Health Anxiety

[Sixtychick]

I’m suffering with health anxiety, I’m scared of getting Covid, as I don’t know how it will affect my heart. I have PAfF and P SVT. You hear such awful things about what this virus can do to you, it’s frightening, especially when you are older. I’m 69. I have suffered3 bouts of AF, 2 from having a virus and one bout I don’t know what caused it and that started my anxiety, especially when I was told I had to take anticoagulants, I’m ok on them now, I needn’t have worried about taking them, and I didn’t feel so bad, then all this Covid started and brought my health anxiety back. Is anyone else feeling like I do, or is it just me. ??

[BobD Volunteer]

I think we all have some measure of anxiety at this time Sixtychick but the longer it all goes on the less I find myself worrying. It would be a shame to miss all the good things in life whilst focussing on just one small bad thing.

If you remove the health part of your description it gives a clearer picture and that is something you can do something about by discussing it with your GP. Others on here may have coping strategies you can adopt such as mindfulness and no doubt will chime in soon.

[Paulbounce]

Hiya Sixtyschick.

I think we'll all feeling the same to some extent.

However there is some good news. Some deaths from covid occur because of a stroke - us afibbers on anticoagulants are safer than the general population in that respect. One other thing as well - a few people have posted on the forum who have had covid - it didn't have any effect on their afib at all.

These are worring times for us all - however stay safe (social distancing etc) and I'm sure you'll be fine.

Try to relax and have a lovely day.

Paul

[Sixtychick in reply to Paulbounce]

Thanks for replying, considering I was scared to take anticoagulants, it’s reassuring that I did the right thing in starting on them. Hope we get a vaccine before too long, then we can all get back to normal

[Paulbounce in reply to Sixtychick]

No worries Sixitychick.

I think it's always a worry when you start on a new med . However often it's not as bad as you think it will be - as you have found out with the anticoagulants

I too hope a vaccine will be found soon. TBH though I'm not holding my breath ! Rest assured your anticoagulants are only doing good.

Enjoy your day

Paul

[Sixtychick in reply to Paulbounce]

Thanks for that.

[secondtry]

When I feel a bit anxious re Covid I read one of the conspiracy theories to relax! e.g. Robert Redfern's Health News. No clue if any of them are correct but it does the trick for me.

"The first 9 months of this year we have seen coronavirus sweeping the world....?

In the first 4-5 months a lot more than the average number people died for this period, but it is now known those people had an average age of 82.

These elderly people were mostly due to die anytime in the next 12 months following their ‘premature’ death. The coronavirus, if it did cause the deaths of those in this group it tipped them over the edge to die a few months earlier than they should.

A tiny percentage of deaths took place in the under 70s and virtually none under aged 40.

The deaths in the under 40’s ONLY really took place in those few with a serious pre-existing health conditions.

If you hear anything that disputes the above then you may be being lied to."

[Auriculaire in reply to secondtry]

I have also read this sort of thing and wonder why there is so much media frenzy about covid. Also that the flu pandemics of 57 and 68 caused more deaths ( in a smaller population ). We just had to get on with it-no shutting down of society . The only people I know who have had Covid recovered reasonably quickly and said it was like the flu but more tiring. A friend's sister in law's aunt died of it. She was in her 80s. The PCR test that is used to quantify the "cases" is not actually designed as diagnostic and the inventor of it said it should not be used for diagnosis. It finds genetic code fragments and cannot distinguish between live virus and dead virus fragments or say whether the person is infectious. If they are asymptomatic probably not. We are ruining our economies and the lives of young people and the consequences of this will be with us for years to come . The old people in homes who are being "shielded" so they do not die a few months before they might anyway are living miserable lives , not able to go out or see their families. This psychological distress is as likely to kill them as many will lose the will to live. I am in favour of reasonable means of preventing the virus spread like mask wearing and increased spaces between tables in restaurants and for the moment restricting large indoor gatherings but panicking because of increased "cases" of largely non ill people has gone too far. What needs to be looked at cooly is excess death figures and the deaths caused by non availability of medical treatment for other conditions needs to be factored in. And measures need to be taken to increase the natural immunity of the population - like stopping vit D deficiency.

[Nannysue1]

Pretty sure that the vaccine will start being rolled out in December with Front line workers being vaccinated 1st. I think it's going to be a game changer as far as Covid 19 is concerned.

[Sixtychick in reply to Nannysue1]

Lets hope so. Can’t wait to get one. Hopefully they’ll work ok and we can get our lives back.

[DeeFish71]

I too have terrible health anxiety and it;s no help with this Long Covid they are talking about matches the symptoms I have to a tee - but I have had mine since March 2019. I so pray that a vaccine will come and we can have our lives back. My depression is at an all time low as not being going out more than shopping once a week, a walk now and then and medical appointments.

[Sixtychick in reply to DeeFish71]

So nice to know I’m not on my own. Had to go to Opticians today, my near eye sight has deteriorated, so needed new glasses. I was so worried, as the opticians get quite near you and you’re there nearly an hour, I was glad when I left. I get my shopping delivered from Sainsbury’s and only nip into Morrisons to get meat and stuff Sainsbury’s didn’t have,I don’t stay long in the shop. Only place I stay longer at is my son’s and my friends. Socially distancing.

