Health anxiety

[Madgesty76]

Hi ladies. I posted a while back about being scared of having bowel cancer. My bloods were checked , I had a rectal exam and my fit test was negative . So far so good. I have a colonoscopy and an endoscopy in 2 weeks time to rule everything out. Im still quite scared about it though. However, I've always had health anxiety. Since I was a child. And I've noticed now I'm in perimenopause that my anxiety has gotten worse. My GP put me on sertraline which makes my tummy sick and i have zero appetite but I can deal with that because my mind doesn't race as much now. But every ache or pain I get I ways imagine the worst case scenario. My mother died when I was quite young and my brother died of cancer a few years ago so I'm sure this is where my anxiety stems from. I'm just looking for someone to tell me it's okay and that I'll be all right. I'm a single mum with few friends. And I just want a hug . I'm so sorry if this comes across as selfish because I don't mean to be. If anyone has any advice I'd be so grateful x

Oh lovie have a [hug] from me.

My mother died when I was quite young and my brother died of cancer a few years ago so I'm sure this is where my anxiety stems from.

Yes, you're quite right. Those deaths caused a part of your subconscious mind to become hyperactive in looking for signs that there's something wrong, not to torment you but to protect you. Imagine the part as a meerkat, constantly scanning the horizon for danger, in order to protect the community, i.e. you.

Although the medical tests and exams are necessary and sensible they do have the unfortunate side effect of magnifying every (very normal) sensation and noise from the body as being suspicious in people with health anxiety - sometimes even after you've had the all clear.

What you're feeling IS normal. When you're feeling overwhelmed try box breathing as a quick fix and progressive muscle relaxation in the evenings before bed.

s

Thank you so much for replying and for the hug x