FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Health Anxiety, is it really anxiety

Lilah_R
Community Member
Hi, this is my first time posting. I'm wondering if anyone else has the same or similar symptoms as I do. I got sick a few yrs ago with nothing too major just kept getting misdiagnosed which caused it to go on for 9 months. Ever since then I seem to get sick all the time. I can't go 2 weeks without getting what is like a tummy bug. I feel hot, nausea, mild diarrhea, headaches & it last for usually 3 to 5 days. I no longer go to work as I am always taking time off. I have had so many blood tests, MRI, scans etc but they are all clear so the dr says it's anxiety. I am now on medication which I thought was helping I had gone almost 7 weeks without that feeling, then out of nowhere it came back. Is this really anxiety or am I catching some bug over & over again? No one in my family gets sick with it. I'm not sure how much longer I can go on like this. I miss the old energetic mum & wife I used to be. I feel afraid that this will be my life forever & no one can help.
Does anyone else have these symptoms?
Thanks
2 Replies 2

Crumbled
Community Member

Hi Lilah,

I'm sorry you feel like this, I have similar feelings and it can be debilitating. I have the same symptoms and just get told it's anxiety but it's hard to hear that when you feel so sick. I have constant nausea, upset stomach, dizziness and get non-stop colds. I also had the same issue with medication, it worked for about 6 weeks and I felt great then it stopped working. I have doubled my dose (GP told me to) but it takes about 6 weeks to work so am hoping so much that it works soon. Perhaps your GP would suggest that too? I'm hoping I can double it for a few months and then go back to the original dose. I have a young daughter too, it's so hard because we don't get any time to truly rest!

Did the physical symptoms go away when the medication started working? Because I felt good initially with the medication I keep telling myself that the physical symptoms really are just anxiety and that I can get back to that, it's just going to take time.

I hope you feel better soon.

White_Rose
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Dear Lilah

Hello and welcome to the forum. This is a good place to chat about your difficulties. There is such a variety of people here I expect some these will talk to you soon.

I have not had your symptoms but have been battling constant infections for almost a year. I get 'cured' for a couple of weeks then it all started again. I feel I am now getting somewhere with treatment. What exacerbates my problem is having a reduced immune system due to another medical problem. Knowing what's wrong does not always translate to cure and often takes time to find a treatment to control it. Frustrating to say the least and really changes you. I am so very sorry you are in this situation.

Has your doctor referred you to a mental health professional? If this is all caused by anxiety I wonder if the best help would be from someone trained in this area. You can see a psychologist for talk therapy or a psychiatrist who can also prescribe medication. While psychs do know about other medications they specialise in mental health medicines. It's a thought and perhaps you can talk to your GP about this. Medication can help a mental health condition but does not cure it. It's more a case of giving you some respite to allow you to explore the reason(s) for your anxiety.

I also wonder if you became anxious because of the return of this condition on several occasions and your body is responding to this.To you it all looks like the same problem but may in fact be two sets of circumstances feeding off each other. Been there myself.

Beyondblue has information about anxiety which you may find useful. Look under The Facts at the top of the page and starting at the top work your way down. It may be useful to complete the anxiety checklist and see how you score. Nothing like some evidence to stop worrying about everything else. Take a copy to your GP. It is not a diagnostic tool, but an indication there may be a problem. Completing the checklist several times on different days at different times may throw some light on what's happening. Remember to date & time the tests when you print them off.

I think you are also sad not being able to go to work as you used to do. This can have a big effect on your self confidence especially for a reason such as this. In turn this affects your mood so talking to psych of one sort or another may be very helpful.

I hope you will continue to post here.

Mary