Health Anxiety - How Do You Manage?

[HisOwn]

Hello I am 59 years of age - I have had awful health anxiety for 22 years after a series of past medical traumas. Initially I was always going to doctor looking for reassurance whenever I had any symptom but found this just added to my anxiety so now I am a total avoider of doctors or medical tests now - will only go in case of emergency now, if at all because I just find the medical environment so triggering and traumatic. My last visit I had to take a valium just to get through the appointment.

So just wondering if anybody else has similar anxiety and wondering what strategies you use to cope or manage?

[Guest_1573]

Hi

I too suffer from health anxiety. I have seen over 15 different doctors over the last two years; probably in excess of 50 visits. Everytime they say I am ok I come home and am alright for a bit then it rears it's ugly head again.

I suffer from PTSD, severe depression and anxiety. I have suffered from HA since I was a tiny child. I recall seeing a freckle on my arm and thinking it was cancer at age 5 ( we had a scary medical book at home and I was an avid reader!). I eventually burnt that horrid book!

I can say with all honesty that stress and depression make this horrid thing flare up big time. I too have posted recently about it all. I am having a terrible time and the HA is almost out of control. I have been seeing the Dr every week about my symptoms and he has prescribed an AD which at this stage has made no difference.

May I ask what your symptoms are? Asking as mine are all neck, jaw and throat related. I have TMJD and Eustachian Tube Dysfunction along with a possible diagnosis of Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia. All related to stress; clenching jaw; grinding teeth in sleep etc.

Mind you I also had symptoms of pancreatic cancer a while back. The more I thought about it the worse the pain and symptoms were. I truly believe our poor tortured minds create these symptoms. I was also diagnosed with Somatic Symptom Disorder. Again...all related to anxiety and stress and depression.

I do hope you get some support here. I do not know what is going on with you but I feel you may be in the same boat as I am. I do deep breathing when it gets really bad...I know...sounds useless but it truly does calm the mind somewhat.

On the other end of the spectrum I think 'oh well if I have such and such I will be strong and get it dealt with"...our thoughts and anxiety are far worse than any reality if that makes sense.

Sending you love and hopefully some peace.

[jemma09]

Hello HisOwn

Thank you for reaching out in the forum and sharing your thoughts. I'm sorry to hear you have been struggling. Health anxiety can be so hard to go through.

The first time I came to Beyond Blue forums, it was for my health anxiety. I was at the end of my tether and in full blown panic mode - I was convinced I was dying at that point. I had tests coming up to check things and I reach out on this forum as I needed somewhere to express it - and honestly, everyone here on this forum comforted me and saved me from feeling so horrible. Just to know someone had heard me was so great. So I want to say - we hear you and what you are going through is not on your own, anytime you need to talk please feel free to reach out. And it's completely understandable to not be online, I saw your other comment - you just pop in whenever feels comfortable for you.

In some ways, maybe avoidance of medical doctors and tests may be a way for us to keep control. Or to keep ourselves safe from seeing or hearing something we do not want to. A doctor's office can be quite daunting especially for someone with health anxiety. Do you have a regular doctor (that also understands your health anxiety)? If so, maybe you can look into home visits. As some doctors do offer those!

On strategies to cope or manage... for me personally, therapy was colossally helpful. My therapist was able to help me identify my thoughts are health anxiety and how to manage them. She gave me breathing exercises and homework to help. My health anxiety was very focused on breathing though - so my therapist had a challenge 😆! So if I was doing breathing exercises, I focus on the movement of my collarbones or shoulder blades instead of say thinking about the air and I keep focused on that. When a thought would pop up, the aim would gently be to acknowledge it briefly with a word like 'thinking' or similar and re-focus on breathing.

Do you have any activities or hobbies that you find soothing? Such as: exercise, art, reading, games, etc. As I know for me personally, getting focused on an activity helps my mind to stay involved in that tasks rather than sticking onto repetitive thoughts of anxiety. And if any anxious thoughts did come up, I can just re-orientate myself back to my activity.

I wish you all the best and that you find some peace with your health anxiety. 🙂

[HisOwn]

Oh sorry for delayed reply..been so out of action with it all for months..so not sure you will even see my reply now..but thank you so much for your tips..yes I have OCD too and that is a nightmare with health anxiety..checking and rechecking symptoms (even symptoms that are not there) and only stop when exhausted! I feel like Im on a 2 edged sword at times because my health anxiety is directly related to trauma from medical doctors so I have zero trust in them to reassure, diagnose or treat correctly so sometimes it is just me and the Lord..I will be very interested to read your articles about OCD but not sure where to find them. Perhaps you can post a link for me?

