Health Anxiety My living nightmare!!!!

[Health_Anxious_Mummy]

Hi , first time here

as you’ve probably already guessed I suffer with health anxiety it all started 6yrs ago with a major panic Attack which required an ambulance and a stay in hospital as I really thought I was dying and new nothing about what a panic Attack was until that day , fast forward to now & cut a long story short I was diagnosed with a thyroid issue have been on medication now for a few years and it seems to be ok but it can sometimes play up which can increase my anxiety pretty bad when my levels are out I’m also on medication to try and combat the anxiety but sometimes when I’m really worried and anxious it doesn’t do a great deal . Like at the moment , about 6 weeks ago I was out with my husband and 2 year old and we were in a shop and I was literally fine talking away not thinking of a thing and then out of no where I got a very severe pain in the side of my head so bad I felt a bit sick and had to sit down it didn’t last long maybe 1min if that and it was gone had a couple of twinges later in the afternoon but nothing more after that and I have never experienced anything like it before as you can imagine for someone with health anxiety this has now caused me to think I have a brain tumour I thought not much more about after it happened and thought I was ok but last week I had a similar thing just not painful when I was driving my son to swimming I started to feel strange in my head and really foggy and kept zoning out and really struggled to sit through his lesson because I felt like something awful was about to happen , so now since last Tuesday I’m in a completely full blown anxious state and fearing the worst that I have a brain tumor as I have a sore neck and continue to have sharp pains on my head I don’t have headaches but I do feel off balance and really feel like I’m lacking concentration and my memory is shocking and getting stuck on words this is really worrying me I’m in such a state I do have an appointment with my doctor on Friday. I wish so MUCH I could just be normal and be like oh well whatever like when my husband has anything wrong he just doesn’t even think twice about it I wish so much I could feel the same but I just continue to go in a vicious cycle last month was esophageal cancer because I have reflux before that I was convinced it was my heart because my reflux was playing up I literally have had every test possible apart from a brain scan and all are always fine aside from my thyroid and low iron .

[Guest_2496]

Yay Ash, so happy for you re the test being normal 🙂

My child is actually an adult now and she'll live with her condition forever. She does really well at accepting it and dealing with the treatments but when well her life is quite normal. She's travelled overseas, works, lives out of home etcetc. But yes, when she was first diagnosed it was very hard to accept as a mother and to watch her go through the tests and treatments.

I don't think that was the start of my anxiety though. I can definitely understand developing it when we have children though.

[Ash81]

Hi Annie,

i hope you’re well. How are your troubles at the moment?

i has a few days of peace then I got a shocking headache; it’s been about a week now. Right at the top middle of my head it’s like there is heat coming out of it and some sharp pains here and there. No other symptoms though. I went to a gp (who is aware of my anxiety) and ofcourse put it down to my anxiety. He said if it was sinister (which is where my mind ALWAYS GOES) I would be vomiting and having eye troubles and pain on one side of my body. I just don’t know when I’m going to get over this feeling of fear. I’m so over it. It’s debilatating. As long as there is pain in my head I won’t get better. My psychologist told me not to ask for any tests unless the dr requests them so I didn’t. I actually got a ct scan on 31/08/18 on my brain and it was fine thankfully. I’m on anti depressants which I think has only stopped my tears; not the fear and negative thinking... Talking to you has been comforting.

[cakeboss]

Hi there yes anxiety is such a terrible disorder .I suffer anxiety panic disorder .When i have it bad it sets of health anxiety .I understand what you are going through .I am under counciler gp and Phsycitrist aswell .I try to do mindfullness .What do you do to slow down a panic attack anxiety any adice be greatly appreciated

[Guest_2496]

Hi Ash

I hope the headache has gone? A couple of things to try - are you drinking enough water? (sometimes dehydration brings on headaches) Are your shoulder, upper back muscles tight (my constant problem!) - a little self massage with whatever you have on hand...I use tiger balm, or a tiny drop of lavender, but moisturiser will work just fine too. A bath with epsom salts?

I find that I have consistent physical symptoms of anxiety but from time to time something new will pop up that I don't recognise as anxiety. I think the psychologists advice was good, and take on board that the dr was not worried and do your best to relax. Keep telling yourself 'the symptoms of anxiety are uncomfortable but not dangerous'. xx

[Guest_2496]

Hi cakeboss

When I have a panic attack it's brought on by some physical feeling...what I try to do is concentrate on my breathing, and on things around me rather than focusing on my body.

