Has anyone else developed health anxiety after having children, specifically.

[Pompompurin1]

Hello,

im really really struggling with a particular symptom (that has got worse) and my health anxiety is horrendous today.

I’ll be seeking medical advice for my symptom /issue next week, but I feel so alone right now.

i was hoping to connect with others who have specifically developed HA after having children. I’m not worried about myself, I wanted to stress that…. I’m not actually scared of dying per se.

My biggest, deepest darkest fear is what would happen to my children if I died. Nobody would step up and do everything I do. They are full on and young. They need me … and what if I left them? It’s utterly utterly terrifying and after a night of no sleep (my eldest has a vomiting bug) I am in a dark place today. I am looking after them of course and plastering on a smile but it’s so hard.

Can anyone really relate to this? I think it’s a specific form of HA rooted in the weight of looking after small people. I have no help and I think that’s a big part of it.

It would be so helpful to feel less alone right now.

Thank you.

Yes. This happened to me before and after having dd. I was lucky that I didn’t have it in pregnancy. It didn’t last forever though. You will come out the other side of it. I know it can be really unsettling.

Thank you @vincettenoir. I feel as though I can’t speak to anyone in RL about this as they just won’t understand the terror.

Yes especially in the morning and in the middle of the night. If you haven’t already it might be worth considering some anti-anxiety meds to take the edge off.

Yes, I have had this, too. I think it’s getting a bit better as time goes on, but it can be pretty all consuming.

Yes me too! I went to my GP and she was brilliant, said it was really common in new mums. Her advice was to talk about it to my friends because it really helped normalise it but she also sent me for investigations for the three major things I was worried about - all came back normal. It definitely passed but I would say I'm generally more vigilant and take more care of myself since I had kids.

This is quite common and something people often seek counselling for. The good news is the acute symptoms often resolve very swiftly with medication and / or therapy. The mistake people make is walking away from counselling too soon, instead of delving a little deeper to find what lies behind the current anxiety. By staying a bit longer they often get to the root of the matter which often originates in their own childhood (for example illness or death of a parent or close relative). Please do seek help, there's no need to suffer for nothing.

I was always a worrier but as soon as I found out I was pregnant the health anxiety kicked in big time. 2 kids and 9 years later and I still struggle. I tried CBT which helped a little so definitely try that. I went to see about anxiety meds but I have deafness in one ear and permanent tinnitus and a side effect can be ringing in the ears so I was too scared to take them especially as my pre existing tinnitus can really be hard to cope with at times. So unfortunately not much advice but you're not alone and definitely look into CBT. Some people really really benefit from it as well as medication.

medications and CBT sorted this out for me. It was utterly terrifying and exhausting at the time, get some help OP xx

Thank you all so much. I’m sorry that many of you have been through this too. I feel that HA or hyperchondriasis may often be viewed as a neurosis based in self-obsession, but for me it’s actually all about my children and wanting to make sure they’re loved and okay. All the hundreds of small things I do for them every day that nobody else would think of.

My own mother abandoned my siblings and I when I was 7 and after that my childhood was very chaotic and many of my needs were unmet… so I suppose it doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to suggest that there may be a link there.

I did not have HA at all before I had my children.

I will make an appt with the doctor in the morning to discuss the HA but also the symptom I am terrified /catastrophising about.

It’s really helpful to feel less alone so thank you all again.