Health anxiety

[Mvshrln]

Hi all,

I've seen a couple of health anxiety threads on here but they're all quite old/inactive and wondered if there were any more recent ones, or if anyone fancied discussing it via this new thread? It's helpful when someone else knows how you feel.

I really struggle with HA, the thoughts bounce around my head until I fixate on one and worry about it relentlessly. I can see why the anxiety has appeared (friends parent passed away, the covid-19 situation has terrified me, I'm getting older/have life events happening like buying a house, and I also work within the hospice sector). It's helpful to know why but it doesn't help with how to deal with it! I'm currently taking venlafaxine and CBT counselling via videocall but the worry takes up huge chunks of my day.

Nightmare! How is everyone else?

Hi @autumnredhead welcome xx So pleased that fluoxetine helped you! I've been on that before and found it very beneficial too but as you say, it takes a while before it settles down and helps! Glad you stuck with it and that it has helped you xx

Hi @MrsWhites xx Ah I know how you feel - it was my birthday a few months ago and had a lovely meal out with my family. Someone said "it's so strange celebrating this way, I wonder what we will do next year?" and my mind went "well I will be dead". And I was like ffs that's such a mean and unnecessary thought for me to have! I sort of just let that thought pass through my mind and said it was an intrusive thought then I had another bite of my nice dinner. Intrusive thoughts aren't premonitions and they can't make anything happen.
But I agree with you that the topic you are avoiding/not wanting to be around will pop up every-bloody-where! It's SO difficult!

I hope everyone is okay today :) I'm happy people have found their way to this thread (obviously not happy that other people are struggling) but I hope it is able to provide some support and comfort. It's certainly helped me a LOT, so thank you :)

Thank you everyone for the welcome. It’s nice to have some likeminded people to talk to.

@Mvshrln That’s the exact sort of thoughts I have, it’s such a vicious circle, I’m so obsessed with missing out on the future that I actually end up missing out on the present if that makes sense.

@Caelano I definitely understand what you mean about preparing for the worst in your mind. My dad always says ‘worrying just means you will suffer twice’, I wish I knew how to just switch off the worrying.

@Caelano what you describe is exactly what I do. Imagining the worst case scenarios to prepare for them, feeling them acutely. It's awful. My husband always says worrying doesn't change anything but I can't switch it off. It's got worse since I had children and the way you talk about that really resonates. I imagine bad things happening to them, sometimes I just think to myself that they will die one day and I can't bear that life is like that: all the big existential stuff!! I wish I knew how to change being like this

Thank you for the link @Mvshrln. Yes catastrophising is what we do, wish I knew why. When I see people who are so happy go lucky and just say they’ll deal with things if they happen. Do you think it might be something to do with childhood experiences? I remember my mum being extremely vigilant about our moles when we were kids and I do have an obsession with skin lesions now!

Well I had my doctor appt. She had a good feel all over my tummy and did a pelvic exam, listened to my stomach and said everything felt and sounded normal. But I’m still catastrophising about my blood and stool tests next week. I’ve convinced myself something will show up- microscopic blood in the stools or tumour markers for some god awful cancer. I don’t trust my body any more. I’m scared.

Well that’s encouraging about your GP appointment @Caelano. But I do understand what you mean about not trusting your body. I had blood tests recently too and was terrified but everything was normal. Have you done the tests/stool sample yet and are just waiting for the results? You must stay off google, keep busy and take lots of deep breaths in and out. It’s good you realise you’re catastrophising too. Hope you slept ok and use this place to share your fears.

Hi everyone. I am so pleased to have found this thread. Sorry to hear of everyone's struggles and I hope you don't mind me joining as I'm feeling very alone and lost right now.
I've never suffered from health anxiety until recently. I lost my grandfather very suddenly at Easter, I received a phone call to say he was ill and later that day he was gone. Although he was old he had been healthy until then and it was a shock, and also couldn't see him due to coronavirus situation. Since that happened I had palpitations and was sent for an EGC. After that it has been upset stomachs and abdominal pain on the left - GP did full blood count including ovarian cancer which came back negative.
But my latest thing is breast pain and I am now terrified I have breast cancer - I was awake much of last night, made myself feel sick and panicky. Do others make themselves so anxious they feel physically sick? I was also sweating profusely and impossible to get comfortable - does this happen to others too? I'm almost scared to go to bed as I know I'm going to wake up at 3am and feel terrified and panicky.
It's taking over my life. I haven't spoken to anyone professional yet - any advice on this ?
Thanks so much. Take care everyone.

Didn’t want to read and run @chorusline79. Sirty to hear about your grandad - illness/death in the family is often a trigger for HA. Just to say breast pain is almost certainly not a symptom of cancer so try not to panic. If it’s taking over your life it is time to get done help. Speak to your GP and they can refer you for counselling/CBT. I must say since finding this thread I do feel I can cope better because I know how many of us are afflicted. Most of my worries are in my head and not real.

Sorry lots of typos😬

@HildegardeCrowe thanks so much for replying, and for the reassurance. I really appreciate it. It helps just to know others understand, as my husband is not wired this way and I'm sure he just thinks I'm crackers. My best friend would but she has so much on her plate I can't really speak to her, so this thread is a real comfort.

I definitely do need help, and thanks for giving me the encouragement to get it. I am determined to try and get it under control. Staying off google is step one, such a bad habit.

Hope everyone is having a decent day today.

You’re very welcome @chorusline79. You’re right, we’re wired a certain way and we need to find a way to manage our condition. I’ve been off work this week because I’ve been so bad and realise the impact it’s having. I’m not googling or checking for reassurance and it’s hard. I definitely feel I can overcome this though, and so can you.

