Is health anxiety real?

[Jmk22]

Hi everyone,

I'm just looking for some advice.

Does anyone experience anxiety majorly about their health?
I have been experiencing this and it feels like its getting out of control lately. I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety about 5 years ago. For the most part it has been under control but for the past 5-6 months I have been feeling it slowly starting to take over. I have been on medication in the past but I currently am not on anything.
I just constantly feel like there is something wrong with me. I'm constantly do the whole dr google thing which I know I shouldn't. There was a point in time that it felt like I was living at the doctors I was going that often for so many different things. I swear he was getting annoyed with me.
It started out with me worrying it was my appendix, then it went to something wrong with my brain ( I convinced myself I felt lightheaded all the time and couldn't focus) then I was worried about breast cancer, then my wisdom teeth became the problem and now it's my heart. I was sick with really bad food poisoning about 5 years ago just before my doctor determined I have anxiety. It caused me to have a high heart rate so I did have to go through the whole ECG and 24 hour monitor wearing. It came back ok and they couldn't see anything wrong. I did have to have another 24 hour monitor about a year ago and all that showed was my heart skipping a beat twice in that amount of time which my doctor said was nothing. I was ok about it all for awhile but now it's become a constant anxiety for me. I am constantly checking my heart rate, I am constantly thinking my heart is skipping beats, I'm constantly worried there is something seriously wrong with my heart. I have experience palpations in the past but my doctor has never been concerned about it.
Am I crazy for feeling this way? Has anyone experienced anything like this before? I don't want to constantly be worried about my health especially my heart and going to the doctors all the time. It's even getting to the point that I'm that worried about something going wrong with my health I'm thinking of canceling an oversea trip my husband and I have with some friends in 3 months time.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
I seriously cant keep going on like this.

[Katyonthehamsterwheel]

Health anxiety is very real and quite common. I went through a period years ago where I was always "finding new symptoms" of something catastrophic. I did the whole dr google thing too. And yes, ended up in emergency because surely I was having a heart attack. And nothing was wrong. I still have it to a mild degree. The only thing I did differently after the visit to emergency was not to indulge my thoughts. I decided not to put a microscope over every little feeling/twinge/something or other, and to just try to get on with my day. Perhaps easier said than done, but it has reduced my anxiety around my health immensely.

If it's really affecting your life negatively, I would strongly suggest a chat with your gp and referral to a mental health professional to work on strategies to combat this type of thinking.

Kind thoughts, Katy

[blondguy]

Hello JMK22

Good on you for having the courage post your thread topic. Yes Health Anxiety is very real and common as Katy mentioned in her post above

I understand your symptoms as mine started in my early 20's and they were the same as what you are experiencing JMK

The earlier our anxiety symptoms are treated (frequently if possible) the better our health and recovery will be

Please have a look at what many other members are going through with their anxiety symptoms on the link below....This is one of the most helpful threads I have read during my time on the forums

www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/what-physical-feelings-of-anxiety-do-you-get

The forums are a safe and non judgemental place for you to post JMK!

my kind thoughts

Paul

[calmseeker]

Hi there Jmk22,

So sorry to hear that you are struggling with this. I notice Katy and Paul have given you some excellent advice. I would like to reinforce Pauls recommendation to you about reading the thread 'what physical feelings of anxiety do you get". It is such a helpful thread and will hopefully assist you in not feeing so isolated with what you are going through. Even obscure and rare anxiety symptoms which I thought couldn't possibly be anxiety related are mentioned in that thread.

Like you, a great deal of my anxiety is health related. It began after an MRI I had found a tiny tumour on my pituitary gland (apparently common, nothing to worry about and I may never have to have surgery for it, or maybe not for 10 years anyway). After this finding my anxiety became out of control. I Dr. Googled every sensation. I was convinced if they found that they could find everything. One day I convinced myself, I had MND, the next I was pretty sure I had breast cancer and it went on and on. I found myself giving my partner instructions for when I wasn't around. I was at a loss about what I should do. So this is what I did.....

I booked myself in for some therapy with a psychologist. The going is slow and the appointments are far apart but the days I do have appointments are helpful. I totally stopped googling symptoms, even when I was soooo curious about what a physical sensation may mean I did not google it, I banned myself form doing this. I tried to pay attention to diet and cut down caffeine just for general good mental health and health in general. I pushed myself to walk daily to burn off the worry. I joined this forum to get support form other like minded people. I decided to trust the medical testing, for example, if the bloodwork comes back good then trust the testing is correct even if my pesky anxiety tells me otherwise. I am still deciding on AD's , I am not sure yet but this may be something else I do in the future. I hope you can pick something out of that lot which can work for you also. I would say I am at the start of my recovery right now, I still have awful days where I feel I am losing my mind but since trying to put those steps into practice I have to say there has been some improvement, I definitely haven't gotten any worse so that's a positive thing.

I understand how scary and overwhelming this type of anxiety can be Jmk22 and I send you all my best wishes and hope you can get some relief.

