden unfortunately but will try to go out for a walk later when it’s quiet, some fresh air would probably really help right now.

@CherrieBlossom
Friends is a good distraction! Any other netflix (or other) shows you can recommend?
@Bellybutton88 I am sorry you are having a low point today, glad the fresh air helped. If you are day 8 I think you've broken the back of this and coming out the other side which is great. I have heard many people say they just suddenly and very rapidly start to feel better. I agree with the others - no point doing any more lfts until you are over covid as they will continue to test positive while you have it. If it is making you more anxious, just stop doing them for now.

Hugs to all x

Thank you @Inchagoill for your reassurance. It really helps me get through the day.

Definitely rest, rest and more rest.
And distract of course!
Have you ever tried those you tube Headspace/ calm videos?

@CherrieBlossom the vit D sprays are expensive, but you can get high dose D in tablet form quite cheaply from supermarkets. While I'll some advocate really quite high doses. The NHS say up to 100 micrograms is safe, so you could likely up your dose for a while. High dose vit C is also quite cheap and is safe. If you have someone to get the supermarket for you!
Also look up square breathing or 4-7-8 breathing for dealing with anxiety in the moment. Really feel for you - anxiety truly vile

*while ill

Hi how are we all feeling today?

Hi all, I’ve only just felt ok to post, been staying off the internet for a day or so to try to keep my anxiety under control. @Inchagoill have you seen Breaking Bad? Always something I recommend to people! The Sinner is great too, How to get away with murder, Homeland, Maid, Sex Education. All amazing.

@OldaRailer I watch a lot of asmr which helps me a lot to calm down, it really helps deal with the physical symptoms of anxiety, I don’t do so well with apps or videos that are deliberately targeted at calming you down - for some reason that makes me jittery!

@Squleamish I actually found my vit d spray! So pleased. Do you think it’s safe then to take slightly more than it says on the pack? What about taking 2 zinc tablets or maybe that’s a bad idea? I’ve been trying to practice that breathing technique too

@Bellybutton88 I just feel so fluey today, woke up about 4am with shivers/high temp and aching all over. My nose and chest feels congested and I’ve got an awful cough. Sense of smell has completely gone now too I was really hoping that wouldn’t happen.

How is everyone?

It's so funny as I thought I was going to not like the headspace stuff bit found it useful.
ASMR I just find creepy!

Ha yes some of them are indeed creepy 😅 I only watch one or two channels that I can tolerate. I’ll give the headspace app another go!

I use them via YouTube but come to think of it I prefer Calm channel's voices.

With regards to VitD overdose: not really, especially with OTC dosage levels.

All you're doing, though, is creating expensive urine, as your body will naturally expulse anything it doesn't need.

(The only one you really need to worry about overdosing on is VitA - never eat a polar bear's liver.)

But generally speaking, don't dose yourself - it's worked out for you on your behalf by actual scientists, why do you feel the need to second guess them?

Also, most dosage rates in Western medicines are still based on male bodies being the default and so tend to be on the higher side for most women anyway.

@OldaRailer oh right that’s interesting, will check out both the app and YouTube thanks!

@AffIt you’re absolutely right, just a moment of silliness really, because of my anxiety and wanting to take whatever I can to help with recovery. I will trust the doses set out in the guidelines and that’s also interesting about the fact they’re designed for men mostly.

I will steel clear of any polar bears and their liver 😁

[quote CherrieBlossom]@OldaRailer oh right that’s interesting, will check out both the app and YouTube thanks!

@AffIt you’re absolutely right, just a moment of silliness really, because of my anxiety and wanting to take whatever I can to help with recovery. I will trust the doses set out in the guidelines and that’s also interesting about the fact they’re designed for men mostly.

I will steel clear of any polar bears and their liver 😁[/quote]
Definitely stay away from polar bears!

Re: dosage levels geared to the male body as default - I highly recommend reading 'Invisible Women' by Caroline Criado-Perez for more shocking insights on this sort of thing (and it'll stop you Googling! ).

@CherrieBlossom oh no sorry to hear. I'm in the same boat on the cough front. It feels like a hacking dry cough now. Is that what yours is like?

My anxiety is through the roof right now. Im going to take a hot bath later to ease it

Do you have any codeine in? Good at suppressing the cough.