Health Anxiety - part three!!

[MrsWhites]

Hi ladies, back again for thread number 3!

Also I've had it off and on for a year now so why am I suddenly panicking that I'm dying now?!

I've now done two potentially stupid things. Started watching "The Dig" on Netflix and the lead character has heartburn that turns out to be a fatal heart condition

And got so fed up with feeling that I'm about to drop dead that I had a shot of vodka (and don't normally drink much) and actually feel a bit better 🙃

Oh guys, so sorry I've not been very active, been madly busy with work. But just wanted to send so much empathy and positive vibes to you all. I get absolutely where you are all coming from, in my head I've gone from my lumpy breasts, back to breasts in general, and now I'm back on cervix, honestly!

I completely empathise with how exhausting it is, libertine I'm so happy that the baby is doing well, and all of your anxieties are completely normal I'm sure!

I hope you all have a better evening, we're all in this together, I know it's hard for us all!

Oh I started cognitive behavioural therapy yesterday, or at least I started on the online course, I'm waiting to get a proper therapist for it. Not overly impressed with the online course so far, it seems to be very much what you could just find online yourself. Hoping for better results with a therapist.

@KasparKat I’ve had a glass of red wine and feel more chilled than I have in a long time!

@Skyliner001is the online CBT something you found yourself or is it through your GP?

@KasparKat I'm sooo glad you told me about the film Dig! I had started watching it last night when I couldn't sleep.
I wont watch the rest.

Omeprasole can take a few days to work. I feel better after about 5 days usually.

Thank you for the tag for this thread.

I've had a really rubbish day. I can't stop crying. I'm waiting for referral to orthopaedics for thoracic scoliosis. I'm
33 and it's only just been picked up. I'm so worried.

Does anyone know if there is anything I can take to help, I have palpitations I am that anxious

@MrsTeachers I'm sorry you are feeling so bad 😔
When I've had palpitations with my anxiety, the doctor prescribed me a short course of beta blockers. They really work.
They slow everything down so your heart can't race.

Or cocodamol if you can get any. It's a muscle relaxant.

@ofwarren thank you so much, I'm going to ring the drs tomorrow, always feel like I'm bothering them!

@MrsTeachers look into hawthorn it’s a natural supplement and is supposed to help for palpitations if you don’t want to do down the pharmaceutical route. It’s good for heart health in general I take it. Sorry you’re feeling low, trust me we know exactly what you’re going through, here if you want to chat x

Hi all, first post on this thread. Another HA sufferer here + emetophobe.

I am just having a terrible week and although my husband is a great listener I need to talk to "my people" so I'm glad this thread is active. I hope you don't mind.

I have some kind of toothache/ear infection or something - the dentist can't work it out and can't treat me for over 5 weeks with the root canal she thinks I need (because of covid) so gave me antibiotics which I started today. I feel like my gland is definitely sore and the ear is sorer than the tooth itself so I'm frightened its an ear infection. The last time I had one 9 years ago it took 3 rounds of antibiotics to shift it and my ear drum burst after 4 weeks of the worst pain ever so the idea of a repeat of all that has me spinning out of control, and I didn't have a kid back then so I could be self-focused and lie and sob in pain but I have to keep a certain face on for my son who has ASD.

So my anxiety has been out of control for the last 3-4 days and it's culminated today into a panic attack this afternoon ever since I've felt completely drained and felt on the edge of another plus add the ear/tooth/gland pain on top of that. Can you tell I don't have a high pain threshold? Anyway I keep convincing myself that the infection wherever it may be will spread....to my jaw bone or something, my face will swell, I'll have a fever, have to go to hospital etc I am just fucking spiralling!!

I meditate regularly and have made sure to do it every day this week, sometimes more than once a day, but it clearly isn't cutting it. I don't take any anxiety medication as it scares me. I just try to do self-care so like epsom salt baths, candles lit, journal writing, knitting, home beauty treatments, I've tried all of that and I did yoga today too.

