Seeing the dr today about my anxiety. Feel sick

[takethegirloutofwales]

I have an appointment at 12.30 today to see my gp about health anxiety which ha become so crippling of late I can’t get through the day without spending countless hours googling symptoms and deciding I have a terminal Illness. It’s debilitating and the worst thing is I know it’s ridiculous but I just can’t stop it. I spoke to her on the phone yesterday and she was so so lovely so I am hoping this is the start of fixing me - realising I am a healthy person who needs to fix what’s going on in her head and start enjoying my life.

Couldn't read and run. I have anxiety and depression. the appointment with my gp my mum made it for me as she could see I needed help. I literally babbled hysterically at the poor doctor and then hyperventilated.
It was awful but I got the medication and eventually the counselling I need to sort my head out and live a good life.
Please be honest with your GP, it'll change your life. Good luck op x

I intend to be. In. Some ways having the phone consultation yesterday was a good thing as it’s already broken the ice. She is now prepared for what I’m going to her with and I don’t have to admit to it face to face. I told her I need her to check something on my neck where my left collarbone seem to be more padded than the right. Obviously google that one and you’re dying. I actually think it’s a bad posture thing as if I hunch my shoulders forward and feel for lymph nodes you can’t feel a thing. But as is the problem with anxiety you bypass all the rational explanations and go straight for terminal illness. I am so good at rationalising other people’s anxieties - I don’t think anyone has a clue that I suffer so badly as I keep it lol internalised.

If you're anything like me you'll be overthinking this hugely.
Worrying about wasting the doctor's time!
I was good at hiding it too. You'll be fine, you know you will. Try to take some deep breaths and stay calm.
You've taken the biggest step already in asking for help, now you're just following it through.

💓 thank you. Feeling quite emotional today I must say.

Good luck OP and well done for facing up to it.

I have health anxiety and I have been where you are. Its shit. I convinced myself that i had a life limiting illness.
It was so bad that i even gave myself the symptoms through stress. I had twitches and memory loss and
I could not sleep, and that made it worse. I did not stop until i saw a neurologist.
I am going to give you 3 tips.

1. Get outside for a walk or exercise
2. Spend time with people and allow yourself to have fun.
3. Limit your googling. I am not going to stay stop googling, because you wont. Set a time , for

example an hour then stop. No more until tomorrow. Isn't having health anxiety during a pandemic fun .... Not. Good luck.

hey OP @takethegirloutofwales, hope you got on ok today

Hi thanks for checking in. It was really good. She put me completely at ease. And reassured me the lump I could feel was a muscle. Nothing a good massage to unknot me wouldn’t fix. Huge relief. Going to turn my back on dr google. See how that goes!