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Original poster

Health Anxiety

215 replies

fruitysmoothie · 16/09/2016 00:17

Just a safe haven for all health anxiety sufferers that may be lurking on the mental health forum to share stories and help one another through the many ups and downs.

As a former and recovered health anxiety sufferer I know all to well the worry, upset and symptoms that arise from this illness and will try and help where I can Flowers

OP posts:
lovechocolate123 · 18/10/2016 05:45

What CBT exercises do you find work the best? I just wish this anxiety would just so I can live my life again🙁

MsMoonKat · 18/10/2016 21:22

I know how you feel, it's awful. With the CBT I've been doing tolerating uncertainty exercises which have helped to a degree, so when the thoughts come I try not to engage in them, but it's proper hard work!

gottachangethename1 · 23/10/2016 16:39

Mine seems to be getting worse. I had a bad obsession with breast cancer for 2 years (causing me to spend hundreds on private tests- which I'm still paying back) now it's ovarian cancer. A friend I hadn't seen for years has it and now I'm convinced I have, following a bad kidney infection. I already take citalopram for GAD, it's destroying my life. I put on a happy face at work, only my dh knows about it and it's killing our marriage. CBT helped ever so slightly, but not much. I feel for all of you suffering with HA.

lovechocolate123 · 24/10/2016 06:24

Gottachangemyname- mine gets worse when I get a symptom. Then my mind starts to race and I start to Google the symptoms, inevitably what always comes up is cancer- even typing up the word scares me!
Admittedly, I am slightly better than I was this time last year. This year I have had CBT and counselling which I think has helped a little. What helps most of all is chatting to others(like on here)who are suffering the same. I used to think I was the only one and I was slowly going mad. I am convinced it is connected to perimenopause- the symptoms and the intense anxiety. I am 43. How old are you? Xx

user1477468912 · 26/10/2016 09:33

Hi
I struggle with HA for 10 years since my parent was diagnosed with cancer. I was doing ok for last two years but know found out I am pregnant! I can't stop worrying I am thinking that I might loose my child because of it :(((

gottachangethename1 · 26/10/2016 21:40

I'm also 43 lovechocolate and I too think that I'm peri menopausal. Anxiety has definitely got worse along with other symptoms , abdominal weight gain, night sweats and odd periods.

Apanicaday · 27/10/2016 17:05

Does anyone else find that they can be relatively OK for a time and then wham, out of nowhere it comes on full pelt? I've been on a fairly even keel for a while - the worries come but I can bat them away, and now, all of a sudden it's back. (Heart attack and cervical cancer at the moment). It's not the first time it's happened like this , and it scares me how quickly I fall over the cliff into proper HA mode. At the moment it's because I'm spotting a few days before my period starts. I've always had spotting on and off before AF - although not every month, but suddenly it's going to kill me. I'm so sick of it - it's ruled my life for the last 20 odd years. And at the moment I don't think I'm ever going to control it - I've had cbt, every medication under the sun, and am currently trying ACT, but it's getting to the point where I'm despairing being better - and how do I get better if I don't think I can? And no one knows what to say to me - I find my HA so embarrassing to talk about - hypochondria is such a shitty term abd im concerned that peiple think of me as being neurotic or attention seeking - and I find it hard to talk about because of it. I feel like HA is a bit of a cinderella of mental health issues :(

Nursed123 · 27/10/2016 19:07

Apanicaday - definitely. I can go months feeling normal and fine then one day I wake up and it's like a switch has gone off... I'm back to my crazy lady HA ways! Any little tingle or pain can send me over the edge, as you said, quite scarily quickly!
It's quite sad to spend so much time worrying about health problems that don't exist - we probably spend more time worrying than those who have had or have the problems!
But I too, like yourself, feel I will never be completely free of my thoughts or this horrible worry - it's always there waiting to pounce!
Flowers

Mogtheanxiouscat · 30/10/2016 21:56

I definitely find it comes and goes. Today has been really bad. Can't stop checking for lumps. But I've been ok for a week or so. I think it kicks in when I'm over whelmed with stress in daily life.

MsMoonKat · 02/11/2016 18:03

Having a bad HA spell myself too at the moment over lung cancer. Am telling myself it's just HA but the dreaded "what if's" won't go away. Sometimes it's so hard to distinguish if your symptoms are imaginary or not.

lovechocolate123 · 02/11/2016 20:20

How is everyone? Trying so hard to not worry but having such a bad few days. So wish there was a magic cure to make this awful fear of doom and dread go away for good. Think the worse thing for me is that I have no one that I can talk to about this.xxx

Original poster
fruitysmoothie · 03/11/2016 19:25

Lovechocolate - have you ever gone onto 7cupsoftea.com? I think it may help you, especially if you don't have a great support system... we are all here for you too!! Hope your feeling better today Flowers

OP posts:
lovechocolate123 · 04/11/2016 18:37

Fruitysmoothie- thank you. I will check out that website.x

IreallyKNOWiamright · 04/11/2016 21:09

Ah wow I was just going to type a thread about anxiety. I have quite complex health issues and find I have a lot of panick attacks regarding housework. I had a big panick attack in the supermarket today. I was in a rush and suddenly the till supervisors were taking their time. By the time I got to my apt, I felt like someone had their hand on my chest. It has taken a while for me to calm down..it's pathetic really but I don't know how to deal with it. Has anyone got any advice.

