Health Anxiety

[is_sandi]

I was wrongly diagnosed with cancer over a year ago and ever since my health anxiety has been uncontrollable. I have always had bad anxiety, but now this health anxiety has taken over my life.

When I feel something is wrong, I google and find all these bad things, them I am not able to cope with everyday life. I know I should not google, but I cant control it. If i do go to the GP and have to wait for results, I cant eat and I cant go to work, I can barley look at my daughter because I fear she will be growing up without a mum. I don't understand why I cant be logical about these health issues.

I don't know what to do about this, does anyone else suffer with this?

I am dying to find better ways to cope other than having to take relaxants to be able to semi calm down.

[Chicken_Wings]

Hi is_sandi

I have issues around anxiety and health too. Although I have to say an incorrect diagnosis like that must have been incredibly tough.

Like you said, Dr Google is not your friend. I find that every symptom leads back to something nasty.

I don’t know if it will help you, but for example I recently had a cold, but it was a really bad one. I was convinced it was actually flu, that I was going to get pneumonia and that was it.

I used a digital thermometer and a little heart rate monitor / oxygen saturation measure to remind myself that my symptoms did not actually align with what I was convincing myself was wrong.

For little things, giving yourself evidence like this might help you?

i also find talking to someone helps, but it needs

to be someone who understands that you need reassurance. Not someone who is just going to say “don’t be silly”.

[Quercus]

Hi is_sandi and welcome to the forums.

Health anxiety is a topic that is raised very often on these forums. It might be worth looking in the anxiety section and reading some of the other threads to see if others have found good coping mechanisms. It might help you to join in their threads and discuss what works and what makes your health anxiety worse.

I love Chicken Wing's suggestion. I do this too. A few years ago my husband ignored an illness to the point he ended up in hospital with blood poisoning. It eases my mind now to have two bits of equipment in the house. One is a blood pressure cuff. The other a good thermometer.

That way if I think he looks unwell I can ask him to check the two vitals that were key to knowing he was in trouble before (fever and skyrocketting heart rate and blood pressure). It sounds silly to some but it helps me to let the obsessive worry go once he has checked these.

Another thing I find helpful is medication. I know you do not want this. But if the anxiey is at a point where you can't eat or sleep or function this is a serious problem.

If you have tried meditation and distraction and therapy and learning to identify and challenge catastrophic thoughts and nothing has changed it might be time to think about what this anxiety is doing to your quality of life.

I prefer a psychiatrist over a GP because they are specialists in mental health and medications. Mine doesn't like changing or increasing or even prescribing meds unless they are needed. Medications are sometimes needed.

I hope you can find support both offline and here within the BB community.

Nat

[Quercus]

Hi is_sandi and welcome to the forums.

Health anxiety is a topic that is raised very often on these forums. It might be worth looking in the anxiety section and reading some of the other threads to see if others have found good coping mechanisms. It might help you to join in their threads and discuss what works and what makes your health anxiety worse.

I love Chicken Wing's suggestion. I do this too. A few years ago my husband ignored an illness to the point he ended up in hospital with blood poisoning. It eases my mind now to have two bits of equipment in the house. One is a blood pressure cuff. The other a good thermometer.

That way if I think he looks unwell I can ask him to check the two vitals that were key to knowing he was in trouble before (fever and skyrocketting heart rate and blood pressure). It sounds silly to some but it helps me to let the obsessive worry go once he has checked these.

Another thing I find helpful is medication. I know you do not want this. But if the anxiey is at a point where you can't eat or sleep or function this is a serious problem.

If you have tried meditation and distraction and therapy and learning to identify and challenge catastrophic thoughts and nothing has changed it might be time to think about what this anxiety is doing to your quality of life.

I prefer a psychiatrist over a GP because they are specialists in mental health and medications. Mine doesn't like changing or increasing or even prescribing meds unless they are needed. Medications are sometimes needed.

I hope you can find support both offline and here within the BB community.

Nat

[Anntug]

Hi Is Sandi

i too suffer really but with health anxiety and currently experiencing now. I do not google anything as it makes it far worse and you only pick out the bad, I imagine for some it’s hard not too but it’s one of the worse things you can do. I to do not eat and cannot function atm, which scares me because I have to go back to work Monday and have no idea now I’m going to cope. My Urgent episode is I have stomach upper abdominal pain and had tests wish were pretty much clear except for a minor issue and once I got the all clear funny enough my pain disappeared! However couple of months later it come back??? For what reason I have no idea, mind you the pain isn’t that bad at all but it’s there and it worries the shit out of me. I have been back to the Dr and he has said there is no point doing more tests as they have already proven nothing is wrong. I am on medication for depression but it does not seem to be doing the job, which I willl discuss again with my GP. My GP has advised some exercise will help and I have started to take Chia Seeds which are meant to help. I struggle big time more so in the mornings and cry most of the day but settle down a little at night after a couple of wines! I am usually a happy go lucky girl but once this dreaded depression and anxiety kicks in it almost kills me. As for waiting for results from the GP I am beside myself with fear.

Take care

[SamKevin]

I totally hear you. My fear is getting ill and leaving my daughter behind. I am convinced I will be a statistic and I google, I exacerbate my anxiety by feeling every pain etc. it drives me crazy. It’s exhasting and I just can’t stop. I have to give another time test tomorrow as my last one wasn’t clear (microscopic blood) so my head is going crazy and I am dreading next week waiting for results. So much so I could actually be sick. I’ve now stopped my extreme sport as that was most likely the cause of blood in urine as someone squeezed my kidney. So now I have more time on my hands and my anxiety s getting worse.