@HildegardeCrowe I'm really sorry to hear it has got bad for you at the moment. Well done for staying off google - I will do so with you! I really hope you start to feel an improvement soon. Do you have support at home?

I’m on my own actually, divorced with DD at uni. But actually feel it’s better to be on my own as I feel this condition is so bonkers that no-one really understands! I do have a great GP though and therapy is helping and work is very understanding. How is your breast pain now?

@HildegardeCrowe yes, I know what you mean. It's such an alien concept to my husband and he just tells me to stop worrying! If only it were that simple.
Very good that you have a supportive GP who understands. I think that's key isn't it, so you feel like you can be really honest.

My boobs are tender still but I think it's linked to my cycle so I'm hoping when it goes in a few days I will feel better. I have a mirena coil so I don't actually have periods so I don't actually know, I should probably write down when it comes and goes. I am going to try and keep busy now and do some cleaning, as like someone said up thread, when I sit down is when I start to feel pain in my body so I just need lots of distraction. I actually think a better bra might help as it could be that, thinking rationally! Hope you're ok, and that you have some nice weekend plans. I'm going to take my kids out tomorrow and try to enjoy some outdoors, chilled time with them.

Evening all. I’ve popped my head in here a few times but never posted.
Today I’m at the lowest I have been for a while and need to be here with others who understand.
My anxiety is sky high, it’s been on the increase since I had my baby 12 weeks ago. This is not new for me, I was the same after the birth of my dd 7 years ago. I have taken fluoxetine since then and it works well for me. I came off it when I was pg but have a prescription to go back on it. I’m breastfeeding though so I’ve put off starting it.

My HA has flared up massively. I’ve had a few minor problems - tummy aches, pelvic aches etc - probably all my body readjusting but HA doesn’t think rationally does it!
Before I would handle it by going online and biking a drs appt for in a couple of weeks time. If the problem was still there I would go, if not I would cancel the appt. Now it’s all telephone appointments which make my anxiety worse - the waiting for the call, then talking on the phone etc - so I’m putting off seeing the dr. Then the anxiety starts...

Anyhow, thanks for letting me ramble. My head is one bit jumbled mess tonight and I can’t think straight.

@Ethellsmum So sorry to hear that you're feeling like this, must be very hard with new baby, hormones and tiredness.
How are you feeling this morning?

@Ethellsmum sorry to hear you are having a hard time. Hormones and your body readjusting are probably playing a huge part in your anxiety.

Hormones definitely don’t help with mine, I get to a certain point in my cycle and my mood just takes a nosedive.

I had a better day yesterday but this morning I’ve woken up under my dark cloud. Can’t shake the ‘what if it is something bad’ type feeling and so constantly wanting to check my boobs (this is a regular theme for me). I need to get myself up and busy but the weather is so rubbish here, that doesn’t help!

Feeling really anxious and worrying myself silly that I will catch Covid is my main anxiety at the moment.

Staying with my daughter this weekend and we went to the garden centre today. Now fearful that I may have picked up the virus from anything I touched (including the hand sanitiser bottle). Had to adjust the loop on my face mask and worried about that because I'd touched things, but I know I didn't touch my eyes, nose or mouth.Have been worrying all day.

Then I had to take my meds this eveving, got a glass of water, took my tablets - but forgot to wash my hands before doing so. Now worryng that the virus might have been on the tap. Anyone else feel like this?

Just feel as though I want to go to sleep and wake up and the virus will be gone. It will be so good to get back to 'normal'.

I wish I could stop this endless anxiety and worrying. Have been on Mirtazipine for three weeks now and have noticed no difference in my state of anxiety. The doctor said he would increase the dose if lthings didn't improve within another couple of weeks.

Sending best wishes to all.

@Proseccoagain It sounds like you were very careful about washing your hands and using hand sanitiser, even if the hand sanitiser bottle did have the virus on it, once you used the solution on your hands you will have killed any virus that you had picked up anyway.

As long as you wear a mask and continue with good hand hygiene I’m sure your chances of picking up the virus will be very low.

Hi all I’m new here.

Been reading your post and over the past 2 weeks I started having headaches, I saw 2 gps one said was migraines and the other said doesn’t sound like one (never had a migraine in my life and I’m 32), I got my self that worked up googling I self diagnosed my self with a brain tumour, I was that bad I couldn’t sleep and eat. In the end I went to a&e and had a CT scan and it came back normal but I’m still convinced they’ve missed something as the doctor said they can’t be 100% but guessing they have to say that, is this apart of health anxiety?

Please somebody, tell me to stop googling.
Physically, my loose stools have stopped, I have more energy and more appetite. But my abdomen is still feeling not quite right. I now don’t know what’s a real symptom and what’s my imagination/ anxiety levels making me feel worse.
I just want to wake up feeling normal

@Caelano you need something to keep your mind occupied, do you like to read, I find a good book helps to keep me away from google sometimes. It’s so hard I know, I’ve been there x

@Leen437 hi there. This does sound like health anxiety yes but it does sound very stressful for you and I'm very familiar with what you're feeling. At least you've been to the doctor and you've even had a scan and if the doctor's not worried then I don't think you need to be. It wasn't very helpful the doctor saying they're "not quite 100%" - can you talk to them and say you're still a little anxious? However I would say that stress, and especially when you're worried about a specific illness, will absolutely give you headaches and make you convinced you're ill when actually you're most probably fine.

I expect that if you did stop worrying about it the headaches would go, but I do understand it can be very hard to stop worrying about an illness. Hope this helps at all and try not to worry.