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health anxiety experience triggered by c****-** - Help!

pinkdoglover profile image
16 Replies

Hi, I'm new to the website and wanted to share my experience these past few months and in hopes that I am not the only one going through this.. So, I have never experienced any severe anxiety before, except in April which is when it all started. With all of the c****-** related news (censoring the word because it is triggering to me and maybe others), it has triggered me to develop severe health anxiety and it has been very hard for me to live my life. I am in constant fear of getting c****-** by not leaving my house and taking all of the safe precautions. I am hyper aware of every little thing that is going on with my body and when I notice something off, I have panic attacks and my anxiety skyrockets. I even experience physical anxiety symptoms (such as hard to breathe, heart palpitations, numbing throughout the body, etc) and it is the worst feeling ever. I started experiencing a lot of tension/pressure around my nose and went to the doctor to get myself checked out and my doctor told me I have a sinus infection. However, after taking medicine the first week, it did not go away, so I had to switch medicine and I am still dealing with this pressure/tension in the bridge my nose. I often think that the doctor might have missed something and misdiagnosed me and I might have something more serious. While I know it is common for people who have health anxiety to think about misdiagnosis, the rational part of my brain turns off and I can't ration properly with my anxiety. I was wondering if there were people who are dealing with severe health anxiety and/or their anxiety has been extremely high due to c****-**. If so, I would love to get to talk to people who are going through similar situations because I really feel like I am alone. While I do have a support system, they don't understand what I am going through so I would really love to see (and maybe try) what everyone is doing to calm their anxiety/worries.

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pinkdoglover profile image
pinkdoglover
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16 Replies

So sorry you are going through this. There are many here that can relate to what you are going through. Distraction, deep breathing (look up 4-7-8 breathing techniques) keeping yourself calm doing activities that require your full focus on that activity or task as to give you a break from negative ruminating thoughts, exercise (even walking around your house, if you can get outside for fresh air even if it’s on your porch or balcony), look into guided meditation, listen to music, etc. I downloaded something called Sleep Genius and it has a Relaxation Program that is 30 minutes long and very relaxing, when I’m super anxious this helps gives me a way to center my self, it helps me calm and reduc heart rate (you could look for something similar where you lie down, put in ear buds and just tune into the sounds).

In closing, you might be interested in joining this group on Health Unlocked that is dedicated to C****-**. healthunlocked.com/positive...

pinkdoglover profile image
pinkdoglover in reply to

Thanks for replying. Distraction sometimes helps, but I keep going back to the same negative, anxious thoughts. I have tried some deep breathing techniques but they have been okay for me and have not found one that I like. I will try looking at Sleep Genius and giving it a chance! At night, when my anxiety is on high alert and I can't sleep, I like listening to "Night Rain" on Spotify and drinking nighttime tea and that has been helping a lot. Thanks for the recommendation and I will try them and let you know!

Pel3749 profile image
Pel3749

Hi.I am new to this group but not to what you are going through. May I say first of all this is very common, a lot of people experience these feelings with anxiety. I was helped with a good therapist and a psychiatrist .They are experts in this field.You May have to try a few therapists to find the right fit for you or maybe be lucky,as I was, and find that the first one for me was a good fit. Try a meditation group and maybe some yoga. Stay in contact with friends and try to busy yourself with activities and other people.God Bless .

pinkdoglover profile image
pinkdoglover in reply to Pel3749

Hi. Thanks for the reply as it means a lot! I have been going to therapy these last few weeks, and it has been helping me a lot, but I still tend to relapse and go back to square one. Everyday I feel like there is a new symptom that shows up, and it is exhausting. I think I may try looking at other therapists that are experts in anxiety. I have not tried meditation and yoga, but I am willing to give them a chance. If you know any good videos/have recommendations, send them my way and I would love to watch them. Thanks and God bless.

pinkdoglover profile image
pinkdoglover

Hello! Thank you for the reply, it truly means a lot. I have not tried meditation and I am willing to try it, I just don't know where to start. I have started to distract myself with other things, but I keep going back to my anxious thoughts. I keep trying to replace my negative thoughts with positive thoughts, but it is hard. I will try meditation since I've heard it works well for people and if you have any recommendations, please send them my way. Thanks!

ToneTone60 profile image
ToneTone60 in reply to pinkdoglover

an app I use is Insight Timer...there are various topics and self help topics. They will assist you in learning how to meditate. My son whom is a ER paramedic told me about it and I have friends and family they I have referred to the site. I listen to David Ji...he has a website as well ...davidji.com I believe. This has helped me greatly. Your post could have been written by me...I have thermometers, Blood pressure checks, blood sugar monitors...and I check them damn things all the darn time. Hot/flashes or just feeling warm drives me nuts....constant fear of that what you and I don't want to speak of. Hang tuff and feel free to reach out. Wishing you peace....and calmness.

pinkdoglover profile image
pinkdoglover in reply to ToneTone60

I have downloaded the app and will try it! I feel your pain and anxiety. Constantly monitoring my heartbeat and checking my temperature, it is exhausting. Wishing you peace as well.

