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?

Welcome @Bk21. I have a 5 month old and my anxiety has rocketed since having her. When u found out I was pg my main worry was how my anxiety would be afterwards as i was bad 7 years ago after the birth of my other daughter.

Sending lots of love @tmh88, so sorry for your loss xx

I’m not doing good. I’ve spent the entire Xmas feeling sad and my anxiety has been through the roof - convinced this one will be the last one I spend with my kids.
I just can’t see me getting through this latest spike. I finished cbt just before Xmas and was feeling ok and then the slightest thing and I’m back in that horrid cycle.
I’m not even sure it my latest “symptoms” are real or if I’m imagining it (which freaks me out even more).

I need to start the meds. I can’t keep going on like this but I know I’ll feel rubbish for a few weeks and when I’m already anxious I’ll attribute those side effects to some horrible disease.

@Ethellsmum hope you are ok! It’s so hard isn’t I had a horrible feeling yesterday of hope this isn’t my last Christmas, I have a lot of weird emotions at the minute though but the last Christmas one filled me with dread! I’m slowly coming round to my dr hasn’t misdiagnosed me but it’s really hard!

I've been much better over Christmas I think due to so much cooking and telly watching and being around DD and dp. I was also ridiculously pleased to get the runs on Christmas night after too much cream convincing me my digestive issues are gallbladder as the GP thinks and not cancer which is what I too obsess about.

Almost had hysterics when on Boxing Day afternoon the private gynae I saw for the repeat smear (all ok) texted me and I was "omg it's to tell me she made a mistake" but it was for my NI number.

Hope everyone else is ok.

@tmh88 hope you’re doing ok, been thinking of you x

@Bk21 welcome! I’ve had health anxiety for years and years but this current flare up I think is partly due to being pregnant as I just get constant fear of something happening and leaving my child with no mum. It’s usually cancer I fear, mainly breast cancer. Hope you’re ok, everyone here is really nice and we all try and support each other and help x

How’s everyone doing? I had a bad day yesterday and was really down and irritable. I read a news story about a 29 year old girl who died of motor neurones disease and it terrified me. I just felt so sad and upset about it and how unfair it was ☹️ Couldn’t get it out if my head at all x

Morning everyone.

@Ethellsmum sorry you are struggling, I think we’ve said before on this thread that happy events like Christmas can definitely bring on health anxiety, it’s just the fear of not being there for our children. It’s so hard to switch that off and just be able to enjoy the moment!

@TheSilentStars that made me laugh, only someone with health anxiety could be pleased to get the runs! I’ve been suffering with terrible constipation recently, its not unusual for me though, maybe I should eat the tub of cream in the fridge 😂

@Lib3rtine we definitely have the same issue with reading sad stories, I can be doing great but read one story about someone young getting ill and that’s it, I’ll be back upstairs searching my body for matching symptoms. Can’t be long until you’ve got the baby to distract you!

@MrsWhites it really did knock me for 6, just the unfairness of it I can’t comprehend.
I’ve got 3 weeks left till due date, can’t come quick enough, think it’s just the distraction I need x

I have to avoid all sad death stories now. When I am particularly anxious or In a Spike, I am convinced that coming across a newspaper article for say, a girl dying of breast cancer at my age, is a sign from god, or fate or whatever.

@Lib3rtine 3 weeks will fly by, newborns are a brilliant distraction 😂 Find some box sets that you’d like to watch for night feeds or if you are anything like me you’ll end up googling!

@Tunnocks34 I do exactly the same, I convince myself that it’s a message or a sign or some sort of warning to me. It’s horrible isn’t it!

@Tunnocks34 oh my god, I think that too! I convince myself that it’s definitely going to happen to me and it’s a warning sign!!

@MrsWhites yep, I imagine they are, I can’t wait! I was doing so well with the googling so I really need to make sure I keep away from it!!

Anxiety is the biggest issue for the younger and older generations. You Should Consult doctors and Family to avoid any circumstances
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Hi everyone. Hope you're all doing ok.

@Lib3rtine I read that story too, it was horrible - so unjust like you say.

Like a few others have said, I've been better over Christmas as DH here and he keeps me on the straight and narrow and makes me feel safer. I still have a few concerns and my stomach is main focus at the moment as I hardly ever have a normal poo! Realistically it's stress/IBS but I worry and that probably exacerbates it so it's a vicious cycle. I'm trying probiotics now to add to my long list of supplements and tablets! Alcohol definitely makes my stomach worse.

Hope everyone is keeping ok. @tmh88 how are you? I've been thinking of you.

Hope 2021 will be a better year for us all.

