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?

Morning everyone
Sorry you didn't sleep well @Goolies and @tmh88
Sorry to hear about your work, it's a good distraction to be there isn't it.
Hope you can stop prodding @Goolies. I have taken to wearing sports bras to keep mine holstered in!
Anyone else find the anxiety makes their stomach bad a lot? I am longing for a normal poo as it's stressing me out that I hardly ever have one

@Goolies oh no awful isn’t it! It’s so hard to stop isn’t it too!

@chorusline79 yes I’m hoping more things might open up in the new year to distract myself till I’m back! If it helps I do get bad nervous stomach! I always have had that to be honest, it’s the health anxiety that’s new to me only really been like this since September and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy!

The thing I find the hardest is I was positive I would feel a sense of relief after my ultrasound and be back to normal but I’m not! It’s shocked me a lot to be honest as I’ve never had health anxiety before that!

Morning everyone.

I get a nervous stomach too! Had that a bit this week. I didn’t sleep too badly last night but then woke up with the tingly boob feeling which seems to affect my left boob more than my right, it does seem to coincide with heartburn too though so I’m trying to remind myself that it is likely just that. It could all be in my head too of course, I was lying in bed this morning thinking ‘can I really feel that’, how ridiculous is that! I don’t know about you ladies but I’m not massively blessed in the boob department and I think that means I can feel normal lumpy bumpy bits a bit more than if they were massive!

Anyway, here’s hoping for a better day for us all! Is everyone else all ready for Christmas, I have a few bits to sort out and a bit of wrapping still to do but pretty organised I think!

@MrsWhites glad you slept well! I’m larger breasted but can feel lumpy bits/lumpy tissue all over mine.
I have got nearly all my shopping done! Wrapped a lot of them this morning with DS, listening to Christmas music! Which was really lovely, I’m feeling a bit more positive today and trying to keep busy!

Hope everyone is doing ok today too

@tmh88 there goes my theory then..obviously some women just have lumpy boobs regardless of size!

Glad you are feeling more positive, sounds like you have had a lovely morning x

Oh sorry @MrsWhites I hope I haven’t made you panic more about it! Just meant it in a way of I think it’s relatively normal for me but obviously that doesn’t stop the worry for you ha! Hope you are ok!

@tmh88 oh no don’t worry, I just meant it’s obviously just normal to have lumpy boobs regardless of their size x

Hey @MrsWhites I woke with the same boob feeling! I seem to have moved on from the armpit lump and focussed on my boob, my left one up feeling specific. I can feel so many things In there bobbly bits and water balloony things, I can’t feel any of that on my right. So yeah I’ve prodded till I’m sore!

I have no choice but to leave it alone now as it hurts even if I accidentally brush it.

Hope everyone is ok and has had a good day xx

@Goolies it’s so hard isn’t it when one feels different to the other. I try to remember they are sisters not twins 😂

@MrsWhites 😂😂😂 I will keep telling myself that!

@dane8 I recently started with health anxiety and it really is awful and hard to get things into perspective! I really struggle with it, I do find a game on my phone helps more than a book etc to distract me but that doesn’t work every time! I’m starting therapy in January so I’m holding out hope for that! Your not alone though I do feel a sense of dread/panic when I’m not well now

Hi @dane8 yes I get panicked when I’m under the weather, I view every cold/cough as a potential bigger illness which makes me very stressed. I try to distract myself with a good tv box set or a good book when I feel like this. My husband can usually talk me down a little bit too x

@dane8 hope you're feeling bit better now? Totally get where you are coming from. I feel I have congestion at the mo and it definitely increases the anxiety. Hope you are ok?

Hope your ok @dane8. I’ve been there so many times! Not well and fear the worst even though the symptoms may point to a common issue like underestimated , the common cold etc.

I am really struggling at the moment I made the huge mistake of feeling inside my bottom and I can feel what only can be described as a lump about the size of a pea which I can grab with the tips of my finger. It seems to be on a stalk. I googled it and it seems to say piles but my mind is on overdrive on. Have you lovely ladies had anything similar x

Evening everyone. Does anyone else find that they fixate on other things, for example I accidentally pulled out in front of someone in my car today and I’ve not stopped going over it in my head, beating myself up about it and stressing about driving again. Is it just me that seems to have anxiety outside of health issues or do others have both too?

Hope you have all had a good day and have some plans to keep busy over the weekend x

@MrsWhites your not alone there, I have anxiety outside of health issues! Health issues is actually new to me and I find health anxiety that draining I actually miss my old anxiety

@anotherdoghere that does sound like piles. I suffer with them and have a flare up at the minute, I think due to recent rubbish diet! They can get itchy and burning feeling too. Not pleasant!

@MrsWhites absolutely! Like @tmh88 I have had general anxiety before the health anxiety started. I would definitely obsess about something driving related - I went through a red light once and took me ages to get it out of my head. I also spend too much time worrying and obsessing over things I have done badly in the past or if I feel I said the wrong thing. Hope you're feeling better today x

@tmh88 and @chorusline79 thank you both. I try to remind myself it was just a mistake but like you say I quite often go over things I perceive I have said or done wrong in the past, even very small things! Thank you for reassuring me that it’s not just me that does this!

@anotherdoghere definitely piles! I have had them after I had my son, I would recommend anusol cream which will shrink them!

@MrsWhites does the anusol clear them up or just relieve symptoms? I'm freaking out as wiped a bit of blood away and now I feel panicky and scared this am and I'm too scared to google but I do feel a burning pain and slight itchiness so I'm thinking it must be piles. So fed up with obsessing over every little thing - the minute I feel like I'm ok and am getting a handle on things something else happens and I feel like it's back to square one. Exhausting!

@chorusline79 yes it usually clears them up, although mine do make a reappearance from time to time. It’s a bit personal but the anusol comes with an applicator shall we say for internal piles and then you can just apply the cream yourself to external ones. It usually works quite quickly. Try not to worry, that definitely sounds like piles to me! x

Thank you lovely ladies. Just one more question does the lump disappear as it seems to be hanging off the stalk (tmi) or does it just shrink leaving a skin tag?