Many thanks again 🤗

[HisOwn]

So sorry for delay to reply..I kind of fell off my perch the last few months with the depression and anxiety so did not socialise with anyone much, even online.

I wish I could have your attitude about getting sick and just say "oh well" but the PTSD kicks in with me and so just the thought of it is terrifying for me..so not sure how Im going to deal with it all except don't even think about it..but of course symptoms dont allow that.

I have all sorts of symptoms..I get quite ridiculous sometimes and turn everything into cancer so it is a real psychological issue for me. 

I am a little bit better since I first posted here after having a deep discussion with my sister who is a registered nurse but still dont want to get a disease! I turned 60 recently too so perhaps that frightened me a bit..getting old etc..

I really just want to grow old gracefully and pass away peacefully in my sleep! 

[HisOwn]

Thank you so much for your response..Ive only just logged back in now after being really unwell for months with depression..then lost a close friend to cancer so it set everything off for me again..had awful PTSD flashbacks about my past trauma..but I got through it..it made me face some fears and just deal with it..but still battling with a lot of it..mainly depression now..just started on some medication for depression and hoping that will help a bit.

No I don't have any hobbies..just watching YouTube occasionally and just doing housework and caring for my daughter who has a disability..but going to try to volunteer somewhere in my town soon to start reconnecting with people again because I find that helps somewhat too.

Many thanks for your kindness and your advice..I really appreciate it 🤗

[Croix]

Dear HisOwn~

It's a great pity it is the medical profession itself that is the cause of your PTSD, the distrust that comes with  that condition makes it all the harder to accept anything they say about symptoms or the lack of likelihood of cancer.

As somone wiht PSTD I can well understand, however I can offer a little encouragement in saying my symptoms have reduced an awful lot over the years and no longer rule.

Still in your own way I think you are finding that some conversations do help. I would suspect that after talking ot your sister as a nurse you might find you are more inclined to accept what she says as being at least a possibility.

Petal22's posts too offer hope that OCD can be coped with.

I do hope you can keep talking, at least here if there is no one else, there is nothing like another human to be with , it tones down a lot of unpleasant things.

Croix

Croix

[HisOwn]

Thank you Croix..that is very encouraging to hear that your symptoms have reduced significantly..🤗

[Croix]

Dear HisOwn~

I'm glad I was able ot give a little positive. Actually it has been a sort of slow motion thing since I was first told I'd reach the place I'm at now. In fact I flat out did not believe it and thought it was just so much thoughtless hype.

I have ot say now flashbacks are conscious (so I can know what is happening and see them for what htey are), nightmares are there at times but have branched out to not just the same few things, and are reasonably easy to handle (biscuit and cocoa:). My level of distrust is almost gone and I have room for others in my life - even love. I can get satisfaction from what I do.

Time, therapy, medication and personal support all have played their part -as has luck.

I'd have to say I was a total mess, and if someone like me can reach a good recovery point I'd imagine very many others will too.

Croix

[tmas]

Hi there! 

I too have suffered with debilitating health anxiety - like many other commenters, it was associated with OCD and phobias. I was heavily medicated for several years throughout which I underwent therapy, and the issues seemed to build and morph into entirely uncontrollable entities. 

My final visit to emergency for this resulted in a referral to a new kind of therapy for me - psychotherapy. I mention this because somehow discussing and processing the traumas was the only thing that helped me in any substantial way - CBT, ERP, DBT, TMS, MI never worked as I was in an obsessive rut. Exposure therapy was so anxiety-provoking that it would trigger agoraphobic, TMS did absolutely nothing, medication helped to the extent that I physically couldn't have a panic attack... but psychotherapy got me to a point where I have and identity again, I can eat and function without compulsions and panic, I'm even off my medication(s) now. 

Admittedly, symptoms still exist, I have emetophobia, but I am a functional person without panic attacks. It helped me to see what would trigger the anxiety - certain stressors in life would manifest as OCD and create a feedback loop. In terms of mindfulness, breathing exercises are too hard for me as I react very viscerally to hyperventilating (too many bad associations) but other things like exercise (I had to really work with my anxiety for this), and learning to enjoy things too. None of this would have been possible without processing my traumas and understanding why I felt certain things, and learning to feel neutral towards behaviours and compassionate to myself (especially when triggered, which is very hard). 

[HisOwn]

Wow that is very encouraging to hear! Thank you! 🤗