I am actually crying writing this because a mixture of I feel like an idiot for being so worked up and because I'm just plain scared.

Hey @Nogodsnomasters welcome to the the forum and I’m really sorry to hear your struggling. We have all been there, I’ve diagnosed myself with 3 different cancers in the space of a week, trust me I know how real the fear is.

It is however your anxiety fuelling this. I don’t have a solution for the way you are feeling now hun but I do know from personal experience that it will pass. When I’m spiralling really bad I just have to sleep. It’s not always totally better on waking but it’s a small step in the right direction x

@Goolies thank you so much, I will have a walk to Holland and Barrett tomorrow and stock up I've been signed off work until I have my scan, I'm really not coping but this thread is so helpful x

Welcome @Nogodsnomasters 😊

goolies thank you for responding. I feel so run down today and exhausted, my anxiety relates that to "it must be a bad infection, if you feel so run down and tired" but I know that the anxiety itself especially the panic attack I had today can be the cause of me feeling run down and tired on its own because it definitely has previously! I have been doing a lot of sleeping the last 3-4 days while my anxiety has been heightened and in the mornings I do feel a bit better but as the day goes on the feelings intensify. It's the physical symptoms that are the worst as I then can't decide what is being caused by anxiety and what is due to my tooth/ear. Urgh! X

skyliner001 thank you. I hope you're in better shape than me today 🙂

Hi @nogodsnomasters, I'm glad you found this thread.
I totally understand how you feel and it's just dreadful isn't it.
The fact that you are on an antibiotic at the moment will hopefully mean you won't get any worse. Health anxiety in the middle of a pandemic is just the pits. I too needed a root canal and they wouldn't do it so I have to go for an extraction in a few weeks.
I'm the same with taking medication as well. I tried sertraline once and it made me worse. Scares me more than living with the anxiety!

Been not too bad today, quite a lot of obsessive googling, and about an hour in total of prodding and obsessing.

It could be worse! Im exhausted X

Found you! Thanks for the new thread!

ofwarren love your username, it's my favourite book I've read it 3 times! Thank you for your reply, it's so good to have people to talk to that can understand fully the thought processes we have. That's brave that you even tried serataline! I've never had the balls to try anything, as you say the thought of taking something feels worse than living with the anxiety. I'm sorry you have a toothache too! I did ask about having the tooth removed but my dentist was adamant she wanted to save the tooth and that I'm on a cancellation list in case anything comes up quicker than the 5 weeks 😞 I did some more meditation before bed last night and had a decent sleep but it was filled with anxiety dreams so that has helped confirm to me that the majority of my physical symptoms are being caused by anxiety and not a "severe" infection that's gonna spread through my body etc.

Skyliner001 oh I'm sorry you've been googling and body scanning today, it's the worst when we just get so obsessive and can't get out of the loop (until the next issue pops up). I'm always exhausted too so I feel you.

Morning everyone. Welcome to the thread @Nogodsnomasters and hope you find it helpful! How's everyone today? I am still fixated on the little neck lump but apart from that I'm ok I think. So busy at the moment it really helps keeping mind occupied although no time to exercise which is the thing which helps me most. Hope you all have a good day without too much stressing and prodding!

Thanks @Nogodsnomasters !

I wanted to share my latest thing With you all, so I have very Lumpy breasts that cause me significant Anxiety.

The new loop that I'm stuck in is that my lumps and cysts don't go away after my menstrual cycle, but they persist throughout the month!

For some reason I'm stuck in this loop of worry about that. Even though I know that at my age, heading up towards 40. That all of the changes throughout the menstrual cycle over all of the years lead to the buildup of lumpy tissue, and the buildup of cysts.

Does anyone else have lumpy boobs throughout the month?

I think this is a Danger of reading online, it's like am expecting my boobs to be silky smooth as soon as I menstruated! I'm sure that's not realistic!