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?

@Goolies yes I saw a 2 drs before ultrasound who thought nothing sinister, the woman who did my ultrasound said nothing sinister, the gp who looked at my scans for results after said completely normal lymph nodes, nothing sinister! Yet even though I have heard it that many times I still think what it they’ve missed something! it’s hard because I’ve realised I need help with it because nobody can reassure me

@tmh88 and @Goolies it’s so hard isn’t it. Its learning to accept that in life there is always some uncertainty but that’s much easier said than done! I do think I need help but nothing seems to work because nothing can give me the certainty that I feel I need and even if I do manage to move on from a particular concern there is always another one around the corner!

@MrsWhites I don’t think it helps because I don’t know why these lumps are there.

How is everyone doing this morning? I’m currently trying to distract myself putting washing away ha!

Hey @tmh88 I’m trying to keep busy too hVe made my breast sore by prodding and rib still hurting. Also on a cleaning mission lol whatever works! X

Morning everyone. How are you all doing?
@Goolies @tmh88 distraction is the best tactic I find!
I have been quiet as an awful week. Same day every month I start to feel even worse than usual - on weds this week it hit me and I couldn't stop crying. Insomnia all week, checking breasts every time I take bra off, panicking, palpitations, sweating at night. I'm having bloods taken next week to check hormones in case peri menopausal which could be increasing anxiety. I just don't know anymore!
One good thing to say is that evening primrose is definitely easing my breast pain and tenderness as a huge improvement from last month ( I've been taking it about a month now)
Hope everyone has stuff planned today and can get some peace!

@chorusline79 oh no that sounds awful! I am the exact same! Finding worries at the minute now I’m less worried about my neck lumps! My head is going well if that’s normal there must be something else somewhere then lol! Honestly it’s so so tiring! I hope you get some sleep soon makes me feel a millions times worse when I can’t get to sleep for looking at myself in the mirror and prodding at lumps I’m starting therapy in January! I’ll let you all know how it goes on! I’m really hoping she can help me

@Goolies I make myself painful from prodding myself too x

Morning everyone! Also trying to keep busy today, it’s funny how we all seem to find weekends hard, especially at the moment with not many places to go! It’s like we give our mind too much time to run riot!

@chorusline79 I definitely have a set time in the month when my mood changes. I’m late 30’s and my mum started to suffer symptoms of peri-menopause around my age too so I’m assuming it’s that and it certainly doesn’t help my anxiety. At around day 18 in my cycle my mood drops, sex drive goes out of the window, my boobs start to hurt (both sides but worst on the left which again doesn’t help my anxiety) and I get tired but can’t sleep at night. My anxiety gets worse at this point, especially about my boobs, I think because the breast pain heightens my awareness of them and I start to get very easily irritated, which makes me sad and tearful so again makes my anxiety worse! It’s a vicious circle! For a time I took a b complex and magnesium which are supposed to help with PMT type symptoms but I don’t think I took them long enough to make much of a difference, I might start them up again actually x

I don’t know if this will help anyone but I find playing games on my phone like animal crossing calming and it takes my mind off of things for a while

@tmh88 it's good you are getting some therapy, and I really hope it works well for you.

@MrsWhites oh gosh, we are going through exactly the same sort of anxiety cycle - a lot of mine focuses on breast pain, and I'm so aware of them all the time. I'm also 39. Blood test on Friday to see about hormone levels. Dr is sure it's all anxiety related but I've started to record all my symptoms and there is definitely a cyclical pattern.

@chorusline79 thank you, I’m just trying to go into with an open mind of it won’t be a quick fix but I do really hope with time it helps me!

@chorusline79 and @MrsWhites im 39 too!! Hope everyone has had a decent day I tried to keep myself as busy as I could however felt quite agitated whilst doing. Now going to watch a movie and hope fully will soon nod off after that!

@tmh88 sounds like a v sensible attitude. And definitely worth a shot.

@Goolies hope you get a good nights sleep!

I'm watching Gavin and Stacey repeats - trying to keep it light!

I’ve had a lazy day today with not much to do so I’ve been a bit twitchy but I’m settling down to watch some Vikings now, I’m binge watching to try to keep me off my phone before bed. Not sure that it’s working, I seem to be sleeping ok but then waking up really early and the morning doom and gloom hits then.