I think it's probably different for everyone though and you / we need to have a 'box of tricks' i.e. self help as to what works for us individually.

There's a great thread at the top of the Anxiety section on self help ideas, you might find some inspiration there 🙂

[Ash81]

Hi Annie/cakeboss; I’m so deflated now. The headaches are slowly subsiding because my Indigestion/nausea has taken over. I was reading an article how a man was getting nauseous daily and that’s how he found he had kidney cancer. That’s all I have in my head now. I’m taking gaviscon even that’s not helping me. I don’t want to go to the dr because I’m so scared and frankly embarrassed to go again. I wish I could get over this

[Guest_2496]

Hi Ash

Sorry to read about your physical symptoms and anxiety around them.

I’ve read up on kidney cancer for you and those are not symptoms of it. Perhaps the guy you read about had other symptoms but going to the dr led to the diagnosis. Do you have blood in your urine, a fever lasting days?

I also saw your replies in a couple of other threads and maybe you should go back to the gp, NOT because I’m concerned physically but maybe an increase in the ad meds could be calming? I’d ask about that. Plus are you still seeing the psych regularly? Does talking to them help at all? (It’s taken a while but I do find mine helpful most weeks)

Another I noticed is you mention indigestion/nausea and also mention being bed ridden. Can I suggest propping yourself up at the least? I had the same thing, terrible indigestion (and nausea) for a couple of months and during that time I was lying around on the couch. That was contributing to it - reflux!!

i hope some of this helps and I really think / hope that a tweak in the meds could help Ash.

x annie

[Ash81]

Hi Annie,

youre a godsend. No other symptoms apart from the indigestion/nausea. Thank you for looking that up for me since not googling symptoms has been the one thing I’ve actually stuck to! I’ll try popping some pillows under my head hopefully that helps. Yes I was thinking about increasing my ad meds too unfortunately. What finally helped you Annie to get rid of it? All I do is think of it so it’s a vicious cycle.. I do feel guilty writing to you like this and I hope I don’t dampen your days/nights? Thank you so much for clarifying that I should go to the gp NOT BECAUSE YOUR WORRIED only someone with health anxiety would understand writing that and how I would freak out about it!

Thank you so much Annie; I do hope you’re well.

[Guest_2496]

Hi Ash 🙂

I was going to the loo all the time when it was at it's worst and I think it only really went away when I really worked on understanding and believing / accepting the multiple physical things I was feeling (as once you understand one it moves to another area as you're experiencing) are anxiety related and not life threatening. Reading (have you read Dr Claire Weekes?), youtube (Dr Harry Barry), calming music (Weightless), and I have the Headspace app on my phone and meditate with that - they have meditations ranging from 3 mins onwards so if you think you can't focus try a short one, I can't recommend them enough!

So...once I understood that all the gastro symptoms were IBS and anxiety related I had to work on resolving them to feel better. You may feel a bit wobbly if you've been lying down a lot, and not eating much. Can you eat bananas and white bread/toast to start off? Now I'm back to a full healthy diet it really does help Ash and I want to encourage you that you can get there. I still get tight shoulder and neck muscles and sometimes that sets off hyperventilating (or vice versa! I don't know which is the chicken / egg) but I start deep breathing as soon as I notice either of those and telling myself that the symptoms of anxiety are distressing but not dangerous...and a little gentle self massage of the shoulders.

Wish there was a way to help you more but I will say helping others helps yourself too! I know you have a business and four kids - if you can put your energy into that and them, or think about helping others in some way it takes the focus of yourself (promise).

x

[Ash81]

Hi Annie,

I really thank you for your help. I havnt been eating so I don’t think that helps. I have my psychologist app today but I’m not sure if that really does anything.. I’m staying in bed because I’m so tired I just want to sleep. Constantly feeling like I want to throw up; it’s horrible. I’m praying I don’t get to the point where I ask for a scope to make myself feel better because it’s just like being on a roller coaster ride; up and down until the next thing pops up. I honestly don’t know what to do.. I don’t even want to go see my dr even the receptionists are sick of me I feel..