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Severe Health Anxiety
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I suffer from severe health anxiety and have for the past 6 years which all started after my son was seriously iill and we came very close to losing him thankfully we didn't. Since that time my anxiety has gotten a lot worse these past 2 years have been so bad with my physical symptoms worsening to the point I'm googling my symptoms all the time constantly thinking I have some disease that relates to the symptoms I have at the time. I guess I just don't believe that even though my anxiety is so severe it can cause these weird sensations and symptoms in my body which with having health anxiety the symptoms just escalate my anxiety and I can't function at all. I'm constantly waking up anxious hoping I won't have a the symptom that day then when I do it makes me so upset and frustrated I think I must have a serious disease for it to still be there. Can anyone else relate to this and has the horrible scary physical symptoms that go along with anxiety what did you do to help I don't want to be like this anymore the Physical symptoms are horrible.
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I'm 25 and have suffered from health anxiety for about the last 3 years, it only became a problem in about the last year when I moved cities. I guess the big life change must have stirred something up and now I am quite anxious about various diseases and syndromes that I think I may have pretty much all of the time at the back of my mind. I am seeing a psychologist, and have started medication (which i'm not sure is very helpful) and have been able to figure out the root of the problem. My mother has been sick for as long as I can remember because of her eating disorder and now that she is in her 60s, her health is physically deteriorating very fast. This has been very painful to watch. Anyway recently I have started to develop real pain and sensations associated with whatever illness I think I might have. About 5 months ago i started to get pain in my teeth and gums just after I broke up with my boyfriend. I went to the dentist who told me nothing was wrong and that the pain would go away. When it didnt I went back and saw a different dentist who also gave my teeth the all clear. So i saw another dentist who said the same thing. I then went to the doctor who sent me for an xray and a lot of tests and still nothing could be found. I was relieved for a little while that there wasn't anything obvious causing the pain but then I started to worry more that it must be something really sinister and serious if no one can tell me what its caused by. I went back to the doctor this week and again he told me he thinks its just a symptom of anxiety. My question is this, is it really possible that this very real pain in my teeth and gums can just be all in my head? If it is then am i supposed to just live my life with this pain every day now? Has anyone else experienced something like this? I feel like such a freak and very alone when I try to explain this to other people as most of the physical symptoms of anxiety are things other people can relate to, teeth pain is just so strange. Its also frightening because I am still worried that any day now my teeth will just fall out from the pain.
Thanks for reading
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Hi Lizzy, you can definitely feel physically ill from anxiety. It took me several months to come to terms with that. Lots of people here on the board have written about their specific symptoms, and there's quite a range. The way anxiety presents itself is unique to every person.
Think about it this way - when there's something conventional that you're afraid of (like giving a speech, or a spider, or heights, or whatever), you feel your stomach drop. Your skin goes cold. You might get a bit shaky. You feel your heart speed up, and you breathe faster. Anxiousness of any kind stimulates chemicals like adrenaline, and they do have a physical effect on how you're feeling. If you're sad about something, you might feel really heavy, your stomach might hurt - if you're happy, you could have a lot of energy and feel like you're buzzing. All of your emotions can have physical effects!
Anxiety is the same way. Your mind has an extraordinary amount of control over your body. You know how if someone says that they thought they saw a bug fall on your head, you'll start to feel the bug there, even if it's not? It's the same way with health anxiety. You convince yourself (subconsciously, even) that something is wrong, so then you start looking for something to be wrong. So, naturally, you find something, and fixate on it, and the more you are fixated on it, the more "real" it feels.
I've learned that my anxiety makes me very dizzy, foggy, lightheaded, and unbalanced. I'm not sure what the explanation is, but I know that those signs are a warning that anxious feelings are approaching. I can't explain it fully - I suspect it has something to do with adrenaline? - but like I said, minds are powerful. It's very possible for your mind to create such real sensations as achy teeth and gums.