@tmh88 I don’t play games on my phone but I do try to get into a good book and I find this occupies my mind sometimes. I’ve dropped hints about quite a few new ones for Christmas!

Kids finish school this week so got lots to do before then so hopefully that will keep me busy!

Hi everyone, just catching up as I’ve had a busy couple of days which has actually done me good. I have another scan Tuesday so really hoping baby has put some weight on!
@MrsWhites I have the exact same thing in one of my breasts and do exactly what you do, particularly when I’m feeling really anxious, I prod and poke until I’m sore! I also agree with you about the uncertainty thing and it’s something I’ve fetched up in my CBT session so I’m hoping she helps me with that.
@tmh88 hi there, hope you’re ok. Lymph nodes cause me so much anxiety, I’m quite slim so can feel a load of mine so end up prodding and poking them and convincing myself there’s something wrong! Hope you find therapy useful, I’ve just started CBT and it’s going well

@Lib3rtine hi! The drs think I can just feel mine but I’m not really that slim which is why it works me up I’m about a 10/12 weigh 10 and half stone! I’ve had 3 separate opinions on them and ultrasound and they still make me panic! Horrible isn’t it sorry to hear your going through it too! The initial consultation on the phone with the the therapist said that stress can cause lymph nodes but I still didn’t believe that either hope your CBT is going well and your doing ok!

@tmh88 I think some people just can feel them, I can always feel the ones in my groin and especially now I’m pregnant as my skin is so stretched, they’re even more prominent. The ones under my arms, if I dig deep I have always been able to feel them. I looked on a few forums and there are a lot of people who can feel lymph nodes and nothing is wrong with them so I no longer worry about them. I also read if there was anything sinister with them they’d keep getting bigger and they’d be hard so you’d know if something was amiss. I think your therapist is right, I’ve read that about stress too. I’ve had a better weekend than I usually do so I’m hoping it lasts this week! Hope you have a good day x

Hey hope everyone is ok today! @Lib3rtine all the what for your scan tomorrow xx I’m glad you had a good weekend and hope it lasts for you. @MrsWhites I live vikings!! Ragnar ❤️❤️🥰 I’m looking for a new series to help me escape for a while, finished vikings a while back.

@tmh88 I can feel what I think are nodes too. Strange isn’t it before the internet is never have given it a second thought!

@chorusline79 hope you’re doing ok today and enjoyed your Gavin and Stacey marathon :)

@Lib3rtine glad you’ve had a good weekend! Hope all goes well with the scan xx

@Goolies yes google is my worst enemy ha! Should be illegal to google online symptoms xx

Morning! @Goolies we are only just starting season 2 so plenty of Viking’s still to go. Have you watched Power or Scandal? I really enjoyed them!

@Lib3rtine so glad you had a good weekend, fingers crossed that baby is growing well on the scan!

I think I have finally found out what is causing my mouth ulcers, I’ve been using sensodyne rapid relief toothpaste for a bit of sensitivity off and on, I used it last night and have woken up to swollen lips and what looks like the top layer of skin missing inside my bottom lip and cheeks. I googled the toothpaste and found a few reviews saying the same happened to them! I’m going to stop using it for a few days and see if it goes away, hopefully that will be one of my anxieties dealt with - Until the next one comes along!

@MrsWhites think I might try get into vikings my brother really likes it! Glad you found the cause to your ulcers! Must feel like a relief

Hey @MrsWhites no I haven’t watched that I will have a look tonight thank you :) glad you have found the source of your ulcers!! Hope it’s given you some peace of mind :) x stay as busy as you can so your kind doesn’t latch onto something else.

Thanks @Goolies Gavin and Stacey never fails to cheer me up!
Not too bad today , I was dreading today as been to clear out some stuff from my grandads house. He died back in April and one of my dearest people. But it was ok, I got through today and it is getting easier.

Hope everyone else has had ok days and staying off google etc and keeping busy.

@Goolies and @tmh88 thank you both, I’m hoping my mouth clears up soon, I feel like everything I eat today tastes like blood or metallic 🤢

@chorusline79 that must have been very hard, my grandad passed away a few years ago and his death really affected me, I miss him terribly, especially at this time of year so I really sympathise with you, so glad you got through it today. I don’t think time makes the loss easier but it gets easier to carry the grief if that makes sense x