Hello , my name is Justin and I'm having a terrible time . I've suffered from anxiety for a couple years now , first it was palpitations and the worry that something was wrong with my heart . I've been to numerous hospitals hundreds of times , literally . Blood work and hundreds of ekgs they said my hearts fine . Well about two months ago I got a bad headache and a lot of pressure in my head out of the blue . My face and head have been red and hot but no fever . First thing that came to mind was a brain tumor . So I went and got blood work , two ct scans and temp and blood pressure in the last month . ALL CAME BACK CLEAR . I'm convinced they missed something . I was also worried about meningitis, but the doc said my white cell counts in blood were fine and it would have killed me a lot sooner than two months . I get little pops and twitches on the right side of my head , about an inch above my temple . They really freak me out .The right side of my face feels heavy and droopy but it's not . Still have pressure in my head , I'm nauseous and it still hurts . I'm convinced I have a tumor or aneurysm or something . Someone please help , I'm loosing my mind . Sorry for the long post . I'm 24 , male , with no known family history or brain or heart problems that I'm aware of . Please let me know if any of you have this problem . Thank you
Brain tumor , or anxiety ? Please help - Anxiety Support
Brain tumor , or anxiety ? Please help
It is health anxiety! Believe me!
I can't bring myself to believe it . I'm trying to get into see a psychologist
Believe I get it! I had multiple tests and it took me a long time to face that I did not have cancer. I now believe I have HIV with my cold and irritation on my skin. I take my temperature 5 times a day! I look at my feces with a fine tooth comb. It is a disease but once you get the facts you have to move on
I know! Me too!
It almost feels like your alone! I get it but your not remember that. I am not sure if you have tried the chat room no more panic. That helps a lot!
Try it! No more panic I love it!
I will , thank you . I hope you feel better
Hi Justine21601, You certainly are not alone in feeling as if the doctors missed something. This is a good example (as Betha said) of Health Anxiety. No matter how many tests and scans come back clear, the doubt remains in your mind that it can't be. We are afraid of it being something catastrophic and yet can't believe when we are fortunate enough to not have anything wrong.
The mind is powerful and can continue producing symptoms even when the doctors say we are okay. Once this is clarified as anxiety, the next step is to talk with a therapist. It doesn't mean you are crazy or imagining all this, it just means there is a deeper psychological cause.
I'm glad that you found this forum. You will find other men and women who like yourself are going through health anxiety issues. It helps to know you are not alone. It helps reading on how others addressed this type of anxiety.
A therapist would address what might have happened a couple years ago, that started the anxiety and your concentration on your health. There usually is something that prompted anxiety to surface. Hope to continue seeing you on the forum. A great place for support and understanding. Take care, it does get better.. 
Thank you so much , there wasn't really anything that prompted it . It kind of just happened one day . I hope to seek professional help because I feel as if I'm on my last leg with this . Thank you for your reply , I hope to hear more about this from others . It's just getting bad and I feel like I'm losing it .
Welcome to the club. Every time I get heart palpitations or feel dizzy or get a bad headache. I immediately think that something is seriously wrong with me. Been checked out numerous times. The best thing to do is to trust your doctors and if you had so many tests done its not worth getting them done again. Just have to accept the fact that it is health anxiety.
I have felt almost the exact same way. Diagnosed with anxiety 15 years ago. Was on celexa. Worked great. Dr switched me to buspar. Ever since I feel like I'm dying. I also have the weird feeling in head and face. Think I have cancer or something as well. I get arm pain and now I am having a heart attack. I get dizzy and foggy, very tired. Don't want to leave my house. I am seeing a new Dr tomorrow due to I just moved and got new ins. Begging to be put back on celexa. And asking for more tests cuz i feel like I'm going crazy as well.
That's exactly how I am , it's getting really old . Right now my heart feels really weak and I think it's going to stop .
Everyone says it's all in my head and that I just have to change the way I think. I can't. Its not easy. I am also looking into seeing a psychologist or something. I need to find out why I keep freaking out like this. I understand exactly how you feel about it getting old.
Right now I am having a feeling I'm gonna die in my sleep this has been keeping me up all night I'm tired but my body's not I'm scared and my heart is pounding please help
You are not alone in this! The list of symptoms caused by anxiety is very big, and every time we have one symptom we think that is something catastrophic. Please be sure that millions of people have also dealt with this and have had the same symptoms as you and it all resulted in anxiety and nothing catastrophic! Hang in there and seek therapy, you won't regre it!
