health anxiety

[hopeliss]

has anybody ever found a cure for health anxiety. it has plagued my life for 7 years and don't see an end to it. awful day today.
ps never been on mumsnet before. sorry if this is the wrong place to raise this.

[40slady]

H everyone ,

im still struggling today , yesterday had my CBT session second one , was really good at the time ...came out feeling good , hes given me some home work , which im going to find hard ...specially as waiting blood test results ..
but will try ...

felt ok yesterday afternoon , but this morning woken up by pains in my legs and feeling sick , legs feeling wobbly and i just feel so tired ...
cant beleive all these symptoms are anxiety linked ...
going to call in at docs later see if results are back ....
im utterly convinced its going to be bad ..

how is everyone els ?

Flowers - i to have mole worry constantly , iv started that cycle again yesterday and like you i jump from that then to something els ..

it seems never ending , helps to share though with others who get this illness ,
thanks for litening again guys

[Flowersandshowers]

I also find it comforting to read about other people in the same boat. I need to switch from something other than moles as the constant checking is very time consuming and very stressful. I have to check and recheck until I am satisfied that it's okay and then end up moving onto another mole and the whole process starts again!

It's got to the point now where I'm actually annoyed with myself as I don't want to feel like this and maybe this will be the catalyst to help me change. I am also hoping to get some sort of counselling /cBT.

[crabapple34]

build Glad you're feeling a bit better, sometimes you need to let it all out. I'm quite certain you won't have a brain aneurysm. Is your doctors appointment soon?

40slady I really feel for you, I can feel the anxiety coming from your posts. I had a little google and it seems a rash can be caused by anxiety. It's amazing what the brain can do, and the body being on high alert all the time can cause strange things. I hope the CBT appointment goes well. Good luck.

sleeping I feel a bit fraudulent offering advice to others whilst still in the grips of anxiety myself but here goes.
So you are worried you will panic on the bus? Yes, that might happen but so what? You have already said you have a technique for dealing with it (talking to others) and maybe you could find some others as back up. And if you can't get it under control what then? What are you afraid of happening? Obviously I can only speak for myself but panic attacks are awful, but once you know what they are it takes the power out of them a little. For me, a lot of it is a fear of collapsing and having to be rushed off and making a big scene. You might find you settle down once the trip gets into a bit of a routine.
Are you sure you can't speak to the relative about it? No need to make a big deal about it but just so it's out there so you don't have the added stress of keeping it hidden. I know it's hard to talk about and I'm huge hypocrite because no one in my family knows other than my boyfriend.
Have you tried mindfulness or anything like that? There's an app called headspace that is free for the first ten sessions. You might find it useful.
Also, up thread I posted a link to a health anxiety work book. I believe it's based on CBT techniques and I have found it useful.

[SleepinginSeattle]

Hi, can I join please? I didn't realise so many people are dealing with this and have actually fond some comfort in reading through bits of this thread.

I guess I have ha ... I live in constant terror of something happening to me. I get all sorts of physical symptoms and have had many trips to GP and consultants and all told me I am tired, stressed and anxious. This all started several years ago when several 'big' events all happened within a matter of months. Life was bleak then I started getting physical symptoms ... tingling in arm, non headache migraines with a visual aura, a few instances of vertigo when I woke in the morning, blurry vision, dizziness, blah, blah, blah. I was scared to get in the car but made myself because I had no choice. Anyway, got it under some sort of control and was becoming confident about being out and about and it's all flared up again now.

I could really do with some tips on dealing with this. An elderly relative has asked me to accompany them on a coach holiday, as a companion and to help with their medication. If I don't go, my sibling will have to but it is easier for me to get away than my sibling and I am closer to the relative. However, the thought of it leaves me in a state of terror. I sometimes do day trips with this person and have had many instances of panic on the bus which I deal with by striking up conversation with the person closest to me in order to distract myself. But a week! A week of trying to keep a lid on it. What if I get one of the visual migraines or, worse still, wake up one morning with vertigo making it impossible to even sit up, let alone get up? I'm being silly re that because it has only happened a handful of times and maybe with a year between attacks ... but it is coming a year since it last happened.

Sorry this has turned out to be so long. There is no-one to talk to irl - my partner looked scathing when I brought it up and I certainly can't burden my relative. I'm not going back to the GP for fear they will find something wrong physically so I need new techniques to manage this myself. Please can you give me some tips as to how you all deal with this and squish the panic? Thank you.

