Health Anxiety

[fruitysmoothie]

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

Oh anxious2017 I am so sorry you feel like this you really need some support. Would you consider writing a letter to your Dr outlining how you feel so you don't initially have to see them face to face - I am sure you would be able to have a telephone consultation although I do understand even this may be difficult for you. Do you have support from family or friends?

Pannal I'm trying to listen to my sensible voice until I see the GP Thursday and get some medication. I'm also on the waiting list for some counselling too.

Anxious I understand how debilitating HA can become and I hope you have some support in RL.

Discotastic, hope you get some good support from your Dr on Thurs, and that your get some counselling soon. Really wish I had a magic wand to make all this anxiety go away.

Can I join, please? Having a bad time with HA just now and could use some advice.

I have generalised anxiety with a major focus on health / illness. It got a lot worse post-natally with both DC and sought treatment after DS2. Having some useful sessions with a therapist, but scheduling is hard and it's months between visits. She helped me develop relaxation techniques and my worry about my DC and their health has been manageable lately.

I'm currently having a bad stretch about my own health, however, based around a persistent asthma-like cough (started 6ish months ago) and a more recent acute bronchitis type illness than knocked me out for nearly a month. Have done antibiotics, inhalers, steroids but still have a nasty productive cough and get wheezy intermittently. During the bronchitis I coughed up small flecks of blood and the last few weeks I have a terrible taste of blood when I clear my throat. Have had a negative chest X-ray and asthma test. GPs think acute stuff should pass on its own and asthma-type stuff is 'irritable airways'.

My normally good sleeping 13 month old has had me up at 4 or 5 each morning for the past week and I'm trying to catch up on three weeks of work missed while ill. My anxiety always much worse when tired - have to put so much energy into thinking the nutty stuff away - and am now so exhausted I can't sleep and have gone into a full scale panic that I've got lung cancer. Can't calm myself breathing as it makes me cough and none of the 'what else could it be' CBT stuff just gets me focused on scary symptoms. I can't keep myself online and now know more than is helpful about cancers which aren't detected by X-rays. I can't talk myself down. :-(

Does anyone have tips for coping when there actually is a symptom that needs investigating (in my case the wheeze)? Any top tips for relaxing that aren't breath based?

Hjbeans- fellow HA sufferer here . I know how awful it can be. Try to do get a relaxation app on your phone. Stay away from Dr Google.

NC
I am still worrying I have Cancer,
Was ok for a while but the stomach pains are back and so is my anxiety.
Really struggling.I want a Colonoscopy but Docs wont do one.
Private is so so expensive and the rational part of my brain is saying that I do not need one.
I am in pain,I am depressed and worried.
I do not want to do anything today-except google Cancer symptoms and stress.
This is terrible.
I have not cleaned the house from this morning and am letting y child run riot.I cannot go on like this

So sorry you're feeling this way. I'm still struggling not to go down the rabbit hole with panic about my phlegmy chest. Have you had treatment / counselling for the anxiety?

Hi

Another one checking in.

I'm 36 and have two dc, one with severe asd and I've developed crippling health anxiety over the past few months. It started with a panic attack that felt like a heart attack so I went to the gp and was checked out - bloods and ecg- and told I have an irregular heartbeat but a normal irregularlity whatever that means. Said all was normal.

Since then all I can think about is whether I'm having a heart attack and I have lots of chest and back pains which feed my panic.

I have been back to the doctor twice since and they keep telling me I'm fine it's just anxiety. I have been prescribed citalopram and diazepam. The diazepam works for the time I take it and then bang I am back having a full blown panic attack. It's completely ruining my life.

I have not had any type of help with my anxiety.
Tomorrow I am going to actually do the things I should have done today-I cannot spend another day sat online pouring over Cancer symptoms and stories.
It is insane.
I KNOW though if I get the all clear from the very last test I will be cured.
This is not really something I will then decide is something else-I dont think!!!!!
Feeling like i am losing my mind.
Will no doubt go back to the Docs at some point-should just camp out in the car park really and accost the Docs when they arrive/leave.

Another HA sufferer here. I am currently convinced I have lung cancer. I've had chest pains for over 6 months now, doctor diagnosed costochondritis which makes sense, but I am terrified it's cancer.

My HA started 4 years ago when I had severe abnormal changes on my cervix, which were treated successfully but receiving a letter through the post with the word 'cancer' on it was enough to trigger severe anxiety. Later that year I was convinced I had ovarian cancer, then I started having panic attacks which I thought were seizures.

Since my son was born two years ago the HA has taken on a life of its own. I've 'had' throat cancer, skin cancer, bowel cancer, cervical cancer, bone cancer and now lung cancer.

