Health Anxiety? A real bummer.

[AshyPeach]

Hi All


So for the last 7 weeks I've had really bad health anxeity, I got a nasty cold virus which made me feel real tense and achy, since then I've had a constant ache/weakness sensation in my right arm and leg, even feels like I'm walking funny sometimes, on top of this lots of muscle twitching in my arms and legs body wide.

Now recently i've been getting this weird sensation in the back of my throat/nostril like numbness almost and that's triggering me to think it's causing a speech problem and overthink a lot of what I'm going to say.

Lastly I have a constant upset stomach, even during sleep and usually wake up with a vibrating sensation in my chest and head which means as soon as I get up I feel terrible and it ruins my start to the day.

I had a blood test for a whole range of things and everything came back positive, I asked the doctor if it was worth having an MRI and said it wasn't and that most of the feelings I have now are anxeity based.

I'm just having a hard time believing that is the case and I can't stop thinking I have some underlying disease or illness, can anyone relate to this? And how did you get through it?

[BecRose]

Hello,

I wish I could help you but really I am just relating to you. I’m going through terrible health anxiety and I don’t know if my symptoms are real or just anxiety.

The only thing I’m trying at the moment is yoga and connecting more with nature, so that’s all I can suggest for you. Unfortunately it is a short term solution. I’ve booked in a psychologist appointment (it has helped in the past) but it’s four weeks away so I’m struggling to cope every day.

I really hope things get better for you. There is a lot of us who know and understand how you feel and how hopeless it feels. I wish I could’ve helped more but it was comforting to see that others feel the way I do. We can all get through this! 🙂

[Deet]

Hi Guys!

First of all, I'm extremely sorry you are feeling like this. You are not alone, this feeling WILL go away.

I know first hand how this feels, as I suffered from health anxiety myself for many years. I have now recovered and at the time honestly, I thought I would be anxious forever and that this was just my life now. ITS NOT.

I can't tell you exactly what got rid of my anxious thoughts and feelings but it all got very serious when I was at university.

I decided that I needed to get a phsyco therapist, and this is what I did. I spoke once a week via Skype to a therapist for 10 weeks. I would highly recommend this, its made me want to Pursue this as a career myself. Helping someone like my therapist helped me, would be amazing!

The main thing that I found helped, that my therapist reccomended, was to extend the amount of time during the illness before I would seek medical help.

For example- I get a headache, i think it's a brain tumour... Usually I would go and see a doctor fairly soon. BUT Wait it out. Tell yourself ' if I still have this intense pain in 2 days, I will go to the doctor's' and if you still have it then, go and see a doctor, get it checked out and once they've told you that you are fine, that gives you the reassurence you need. Trust the professionals, they have studied for years, they know more than us or at least me.

You will then, maybe a week or so later (or less),receive another type of pain and worry again. This time give yourself 5 days and tell yourself ' if I have this pain in 5 days I will see a doctor'. Again if it is still there see a doctor. Then extend this to 7 days and so on...

If you keep at this, eventually you will realise, this pain you once thought was the worst pain ever and thought you were dying, has faded or even gone.

Now, obviously if you know there is something wrong or are really worried, seek medical help immediately. However, when I did this technique, alike you, I often had a part of my brain, that knew it was just my health anxiety and therefore allowed myself to keep trying this method.

Good luck guys, and please always speak to someone. Never feel alone. I hope this helps x

[JohnCitizen]

Hi Everyone,

I've just joined recently and this is my first post. I hope it's in the right place, sorry Mods if it isn't.

In February I experienced panic attacks a few weeks apart. First one I felt a lack of sensation in my face and arm. I googled the symptoms (rookie mistake) and I sprialled into thinking I had MND, MS, or some other disease with a catastrophic outcome. I explained away to myself the arm tingling due to sleeping on a kids mattress the night before.

Two weeks later on a family weekend putting sunscreen on my kids I felt my left arm and leg go all tingly. For the next few hours I was in a state of panic and I ended up going to an ED. They found nothing wrong.

The drive home, afternoon and evening I spiralled again into thinking I was going to die in the next few years to some horrible affliction that would rob me of seeing my two little boys grow up. I had a seemingly rational conversation in my head all night about how many years minimum I need to see them grow up and talk to them like men. I wept a lot that day and I've never felt like that before.

I went to my GP the next day and I've been on Antidepressants since. During the next few weeks little things set me off and spiral into panic - like purple colouring in stool (from eating beetroots in veggie shake) making me think I must have bowel cancer and back to the GP I went, or just a new variation of symptoms I hadn't before.

I've had leg and arm tingles, tight throat, stiff neck/shoulders, tightness in arm muslces, soreness in some finger joints.

Unfortunately yesterday I woke up with muscle fatigue in my arms, big time in my left one. It feels heavy and weak like after doing weights. Since it's a new symptom I've gone into heightened stress mode the last 24 hours. I google trying to find articles on how stress and anxiety can cause these symptoms to offset the other part of my brain telling me it's got to be something sinister.

I can't talk to my wife any more about my condition because she tells me she's sick of hearing about it, and that I'm healthy and should just stop this unnecessary worry. So I am walking around my house trying to be present in the moment as a father to two little boys and husband carrying the battle in my head.
I'm booked in to see a Psychologist who has exp in treating stress, anxiety and alcohol problems since I am also fighting an alcohol dependency.

That's my story so far, and good luck to everyone who's made their way here.