Health Anxiety

[Ellesbells12]

Hello

I hope you are all well, and thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. I feel like this is going to end up a bit like a story hehe.

I’m 21, and have been suffering with bad health anxiety for a while now. I have good days and bad days, and feel like I’m starting to drive my friends, my family and my boyfriend crazy.

I do suffer with palpitations, have been checked multiple times and my heart it in great condition (I was even taken into hospital via ambulance once to find out I was ok - mortifying).

I have a fear of dying. It terrifies me and no matter what I have tried, I cannot get over it.

I find myself sobbing if I have a slight chest pain or feel dizzy thinking that I’m going to drop down.

My fears are heart issues, blood clots, strokes and at the moment the worst for me is cancer.

I get a wide range of symptoms such as, palpitations, pain in between my ribs and chest, pain in my shoulders (sharp stabbing pains), bad stomach pains, cramping in my legs, I become hysterical, jump out of my skin, the sides of my stomach and hips burn and I feel like I’m

Spiralling out of control.

I’m sorry if this is TMI- but I’ve been referred for an ultrasound in a weeks time and I have extremely painful, heavy and irregular periods. My last one was 2 months late, caused me pain 2 weeks before hand. So I now worry that I have some kind of cancer.

I know to a lot of people, this may seem really irrational, but I’m really suffering so any words of support or help I would really appreciate.

Best wishes to you all and I hope you are all safe and well in these uncertain times xx

[hurtingheart1]

Hi I’m sorry sorry for what you’re going through- it’s hard when others don’t understand!!💞💞from some of the things you’ve described here a especially in regards to your cycle(hope msg comes out right!) ?? I’m wondering if you’re having chemical /hormone imbalance issues?? If that makes sense? I know as women our hormones can fluctuate soo much and cause us a lot of alarming issues and things! Some drs prescribe birth control for some this may help?? but in some women this may only make things worse.!! Or synthetic hormones in products can be very harmful & has been in many cases I’ve heard about !!I’m still learning but I know personally I get terrible symptoms especially worse around certain times of cycle and it can be overwheming and soo confusing at times the diff. Things& symptoms and pains I’ve experienced!!!🤣😣headaches, body aches, strong emotions, extreme exhaustion and more!!! Maybe try and get your hormone levels tested I’ve been recommended to do this unfortunately haven’t found a right dr. Yet and 1 I can afford😣but Ive so far managed to find a little other help & info that atleast I’ve made some small progress with. Like with my diet changes and avoiding chemicals & products and using other natural foods& supplements & more to help! Better than nothing!! Anyway feel free to pm me or msg me back here! It’s Good to find listening ears & supportive caring ones on here!! Hope the best to you 💞🌻☺️

[Ellesbells12 in reply to hurtingheart1]

Thank you so very much! I really find it so hard! I know the likely hood of me having cancer is so rare, but I just always expect the worse to happen to me thank you for your amazing words of support it means the world 💓💓

[Hidden]

You’re going through a rough time! I know it can be difficult to get a diagnosis, especially with women’s health, there are many factors to consider and it can seem overwhelming. I’m glad you are planning to get some tests done. I also recommend getting the hormones checked, as hurtingheart suggests. I have a hormonal disorder with bad mood swings that add to my depression symptoms. A real double-whammy. It’s entirely possible you might have a similar hormone-related condition going on. However, once you get familiar with your symptoms and what to expect, it does get easier and more manageable!

Hope the ultrasound goes well and I pray you get a good diagnosis. Till then, if you can, sit back and relax, try not to brood on it. Hang in there! All the best.

[Ellesbells12 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much! Knowing me I’m probably working myself up for nothing! Really appreciate the support

[Hidden]

Anxiety is a horrible thing. It crushes people to have feelings of hopelessness. I hope you will have some relief with your ultrasound and it's causes. Keep us posted if you get any news.

[Ellesbells12 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so so much for the support!

[Hidden in reply to Ellesbells12]

No problem. Hope I can help when I can.

[Sasical]

I suffer from debilitating health anxiety so I know where you're coming from, people laugh at it but we have a terrible terrible time. When I was young I used to have agoraphobia, anxiety and panic attacks but to me health anxiety is the worse. There is a book on Amazon about health anxiety which is very good. And I have found that one of the most effective things is exercise

[Ellesbells12 in reply to Sasical]

Thank you so much for the support - I am so sorry you suffer also

[Raina45]

Hello. Thank you for sharing your story with us. This is my first post. I also have health anxiety, but I also have white coat syndrome and I hate going to doctors for routine appointments because they will FIND something wrong with me. Every weird pain/symptom I have must be cancer. There are many people in my family who have died from cancer and other health issues so I am no stranger to it. When my anxiety is up for other reasons those thoughts are worse. We can’t control what causes anxiety. Life is anxiety right now. But little things add up like caffeine which causes jitters and makes anxiety worse if you’re having a hard day. I (try) to eat healthy because I feel like it gives me more control over my health. Any way you can feel in control is good. Find anything you can control. I used to have PMS/ depression/ irritability/ anxiety and bad cramping every month and I finally mentioned it to a GYN who changed my Birth control pills and that changed everything. I get light periods only every 3 months, no PMS and if I want she said it’s fine if I skip my periods altogether. Did this twice during COVID19. I would talk to your GYN and pcp to get other tests to be on the safe side. I had a friend who was getting panic attacks for months and it turns out her electrolytes were low. I hate going to doctors but sometimes just finding the right one helps. I’ve found strong female doctors and RNs work best with me. I wish you a lot luck and I hope it gets better for you.

[Ellesbells12 in reply to Raina45]

Thank you so so much, I really appreciate it ❤️ I spoke with a female doctor (she was fab) put me on some beta blockers and anti anxiety medication/anti depressant. So I’m going to start taking those and see how I get on! I’ve got an ultra sound booked to investigate my periods in a weeks time! Just feel terrified to go to have it done incase they find something bad

[FearIsALiar]

I’m suffering from health anxiety too. It’s awful do you ever get brain fog or shortness of breath?