I read this through and I can't help but chuckle because it all sounds so utterly ridiculous. Except, it's not ridiculous, it's what I have to deal with every fucking day.....

to all

I actually do laugh at myself and others when I read this-and I do not mean that in any kind of bad way-It is just because I can relate so much to the almost crazy thoughts.

Yes, my general anxiety has gone through the roof following the birth of both my boys, and I've not got anywhere near back to normal yet. It's such a massive time sink, and so self-perpetuating as time spent worrying what might be wrong with me only makes me more behind at work and home and then more exhausted and stressed and therefore more ill feeling. Had been making progress but two full months of chesty cough and/or adult onset asthma has me utterly loony again. So hard on my DH as well. I'm back to the GP tomorrow - think it's time for drugs for the anxiety as this can't go on.

I could have written all of this. My worry is always cancer. First it was stomach . I had an endoscopy with biopsies and it ruled that out so I moved onto bowel so I had a colonoscopy with biopsies so that ruled that out. Then I moved onto pancreatic. Now I think it is ovarian despite having had the CA125 blood test a year ago which has came back negative. But I read somewhere that the test is not 100% reliable. I have had CBT and counselling but this HA just hangs over me! I hate it.

It is Crappy isn't it?
lovechocolate How did you manage to get a Colonoscopy?
They seem so adverse to doing one for me....
Maybe I do need to stop thinking its Bowel Cancer and just accept its IBS....
Do you still have ongoing symptoms?have you been told its IBS?

Oh and I have read that Low dose of anti Ds help IBS symptoms-this is something I am going to ask about when I no doubt go back to the Docs with my Cancer worries(shakes head at self)
Maybe they will help with the Anxiety too.

Worriedme- last year I had abdo problems for about 3 months. Blood in stools, I had lost 2 stones, felt like even when I had had a bowel movement that I still needed to go. The gp referred me to a gastroenterologist who referred me for colonoscopy and endoscopy and so many blood tests I can even remember. They found that I had severe diverticulosis in the bowels and an erosion of the stomach lining which I had to take ppi tablets for about 5 months. This is really how all my health anxiety started. I think they have guidelines for colonoscopy referrals. She said it was because I had lost so much weight in such a short time that she was referring me .

Ah you have had it bad..No real surprise this set your anxiety off.
I just have stomach pains-which keep coming and going-but can last constant for weeks at a time.
I do not have any blood in stool and have had various tests but cannot get the worry of Cancer out of my head-Especially has the pains continue and the Docs just keep telling me its IBS.
It is starting to consume me now and this has been going on since Xmas.
I really do not know what to do-Scared to have a Colonoscopy(if they even will let me) and scared to not do!

Worried- I think anxiety makes the stomach problems worse. I know exactly how you feel. Have you had any couselling or CBT? A really good book that helped me was Overcoming Heath Anxiety by D.Veale . Also, when I was really bad try to do some mindfulness exercises. X

For those of you struggling with ibs I'm not sure if this will be encouraging but my husband had severe ibs for 7 years to the point of being unable to work and in desperation he started fluoxetine. He now takes 40mg a day and hasn't had any ibs for about a year now. It's been amazing. He is like a different person.

No CBT-Doc did mention it to me but nothing came of it-will look for that book online,thanks.
fairy that is encouraging-is that a Anti Depressant? I am considering this.

Another one checking in. I have had several bouts of HA over the past 5 years or so - current one to do with breathlessness and chest pains for over a year. Heart and lung tests all fine and I'm waiting for a gastro appointment. The stress and constant crying is making my throat sore and feel like I have a lump when I swallow. So of course now I'm convinced it's throat cancer.

Citalopram helped me before so I have just gone back on it and am in the horrible period before it starts to take effect and feeling even worse. I think mine stems from getting rheumatoid arthritis over 20 years ago. While it has been managed medically I don't think I have ever come to terms with it psychologically and keep expecting my body to 'fail' again. Counselling and CBT helps to a degree but not when I'm feeling this bad.

Hi all, new to mumsnet. Absolute HA sufferer, mostly heart related but have considered every other condition (as we do). My brother has been diagnosed eith a heart problem which may be inherited, I have to have the test on Tues, its called an ajmaline test. Looks harmless but anxiety is very high thinking about the what ifs x

I'm convinced I have some sort of HA issue, but the anxiety relates to my DH's health, not mine. I started a thread earlier today, about whether CBT/counselling is the way forward, or if I should try anti-depressants? I spend my days agonising over his health/likely life span and it's not doing me any good.

Hello all

Just wanted to sound off really. Having a panic attack as I have a headache and feel nauseous and of course I keep thinking I'm going to have a heart attack or a stroke (as we do) and of course I'm making myself more anxious and then feeling worse. I get so fed up with myself!

I'm on day 11 of my first pack of citalopram. Really hope it starts to work soon