Health Anxiety

[Chicken_Wings]

I was just wondering for anyone who has experienced anxiety around their health, what can you do other than getting your brain scanned to convince you that you don't have a tumor, or getting fully tested to convince you that you aren't developing dementia?

I basically imagine the most extreme possible reason for something that I am experiencing and that's it, I'm convinced thats what I've got.
Like at the moment, I'm noticing that my memory isn't as good as I'm expecting it to be, so therefore I must have something wrong with my brain.
Or I noticed that I am more aware of my top lip than I normally am and just like that, I'm about to get mouth cancer.

[Dwwmills]

Hello Chicken Wings.

What you’re doing is what I call catastrophizing. You are
taking something small and taking it to its worst possible conclusion. It’s
just driven by the anxiety itself and not by any physical problem. You can’t
reassure yourself by having scans or tests because the anxiety will just find
something else to focus on. The only way to stop it is to deal with the
underlying anxiety. I’ve been through this myself and I know that treating my
anxiety stopped all the health anxiety.

I realised that for lack of a better word my “gut feelings” on
things were just way off and I could not trust them. They were being driven by
my anxiety and were not a reflection of reality. It was very difficult, at
first, to ignore the gut feelings because they seem so real and I had spent my
life trusting them up until this stage. I use cognitive-based therapy and
medication to tackle the underlying anxiety.

What I found was that if you had a chance of 1 in 10,000, of
something major being wrong with your health, that the anxiety made this small chance
intolerable to live with. Without the anxiety a 1 in 10,000 chance seems quite
good odds.

[Chicken_Wings]

Thank you so much for your reply Dwmills,

I think I know deep down that I don't really have these things wrong with me. I know these thoughts are a bit ridiculous, but I can't seem to make them go away.
Most of the time they aren't causing an actual panic (except for this evening) they are just sort of there, in the background, like looming dread.

I did a mindfullness exercise earlier and it did make me feel more relaxed. But now I feel tired, I think from the effort of a full day at work not loosing it and the thoughts are coming back in.

I'm going to see if I can eat something in the hopes that it makes me feel a little less weird.

[Gate13]

I don't have an answer for that. I'm just glad to see I'm not crazy thinking the exact same things!

[Bluey_moon]

Hey Chicken Wings, 

Ive been there. And I totally agree with everything Dwwmills said! 

I've had MRIs and blood tests and Psych evaluations. My anxiety always finds a way to doubt even the tests. 

I agree with Dwwmills, the chances of it being something are so low. I still deal with this and at times when I'm tired it's worse! 

Hang in there, you're not alone! 

[Mummybee]

Hi CW

health anxiety is my thing... And it really sucks, because even clear MRIs and reflex and neuro tests haven't convinced me Im healthy. Sometimes there is no relief.

excercise and time are the best things I find. My "symptoms" change every few days and I find I'm obsessing over something new and the old symptoms fade away. The only thing that sticks around is the twitching from BFS.

my point is, even if you had these scans you talk about, which I have had, you won't be at peace. Your brain will tell you

-they must have missed something

-it was Friday the doc must have been tired and didn't hear me properly 

-sometimes these things get missed

blah blah, it goes on and on. Your brain is the only thing that will bring you relief... You have to get control back and gain trust in your body. But it's hard. Really hard. And I have bad days and bad moments in bad days.... But I have a plan and I'm sticking to it, I read about it on a website,  nomorepanic, they have a great health anxiety forum.

if a symptom seems immediately life threatening, go to emergency. If it's not, wait two weeks, if the symptom is the same/worse then book an appointment with your doctor. More often than not I find within a few days my symptoms have changed and my brain is on a different tangent and I know it's just my health anxiety.

good luck though chicken wing.

i have a couple of original posts on here about my health anxiety at its worst if you search you will find them.

good luck

mummybee 

[Chicken_Wings]

Thanks you guys, its nice to know I'm not alone.

I was already going to see my Dr and mentioned to her about my worries about my memory etc at the moment, but she rightly reminded me that I haven't been eating so have no fuel for my brain to function at full capacity. Also, anxiety does cause brain fog, so there is that.

I do feel much better having been able to eat a meal last night and I had lunch today too. Its a miracle!

[Bluey_moon]

That is great chicken wings, so happy for you!

You are doing great! 

[Mummybee]

Hi all, I'm having a really bad day today. Woke up with a little pain in the front of my head and immediately my stomach filled with the fear I have been trying to hold at bay. 

my twitching increased 100% my eyes lips and face are twitching my calves are crawling. I'm seeing flashes and floaters and pulsing in my vision and it's all just getting me so wound up. My brain knows it's the anxiety, my heart is beating a million miles an hour telling me I'm dying a slow death from some horrible neurological disease.

thanks for listening. 

Tomorrow might be better 

mummybee

[Chicken_Wings]

Mummybee I've been off the site for a few days and I just saw this.

How are you feeling today?
Was it a headache you were having? I had one the night before last and lay with a cold flannel on my forehead.