I hope this makes you feel a bit better 🙂
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If I'm being honest with myself and everyone else, I've had health anxiety for 5 or 6 years. Mostly I function fine. However I recently aggravated a back injury which gives me nerve pain. Adding to that I now have some leaking urine when I move sometimes and cough. The physio and doctor tell me it's just "stress incontinence." Is that even a thing? I feel like no one is taking me seriously simply because I wear the anxiety label. My fear is that the bladder nerve is compromised because of the back issue, although apparently I would be totally incontinent. An MRI ruled this out but since them I have done further damage to my back. I am scared. It feels like this is never going to get better, despite me trying to do helpful things. I just want this to go away so I can go back to being me and not have fear constantly with me.
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Hey fellow health anxiety sufferers
I have had health anxiety since i was a young child, I've always been very afraid of diseases from the past like polio and the plague and would have nightmares about contracting some sort of medieval communicable disease. As I got older I became more obsessed with being really healthy so I could avoid any sort of lifestyle induced disease. I get very distressed and anxious when I have something as innocuous as the common cold because i can quickly convince myself that its something much more serious and I there's a possibility I will die from it. When I have something a little bit more serious like tonsilitis or a UTI I am basically a wreck who can't function. I also worry about developing other mental illnesses In the past few weeks alone I have been worried about HIV, other auto immune diseases, liver failure, bi polar, chlamydia, skin cancer, lung cancer and as of last night the plague.
I just moved to a new house in Sydney a couple of days ago and my housemate has a cat who currently has fleas. I think I've gotten a couple of flea bites and all day I have been terrified that I will catch something from the fleas like the plague. I know that sounds very ridiculous but my mind has a way of convincing me that if there is even a slight possibility of the plague coming to Sydney I will definitely get it and die a very slow and disgusting death. I feel really stupid even typing this as I've already spoken to a few friends about it who tell me I am being completely ridiculous but the fear is so real to me.
I'm hoping a few of you may understand and offer some reassurance. Health anxiety is so awful to live with because you feel as though you are constantly under attack and a prisoner in your own body. I hope this might help some of you at least to know you aren't alone. x
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Hi all
Im new to bb
I have been struggling with anxiety for about 5 years now and have just come to relise after doing some research that what i thought was generalized anxiety disorder may well be health anxiety i am constantly feeling different sensations in my body from tingling in my ears and head to numbness so it has me constantly thinking i have some sort of disease that is slowly killing me.
I have come off my medication about 2.5 months ago after being on it for 3 years and it is like bam i am experiencing all these different physical symptoms that i have never felt before and they seem to change every couple of days.
I was wondering what have others tried that has helped them i am currently seeing a psychologist and carry a bottle of rescue remedy with me for when it gets very serve so i can function,
I feel like it is controlling my life and i cant be happy cause of the physical symptoms constantly makibg me think i am dying
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Hi All
I am truly glad that I have come across this forum, as reading some of the posts here has made me feel a little less insane.
Why and when my anxiety started is a little unknown to me. Maybe it was the traumatic labour I went through, perhaps it’s working with oncolog patients or seeing people suffer.... it could be any or none of the above.
The number of investigations that I have had thus far is astronomical, with each one feeling like a near death experience that had heightened my anxiety.
It started with difficulty with breathing, numbness and vertigo, which I now know was a panic attack.
It didn’t stop there. I had suspected that I had a symptoms related to a brain tumour (3 times in the last 5 years- MRIs revealed nothing), ovarian cancer 4 times (annual ultrasounds- cyst removed- again it was nothing), liver cancer 2 times (abnormal blood work that went back to normal- again nothing), thyroid cancer (bloods not ok, thyroiditis, treatable- no cancer), eye cancer ( detailed imaging for orbital pain, blurry vision and headache- bad prescription- nothing else/no cancer), MS (multiple specialists, scan- no MS), throat cancer (persistent pain and difficulty swallowing- irritation, cause unknown, but no cancer), bowl cancer (endoscopy and colonoscopy- all clear), melanoma (two assessments on top of regular check up- nothing), cervical cancer (specialist check- nothing),...
Having had to think about all of that has made me feel sad and frustrated. I am angry at myself for not being able to rationalise and let go of these negative thoughts.
Does anyone have a solution other than medication? I want to enjoy and look forward to the future, but am genuinely struggling to stay positive.
Sending you all lots of love!
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