Health anxiety, please help, up coming appointment

[Reallyhadenough4]

I suffer from health anxiety. I have an appointment coming up at the breast clinic after finding a lump. I have had a lot of support in the health board, but my anxiety are so bad it’s hard to describe.

I can’t function, I feel paralysed by my anxiety, I can’t eat or do day to day tasks. I am in a very dark place. My dr has given me some diazepam so I am getting some sleep, but I can’t take much as they won’t prescribe any more. They have said there’s nothing else they can do to help. What on earth can I do???? I have friends who I am very grateful for, they are trying to cheer me up, but it’s not a matter of cheering me up. That sounds ungrateful, and Im not, I’m very grateful to themI just don’t have anyone in rl who understands what I’m going through, which is why I am here.

Please help, I can’t do this any more. My mental health is spiralling.

Hi @Reallyhadenough4,

So sorry you're going through this, when did your health anxiety start? And when is your appointment at the breast clinic?

I do get what you mean about anxiety being very physical and all consuming and not something you can just cheer up from if that helps. I'm an anxiety sufferer too so happy to help if I can.

Hi @rainbowninja

My appointment is next week. My health anxiety started when I had my first baby several years ago. I’ve had two lots of cbt and I try to use the strategies. Thank you for replying. Sorry to hear you suffer with this too.

Have you ever been offered antidepressants ?
They worked wonders for my DH. He was also crippled by anxiety, that came out as health anxiety.

Thank you, yes I’m on antidepressants and have just increased my dose, but it’s not helping at the moment. For me they have been amazing, but they’re not helping at the moment. The drs said there is nothing more they can do to help which scared me to be honest. I feel alone with this.

I feel for you OP as I have massive health anxiety too. Unfortunately you’ll have to wait until you’re seen in the breast clinic but try to focus in the fact that 9 out of 10 referrals are not cancer. I work as a medical secretary so know this. There really is not much more your GP can do so please try and distract yourself as much as you can. HA can be crippling and I live in constant fear of there being something wrong with me so know what you’re going through.

Hi @Reallyhadenough4,

I think there are quite a few of us who have found that antidepressants and therapy only goes so far with anxiety.

There's a really good holistic psychiatry woman who I follow on Instagram who has got a book coming out in a couple of weeks called The Anatomy of Anxiety - her name is Dr. Ellen Vora. I just wanted to offer you some hope that there is advice out there about the physical causes of anxiety and what steps you can take to reduce it.

Let me know if that sounds helpful, I know it's not necessarily the answer you're looking for when you've got anxiety about a specific thing!

Thank you for your replies. I’m getting worse, what on earth do I do, I can’t cope. I m reading everything everyone is saying and I’m grateful, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt so ill with this.

When is your appointment OP?

It’s soon @OutbackQueen, but I’m really sorry I can’t talk about it. The wait is unbearable, but I don’t know how I’m going to get through the door.

I’m so sorry - health anxiety is the worst. From experience I think you have to try to ride it out until your appointment. When you get the all clear from that, you’ll get a short window of respite and relief, before you start to worry about something else. Use that window to really double down on the cbt, anxiety meds, healthy eating and exercise. If you start doing all that at a time when your anxiety is manageable you’ll notice the good it does more, and you’ll hopefully prevent another complete spiral. For now I think try to do what you can but accept that you are right in the middle of a spiral now. Try to focus on reducing your anxiety from 10 to 6 maybe, rather than to 0. And remember to notice if you have any moments of lessened anxiety. Say to yourself ‘I feel less anxious right now in this moment. That’s really good’.

@Holly60 that’s really good advice, thank you so much. You sound very much like someone who knows how this feels? Thank you for responding to me, I haven’t felt this bad for a few years, I had forgotten just how bad it can be.