Amandasullivan12 profile image
Amandasullivan12

Hey i know this was a couple of days ago but i know exactly how you feel as i have savere health anxiety just over 2 weeks ago i was getting heartburn chest pain and a feeling like a burp was trapped in my throat im afraid of doctors as i fear there gonna tell me it something serious anyway after 4 days of this ache in my chest i finealy plucked the courage and went to a+e they did ecg bloods to check the heart liver n kidneys anyway they said everything came bk fine n that i have acid reflux even gerd they gave me medication and for like 12 days they seemed to work. Now the last 3 days its back and im still taking the meds but my anxiety is through the roof i cant sleep or eat or function as my health anxiety is telling they must be wrong theyve missed something i just cant turn of the negative thoughts im trying so hard but they just keep coming.its so hard to live with this no1 understands unless they have it so i realy know how you feel.

pinkdoglover profile image
pinkdoglover in reply to Amandasullivan12

I know exactly how you feel. it is mentally exhausting and draining. recently, I started having odd mouth sensations, a lot of stomach noises (not pain- just noises) and I feel like I can’t breathe. once something is wrong, I immediately think I have the virus and then it gets the best of me and makes me freak out and have panic attacks. I also agree- it’s so hard for other people to understand unless they have it too. It’s also hard to keep the negative thoughts out. currently, I am in therapy and that helps me a lot. I also journal when I feel very anxious and it helps me calm down a bit. I also like talking walks outside and putting cold ice packs at the back of my neck/wrists to reduce my heart palpitations. Please dm me and reach out if you ever want to talk- I know how hard it is to talk to other people about this when they don’t understand

Amandasullivan12 profile image
Amandasullivan12 in reply to pinkdoglover

I know i just wish i could feel normal again i miss my old self i look at ppl around just living their lives and i almost feel jealous of them sounds stupid but it's true

pinkdoglover profile image
pinkdoglover in reply to Amandasullivan12

I don’t think it sounds studio at all- I look around at my family and get jealous too that they are not focusing in their breathing/heartbeat/etc. We just have to remember that this is all anxiety and learn to make peace with it. My dm’s are open if you ever wanna talk!

Amandasullivan12 profile image
Amandasullivan12 in reply to pinkdoglover

I know its realy hard though when you constantly have physical symptoms that make you feel so afraid. And thank you same to you x

pinkdoglover profile image
pinkdoglover

I am (hopefully) over my sinus infection and at times, I’ve had pressure/tension around my nose but not to the extreme like I had during my sinus infection. I went to the doctor to get it checked out and she confirmed I had a sinus infection and gave me medication for almost 3 weeks and I think that helped. I also talked to my therapist and she told me that my anxiety can be giving me tensions/pressure around my nose. I also tried a nasal rinse that my doctor recommended and it helped at nights. Please reach out to me as well when you want to talk about as it is hard to talk about it with people who don’t understand!😊

Iammesues profile image
Iammesues

You are not alone. Many of us are trying to calm ourselves. It’s a daily struggle. We are here to provide each other a listening ear from someone who is experiencing the exact same thing. This virus is so powerful yes, but we need to remind ourselves there is a way to live while being cautious. I always wear a mask and gloves, but starting to be out more often. I won’t do restaurants cuz I think not needed for me, but important to start moving about a bit more but with proper protection

metalhead87 profile image
metalhead87

Yes this is exactly how I have been feeling recently so you are not alone as others have said. I have been using a different meditation app and it does help for a while, but like you, I go back to the negative thoughts once a physical symptom pops up. I have also been watching the webinars on the ADAA website about the current situation and it helps as well. There is also a podcast that I found on another post on this website called "The Anxiety Guy." I feel like when you combine all of these coping methods, anxiety in general should be controlled for a lot of people, but these are extenuating circumstances. I truly understand not being able to talk to anyone because they don't understand what you're going through. I believe that having other people to talk to will certainly help in these times so we don't go down the self-isolation rabbit hole. Feel free to contact me if you would like to.

pinkdoglover profile image
pinkdoglover

Hi there! I’ve have been good this past couple of days regarding my sinus infection. I’d say it lasted 2/3 weeks- at the beginning it was bad because I felt immense pressure/tension around my upper nose area and was congested a bit. I had a ‘dry’ sinus infection since I didn’t have any runny nose or anything. I do recommend going to the doctor if you feel like you need to get it checked out- I can only talk ahijen my experience as I am not a doctor and don’t have any medical background

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