Health anxiety

[Keb38]

I seem to have developed an anxiety around my health. I really don't know where it started but now I spend everyday worrying about my health. I'm always convinced I'm I'll, chest pains, numbness, tingling, feeling breathless, headaches and it's always the worst possible conclusion I come to. Heart attack, brain tumor etc...  I have been to the doctors and they have referred me for CBT but that will take a while. I also have a habbit of jumping on to Google checking my symptoms, of course that makes things worse but I can't seem to stop myself. I feel trapped in this vicious cycle and I hate it. I panic over the slightest thing and work myself into a real state. Any advice would really be appreciated, has anyone else been through this and could maybe point me in the right direction. I feel like I am going mad!

[Zoemyselene]

This has recently happened to me too. Thinking I have heart problems and I'm only 23. It's been a struggle everyday but I have found that meditating / stretching really helps. I wish it could all go away as fast as it came around but it seems impossible . Last night k was unable to sleep due to the fact that I have a doctors appointments with my cardiologist today for my final results. I'm a mess I'm crazy nervous 🙁🙁🙁

[Keb38 in reply to Zoemyselene]

I hope everything goes well for you. I have had many tests for a variety of things but find that after a short time I start to question the results or wonder if things may have changed since I was last checked! It feels crazy but it's a vicious circle I can't seem to break at the moment. 

[loglegmomma in reply to Keb38]

I have the same problem... feeling like the tests missed something but since they were negative no one will look again.  But sometimes they are the wrong tests.  For example, my tilt table test was negative so my cardiologist labeled my disequilibrium as psychosomatic; however a VNG showed my right vestibular system is non-functioning, so..... this builds mistrust & concern that we are missing something 😕

[Agora1 in reply to loglegmomma]

I understand.......

[Agora1 in reply to Keb38]

I've been there Keb, doctor to doctor, test after test and then start to wonder if something might have changed or was missed.  And so the cycle continues until one day, I began to trust again.  It will happen, in it's own time.  Be patient, your anxiety will calm down.  The first time you tell yourself that  you don't care about your thoughts, the circle will be broken.  The healing will begin  

[Keb38 in reply to Agora1]

It's reassuring to know it isn't just me, it makes me feel a little less bonkers! Although I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy! I don't think I know what's real anymore. I question everything, doubting if my symptoms are real or just my anxiety. I worry that one day I will try to pass real symptoms off as anxiety, I feel awful wasting doctors time but feel like I need constant reassurance. I have promised myself today that I will not Google my symptoms anymore and try harder to move forward.

[Agora1 in reply to Keb38]

Hi Keb.  First of all, don't feel bad about wasting doctor's time.  They are there for you.  As for worrying about one

day you may pass off real symptoms as anxiety would be

true if you weren't going for your doctor check ups.  I do not recommend Googling your symptoms.  It is meant for

generalization and not a diagnosis of an illness. If something unusual comes up or something you don't

recognize as anxiety, call your doctor and let him make

the judgment if you need to follow it further with tests.

It can be confusing having anxiety so  you need to let the

doctor worry instead of you.   xx

[Vgrady76]

Hi...I could have written that myself, I am EXACTLY the same, I too suffer from severe health aniexty, it can consume your Iife, I have good days and bad days, Dr  Google is evil....not your friend at all, every thing you google always leads to the C word,   I've been iiving like this for 7year's, its awful looking into the future and wondering if your in it, so take everyday as it comes, and if you look after your body, it will look after you, stay healthy in mind aswell😁

[Jayde_96 in reply to Vgrady76]

100% agree with this. Google is the worse! Makes me go from worrying to full on panicking! 

[JLou]

I suffer from awful health anxiety! I can't tell you how it started because I never use to worry about my health! I'm only 27 and I went through thinking I had a brain tumour for over a year! It sent me into such panics! I would just sit and cry for days on end with all this head pressure and dizziness. I finally PAID PRIVATE for an MRI scan and it was fine! And my pains started to die down and I thought finally I can be myself again! But then it moved onto shortness of breath and chest pain! So now I'm worrying about my heart!!! It's like I've moved from one thing to another! But not purposely?! I have physical pains. It's awful! I google everything. Even tiny little pains that disappear I feel my heart race with worry for that split second I have it. I would love to know how to get over it. Because all I do is find myself under minding doctors and never convinced it is anxiety 

[Keb38]

I'll try not to feel bad about waisting the doctors time- but I do think they can be very dismissive of anxiety to be honest. Google is your enemy but honestly I find it so hard to stop, I think to myself maybe it will reassure me but it never does. You're right most things lead you straight to Cancer! I have a CT head scan later today as I suffer from some horrid headaches, it feels really scary like my heads in a vice or something. I jump between symptoms also, chest pain, headaches, leg pain, numbness, tingling, jaw pain, the list goes on! The logical part of me knows I can't be I'll with everything but the anxiety takes over and logic goes clean out the window. 😏I get annoyed with myself because I can't seem to "get a grip". 

Thank you for all your replys. It has really helped having people that can relate and makes me feel optimistic that maybe one day it won't be as bad. Just writing things down has been helpful too. 

[Keb38]

Having a bad day today. I developed a pain in my left side last night. I woke up this morning feeling short of breath and have been struggling all day! It's so frustrating, I have a good day - feel positive, like I can beat my anxiety but it takes not much to knock me back to where I began. I wish there was a magic pill that could make it go away! I don't feel like the person I used to be.