Hi, I'm Ian. I'm new to anxiety support. I found this site while I was on quit support. I'm four months giving up smoking. During my quit I was digasoned with GAD. I have always had some anxiety, fear of heights, but developed health anxiety because of a cough that wouldn't go away (I also coughed up a little blood). I kept going to the doctors and they kept saying nothing is wrong. I've been to A/E had chest x ray and nothing is wrong. I know I will get a cough because of what quitting smoking does. But after 4 months! The cough always tends to come and go. I often get the sensation to cough then get myself into a panic and cant stop myself from coughing. And sometimes I cough quite violently as I think something is there and I need to clear it.
When I'm relaxed or focusing on something else I don't cough.
Could this cough be actually down to my anxiety?
I'm not on any drugs, I'm seeing a thepiest and I'm doing self help CBT plus relaxation.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.
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MMoo
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Nice to see a new face...I myself have health anxiety and if I had a cough I would be exactly the same as you.
Now you have had all the tests and nothing has come back so you have to tell yourself you will be fine...I stopped smoking aged 23 for 3 years and I tell you it made me feel ill for months and months...in fact I think it was nearly a year before I started to feel okay again...although I was getting colds and flus and sinus problems and have ever since...don't actually no what is worse. I smoke now and again which means maybe one when I have a drink...I have constant phlegm in my throat and my sinuses and have done for about 3 years since I had sinusitis..caused by stopping smoking. So I defo do think you could have a cough this long...I'm not a doctor obviously but you wouldn't believe what your lungs are trying to clear out.
It's 16yrs since I stopped smoking, it can take up 1-2yrs to feel normal . I know it's hard but try to believe the doctors, you've been checked and had tests and your fine Keep that in mind and remind yourself of that when the negative thoughts try to takeover.
A tip given to me by my therapist was when you have negative thoughts put a rubber band on your wrist and ping it when it happens. It takes you away from the negative into the positve way of thinking. Well done for stopping though, keep up the good work xx
I do try and tell myself that and try and not to worry. But when your bent over the sink coughing so violently it's so hard not to worry.
I also find i check the contents of my phegm all the time. Checking for blood.
The doctors reckon the blood is from my upper air way. Because I've been coughing so hard and for so long.
I really try not to worry, but it's so hard not to. It just seems that I go to sleep with my cough on my mine and wake up the same. It really depresses me.
Hi there, well done givng up I really admire anyone who can do that I've been a smoker for 37 years and have a permanent cough, Im the opposite though, I tend to ignore it , am too scared to go to doctors to have any checks , I know I should give up tried once and lasted a week was hell all I could think about was smoking so started again
Welcome to the group. Well done for quitting the weed, I was one of the lucky ones I just stopped 9 years ago and have never looked back, if I am honest there are times I still fancy a smoke but have never given in. It does take a while for the craving to stop but it does get easier with time. You are in the right place for your anxiety we are a very helpful, caring and supportive group and there is always someone who will relate to your problems and offer advice. I hope your time on here is helpful.
I have been reading this forum for a while now, but I haven't posted anything until now.
A month or so ago I was a lot worse than this, with daily panic attacks, really high anxiety etc and at one point I got referred to mental health.
Im slowly recovering and learning new ways to cope. But it's so hard sometimes. I gave up smoking to improve my health and general wellbeing, but since I've stopped its been really crap.
I never want to start again, but I also don't want to be like I am now. Worrying about everything. Including this bloody cough!
Thanks for the welcome
Hi
Welcome
Well done stopping smoking
I do believe it is true the cough gets worse before it gets better after you stop
I do relate though to checking whats in your phlegm & also I can get into a bad habit & if I am anxious I start coughing , like a nervous cough but then once I am conscious of it I cant stop !
Try if you can that every time you are tempted to check what is in your phlegm saying no this time I wont & even if in one day the temptation to do so is you resist just once then the following day it could be twice & eventually you will stop doing it , takes some practice not to when our anxiety is causing a fear but you can do it
I think that if I find tge normal brown crud (experted when u stop smoking) I really start to cough loads as I don't want it in me. Also if I notice blood, and I have, although I've been checked out. I really really start to cough to see if I cough out any more.
All this makes everything worse cause my chest starts hurting and my throat gets really sore abd that makes my anxiety even worse and I start coughing even more.
I hate anxiety so much, I just really wish I could accept this and move on. It feels like I've lost all the things I enjoy because I worry alk the time.
If it's not my chest and coughing then I know it will be something else next.
I do know how you feel I have suffered with Health Anxiety since I was young & it sounds like this is where your anxiety is focusing on your health
Where I feel different & frustrated is unlike yourself & so many others you have the courage to go & get things checked out , I am to anxious to ever ask just in case , yet for me I know at times if I did that would give me peace of mind
Try & remember these are professionals & if they are saying nothing is wrong then we have to try & believe them & remember it would be more than their job was worth to send you away if they thought for one minute there was something wrong
Also the more you cough the little blood vessels we have just like if we blow are noses to much they can get inflamed as we are irritating them which can cause them to bleed , I do know its not easy but try & set yourself little goals with this each day aiming to eliminate the times you do it , you can & will get there
Over the years my head has told me I have had every illness you can think about plus a few I think I just came up with in my head that no one including doctors have ever heard about !