[40slady]

bad again over weekend felt awful , and this rash comes and goes on my back and chest when i get hot ,and this hot sensation on my back like sun burn all the time ..
sunday was so bad i felt like i was going to colapse ....so yesterday i went back to the doctors waited and managed to get seen by my doctor , who has no idea what it could be , but did all bloods again along with few new ones to check again...but i could tell she was at a loss of what to do with me ...shes done so many tests and probably a bit feed up with me ...(dont blame her) im feed up with me ..

still convinced there missing something and its C ..
will this ever end ...

iv got an appointment with CBT consolor today so hope that will help ...my second one ..

maybe im addicted to feeling like this ..dont know how to feel at ease or not anxious as been like this for so long ..

Hows everyone els doing ?

[Buildmeabuttercup]

I am a bit now. Had a rough 24 hours with dizzy spells and nausea, today's been a headache and nausea. I broke down in tears on my boyfriend and he just held me whilst I cried. It sounds ridiculous but getting it off my chest has helped me, I feel better now. I am scared I have an aneurysm but time will tell and all that.

[crabapple34]

Thanks guys. I'm still feeling OK, though I went to the cinema yesterday which caused me to feel a bit anxious for some reason.
40slady you do not have cancer! I know HA means there'll always be something to worry about but I think all the tests you've had have ruled out cancer. How long have you been doing the Cbt for? Have they given you any techniques to help you deal with anxiety?
Build, hope you're still feeling a bit better.

[buildmeabuttercup]

hi crab, so pleased you had great holiday and are feeling better, long may it continue

My doctors is a nightmare. It has 17,000 patients apparently, and there's about 7 doctors there. The nearest doctors apart from that is in the next town, about 8 miles away, not in walking distance. The hospital/ooh is two bus rides away, we have no out of hours provision in our town. They simply cannot keep up with the demand hence the huge waits for appointments.

I do feel better today. Still worried but not too bad today x

[40slady]

hi all , hope your better today build , your doctors sound a nightmare ...poor you ...putting socks on is a good plan for distraction well done..x

hi crab , glad you had a good holiday and little anxiety thats great

im struggling today , i still feel so anxious .... keep getting this heat rash on my tummy and back when my body tempreture rises when im busy ...so worried its another symptom of C ...
but all bloods normal ....would they come back normal if they was going on ?

trying not to googel but its so hard ..
goignto try get out for a walk to distract me ....

[crabapple34]

Hello, I'm back. Haven't been in as I've been on holiday.
Oh no build, I'm sorry you're feeling this way. I know it's difficult but try to remember that you won't be like this forever.
40slady. Glad to hear the test results were clear. Hope it's offered you some relief. Definitely stick with the cbt, it's supposed to have good results.
My holiday was really nice. I was worried I'd have an anxiety attack whilst I was there, and being in a foreign country it would be ten times worse. But no, I didn't even think about anxiety or my health at all. No chest pain or headaches or any other of my numerous symptoms happened which I suppose is proof that it is just anxiety. Its creeping back a bit now but is manageable.

[buildmeabuttercup]

No I never got there. Our drop in is massively busy as its the only time you can see anybody unless you plan your illness weeks in advance. They've even stopped the book on day appointments now, they're awful. towns population is 12,000 people but we only have one doctors surgery and no drop in/out of hours so it's always heaving.

I'm feeling a bit better. Put socks on to stop staring at my foot veins. Most of the pain is in the front of my knee so I can rationalise it. When my thigh pain comes I freak out but thankfully it goes very quickly. Ankle is better today. Wish I could stop worrying.

Hope everyone is feeling okay.

[40slady]

sorry you had such a bad day build .... hope your feeling a bit better today , this HA sucks ...
did you get to see the doctor in the end ..to help put your mind at rest ? we have a drop in surgery and if you get there first can get seen quite quickly , depending doctor i guess .
sending a(( hug))as i know how you feel

[buildmeabuttercup]

Okay I'm sorry that sounded a tad dramatic! Im just at a loss because every time i feel good something drags me down. I just don't want to live like this anymore, I want to see my little girl grow up but maybe she would be better off without me anyway i'm hardly any fun. Maybe I will have a dvt and die and maybe there's a reason for that. Argh

[buildmeabuttercup]

Im in an absolute state. I cant make it to the doctors as i can't wait the 2-3 hours because need to pick my dd up.

The veins in the foot are prominent and blue. They are in the other foot but worse in this one. I am in floods of tears, I have a dvt and I am going to die because i cant get it seen to.

