DEALING WITH HEALTH ANXIETY

[Anxious17]

Hi i am new to Beyond Blue. I suffer from severe GAD when it comes to my health. I am at the doctor's every week, getting tests for what ever new symptom has popped up in my body even the smallest thing like a bruise. I am 33 and lost my Dad suddenly to brain cancer 4 years ago, since then i have never been the same. Due to my anxiety i suffer with high blood pressure. Once i feel that start to rise my anxiety kicks in, my heart will start to race and ill start with panic attacks thinking im having a heart attack. Its a viscous circle that doesnt end. I get blood tests, Ct scans, x rays, ultrasounds, ECG's and urine tests constantly. I have tried a couple counseling sessions and my doctor has prescribed me with anti anxiety meds but i am too scared to take them for fears i will be depending on them for life. Any one else in the same situation? Anyone else have these feelings or know other ways of coping? Would love to hear it.

[Doolhof]

Hi Anxious17,

Sorry to read your Dad died of brain cancer. That must have been an awful time for you and all his loved ones. It can be very hard when we deal with grief and loss.

It may be beneficial to continue with the counselling sessions and to do a little research yourself on anxiety and how it can affect us. The Beyond Blue website has information you may find helpful.

Someone reminded me recently to just take the time to deep breathe, even for 10 long, slow breathes. It helped me to feel calmer and to gain more control over what I was feeling.

Could you talk to your Dr about your fears regarding the medication and maybe ask your Dr to help you with a trial period taking the medication.

When you are having the episodes that require you to have tests done, do the medical staff recommend ways you may be able to reduce the anxiety you feel while those situations are happening?

I find reading about my conditions helps me to better understand them. I also realise there are some moments in life when it feels like nothing is going to help! It is helpful to know what your triggers are and find ways to deal with them when possible.

Cheers to you from Dools

[Fielder]

Hi Anxious17. I feel like I am in a somewhat similar situation. Like many people here, I suspect, though, I've come here in a bit of a panic and I am less sure at the moment of positive things to say. But since it made me feel a bit better to hear you describe stuff I recognise perhaps that's worth sharing too.

My anxiety-increase trigger is also about 4 years old. I had a horrifically bad trip from weed (which I had not known could happen!), and since then I've been perceptibly more jittery, occasionally had flashbacks, and in recent months have been getting jittery about the possibility of flashbacks, worrying that it is a sign of impending psychosis or neurological disease, and the feeling of extreme anxiety becomes its own proof. I recognise it's both irrational and a self-reinforcing cycle, but I'm not sure how to hit the stop button.

I have been prescribed benzos in the past and perhaps because of thus I am not quite as hesitant as you, though I do not love the idea. Tonight I relented and took what must have been my first medication in almost 10 years (prescribed!). The bad news is I do not think it has had any significant effect on my tension, but I think I can carefully suggest that addiction is not as high a risk as you might fear. I think if you are thinking twice before taking it (I aim to try to use it 1 out of every 2 times I'm tempted to), and not popping them thoughtlessly then you are not at so much risk. Though doctors should be apprised of frequency I suppose.

That said, I do understand the reaction. I am also having pretty bad allergies and postnasal drip, and I impulsively decided to stop using the prescribed codeine cough-suppressent (I had a somewhat silly image of my mind of flushing it down the toilet), because of a fear that my increased anxieties are a withdrawal symptom and I am abruptly developing an opiate addiction.

Thus is getting quite long now, but I will second the comment about breathing exercises - trying to make the exhalation last longer than inhalation, breathing slowly in bursts of 10 has helped me a lot.

I would suggest, for you and for myself, more counselling. It sounds like we do a similar thing of digging ourselves deeper into a hole by trying to prevent nonexistent catastrophes, which I think CBT is supposed to help with. I think the step forward is to face the terrifying thing without all these mechanisms, but that's hard without an alternative system or professional. Hope you feel better as soon as possible.

[Midean]

My Symptoms are nearly identical to yours.

You are not alone.

Hang in there, it will get better with time.

[coal]

hello Anxious17, I am sorry that anxiety is so present in your life.