CS

[blondguy]

Hi JMK22.....(and a wave to Calmseeker for the excellent support above)

Just a quick update...I do hope its of some help to you JMK

You mentioned that your 'anxiety was under control'...This is only my opinion JMK.....As soon as we start to 'control' our anxiety symptoms they can sometimes increase as we are 'fighting' them instead of accepting them as unwanted feelings

When we practice 'calm and genuine acceptance' the levels of anxiety do decrease..This does require ongoing counselling to achieve yet once we truly accept our anxiety these feelings do lessen in intensity

• The earlier we commit to frequent ongoing counselling the better our recovery will be!
• If our anxiety has a detrimental effect on our ability to function on a daily basis we do require some help

www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/what-physical-feelings-of-anxiety-do-you-get

There is nothing 'crazy' about you at all. You are very proactive with your health by posting what you are going through...This is a huge step towards recovery and good on you!

my kind thoughts

Paul

[Guest_2287]

Hi Everyone

Yes Health Anxiety is certainly real and sufferers can sometimes be treated as if they lack gratitude for having good health even though they themselves think otherwise. I have had this since I was a child and have learnt quite a bit about it along the way.

I mentioned this on another post but the Centre for Clinical Interventions has some modules specifically on Health Anxiety which I found extremely useful. They can be downloaded free.

I feel Health Anxiety is quite unique to other types of phobias as the consequences are quite different. Often in CBTherapy the question is What is the worst that can happen? Well, I could die!! is my reponse. So different strategies are needed sometimes. Things I have found that have helped are:

Acceptance of uncertainty - unfortunately no test or doctor can give you 100% guarantee that nothing will happen to you. I felt a since of "letting go" when I realised this and accepted it.

Mundane Task Focussing - during the day really focus on the task at hand. This will give your brain a bit of respite from worrying. Even small amounts of time will help with not being overcome with anxiety.

Exercise can be a great relief. Physically, it can help relieve stress but it can also feel like you are doing something to improve your health therefore lower your chances of health problems. Diet improvements help too.

Reducing Checking - The health anxiety modules I mentioned have a great module on this. It might feel like you are being responsible by doing this but it can just increase your anxiety by constantly seeking reassurance. Same with googling symptoms. If I really want to know sometime I ask my husband to look and filter out what I don't need to know!

I really hope you can get some help and take your overseas trip. It would be a shame to miss such an opportunity. Sometimes we just have to live our lives amongst the anxiety and enjoy it anyway!

[Jmk22]

Thank you everyone for getting back to me.

It makes me feel so much better knowing I am not the only one that feels this way. It's just so hard to get my brain to accept that I've been to the doctors countless times and there is nothing wrong with me. It's always like "what if" they got it wrong. That's the battle I deal with all the time.

Thank you Paul, I will have a look at other threads and what others are going through.

I have been to councillors and psychologists in the past. I have tried a fair few of them. I don't know if it was me not finding the right fit for myself but I never really felt like they helped me much. Not saying they don't help other people it was the way I felt for myself.

I have defiantly been watching my intake of things like caffeine and I walk my dogs at least 4 times a week to help with exercise especially since my heart has been the thing bothering me so much lately. I just feel like 24/7 I can't stop checking on my heart rate and it's driving me insane. I've got myself so convinced that it's skipping beats but when I make my husband check it he says it feels normal to him.

I've been through a bit of trauma recently as well. I unexpectedly lost my dog that was 9 years old. She was my baby and I love her more than anything. I have other dogs but she was so special to me. She was ok on the Saturday and Sunday morning bam she had a heart attack and she was gone. It happened so quickly. It complete crushed me and even though it's been 3 months I'm still struggling to deal with it. Plus it was heart related which is my anxiety problem right now.

I also am getting the whole travelling anxiety happening as well. We are heading to America in May this year. We went to America May last year as well. It was my first oversea trip and first time ever on a plane. Our first day there I felt a little off like nauseous but that pasted. Coming home my ankles swelled up. Went away after sleeping in my own bed but now that has me worried for next time. I'm so convinced something is going to go wrong while we're away it has me second guessing the whole trip. Not to mention I'm on birth control pills so that adds an extra worry with DVT. I'm also at a point I'm constantly worried about having a stroke from it even though I've been on it for years without any side effects.

Ah it's all getting a bit much for me lately and it feels like I can't escape the anxiety.

[TwitchyOne]

Howdy ho everyone!

Yes, health anxiety is most certainly real, I have been suffering for the last 2 years & 19 days (but hey, who's counting?) from severe bouts of it.

The human mind is incredibly powerful, we can trigger physical sensations & pains by convincing ourselves we have something wrong with our body/health. Heck, I can read about a disorder & then literally panic & feel symptoms from what I have just read about.

Thankyou brain, oh so much!

[blondguy]

Hello JMK.....and a wave to TwitchyOne above

you are proactive with your health and yes anxiety or 'health anxiety' is awful to experience

Good on you for dumping Dr Google as it can actually increase our symptoms due to so much conflicting studies and 'advice' I had chronic anxiety for nearly 10 years and I was very fit.. just for my own symptoms..being very fit didnt do anything to reduce my anxiety

Seeing a community based counselor once a week for 7 months did wonders though....lifted a huge weight off my shoulders JMK

www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/what-physical-feelings-of-anxiety-do-you-get

Thankyou for being a part of the Beyond Blue family

Paul