Health Anxiety......

[HJNJ]

Hi Guys,

This is my first time on this website so thought I would give this whole reaching out thing a try.

I am a woman in her mid-20's who suffers from chronic health anxiety. I have struggled with anxiety realistically since I was 14. It has come in various degrees of severity over the years and there have been periods where I have felt virtually 'normal' and 'anxiety-less'. Recently however, I feel my negative thinking and fearfulness returning and to be honest, I am finding it crippling.

I feel like I have forgotten or no longer know how to apply those lessons I learnt in CBT and as a result am feeling pretty weak and vunerable.

At the moment, I am convinced that I have MS in the early stages and am absolutely fixated on how I am going to tell my family, how i'm going to cope, if I am going to die young, am I going to die a hurrendous death..... My other problem is that I avoid any kind of medical situation, so if I really do have something wrong with me going to a doctor to find out is pretty much out of the question which scares me too.

So rather than enjoying this beautiful weather, I am sat behind my laptop in tears, not really sure who I am writing to or what else to say

[sos54]

Hi

First it is great you came here and I hate to think of you sitting at your laptop in tears - I have done the same and think there should be a portal that opens up with a very helpful friend there to fix all our problems. But there isn't so I can only hope I can give you some suggestions.

I avoid medical too and at times have been unable to make myself go. The one thing I would say though is there is no better feeling then when you have a checkup and everything is good. I had a bad period some years ago and couldn't go out of the house and hence to the Dr and it dragged on for ages and i thought all sorts of things were wrong with me and that i was old unhealthy and doomed to a miserable life.When I finally went there was nothing at all wrong other then my panic attacks and anxiety. It was such a positive great feeling. Perhaps the anxiety you feel every day thinking about it if you count that up will be less then actually going to a Dr. Do you have a person you could talk to as support - even to actually go to the appointment and wait outside. Do you have a Dr you have been to before ?

I know it must be exhausting for you as you have suffered for so long. If you can make an appointment for as soon as possible and early in the morning so you don't have to think about it. Symptoms can relate to so many disorders that the only way to know is to go. Chances are they are not what you think and even if worst case scenario they are having treatment and support for any illness is always better then the anxiety of doing nothing and worrying about it. If anxiety stops you then use these support services to help so you can go.

Now I better do something about my dr appointment as I have been putting it off too.

[pete62]

hi HJNJ, this site was suggested to me by my sister so I got on for a look and Im glad I did in a way, I too suffer from severe Health anxiety to the point of making myself physically sick, I have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, I have worked in emergency services for 24 years, this has possibly been the root of the problem although I am still working through this with my Dr, I too try to avoid anything medical and am constantly thinking that any type of ache, pain or feeling is something bad, maybe cancer or something, the more I stress about it the worse I feel and so it snowballs out of control to the point where I am so sick in the stomach and cannot eat that I am convinced I have a disease of some type, although last year I ended up going to Hospital and having a heap of tests that showed nothing wrong, I am constantly looking for reassurance that I have nothing wrong with me to the point of putting a lot of stress on those close to me and I thank God for the love of my family, I too suffer such very similar symptoms as you so you are not alone although you do feel terribly alone when you suffer through this, I know full well that anxiety can make you feel terrible and make you feel things that are brought on by anxiety itself, I know this but it is very hard to control, I too had great periods when I felt happy and in control but when something triggers the anxiety it all comes back again, you are not alone although you may feel it, I too have a DRs appointment today and am stressing out already, please look for the help you need and talk things through, it does ease the pressure a bit