[Auriculaire in reply to DeeFish71]

Long Covid is almost certainly another variant of post viral fatigue syndrome. This has been around for a long time caused by other viruses - maybe you remember in the 80s people talking about "Yuppie flu". The good news is that with all the media frenzy round Covid people who get it are a bit more likely to be taken seriously by the medical profession. Unlike the poor sufferers of ME/CFS/ Yuppie flu who were on the whole treated disgracefully and often dismissed as hypochondriacs and malingerers. Similar symptoms are also experienced by people recovering from severe bacterial infections and sepsis. Perhaps this is what has happened to you. People do recover from this but some a lot more slowly than others.

[DeeFish71 in reply to Auriculaire]

To my knowledge I have not had coronavirus - been no significant cough or fever. My taste and smell have been fading but only for a short time throughout the day - I do have a blockage in my right nostril that I still have not been seen about that has been there since February after a cold I got. I find it hard to breathe through my nose so my throat gets very dry when I sleep.

[NEONBUTTERFLY22]

Hi Sixtychick. I totally understand how you are feeling as I feel exactly the same. I didn't really start having health anxiety until I started getting older (I'm 63), and over the last 10 years I have had many things go wrong with my health from brain & nasal rumours, severe asthma my fairly recent AF and other problems which are minor to these. I usually work in funeral care but have been off since the start of the pandemic. I had started to get brave and venture out a few months ago and felt far less anxious. Now the numbers are increasing I am back to square one. I am usually a positive person and try very hard to put things into perspective, but I am struggling. I do believe though that by spring things will start to look better. I am really hopeful that there will be a vaccine and we will slowly start to regain some kind of normality. We just have to have hope and accept that we are going to have bad days but at the end of a storm is a rainbow. Stay strong and positive xx

[Sixtychick in reply to NEONBUTTERFLY22]

Oh how I can relate to everything you’re said. Nice to know it’s not just me. I couldn’t work in funeral care, that would make my health anxiety worse. It was the last AF episode, my third in 6 years, that started mine, last December, I’d coped with the other 2 episodes and they went after I’d been in the hospital a few hours, without intervention. The last time they decided to give me a beta blocker via a catheter and said I had to have anticoagulants, which I’d been scared to take. Had been on them a few months and was getting over the anxiety a bit, when the Covid thing started and it brought my anxiety back., I venture into shops only if I need something, but get round as quick as possible. I get my shopping delivered each week, but still prefer to choose meat myself from the supermarket each week. I don’t go round shops just to look anymore. Everything I belong to, has been cancelled, but we do have Zoom meetings and I do see family and friends albeit socially distanced. Just want to get back to normal and not have to worry about catching Covid. anymore.

[Morzine]

I get what your saying totally sixtychick. I don’t worry about it generally but I said to my husband I know I will panic if I get a cough or sore throat...instantly worry it’s covid.......it’s human nature isn’t it and we have that extra Afib in the back of our brains.

Yes anti coagulants are nothing to worry about they are our little helpers to keep the word “stroke” out of our lives! I’ve taken them ages.

Chin up......I’m sure life will be showing us brighter horizons covid wise next year....

Sue

[irene75359]

No, you aren't the only one. In the main, I am a positive person and my serious bouts of depression were many years ago when I was much younger. But since this pandemic, so much has changed. I don't worry about my health so much as I, and my husband, exercise great caution. However, our two daughters and four young grandchildren live very near and I miss them so much my heart hurts. The regular, long four-hour meals with the whole family with all the laughter and talking seem to be a thing of the past. This summer both daughters and their families isolated and came to Spain and we had the first hugs in months, oh the tears! I worry about them all constantly, as two grandchildren are at school and nursery and of course there is always the risk of infection, one daughter is vulnerable and the other pregnant. I so long for all this to be over, I won't be turning down any vaccine!

[Auriculaire]

The media have been very irresponsible with regard to covid and talk about very little else . The bottom line is that most of the people who die from it are in their late seventies or eighties and have underlying ill health . But the media have concentrated on telling us about younger people becoming seriously ill and dying even though the number of these is very small and often they too had some underlying health problem. After all old people dying is not news - it happens all the time. The best thing you can do for your health is to eat well, get proper sleep , move around and address any deficiencies you might have such as vitamin D, zinc or magnesium all of which support a healthy immune system. Relaxation techniques such as the mindfulness suggested by Bob will also help the immune system as well as having a direct psychological effect.

[marcyh]

There are some concrete things you/we can do. I struggle with anxiety and depression (that's one reason we tend to have AF!) You can make sure your vitamin D level is sufficient. If you start to get symptoms, you can take zinc right away. A pharmacist told me it helps coat the lungs.

When I get tense, I try to notice my breathing. Often it's shallow and quick. I focus on deep breaths and breathing more slowly. There's nothing wrong with doing it many times throughout the day.

Another thing we can do is answer life's most important questions. Who am I? Why am I here? What is next after this life? If you want to chat, you're welcome to PM me.

marcyh