Health Anxiety - Part two

[MrsWhites]

Hi everyone, it seems we have reached 1000 posts on our original thread which is amazing, just shows how much support we have been able to give each other.

I thought we would benefit from part two!

@Catsneezies Sorry that you are having a bad day, and that you are having bad thoughts! I agree it is utterly exhausting, I've been there was so many different worries.

One thing I think that is really difficult about health anxiety is that if you google any symptom and put the word cancer after it you will get something. But what is really hard to understand is the difference between the level of the symptom we have, and the symptom if it was related to something truly terrible. I get quite a lot of sinus pressure, although I don't have an underlying condition. I would tend to blame it on a cold, or hayfever. So I haven't actually googled it before!

I hope you manage to stay away from Google, I know how challenging it is though.

Good news - saw oral surgeon who is confident there is nothing wrong, just some swelling likely from biting my tongue in my sleep. Am going back in three weeks just for a follow up. So relieved. Am now targeting my attention on treating my health anxiety x

Thank you. I think a lot of my health anxiety stems from two occasions when I or my DC have been ill, I was worried about something, the doctors and everyone else dismissed me, and then both times in turned out to be really serious and life-threatening.

It means that any time I have a worry, however unlikely it is, I think back to the time when I was right and the doctors were wrong and if I had dismissed my worries I or my DS could have died. It means that however unlikely something is, I feel that I can't rely on anyone else or even the doctors to reassure me that it isn't serious.

I am having online CBT but only just started so no big changes yet.

Hi, so I'm doing ok with checking my boobs, even though its a day where I'm allowed to check as much as I want as part of my CBT, I've not checked them once. I've suddenly become preoccupied with lymph nodes under my arms again for some stupid reason! I can feel them under both arms if I dig deep enough and always have been able to so not sure why I'm suddenly giving it a second thought! they are the same on both sides as well so I'm hoping I can forget about them again. its as if I'm satisfied that I think my breasts are ok this month so I'm projecting my anxiety on another area! my husband thinks I'm crazy digging about in my arm pits and wonders what on earth I'm doing!!

Hey @Catsneezies I’m a nightmare for things like this, any symptom... anything I will turn into something sinister. Even the normal shape of my skull I believed was a lump and has my husband pressing around my skull for reassurance. You’re not alone in this I promise you.

@Lib3rtine I’m the exact same today I don’t feel overly concerned about my lymph nodes from reassurance on here yesterday! However I have become obsessed with the fact my chest aches (due on always does before) yet I’m googling heart attack symptoms because my arm feels a bit funny too! Logic goes out the window doesn’t it!

@PeachScone great news! I’m starting hypnotherapy next week which I’m hoping will stop my endless worrying! X

@Skyliner001 yep there are days when that underlying doom is with me, present in everything I do! Sometimes I start getting all sentimental about silly things, thinking what if this is the last time I get to do this?! That feeling of doom can be strong.

@goolies horrible feeling isn’t it! I got like that this Christmas thinking what if it’s my last!

@tmh88 amazing!! I've got a self help book and have emailed some private therapists but it looks expensive! Going to see how i get on with my book and see if I can get some nhs support but way of the waiting lists..

I posted this on the Sertraline thread, I hope you don’t mind me posting here too.

I’m keeping the worst of my anxiety and worries about symptoms from everybody atm. I don’t want to worry family and my friends have enough of their own stuff going on. I just need a space to vent really. Where people may understand how I feel.

Another bloody horrid day here. I’m really struggling. Any advice is welcome!

My health anxiety revolves around pain in my throat, neck, chest and jaw mainly. I think it began when I found a lump on my chest wall in August last year. That lump disappearedafter a few weeks but the worry that there’s something underlying will not go.

I’ve spoken with my GP several times. One ran a full blood count to reassure me and nothing sinister was found. She also checked my physically and checked for nymph nodes and stuff.

I’ve not long started Sertraline but over the last few days I’m struck with a pain in my throat, or the front of my neck to be exact. Where I’d imagine my thyroid to be.

I can’t shake it, the worry. The pain is definitely there, it’s not a figment of my imagination. It’s accompanied by burning in my throat, gland type pain in my throat too.

I can’t go back to GP with a new symptom again. But I’m really worried about my neck/throat. I’m due to speak with GP next week about Sertraline and I will mention it then but how the bloody hell do I get through til then with the worry

Why can’t you ring your gp again. If it puts your mind at ease I would pick up the phone. You don’t want to be worrying till then. Just explain that it’s making you feel anxious. That’s what they are paid for. Please ring and put your mind at ease. I always ring my doctor and as a sufferer of anxiety he understands. Yours will to. Big hugs xxx

@PeachScone Amazing news! And entirely expected without health anxiety I'm sure. Definitely try and target the health anxiety next!

@Catsneezies That's totally understandable! I think a lot of health anxiety starts fairly legitimately, mine started with lymphoma over 25 years ago. But recently overtook me after the discovery of a breast lump. Benign cyst, but it took me back there!

@Lib3rtine Lymph-node's again! I completely understand, I have been obsessing about one above my right collarbone, which is about the size of a lentil and has been there for over 12 years… It's like I've just found it. Having said that I haven't touched it today.

@Partey I'm on 30 lean for health anxiety as well! I had a rough few weeks in the beginning, but it's slightly improving now!

I completely understand thyroid anxiety, I went through that a couple of weeks ago with some pain and tightness. I've moved onto other things now, but definitely mention it to your GP. You might find that when your mind is at rest you do feel better

Ladies, can I just say how much I'm finding this thread helpful, I feel so much less alone, thank you for your generosity in sharing how you are all feeling! It's good to know we are all in this together X

30 lean should have been setraliee!

I've had a pretty good day on the whole, I'm having a massive housework marathon tomorrow, so hopefully that will keep my hands to myself! Hope that all of you have had a reasonable day, and if you haven't then I'm sure it will be a better day tomorrow. We have to be kind to ourselves, we are trying! And this is a hard enemy to beat! But we will get there X

@Skyliner001 sounds very similar. I had actually been OK with health anxiety for the first six months of the year, even with the pandemic, but then found a breast lump. Turned out to be a few small benign cysts but while I was waiting for the scan I became convinced I was going to die and from there my mental health went downhill and hasn't yet recovered. I still worry when I get pain from the cysts that it could be cancer despite having an all clear scan just a couple of months ago.

@partey I have had the front of neck/throat pain before and it turned out to be a physical symptom of anxiety. Trouble is, the more we focus on the symptom the worse it becomes. I bet if you had the all clear from the doctor the pain would disappear!

I'm speaking to myself as well here as I am getting obsessed with sinus pain and pressure. When I am busy or distracted I don't even feel it. Its when I actually have time to relax in the evening that I notice it, focus on it and then of course it gets worse.

It is helpful to know I'm not the only one feeling like this. I feel so silly and think DH is losing patience with me finding new ways that I'm dying every day.

@Catsneezies The Brest clinic takes it out of you and the waiting is horrific. I do emphasise.

@Skyliner001 honestly, it’s either breast lumps or lymph nodes! Why do we revisit things that we know are normal, know have always been there but somehow think it could have been something sinister all along?!! It helps writing things in here as I see how ridiculous I’m being!!

I always find anything gynaelogicial such as breasts or ovaries particularly worrying. I wonder why. If I had a pain in my knee I wouldn't worry anything like to the extent I do if I get a pain in my breast.

So true @Lib3rtine 😳

@Catsneezies Breasts, ovaries, cervix 😨