[40slady]

ok , back , all bloods normal all within the normal range , and she doesnt think i have L at all , went through all my recent symptoms the spots are not a concern and people can get them , only could be a concern if in a mass and new , along with low blood results for all blood tests . the tired and chills she thinks are all to do with my anxiety as i told her it has consumed my life constantly these past weeks ....

its my head thats poorly not my body ..... going to give this CBT my all and try crack this ... cant carry on like this ... try get out more to , and NO GOOGEL ....she said thats the worst thing to do as DR Google is no doctor so going to delete it from my phone !!

feeling bit more posotive ...long may it last ...


hope everyone is ok today , thanks for all your support and listening to me x

[40slady]

glad you had a better day build x

im off to docs in a mo to get my results and ask all my questions .....anx but glad this day is here...i think

appt 7.30 will report back ....

[buildmeabuttercup]

It's definitely your head messing with you. I hate it so much. I've had a better day today, the pain is on and off. I can walk half an hour and not feel a thing but now I've come to bed and my legs are aching and keep getting mild pains. It's now in my other leg which should assure me it's less likely to be dvt but the irrational part of me thinks I was obviously wrong before about dvt but now i definitely have one in the other leg.

It's exhausting being anxious all the time. Now I'm laid in bed and it is warm I can't sleep. Though now I can't decide wether it's warm or wether it's just me, am I burning up do I have a fever etc it's just one thing after another after another thing.

[40slady]

thanks build x ...head messing with me isnt it ..

[buildmeabuttercup]

It would a million percent not show as normal. Honestly normal results are great

[40slady]

thanks build , still feel anx but will go tomorrow to find out more details hoping is all ok and would show if i had L in the results ... and woildnt say normal ..

glad your feeling better today hopefully will continue x

[buildmeabuttercup]

Yes they can! Its so difficult to comprehend that you can feel so bad but there is nothing psychically wrong. I definitely struggled to get my head around it.

Im so glad that your results were fine, as I knew they would be of course .

I'm feeling better today, i feel good. I know that by saying that sods law will mean that I will start worrying again soon but at this moment I feel okay.

I used to be like your dad flowers. I could never face going to the doctors because I was scared of getting bad news. I developed a phobia of doctors, hospitals anything like that. I'm so ashamed that my phobia made me conceal my pregnancy I was that scared.

Thankfully I had help with that and then I became the polar opposite , you couldn't get me out of there few years ago. I just want to be bluddy normal!

[40slady]

How are you today Build ?hope your feeling bit better today ..

Flowers its so hard isnt it im the same every thing is the worst case ...unless i have the answers for why ..

im feeling a bit stunned , felt so anxious yesterday constantly googled ...no reassurance more fretting and more anxiety ...symptoms seem to be changing all the time ...

so after little sleep and tears this morning took myself to emergency doctors , saw receptionist and asked if my blood tests results were in before i see the doctor (as no point if not there ) didnt ask her to tell me but she did , stating all come back normal , says no further action required ....i was stunned saying are you sure , FBC and ferritin normal ? all ok ? ..
she said yes ....
im in shock expecting them to be shot to peaces as i feel so rough and my symptoms ....
so im back home , still going to see my doctor tomorrow as planned to get the finer detail and talk through my symptoms .....
do you think that means i dont have L ???
trying to feel relieved but still part of me unsure
could all these symptoms be all health anxiety ? and my crazy poorly mind ?

[Flowersandshowers]

It's so hard not to worry every little thing is something serious. Like backache which to a normal person is just a backache is automatically assumed to be a kidney infection or headache a bleed or worse and stomach ache appendicitis.

I do wonder how I ended up with this. My dad is the total opposite (he doesn't worry about anything health wise and said he doesn't want to know). He has some very suspicious looking moles that he should probably get looked at but he flat out refuses as he says he wouldn't want to know if it was serious.
I couldn't live my life with that 'what if' hanging over me everyday but he just doesn't care. I don't get it!

[buildmeabuttercup]

It's nigh on impossible to get an appointment for less than 3 weeks unless you go to urgent care drop in which is only 3 hours in the morning, unfortunately I can't go tomorrow but will go Friday if I am still worrying or if I am still even alive.

The pain is now around my knee at the front.i have a bad knee it crunches and grates with movement. It's also in certain spots on the outer thigh now. My alarms and shoulders hurt and I haven't batted an eyelid, so why are legs any different. My whole body's starting to ache just like before. Hopefully it's just because I'm anxious.

[40slady]

hopefully the appointment will be helpful and can suggest methods to help you , maybe cbt like im going to try , you did well for a year thats so good well done .

can you go to see your GP about your fears and anxiety over the DVT fear , they will put your mind at ease then you can get back on track ..