Severe Health Anxiety

[Joey7]

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. 

[Southern_star]

Health anxiety in overdrive so up at 2 am typing this.

Does anyone have a constantnumbness and tingling especially in the arms and leg?

[Jessme]

Yes... When I thought I had a brain tumour and /or ms,I was convinced my arm was always numb.. Now my back hurts so I am sure it's lung cancer. Hence why I'm on here during work hours 😂

[Mummybee]

I too am a health anxiety sufferer.

Does anyone else feel that when they read other HA sufferers posts they are able to logically explain their ailments, but when it comes to your own fears we cannot?

For example, I read about numbness/tingling that southern star wrote about and my brain says "Thats just anxiety, ive had that"

Then i read about your sore back, you think lung cancer, i think slept wrong or twinged it doing something without realising.

Yet im sitting here with a lump on my foot, thinking cancerous growth, and you guys probably read it and think "Probably just an injury or something"

I wish we could view ourselves the way we view other HA sufferers.

Mummybee

[Ukgirl]

I feel so much for you Joey I suffer with health anxiety and I hate it , I like a lot of people here constantly checking and anxious make myself vomit until I bring up blood. Every symptom is Cancer ,Now keep getting checks for skin cancer checking myself all the time

I take medication and it dulls it but it comes back ,now seeing a psycholigist will see how that goes ! Hang in there all of you. God Bless

[humbleb]

Yep I know how you guys feel.. perhaps our body is crying out for help by creating more unique symptoms from the normal anxiety ones we first experienced, so it's more obvious in hope something can be done. I think our body speaks in a different language...

yes, my symptoms are bizarre and strange and even can't explain to people anymore.. and evolving.. hence I'm always thinking it's cancer, some disease, even thought at times maybe my wife puts something in my milk. I think it's constantly aggravated, even though I'm past the hurts and stress of nearly all things in the past. They linger with me in my memory. I don't know..

i pray for you all, I wish you all wake up tomorrow with a less of a worry, a slight more clarity, and pray for a continual improvement.. for all of us.

love 🙏

[sbsi908]

Hey joey, you're not alone here at all!

I have suffered from health anxiety for about 5 years now and it has had its moments of being debilitating. I fully get it.

i strangely only fear certain illnesses that will most likely not kill me, such as a chest infection, or even a simple common cold. This all started from having bad luck, and getting sick at the worst possible times for example; a pait event, a holiday, a job interview, Christmas etc. I became so frequently ill especially on these certain occasions, that i started to suffer terrible anxiety and obsessive thoughts such as; "Am I going to catch a cold and be sick next weekend when I'm suppose to be going away?". I also experience consistent unexplained pains and illnesses, most likely due to anxiety. These symptoms make my obsessive thoughts 10 times worse, as I will start to think "that's it, I'm getting sick. I'm gonna have to cancel plans."

it is an awful thing to go through. But knowing somebody like you understands makes me feel relieved, so thank you for sharing this.

[Sieraphin]

Hey Joey and all,

This is my first post on beyondblue and I'm here because I was feeling pretty hopeless. I was blown away to see you and all these other people suffering from the same health related anxiety I have. I had no idea that other people got it too.

I am constantly worried and I ruin holidays, and even normal work days with my anxiety. I almost quit my job because I had to work in a building with asbestos (even though they had it thoroughly checked for me). I was also diagnosed with MS after a freak seizure last year and that triggered the anxiety like crazy. I constantly think, what if they got the diagnosis wrong? What if I have something worse? It's terrible because all my life people have said 'what you're worried about is nothing' and suddenly I do have something (though this is one thing I never thought I had). Im constantly thinking Im dying or sick. I drive everyone in the house crazy and even my friends and colleagues have figured out I have a problem and I'm so embarassed but I can't help it at all. Its humiliating and debilitating. It ruins everything. I watch TV and think I have every disease on the ads - my husband has learned to mute the ads. I hear of someone else being sick and immediately start to wonder if I could have what they do. Im seeing a new psychologist soon and am hoping to see some real improvement.