@Lib3rtine @chorusline79 think it’s hit me more today just realising I’m never going to hear her voice etc again or get a phone call! Sobbed a lot this morning!

My anxiety is terrible at the minute and I always see a death of a sign to come for me like a warning sign like @Tunnocks34 if I see an advert or something pops up on my phone about cancer/someone dieing I see it as a warning sign to me! Glad I’m not alone in that actually as much as it’s horrible you all feel that way too!

@tmh88 so sorry, it must be such a big shock for you. Have you got people around to support you? Take good care of yourself and try to eat and get rest. Big hugs to you.

Hi everyone, having a bad day today. I’ve convinced myself I’ve some sort of bowel issue. In the past week or so I’ve only been able to pass very small amounts which are quite thin, I just assumed it was constipation but I’ve gone and googled it haven’t I and read that thin poo can be a sign of bowel cancer. I have a prolapse from after the birth of my son so being constipated makes that worse too so that’s getting very uncomfortable. It all seems to have got on top of me today and I can feel myself getting stressed and irritable 😢

Hope everyone is having a better day than me x

@MrsWhites I’m sure I read that thin stools as a sign of BC had been discredited- can you guess that I googled the very same thing not that long ago 🤦‍♀️

Still struggling here. Trying to do some knitting to keep my mind occupied.

@Ethellsmum thank you! I’m trying to stop googling and stressing about it, I’ve taken some lactulose medicine to see if I can get back to normal. Getting pains in one boob too now so that’s making me want to start poking about!

It’s good that you have knitting to keep you busy, I can’t knit so I’m trying to read a new book I got for Christmas!

@chorusline79 so so awful, really has upset me so much. X

@tmh88 I’m so sorry, take care of yourself and don’t be hard on yourself. We’re all here as well if you need a chat at any point x

@MrsWhites I have crazy bowels that go from constipated to loose and I have all kinds of stool shapes and always have done so please don’t worry. My husband had thin stools and had everything thoroughly investigated and it was stress and IBS. I know what anxiety can do though so completely understand how you feel. The boob pain will be because you’re feeling anxious, it happens to me, my mind starts playing tricks on me! x

How many of us take meds for our anxiety?

I took fluoxetine for a couple of years and it really did help.
I came off it a year ago when I fell pregnant.
I’ve ve n prescribed sertraline but yet to start taking it.

@chorusline79 @Lib3rtine thank you! Struggling to relax tonight!

@MrsWhites my bowel movements are different every day, hope that helps to reassure you google is a nightmare for me! What I try and remember is the posts of all the cancers etc which come straight up when you google isn’t because it’s the most likely it’s because they’re the most pressed link! (However I still spiral on google ) hope your ok!

@Ethellsmum I’m not on any meds at the minute have been years ago for anxiety but that wasn’t for health anxiety this is fairly new to me only really started September time having health anxiety and I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy! I’m starting therapy in January which I have been waiting for since about start or December so I’m hoping that helps!

I'm another Googler of BC symptoms it's my main one really. Even more so than boobs.

I'm not on any meds but did think when I go to the GP after my gallbladder scan at the end of the month I might broach it. The gynae gave me the name of some serotonin based lozenge things which I bought but then googled side effects of them which made me more anxious than ever!
I'd laugh at my daft old self really

@MrsWhites hope you're feeling a bit better and reassured this am. I am also obsessed with my bowels! It's my new focus - I've done boobs, chest cyst, Ovarian cancer and heart problems since my HA started😫
My bowel movements are also different all the time, hardly ever a 'normal' poo but Doc unconcerned and thinks IBS and stress. I've also eaten more and drank wine more recently and my stomach is v sensitive to alcohol, could this be the case for you over Christmas a bit too? I've just bought some probiotics in the hope this might help settle mine, as it's been bad for months but I've got so many supplements in my cupboard now I need to stop buying them!
Hope you are feeling a little better. Definitely stress comes out in the stomach and does funny things.

@chorusline79 I have diagnosed myself with many cancers since September too! Main one being lymphoma but also, thyroid, stomach, ovarian I get a bad anxious stomach when I’m really at my worst had it about a week now!

@tmh88 it's exhausting isn't it. Really hope your therapy will help you. Mine is all online and I've asked for some support in jan as I feel that I need to talk it through, it's v impersonal doing it all online and also I'm avoiding the next module - facing your fears! I'm worried I will get worse before I get better and wanted to try and do an ostrich over Christmas!

I'm too scared to google anything now as the panic is too much, I had a twitch in my eye last week for several days and resisted googling as I knew it would probably tell me I have a neurological condition and it has resolved itself thankfully. Google is the worst Dr!