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.

Thank you for the recommendation @AffIt I will have a look - I’ll take anything that will act as a distraction from googling!

@Bellybutton88 same as yours, dry and relentless. It’s really awful all of this isn’t it? Hoping the bath helps you a bit 💞

@mildtomoderate yes I’ve got a few as I take it for something else but hardly got any left so need to get a new prescription tomorrow. It’s definitely been helping!

Hi - health anxiety IS horrid -
Hang on in there,
Don’t body scan for symptoms- don’t go looking for things to worry about !
No internet/ dr Googling - not helpful !
Spot the worry thoughts - what if I get really poorly what if I get …. Etc etc
Label them thoughts as worry thoughts and not truths -
Stay in the here and now- lots of nice things to focus on,
Don’t try and fix things that MIGHT happen, unhelpful but tempting !!
Be kind to yourself and stay in the here and now 😊
www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/worrytree.pdf

On vitamin D I think government advice levels are to prevent rickets in kids. They admit you can use far more without ill effects. Do check the NHS "no more than" dosage and work down from that rather than thinking the piddly RDA is adequate.

I'm waiting on results / further testing for some breast issues so, not the same issue as you.
However, I'm very anxious as a person generally and I'm trying not to let this cripple me.
I don't speak to anyone in real life about my issues.
I go onto sites like this.
I look into similar stories of others.
I tell myself that it's God's Will and I need to trust in God and hope I'll be OK.
That's my way to cope anyway.

@CherrieBlossom

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?

Well... What's the dosage on your supplement? Generally, you can take far more D than is in most supplements. Up to 100 micrograms is fine every day, and doctors I've spoken with have said it's fine to double even this for a couple of weeks while ill. As for zinc, 40mg per day while ill is often recommended. Again, more than standard dosage, just for the short term. Don't go above 50mg. Vitamin C you can take as much as your digestive tract will allow. Up to 3000mg while ill (split into chunks throughout day) is recommended by some. I should say: I'm not a medical doctor, but this advice is from medical doctors.

Hope you're all doing ok. Anxiety can be truly, truly hellish. One moment, one breath, at a time... X

For D, sometimes amount is given in IU rather than micrograms. Converted: up to 4000IU per day is fine; while ill, you can double that to 8000IU for a bit.

@CherrieBlossom checking in here with you to see how you are ?

@CherrieBlossom thanks for the series recommendations. I have wanted to watch Breaking bad for a while - maybe now is the time to do it!

Stay away from google and mumsnet threads where members post their oxygen sats twice daily🙄 they are not helpful.
Find some box sets on tv, take paracetamol and rest. You’re double vaccs so very unlikely to be really ill.
Symptom watching and recording is not the healthy way to deal with it.
How did you used to deal with a cold in the past? Apply the same rules.
So much more is known about Covid and unless you fall into one of the at risk groups, obese, immunosuppressed ( on high levels of immunosuppressants or chemotherapy) pregnant or over 80 then your risk of serious infection is incredibly low.