health anxiety re breain tumour :(

[zazzabeans]

reposted this from mental healh as not sure where it fits

I suffer with bad health anxiety, I go through really bad phases.
Last Aug I started getting weird pressure in my head alongside feelings of depersonalisation, tingling c, I went to a&e twice and my docs 5 times from Aug-Dec, I eventually got referred for a cat scan on my brain which I had in Jan this year, results were fine and the neurologist said it sounded like hemiplegic migraines, which sounded plausible. The head feelings subsided a lot after this with only the littlest twinge now and then.
Fast forward to this week and I don't know what is happening anymore, started off as shooting pains in my left head-like before, only this time it feels different as the pain is more or less continuous around my temple and various places on my left side of head. I also have tingling which I thought was in the right hand only but I think its happening in the left also.
the pain isn't a major pain on a scale of 1-10 its about a 2-3.
Last night in bed, I was suffering from short term memory loss , thinking about things then not remembering seconds later, I have hardly slept, now I don't know if it is because im more aware of the symptoms of a bt after googling and I am just looking for these things, i know the brain is a powerful thing and feeds off anxiety.
both my hands and feet are cold and I feel sick this morning- another sign. i keep doing various strength tests on myself as that what they did in a&e and testing my reflexes.
I did go to the opticians yesterday for an eye test-all fine there.
i am really scared that i have a bt, i have 3 lovely children that need me, my husband isn't very supportive as he has seen me like this loads of times and never knows what to say, he is rather laid back.
im scared :(

You have had the tests and they were clear. Opticians can spot problems too.

To me it sounds like a migraine coupled with tension and a large dose of panic.

Your short term memory loss sounds like it is stress. When you are very anxious you literally can't think straight.

I think you need to go to your GP and discuss these feelings. They are very normal and you will get support.

I hope you are feeling better soon. I have experienced this myself so know that often 'don't worry' and logical arguments don't help. But I just wanted to offer my support. HTH

I've replied on your other thread :)

Sending you a (((hug))). I promise you that you DONT have a brain tumour.

Health Anxiety is horrible, I used to suffer really badly a few years ago but have more or less got on top of it now. Easier said than done I know.

One site which really helped me was "Living life to the Full". Its partly funded by NHS Scotland and is an online CBT course. It really nails the thinking process behind health or any other anxiety. I know that when I worry about anything I tend to catastrophise.....so any worry leaves me considering the worst case scenario. Just knowing that I do this is powerful.

The other thing to bear in mind is what happens to us when we worru. Generally breathing becomes shallower and more rapid without us realising it. This in itself leads to symptoms. .., such as pins and needles. Also worth looking at the effects of adrenaline ...the old fight or flight hormone which us anxiety suffrrers seem to produce in such am abundance.

A great website which looks at all this (and has a fantastic board for health anxiety) is called No More Panic. Sorry for not direct linking but am using my mobile.

Hang in there, I promise you that you do not have a brain tumour. Your pains could be anything.....even mild neck muscle injuries can cause head pains.

Hope all that helps a bit.

thanks for replies, i do use the no more panic site also :)
the tests were all nearly a year ago ,
im in such a panic because i never forget anything and it seems like i cant remember anything now from only seconds ago.
its xmas in 4 days i don't want this :(

Don't forget that panic can make us forgetful. ....too stressed to remember anything.

Could it be that Xmas in four days is WHY you are exoeriencing this now?

One thing I know is that my health anxiety is rarely to do with health and more to do with what else is going on in life, When I look back it has often coincided with stressful periods in general.

I ended up going to A&E this morning as not long after I posted this thread, I started getting zigzags and white like clouds in my left eye-very very scary, I panicked and went straight up, was seen by a gp there who said that it was typical migraine symptoms , she gave me amitriptaline to sleep tonight... The whole eye episode lasted about 20minutes, my headache is still there but I don't think it's as frequent.....

Hopefully the medication will help. Please go back to the gp and talk to them about your anxiety and try some different medications. Sometimes the initial side effects are a little unpleasant but after two weeks at most tthey do start to work and with counselling you might find the health anxiety easier to manage.

I know only too well how awful it can be. Before dh was on the sertraline he would end up in tears absolutely climbing the walls with anxiety worried he had cancer because he had a headache or he felt sick. His main phobia seemed to be either having cancer or that he would have some incurable stomach problem. He had every blood test etc and nothing reassured him.

Since he's been on the drugs he's been like a different person. He had a week or two of feeling quite ditzy and flustered and a bit sick and then now you wouldn't know he was ever as bad as he was.

It's hard for me because having chronic health conditions for real myself it's odd but you just learn to accept them and not worry..If I'm going to die tomorrow then so be it. I'm not going to spend the last few hours wasting my time worrying about it! :) I'm trying to cheer you up, please don't take any offence, i'm just showing you how I cope with having the kind of problems you are scared of.

Please get help and don't let this rule your life.