Justin, I don't have insurance either. I am counseling with a wonderful counselor at anxietycentre.com. It's like $100 per meeting, so I do every other week, but they are very good and specialize in anxiety. The website is excellent, too. You'll see your symptoms explained on there. Look it up.
I feel the same way, believing that there's nothing wrong is so hard when your body is making you feel like there's something wrong, I'm still worried about having a heart attack even though I'm been check by my cardiologist and have gone to the ER dozens of times.... I just try to tell myself over and over that it's my anxiety sometimes that's easier said than done but you are definitely not alone!
Hi there all sounds like health anxiety. Can recommend a good book Anxiety Panicking about Panic by Justin Fletcher helps you work on the physical symptoms you are experiencing that all stems from anxiety. Good luck x
Do you have a history of hypochondriac behaviour in your family ?
Not that I'm aware of , everyone in my family is generally pretty happy .
I would ask if you're not sure, you'd be surprised.
I'll ask around , I doubt it though . My mom has MS and brain damage , but not anxiety and panic .
Do you not think they might be a connection with you and your mum's illness and brain damage. You subconsciously, with that little voice in the back of your head, fear that you may get this illness and that is the basis of it all.
I fear I may have it , but it isn't the root of my anxiety . I mainly think something is wrong with my heart . And a brain tumor .
It might not be so much that you fear you might have it because alot of people have those kind of thoughts, its just your response to the thought is panic, where's other people's response is just a shrug of the shoulders and a quick " ah well nothing you can do about it " and they just carry on with their day as normal. It's more your response.
I see what you mean . I know I over think everything .
Oh Justin. I'm so sorry that you are experiencing this. Those of us with health anxiety are hyper-aware of the noises and changes in our bodies and fully believe that every ache or pain will result in a terminal diagnosis. The crouching or popping that you feel at your temple is most likely TMJ syndrome. It comes from clenching your haw or grinding them when you sleep. I have this as well. It causes massive headaches and can be difficult to relieve. I have, however, found great relief using an acupuncturist.
Aside from that, I myself have moved away from searching for a diagnosis and have moved towards finding to treatment for my health anxiety. I'm learning to trust what the scans and blood work say. For me, the healthcare visits became sort of an addiction. I felt better, almost safe, sitting in a hospital or doctors office. I would tell myself that at least I was surrounded with people who could spring into action if something terrible happened. It's a battle but I am learning to change. Now my appointments are for therapy and yoga and acupuncrure and the chiropractor. All self care instead of diagnosis and treatment of perceived physical ailments. I think that you should follow your instinct and seek help from a therapist. It really does help.
Thank you , that's exactly how I feel when I go to the doctor . (Safe) . I think the reassurance is my main reason for going when I start to panic . It really gets old . I'm just glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this stuff .
You are definitely not alone, I feel the same exact way almost every single day. I have been put on a new prescription for nerve pain that is a result of a major surgery I had a few months ago and all the new feelings and side effects from this drug are making me super anxious and I feel crazy even though they are all normal side effects. My doctor recommended speaking with a counselor and actually had the woman call me, but I was afraid that talking about the anxiety would make me more anxious. Has anyone else felt this way about talking to someone/ have they tried and found it helped?
Too be honest Justin, having a brain tumor, heart problems, stomach problems. Thought I had them all lol. All anxiety. Your letting the fear take over. I started at 22 yrs old. You're young, go enjoy life and stop worrying😊
I'm trying , it's just hard . This anxiety/panic has a very strong grip . To be honest , I don't know what started it . One day I just felt like I was going to die , and have felt like that since . Thank you for your support .
Hang in there Justin. Here, if you need to talk.
Thanks
I have been in the same exact situation before. I was going to the doctor at least once a week. I would feel better for a day or two and then BAM! something else would happen. I could not find peace (I still have no peace but for different reasons, I hate having such horrible anxiety). I constantly was thinking I was dying and had tumors or diseases. I finally started keeping a journal and found a place to chat with others. I also did my best to find a hobby to ease my mind. after a while I was ok concerning health. My anxiety hasn't gone away, its worse now than ever; but I know what you are going through. My only advice is to keep your results with you wherever you are and when you start to feel anxious, look at the results and remind yourself what you have gone through to get those results. The other thing, I urge you to not look at symptoms on the internet! I am here and I will listen anytime. you are not alone. you can message me day or night.
