health anxiety

[Mandymae36]

I have joined this group because I feel so alone and unheard. I have had health anxiety the majority of my life. When I was a kid and the aids virus was so new and scary I thought I had aids not even knowing how you contract the disease. Later on in life and for at least 10 years I have had the idea that I was diabetic even though I had had many blood tests that proves otherwise. Another main reason for thinking that I was diabetic is because I have had tingling feet and toes for longer than that even. Fast forward to the current hyper fixation; I have recently gone to my primary care doctor with pains in both of my big toes, yellowing of those toenail and pain the moves through out my legs and butt. I went to a neurologist who ruled out possible neuropathy. She did mention that I do have two vertebrae in my lower back that are compressed. I have told my doctor and she proscribed an oral fungal infection medication that I am going to have to take for a year to see the results. Well I looked up what the yellowing of the mail could be, circulation was a possible culprit. My doctor touched my feet and said they aren’t cold so you don’t have a circulation problem. Well I didn’t like that answer because I feel as though just touching my feet doesn’t count for a circulation test. Well now I am in a predicament because I still feel these symptoms , and my doctor is saying that it’s not circulation because my feet were warm and I’m too young for circulation problems, 45 and nonsmoker. Is this just an irrational fear of mine that I have had the majority of my life ? I am so afraid about this issue that I’m not sleeping well, constant dread of what I think is wrong and I am basically shutting down and waiting for my demise. Anyone with similar problems? And if so how did u manage these? At this point I fell so horrible that I have thought about ending my life even though I would never do so because I wouldn’t want to leave my family. I still have young children and adult children. 6 to be exact. Please help! I am at a loss.

[Mur0610]

Hi, I have been through this, got 5-6 body tests done to rule out that I dont have any health issues. I used to drink so first I thought of a liver damage was occupied by these thoughts for an entire year then it moved to my heart and went for ECG. Things were normal in tests but my mind was not ready to believe at all.

Let me tell you one thing my friend that it you are perfectly fine and not going to die because of it. It will pass with time but how you cope up with this will decide your recovery time.

Health anxiety is a form of anxiety disorder only so focus on dealing with anxiety and you will start seeing improvement. Go and see some anxiety recovery stories and you will be convinced that you will get over it very soon.

Start meditation and mindfullness with deep breathing, it does wonders.

Take care!

[Mandymae36 in reply to Mur0610]

Thank u so much. I’m glad I’m not alone on this

[Buttonshutton in reply to Mur0610]

Hi. I have joined this group as I have health anxiety. Everything is almost worst case scenario in my head. I too used to think I had aids for no reason this was years ago. I used to call the helpline in the middle of the night. I think this was all triggered by a sudden death in the family through an unknown heart condition. This actually resulted in my daughter as I refused to take the pill for fear of blood clots. So something good came out of the health anxiety. I thought I had stopped with it all but when I got PMR four years ago and the doctors didn’t know what it was every test and scan sent me over the edge. Currently I’m having weird pain in my knee but only when I kneel but it’s not the knee that hurts but the side and slightly below it. Course I’ve decided that’s a bone tumour. I’m driving myself mad but then won’t go to check it out as can’t cope with knowing. You are not alone. I came here for help and saw your post. I had to respond. I am the one who people go to for advice and rational thinking but this has rational me completely lost. I don’t know who takes over. It’s horrible. So no you are not alone at all. Please hang in there x

[Mur0610 in reply to Buttonshutton]

Hey, recently I have seen many deaths, my father, my boss, and few relatives.

I was hell scared and was always on Fight and flight, It was at peak during my father days.

But you will have to look at it differently, its not the fear of having cancer but its the fear of what if you have cancer. recently I came across a very good post so copy pasting here:

"Anxiety is from having low tolerance of uncertainty. That causes small possibilities of something going wrong spiral into bigger worrying, and an average person wouldn't worry about something like that in the same situation. And it then creates the need for reassurance. By engaging in reassurance, you further lower your tolerance of uncertainty, creating the need for more reassurance and causing anxiety if you don't do it, exactly like addiction. Besides reassurance seeking, avoiding triggers also lowers this tolerance. And even trying to rationalize it in your head is bad for it. The point is doing anything to ease your worrying about it is bad. It might make you feel better in the moment, but it makes the problem worse long term, like when an alcoholic has a drink.

The solution is to stop with all of this and instead just sit with the fear. The point is to become comfortable with uncertainty. And you achieve that by staying in uncertainty on purpose. So you need to identify your anxiety related behavior and then make effort not to engage in it. Some is usually very obvious. Some less so. You should go about everything as if this problem wasn't a factor.

And also use the radical acceptance technique. Meaning whenever you're worried how something bad might happen or something bad might be true, accept how it might indeed happen or indeed be true. And add how it's fine that way. Even if you don't believe that. In this kind of "whatever" tone in your head. And always end thinking about it on that note. Besides that just sit with it."

Read it twice if you want and start making small changes, it will work and believe me you will come out stronger and better.

[Stressedoutwoman]

hi I have really bad health anxiety. I have had it from being a teenager and go from one thing to the next. I have had issues i.e. heart problems for which I had an ablation also endometriosis quite bad and depression

but the slightest thing I get flares up to be massive in my mind at the moment I’m having really severe back pain and pelvic pain. I’m awaiting an internal scan. But that doesn’t explain my back which is truly awful so of course I everything and get right state which makes matters worse. I really sympathise with you. It’s such a horrible thing to have because when you do actually have I think you make them worse by worrying more so it’s a vicious circle.