topic health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts in Anxiety

health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts

jayv90 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 23:24:09 GMT

hi all,
I've recently just had my first real anxiety attack.
im 28 years old male. i haven't really had much going on in 12 months, all i do is work and come home and watch netflix. I've been very anti social.
so a week ago i found out a friend of a friend was diagnosed with ms.
i immediately started feeling terrible for this person and started researching ms.
after googling for however long i started to believe i had the symptoms, small pins and needles in hands/ shooting stabbing pains in hand. i started to get very un easy, pacing up and down, until the point where i just wanted to get home.
the next day i went to the doctors and told him what happened, he check all my nerves, my eyes, blood pressure and told me that I've stressed myself out that much I've given myself these symptoms.

i was okay for a few days but i still couldn't get it off my mind, and in doing so the small pins and needles/ shooting stabbing pain in my hand and came back.
i went back to the doctors and he re checked me,took a blood test, he suggested maybe going to speak to someone so i guess this is me doing that now as I'm still uneasy.
a few days later my blood test came back and no surprise at all I'm a healthy 28 year old male. i told the doctor about my pains and he said its because I've worked myself up that much. he said go see friends, maybe join a gym, set little goals to look forward to.
i guess the problem I'm having is that because I've researched it so much i know ms doesn't come up in a blood test, so I'm struggling to accept I'm healthy.

I'm trying to say to myself its all in my head. but I'm anxious because i do have physical symptoms and I'm struggling to believe that my head can do this to me because as i said, this has never happened to me.

a few days ago i joined the gym and i went on a date to help clear my mind, but i can't escape the thoughts.

last night i had a friends birthday and this is where i really become un easy.
so i spoke to my friend that knows the person recently diagonised with ms, and he told me that he had an attack 10 years ago, where he woke up and couldn't move. then i remembered a situation that happened to me once, i had a nightmare and i woke up but i couldn't move, but then it felt like i woke up again. i googled it and i found it straight away to be sleep paralysis, so i never thought of it again until last night. that played on my head all night, to the point where i was that anxious i wanted to leave but i made myself stay 🙂

health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts

Bunbun — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 02:56:31 GMT

Hey! I’m going through a similar thing right now and it really really is awful.

However I’m currently freaking out.. or obsessing I should say about having als/mnd, no matter what I do I can’t get it out of my mind and the more I google it the worse I feel.

I’ve been to countless doctors who have told me I’m a healthy 26 year old girl, my symptoms are there because of my crazy health anxiety but I just can’t seem to believe them. I feel like the only way I can believe it/get it out of my mind is if I see a neurologist but I can’t get a referral because all the doctors say it’s anxiety.

Ah I feel really trapped and just want these symptoms to go away, sorry I went on a bit of a ramble and don’t really have any good advice for this situation haha but hey at least you know your not alone, maybe that will make you feel at least 1% better x

health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts

White_Rose — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 03:54:41 GMT

Hello Jayv

Welcome to the forum. Self diagnosis is always tricky. Going to see your GP was a smart move. I have found my GP to be very good at his job, very careful not dismiss or overlook something that may be important. If anything I think GPs are willing to entertain all their patients symptoms until it is proved to be something else. Your example of pins and needles and the conclusion it is worry that is causing you all the discomfort is what I would expect a GP to do.

How do you stop worrying? Well that's a different matter. This is where you need to talk with someone who can give you some expert guidance. We can support you here and I hope you continue to write in. Sleep paralysis and MS are very different ailments. I have had several of these sleep paralysis moments and yes it is scary. Being unable to move for what seems like an eternity but in reality only a few seconds is frightening. Nothing happened to you as a result of this occurrence and you forgot about it. Ten years down the track without another incident I think demonstrates there is nothing amiss.

It really does sound like anxiety as your GP has suggested. As it is bothering you so much can you speak to your GP about arranging to see a psychologist? You can go on a mental health plan and see a psychologist and receive Medicare benefits as you would with any doctor except that you have only ten visits a year.

Check it out. I think it will be very helpful for you. We are not doctors on this forum although we have heaps of experience of mental health difficulties. Some are similar to yours and some very different. What matters is that we know how distressing this can be. Talk to us and get some expert help for your concerns.