Thank you so much for your support . It is reassuring to know people are here to talk to and have been through what I'm going through . I have one of my ekgs taped to my bedroom wall . Lol . I'm actually about to get an MRI which I heard is better than a ct scan . Praying for good results 🙏🏼
You never have to thank me. I am happy that I can offer support for you. I honestly know exactly what you are going through. It is hard to find people that understand when they don't have the issues we have. It takes everything I have in me to get out of bed every morning. My chest and neck have been hurting for the past 2 weeks. everyone is sick of hearing me vent and I have resorted to going straight home from work to bed... I am sorry I am rambling now lol
Just know that I am here. I am praying for you. I just know that you are going to be just fine! I am sure of it. I want to know as soon as you have your MRI and I want constant updates! lol
Hi Justin, first of all, so sorry you was being dealing with anxiety for so many years. It's such a rough path. Also... I'm braziliam. So sorry for my english. I'm dealing with panic and anxiety for a few years too. Recently I started to have neurologics symptoms (headache, pression on my head and temp, burning sensation and a feeling that some liquid is on my head). I did a CT and everything is ok, my neuro ask more test for reassurance, but I discorver that I have Temporomandibular disorder, you should do some search, see if you simptoms check, because this a condition that cause a lot of pain, but that will not kill you. I also have sinusites. So the combination is more than enough to make a anxious people go crazy.
I felt so much better under pain control medication in the hospital and almost all my simptoms just go away while in the hospital... showing that they are being augmented by anxiety.
Hope you feel better soon!
I know it's hard to feel other wise, but you have to trust your doctor at some point. They would have caught a heart defect, and anything in your brain with all of the tests they did. Trust me, I recently went through the heart thing and I constantly think there are blood clots in my arteries. But at some point, we have to remember we have anxiety and this is what it does...
I know , it's just so hard to believe when I feel the way I do .
I know, believe me I do! Do you have anyone you can talk to on a regular basis to help you rationalize? Do you know God?
I have a very strong relationship with God . And no , not really .
Yay! Then in that case, I can tell you, as someone who struggles with this daily, this is something you need to let go of. You are holding onto control that is not yours. You aren't trusting God in some way that you should be, again, I struggle constantly! But we just have to remember that the apostles were being whipped and beaten and praised God in between lashes. So none of us will be burden free in this life, but what Christ promises is that He will carry us through it. So trust Him. Whenever you start to feel that nagging thought that something is wrong, literally say, "this is too big for me God, I'm giving it to you because nothing is bigger than you.". Then just trust Him. Even if you can only do it for 5 minutes. Do nothing but trust Him in that 5 minutes, praise Him for the love He has for us, for saving us, for promising us a hope and a future, for sacrificing everything for us. No matter where your thoughts wonder, bring them back to His praises for the whole 5 minutes...
I had stopped sleeping from February 23rd- July 2nd this year. Every time I fell asleep I'd wake up shaking and panicking thinking I was dying in my sleep and going to hell. I finally started to just trust God, at first I could only go 60 seconds at a time. But He free'd me from that bondage and I fall asleep like a baby now!
Amen . I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me . I'm glad that your doing better , and I know I will be . I just have to give it to him and try my best to ignore these symptoms .
Don't even ignore them, every time you feel them. Turn it into praise. When you don't trust your doctor, praise God for being our only true healer. When you feel weird and think there is something wrong, praise God for holding you in His righteous hand and protecting you. He will triumph over the enemy in your life, it's a fact. 😉
Hello,
I had the same symptoms as you did...I went to the ER expecting to hear that I had a brain tumor....all test were clear!!! The doctor told me it was Anxiety....Anxiety can cause us to believe we are sick when we are NOT....it's a hard thing to live with....we just have to keep telling ourselves that it's only anxiety and it will go away...sometimes we have to apply logic to what we are saying...think about it, if you had a Tumor would you be able to tell us that you are worried!! Having a brain tumor affects our way of thinking, motor skills, etc....you are fine dear!!! We can beat Anxiety together!!! We are here to help!!! I hope you feel better!! 😊
You can also see if free counseling is in your city!! Most cities have a free clinic to help!!!
