Health Anxiety

[waterallday]

Does anyone else have this? Currently feeling really tired with headache, shivery/dizzy etc which is most likely down to exhaustion/virus but I'm convinced I have sepsis from a shaving cut on my leg or toxic shock syndrome from a tampon etc.

It's really stressful :(

The fact you are able to rationalise with yourself like you have above is a good thing.

If it’s really having an adverse impact on your life day to day then your GP may be able to refer you for CBT which can provide a useful way of coping.

Take a couple of paracetomal and get on with your day 😊

@Blankspace4 Yeah I do understand I'm probably being way over dramatic so that's good at least! Thank you, I am actually doing CBT atm for OCD but it took 2 years to get the therapy on a waiting list!

I might mention it to my GP, I take Prozac for my anxiety and ocd too so I am able to think a little more rationally.

It gets really bad at night though, like I'll convince myself I've got appendicitis or a brain tumour etc.

Me. Unfortunately. This week's worrys: a migraine was a brain hemmorage, tiredness and hot/clammy weather was a fever so therefore clearly flu, shaving rash (I think) on the back of my thigh is some kind of illness possibly meningitis. I go through phases off/on where the focus is on me then I forget about myself and my focus is on my ds or less often dh's health. And round and round I go. I've had cbt and I've had talking counselling and I've read a self help book. The only thing I haven't tried is medication because it scares me, but let's be honest, what doesn't scare me? I've been on this merry go round since 2010 and I'm pretty fed up with it now but have no other option but to live with it.

I feel for you I really do. Is there anything that triggered the health anxiety? Mine was triggered by having a brain hemorrhage last September. I've had clear mri and ct scan since then but I'm still worried at any moment my brains just gonna go bang and I'll drop down dead. I also worry about my heart, my sight and cancers. But now it's starting to turn into depression and I'm suicidal. Doctors are great reasurance (most of the time). How are you finding counselling?

Hi, a couple of weeks ago I was bitten by some insects and given antibiotics as a precaution as one was quite raised. All seemed to settle but the day after I finished my antibiotics my left upper arm felt heavy and swollen (bites were left forearm) GP gave me stronger antihistamine, still didn't work and I felt it was spreading to my right arm and a bit puffy in my face. Given stronger antihistamine again but still there - I shouldn't google but terrified myself I have Lymphoedema as bloods and observations all ok. Nobody will take me seriously as I do have anxiety in general (especially health) and also the swelling isn't massively obvious. It's how it feels to me but surely these tablets should've worked by now? I don't know where to go from here x

Reassuring to see that we are not the only ones with this health anxiety it's good that it's talked about on the web. Like others I spent years worrying myself sick about one symptom or other, then when you have kids you start doing the same thing about them! Difficult to find a balance between being anxious and dismissing some important clues. Like others I would have wanted medication while being scared of side effects at the same time! Really it is a roller coaster I think it does improve slightly with age but I guess we'll never be free of it. 😣