Kaylasmum49 · 05/11/2016 11:44

I can really empathise with you all, health anxiety can be a living nightmare. I was doing fine for about 5 years and its come back full force. It takes up my every waking moment and nobody understands. I am perimenopausal and I think this has some bearing on it. I just can't get bowel cancer out of my head. I also have a severe phobia of doctors and any medical testing.

TatteredOwl · 05/11/2016 12:30

I empathise too

Honestly mine drives me half mad. I have. I history of depression or any mental health issue at all. However, 8 years ago both my parents were diagnosed with cancer and that triggered it. They're both still here incidentally...

It's just thoughts I have. I can't read about cancer, I can barely type the word. I can't watch fund raisers about it or step in a shop. I've had a cough now for five weeks. I KNOW it's a viral or respiratory infection as I have lost my sense of smell and am coughing up all sort of gunk which is pleasant. So I absolutely know this. Does it stop me googling lung cancer symptoms? No.

My biggest fear is breast cancer I suppose.

I won't try counselling or cbt as I know it won't help me one bit. I'd also feel like a fraud

But it's damn annoying

TatteredOwl · 05/11/2016 12:32

That should read no depression history. I've never had a panic attack. I'm a completely rational person.

Kaylasmum49 · 05/11/2016 13:15

TatteredOwl,

That must have been a really hard time when you're parents were diagnosed with cancer. Great to hear that they're still with you.

I do have a history of men health issues unfortunately and have always been a worrier. The health anxiety started just after my dad died 12 years ago. He had ms for many years and died of pneumonia when he was 78. My mum died aged 45 from a stroke. Neither of these illnesses worry me strangely enough!

Health anxiety takes over completely. I have had cbt twice, the last time was five years ago when I was worrying about bowel cancer. It helped for a good while but for some reason my rational side has disappeared this time.

Have you seen your gp about your cough? I avoid drs at all costs these days.

Kaylasmum49 · 05/11/2016 13:16

Mental health issues*

LittleMissUpset · 05/11/2016 13:28

I've had health anxiety for a long time, I have OCD (for coming up to 30 years) and recently started anti depressants. I've had CBT but I think the OCD makes it harder to not obsess over things. The medication is helping the HA but it's not gone completely.

I've been having heavy periods for a couple of years, and had blood tests about
2 years ago which came back fine. I used to feel fobbed off by doctors as as soon as I mentioned anxiety it's like they didn't take me seriously!

I've got a new gp and she has sent me for a scan for fibroids so I have that on Thursday, and I'm really anxious they are going to find something bad.

No matter how rational I try to be, I'm scared and talking myself out of it.

I need to go as I can't manage the periods, and my mum was exactly the same at my age and it was peri menopause so it's likely that, but I can't stop worrying!

Flowers for everyone HA really sucks!

NewMum26 · 05/11/2016 13:37

Oh I'm so glad I found this thread Shock
I have health anxiety and it drives me (and my hubbyGrin) mad! I'm fully aware how silly and irrational I sound sometimes but I just can't help but think I have something bad.
I have paid privately for MRI scans, tests etc for various different worries a head ache that came and went I convinced myself I had a brain tumour Confused Spent £1000 on consultant and brain MRI scan to be told I'm fine. Then I move onto something else. It is exhausting and annoying. I have good spells and bad spells and I can be fine for months and then something sets me off again. I agree reading through these comments that half the problem is all the information available online and although we all know it's the worst thing to do we all find our selves googling symptoms.
Any tips on how to chill out Grin xx

TatteredOwl · 05/11/2016 13:51

Kayla - not yet as I know exactly what it is and it'll pass I'm sure. It's just these bloody intrusive thoughts that I can usually bat away. Just goes to show doesn't it though ... you don't HAVE to have a history of any mental health issues to suffer with HA.

I don't tell anyone either really. I ask my husband every night if he thinks I could have lung cancer and every night he laughs and says ' no dear' and this helps Grin

As for tips to cope - it has to be distraction methods for me i suppose. And not posting about your imagined ailment and asking repeatedly for reassurance. The real problem is HA so I see no value in posting about say Bowel cancer or lung cancer and asking for peoples experiences but it's not your experience. Your experience is HA and that's where all the focus should go I think

It's a real thing unfortunately

Mogtheanxiouscat · 06/11/2016 20:31

I think I've realised a trigger tonight. I was watching my children play and they were so lovely and making me laugh and the doom suddenly kicked in... What if I wasn't here? What if that dimple the doc said is ok isn't ok? Cue frantic breast examination. Why do they have to be naturally bumpy Sad.

My whole town was covered in pink last month for breast cancer awareness. All in a good cause I know, but not good for my mh.

Start a course of CBT in few weeks. Fighting the urge to go back to docs before then.

Flowers to all those struggling with this

bingisthebest · 06/11/2016 20:47

I think everyone should try cbt bird free on the nhs. It helped me and lots of people. It might come back but then try again. I'm doing ok this week, has those doom feelings very similar to pp., seeing my kids happy., and suddenly think I'm not gonna see them for long. Overthinking lots of things. It's horrific but it's so important up get help and keep going back. Live in the now. I wish I could follows own advice!

Flumplet · 06/11/2016 21:14

I struggle with health anxiety for my
DS. I'm emetaphobic and things have gotten progressively worse over the past couple of years. It was triggered by having HG when I was pregnant and since then I haven't been the same. I have an irrational fear that ds is going to vomit and that he will contract an illness that could be fatal and that I won't spot it in time. I've paid to have him vaccinated against meningitis b - one of my biggest triggers. I'm desperate to beat this anxiety its debilitating.