Its crazy. Your story is exactly like mine.
For a month I've been having headaches and pressure in my head. On top, on the sides, behind. I got worried sick. What I did (which made it worse) and still do sometimes but not as much, is feel all around my head for "abnormalities." What was actually the shape or curve of my skull I percieved to be much worse, I would freak out. Check for bumps and stuff and think "the t-word." I can't even say it man. So one morning I woke up and felt nauseous. Like I was on the verge of death. Actually, I KNEW I was... but I wasn't. So my folks went to the hospital where they took a ct scan and found out all was fine. Ever since then, my head feels great!
But now.... this feeling of dread is taking place on other parts of the body. After putting my arm in the microwave to retrieve cooked food I felt its heat and started worrying about its radiation. For a whole day I was scratching my arm, which led to more irritation, which I then believed to have been caused by the radiation!
Now I even look for weird marks on the skin its messed up. Now I just had diarrhea because I've been overeating but tell myself it is much worse. I went to the doctor for penal pain he checked for infections and said nothings wrong but im still worried. When I suspect sometings wrong I get dizzy and feel anxious. Now I cant watch commercials about children with disease without worrying about myself and it sounds really greedy but I cant help it.
A good friend much older than me got cancer and John Mccain who I strongly admire got it so Ive been worrying about it A LOT. So one day I looked up "fear of cancer" and it led me to a thing about "hypochondria" or "health anxiety" and I realized I'm not alone. Now every single little nook and crannie on my body, or the slightest of aches makes me overanalyze and believe it is something bad. I was once strong-minded and athletic but now I'm worried in some way throughout the day. Although there is nothing wrong with me, I insist otherwise. Perhaps its inactivity?
It feels weird telling this to complete strangers but I'm glad I found this site and I want to feel strong again.
I know exactly how you feel . I'm currently in fear of my heart stopping . My chest feels really weak and I feel faint . I too think it may be inactivity . I've been feeling progressively worse since I've just been laying around since the scare about my head .
Laying around? I think that's what it is for us. We gotta find an activity, and keep our minds off death. When you have all the time in the world, your mind races.
Yeah , I've pretty much been in my bed since I got the tension headache I first posted about . Lost my appetite and about 15 pounds . I've gotten to where I don't like being home alone because my heart starts acting up . That's how I know it's anxiety .
I've played football , soccer , baseball , you name it . But just the thought of going outside and taking a jog around the block makes me feel like my heart will stop . It's ridiculous .
I completely get it.
While I was having headaches, I dreaded the idea of getting back into combat sports, 'cause if I hit my head then, you know... boom! dead.
But now that I discovered that "health anxiety" is a condition, Im a little less afraid.
Talk to yourself. Say, "my head pain was fake, the meningitis was fake, so I know I'm overreacting with my heart." Then, maybe try to start with a slow, yet brief jog. You know how I feel better? Like, genuinely feel better?
Every time a paranoid thought comes up, I go for a 2 mile jog around the neighborhood. Then, my mind feels clear for the rest of the day. If I don't, I'm uptight and nervous.
I have tachycardia when I over exert myself , so that probably wouldn't be the best therapy for me . On top of it being like 100 degrees where I live .
Oh yeah. I just looked it up and since your heart already beats too quickly, that might not be good. Are you religious? I feel that sitting in a dark, cool room and clearing my mind and praying not only calms my heart, it disconnects me from my body. I feel like all the flaws of being a human body elevate, and when I open my eyes, its like I am a whole new self. Tonite, try it.. just find a quiet spot and close your eyes, clear your mind, and pray
I pray everyday. Every other sentenceout of my mouth is a prayer . God is the only reason I have overcome this disorder as much as I have . It's hard to stay cool around here . It's so hot in Mississippi .
I know how you feel. I've been having headaches and pain in my right arm and above my right eye. I've been so worried I have a brain tumor because it lasted a little over a week. Then I get to thinking, oh it has to be it because my anxiety came out of nowhere (despite drinking about 5 energy drinks a day for at least 2 years). I also had to quit one anxiety med I've been for three weeks and switch to another, after quitting the first one cold turkey. My issue is that whenever I go into the clinic or ER for issues and raise the brain tumor thing, they think its just anxiety. I want the scan to put my mind at ease, but it doesn't look like anything will happen.
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