Love to know how you get on.

Mary

health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts

jayv90 — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 04:02:30 GMT

hey hey,

i feel terrible for your situation and can completely relate, everyone telling you its your head, which is difficult to comprehend. i don't know if your the same but for myself its like a vicious cycle. I've worried and i guess googled myself into giving me symptoms, then i worry because i have the symptoms which then makes me worry which then gives me the symptoms. haha after typing that it sounds so silly but thats whats happening.

i guess you would be the same in just really wanting peace of mind?

i hope my post made you feel better swell knowing that your not the only one to 🙂 x

health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts

White_Rose — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 04:11:59 GMT

Hello Bunbun

Not sure if you have been welcomed here. In any case I do give you a warm welcome. Glad you wrote in .

Can you explain als/mind? I'm not sure what that means. You said, no matter what I do I can’t get it out of my mind and the more I google it the worse I feel. That is often the experience when people ask Dr Google. The information you get may or may not be accurate. It's entered by those who want to tell the world something. When it is written by a responsible organisation it is probably good but does not always reflect your experience. Diagnosis needs a face to face consultation because there are often many variations.

Seeing a neurologist is a long step to make. I gather it is to do with your als/mind comment which I do not understand. Hoping you will explain. How do you feel about seeing a psychologist? It may well be you need help to manage your anxiety much like Jayv. You can ask your GP for a referral. Be assured, if the psych feels you have more amiss he/she will contact your doctor.

In the meantime stop asking Dr Google. We can always find what we want on the net but it's not necessarily true or applicable to ourselves.

Tell me what you do in your life. I presume you have a job. What do you do? What about leisure activities? These usually play a large part in someone's life especially at 26. Do you have a partner etc? Can you concentrate on the usual things of life. It will really help you.

Would you like to continue talking on this forum? Please let us know if you already have a thread or perhaps you can start your own. That way your concerns do not get lost in Jayv's thread.

Mary

health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts

jayv90 — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 04:17:48 GMT

hey mary,
really appreciate the post, found some comfort in reading that. I've tried to focus on the things the gp has said, like i leave to go away for a week tomorrow to help try and clear my mind.
if I'm still struggling at that time i think my next step will go and speak to someone about it. i do think it will be good for myself.

health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts

Bunbun — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 04:19:54 GMT

Yeah! I was gunna say that in my last post, it’s just one big cycle. It’s like I won’t stop stressing until the symptoms go away but the symptoms won’t go until I stop stressing so it kinda really really sucks haha.

I will say I have been diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder, I’m not sure if you’ve herd of it before but look it up! You might be experiencing a bit of the same thing.

‘Thanks (: it’s nice not to be alone but also sucks knowing there must be so many people out there going through a similar thing and feeling terrible too

health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts

Bunbun — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 04:34:06 GMT

Hi Mary! Thanks for the welcome, I’m still pretty new.

Yeah als/mnd is motor neurone disease, basically your brain and muscles stop communicating so eventually you’ll loose function of all your muscles, including the ones you use to swallow and breathe, it’s fatal and there’s currently no cure so it is a very scary disease, but it is also very rare.

Yeah that’s the problem with google, I know it’s bad to use google as a doctor but I just can’t help it and am constantly googling symptoms.

I have seen a psychiatrist before, however I don’t think that particular was the right fit and am currently looking for another one.

Oh yeah I’m a tafe student but I’ve dropped a lot of classes as I feel so terrible all the time I find it really hard to go in. I’m finding this whole situation very debilitating and I can’t seem to get out!

health anxiety attack for ms and negative thoughts

jayv90 — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 04:53:18 GMT

haha so your very similar to me. that feeling it keeps going around and round.
yeah i just googled it, can relate a little bit but tbh after doing this to myself, i think the best thing to do is stop asking google as hard as it sounds.

maybe you should try this aswell? i dunno, i feel like the more we research, the more we don't find i guess closure. its like we are kinda putting fuel in the anxiety fire
yeah 🙂 it is def re assuring knowing that I'm not the only one going through this.