Has anyone here figured out the root cause of their anxiety? Is it all deeply personal? Is it chemical? Why does this happen to us? Is it something we can ever fully get rid of?

Any advice appreciated. I wish I had some to give - all I can say is none of you are alone.

[rmcg]

Hi all, I'm a new user and came here because of health anxiety. I was under some pressure earlier in the year which led to me not sleeping well and losing weight. I have since spiralled into worrying about my health. I've been worried about breast cancer, brain tumours, dystonia, even bipolar. I've seen two doctors and both suggested a mental health care plan which made me worry they weren't taking my symptoms seriously.

My main concern at the moment is when I try to sit still I feel a muscle spasm/tic at the base of my head which sometimes feels like a full head zap, I've also had a stiff neck down the right side mainly. The doctor thinks I'm just stressing which is causing the stiff neck and muscle spasm and therefore I'm making it worse by worrying, and perhaps worrying up more symptoms. But I still can't shake that feeling something is wrong though!! I have a family history of brain aneurysms, brain tumour, bowel cancer, a couple have had Parkinson's, so I'm worried I'll end up with a poor quality of life before finally losing my life.

I thought I would join as I feel better after I've spoken to the doctor and gained some reassurance, but that only lasts a day or two and I'm back to worrying, so maybe talking to people on here may help. Glad to see I'm not the only one so worried!

[humbleb]

Hi rmcg..

yep that's anxiety. I had something I used to call zing head. Hard to explain but I think you understand. Health anxiety sufferers symptoms differ. Like I almost got knocked to the ground from what felt like something hit my head and knock me over and this was prior to a bad panic attack.

i can recommend you get some scans of the areas your worrying about and this is the beginning of getting clarity for your mind and body that you're ok. I've had biopsy, cat scans, mri's recently and it gave me that assurance I needed. To begin healing.

keep going to your gp.. but your body and health are fine. Look in the mirror and tell yourself your fine, and you look good too.

stay positive and it's hard but distract those thoughts.. there are ways.

i have my anxiety a name and tell it to go away. Yes with so many different type of physical symptoms. But every time I get checked out.. I'm fine. It's time to heal.

please let us know how your going and talk to us when you like 😊

Positive love xx

[Nanel]

Oh boy! I have felt so alone in this for so long!! I'm a newb to this site, and I am being so releived and yet at the same time saddened that there are so many of us out there that struggle with anxiety and in particular anxiety about health. Queen Diamond, I hear you when you say you don't feel you can trust a doctors opinion, and your mind is full of 'what ifs?' That's exactly my question with anything I worry about health wise 'what if I'm the exception?' Oh I so understand, and I've so had enough! It's literally wearing my body out! I've been like this from early memory, as a child fearing going blind, oh it was so real, I truly believed I was going to go blind, I've always feared cancer since I was in my early teens (I have also been diagnosed with OCD, but I don't do any repetitive actions to try to combat it, i just get the massive anxiety from it with no relief), I've had migraines since I was young, and my body is racked with pain, due to the massive tension mode I have myself in 24/7, my neck and shoulders scream in pain due to muscles so tight they are at breaking point! As well as back and joints etc. I've had everything checked and double checked and the docs can never find anything wrong! I also have coeliac disease which means I am allergic to wheat rye barley and oats - gluten in general, so I continuously have bowel probs even whilst on the diet (been coeliac for just over 20 years), so always fearing bowel cancer - that's a big one! And my dear Aunty of 63 years, full of life, never married but travelled everywhere, and was a midwife for all her life found out early last year she had cancer of the liver, bowel and lungs!! She basically had no symptoms, except for a pain one night that felt like appendicitis, but no it wasn't! She died this march just gone! So my stresses for bowel cancer have hit an all time high!!! That's one among many of the reasons why I have joined this site forum, I just related to your post so much, and just want to thank you for being on here for others like me to see that we are all not alone. Thanks again