But by now if all these thoughts I have had over the years had been true I would be a walking miracle !
Don't google either , worse thing you can do you will always find the worse scenario & believe you have got it !
We get into such a pattern of the way we think it starts to become normal to us but slowly we can change these thoughts & the less fear we can give them the less anxiety we feel
From now I will try not to check my phegm. I will let you know how I get on.
Regards to DR Google, I fell into this trap already and like you I had everything. In fact I think this actually caused my anxiety to get out of control. When I was referred to mental health I opened up and told her anything about my Google searching. It's madness when I look back at it.
I will not google any health related questions every again.
Ive been coping with my other anxiety stuff ok. Ii can now go shops and out and about where I couldn't before. Ive found self relaxation has really helped me. I even managed to bring myself out of a panic attack really quickly, I was well proud of myself.
But it's health anxiety that I struggle to deal with. I've can't tell if it's anxiety, quitting smoking or something else now. It really messes with my mind.
I know your right about blood vessels bursting and the logically part of me knows that. The doctors told me also that I could of got a small tear in upper res system just because ive been coughing so much.
But anxiety can be so overwhelming that it seems it discards any logic and dows what it likes.
Although not nice for you whywhy I'm reassured I've found somebody to talk to about it.
So many of us with HA that do go on google so ever since joining this site when I feel the urge & I still do like yesterday , I had a pain in my leg , well you can imagine what my brain was saying & I so wanted to go & have a look what google was going to say which no doubt it would have told me it was really serious , so instead I log on here, even if you don't want to post have a look round , someone might just need a friendly hello or just for someone to let them know you have read their post as we don't always have all the answers but this can mean so much to someone to know we are listening to them , by the time you have done that the urge passes & you do feel better
I have had this so long now but have improved , but as you have caught yours so early I think you have every good chance of been able to reverse this way of thinking
I can also laugh at myself at times now which for me & I know not for every one has helped me get through this
I suffer with migraines which of course I think is a BT everytime I have one even though these have gone on over 5 years now , so again it would be a miracle to last that long if I had !
My GP told me to take an Aspirin as again this is swelling of the blood vessels that can cause them & she felt this could help , so I did & it has helped a little even though its not stopped them altogether
But I was talking to a friend & said I am going to go to the doctors
She said why
I said to tell them I think this Aspirin I am taking is stopping me having a BT
Well she started laughing saying well if an Aspirin a day will stop a BT you have found a cure that the scientists have been missing for years !
Next minute I was laughing to as I realized just how daft my idea sounded & I opted for not going & telling the doctor what I had come up with this time
Well I am sure more members will relate to you as well & now I shall go & face my ironing as I have a date at 7 with the Voice & a certain Mr Will-i-am who I have a big crush on which always cheers me up
I shall be just watching him on the TV like thousands of others the date bit is just in my head as well , wishful thinking on my part
You know it's a real relief being able to chat freely about this. I can so relate to everything you say.
I will join the no Googling, sounds like a very good idea.
Ii wrote a post on quit support. It was my quit story. If u ever want a read please be my guest. I think you should be able to find it by going on my profile.
I've been reading a book by scott mills radio 1 dj at the moment as he bas just come out about his struggle with a anxiety you should read some of the things we thought he had haha.
I also listen to All in the mind. Radio 4 programme they often talk about anxiety.
Well enjoy your ironing and and enjoy your date tonight! !
And thank you whywhy.CChatting to you really has helped x
I'm rather like you with health anxiety and can't say anything different to the great advice you've already had on this site, I do however, want to welcome you as I was new myself not long ago, and I received great support so keep posting and all the very best to you. X
Everybody is so helpful and friendly on here and more importantly understands.
A friend of mine told me that the only person who understands what your going though is a person who has gone though it. How right he was to.
I often find it hard to understand how I got to this stage, when four or five months ago I was the most chilled out person on the planet.
Looking forward to chatting with you all and learning new ways to cope with my anxiety.
Ian x
Hi,welcome Ian,well done on the smoking I gave up 13 yrs ago so know how hard it is.You'll find plenty of support and friends on here,great people,always there for you with help and practical advice,or just a friendly ear when you most need it x
Thanks for the welcome. And well done for you to for giving. It's only 4 months for me but I've definitely got no cravings to ever want to smoke again.
I gave up in the June,and was ok for 6 months,then I felt desperate for a cigarette,resisted the craving and never felt that I've wanted once since.You've done the hard part now,and I'm sure you'll be fine.Just post on here when things get tough or you just fancy a chat,always someone to talk to.Cant tell you how good it's been for me,feel as if I've got people who truly understand,as in one way or another everyone had been through the same things xxx
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made me laugh , thanks might join that 
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