Constant (health) anxiety management

[MozzarElla84]

Long story short:
What has worked for you to overcome health anxiety if you can't take anti anxiety meds?

Long version:
I have chronic health anxiety that stems from some traumatic medical events concerning myself and my 2DS.

Have been in therapy for a few years but the anxiety is stronger than the therapy. I am a rational person but somehow my system feels like it's under constant threat. It is extremely tiring and debilitating and I hate being like this, especially the effect on my family.

Unfortunately a trial with SSRI gave me some nasty side effects ( neurologic symptoms and bleeding disorder) so i can't go on those for the time being. I have benzodiazepines for extreme days but only use them every once in a while because of their addictive nature.

I feel like perimenopause and (yet to be diagnosed )autism/ADHD- my ds was diagnosed a few years ago,) have turned up the volume of the anxiety and turned down the ability to cope, plus there's a whole host of vague and weird symptoms that are cropping up and it is hard distinguishing normal hormone related things vs stuff that needs checking out. I luckily have a new GP who is very understanding and also helps me to navigate these symptoms to help exclude anything serious (heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, twitching all over body which feels like popcorn going of in random places, parasthesias etc)

I have had recent complete bloodwork done and have low ferritin for which ive started treatment, and low potassium which i will have rechecked in a week or so.

Anyone else with these symptoms plus anxiety and tips to overcome this?

My diet is healthy overall and i do mostly gentle exercise for the time being, hoping to get into more vigorous exercise once iron is up.

What therapy have you tried so far to resolve the trauma?

How low was your ferritin and what treatment are you having for that? Anemia really worsens all symptoms of anxiety (rapid heart rate/palpitations, dizziness, air hunger...)

Have been in therapy for a few years but the anxiety is stronger than the therapy

What kind of therapy? I don't have HA but I have OCD and the only thing that worked was relentlessly plugging away at the "homework", practicing exposing myself to triggers incrementally all the time, sitting in the discomfort etc.

I mean this kindly because it took me a LOT of gos at therapy before I was really ready to comit.

I think of CBT like physiotherapy, they can only help you work out what to do, you have to go away and do it.

@Eyesopenwideawakeand @HangingOver
EMDR, CBT and another of which i forgot the name.

I think the exposure side of things is a bit difficult to "train" iyswim as illness and hospital things (esp regarding my two DS) aren't things you can or want to expose yourself at will. Or do you mean the thoughts and worries about such things? I am glad to hear it has helped you and will ask my therapist if there is a way to do this in my case.

13. Caused by heavy periods

To be honest, i do sometimes wonder if my health anxiety is more health ocd (if that is a thing?) I have an obsessive/compulsive need to as certain that I/my DS are OK (because of what we've already been through) and I know this largely stems from having been on hospital bed rest for months having to keep my LO safely inside. Then to make things worse I was the one who researched and found our (very rare) diagnosis while being in a very good academic hospital. This huge feeling responsibility has never really left my body and mind, resulting in PPD and postpartum anxiety, and causing this behaviour of scanning for dangers (mostly medical ones). I am not constantly checking everything or everyone fortunately, it's more that if something weird happens (healthwise) i am on super high alert and anxious.

Sorry for oversharing, i realize you werent asking all this 😆

Oh just to add, re the PPD- my youngest is 5y so it's not still PPD 😉

What's happening here could be your mind trying to keep you and your children safe, which is natural, but because you have no trust in the medical word – due to being let down by that profession when you were at your most vulnerable – it's now on high alert all the time. Your subconscious needs to know that you are safe and that you can regain your trust in the medical community.

Sorry forgot to add, i am on ferrous fumarate and GP will check ferritin level after 4weeks of use to see if it works.

My ferritin was similarly low because of endometriosis and adenomyosis. I had a mirena fitted which stopped my periods and two iron infusions.
my ferritin is over 150 and I feel like a
new person

I'm similar OP after some life saving surgeries and complications / sepsis a few years ago. I also have low-ish ferritin and on prescription iron atm.

I have found this book quite helpful- 'Addicted to anxiety'. It is about how we can make it worse with the checking / reassurance seeking which can sort of feed it. And sort of making friends with our 'anxious self' as it is just trying to keep us safe. Living with uncertainty.

So, that has helped me a bit but I am still working on it. I am also trying to be careful with things like social media, I had joined support groups online for the health problems I have and that can help you feel less lonely but because people post with the worse case scenarios that can be stressful as well.

Thank you, that is exactly what is happening and even though I don't actually feel like I was let down - I understand how doctors are only human and have only so much time to deep dive each case- it has made me feel unsafe when navigating medical issues. On numerous occasions i was fobbed off when things were quite serious (for example when i was in preterm labor at 23 weeks and on another occasion my DS being very unwell with RSV needing to be hospitalized, and my DF having encephalitis)... it's usually things that are quite rare which is why I feel like I have to be on guard and advocate constantly. Like I said I have found a new GP which is nothing like the one I had and who might be an important factor in regaining some trust. I think this, alongside learning to live in the uncertainty and discomfort (like @HangingOversaid) is going to help me move through it ... But it's hard sometimes. I also didn't mention this, but I know a big factor in my complicated relationship with health issues vs. depending on doctors is because I was born extremely premature myself which makes me feel vulnerable still; like I would never have even been here without medical intervention and neither would my kids. It makes me feel extremely grateful yet vulnerable!

That is so good to hear! I will probably also have a mirena fitted, i have been reluctant cause i expelled one in my twenties which was horribly painful (contractions!) and it got stuck in my cervix 😱. But I would definitely try this it it can help with the ferritin levels.

Ugh that sounds really rough and scary to experience! I hope everything is ok now? Thank you for the reading tip, I'll look it up.

Social media (esp instagram etc) are a challenge sometimes so i constantly refresh my algorithm so that i t doesn't get stuck on unhelpful/scary content.

I'm so sorry you feel like this, I relate to it a lot.

Honestly, I've found nothing. As you say, no treatment is stronger than the anxiety. I found that therapy etc worked when things were fine but as soon as something happened - a symptom, a fear - nothing helped.

I have a great GP and have diazepam and zopiclone and lorezapam on a repeat prescription but they are pretty much just for knocking me out when it gets completely debilitating.

The only thing that I can do is to put strong supportive people around me, a GP I trust completely, a psychiatrist I can contact any time, access to more CBT or EMDR if I want it, and a job that is 100% flexible (self employed). When I'm in any healthcare setting, I tell them - and I've always been met with such kindness. Maybe that's all about control - which is definitely what I need.

I really hope you find something that works for you because it's no way to live ❤️

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am th same when I am ok and there is no illness or symptoms; i am a very bubbly functioning adult and no one would guess that I struggle with this. It has helped me a lot to open up about it in the past few years, which i didn't do before. I think i was shamed/gaslit too much to be honest which made me retreat into myself whenever anxiety presented itself. It is true that collecting the right people around you for support and being honest in healthcare settings works, except when this makes medical professionals use it as a bias. So i always feel i have to be very careful in how i communicate which adds to the stress sometimes. I hope you are doing well.

Hearing about other people with this actually helps me, so thank you. I once had a colleague that i worked closely with who had the same issue. You would have never guessed it from how he carried himself (strong confident male) but it was so refreshing to see that this mental health problem can affect anyone. We actually were able to laugh a lot together about it and shared funny memes which actually really helped.

Good exercise is helpful and good for thought.