Headaches

[xogemxo]

Hi does any one experience head aches/ migraines I've been to drs who gave me pain relief but I can't get it out of my head that it's something worse

Can anyone help xx

[EleanorRose]

12 years ago I started suffering from migraines. Absolutely convinced myself I had a brain tumour. This fear has increased and decreased over the years. What I can say, from years of worrying and counselling and searching the internet for answers is this...

Headaches are VERY common. Worrying about headaches is also a very common health anxiety. If this were something more than that, there would be a whole array of other symptoms besides just headaches.

My advice would be to go back to the doctor if the pain meds don’t help and explain your concerns and how worried you are. That way they can alleviate your fears/change treatment if needed and deal with the anxiety, if necessary. I wish more than anything I hadn’t allowed my anxiety to escalate. Over the years, my anxiety has caused me far more problems than the headaches ever have.

[xogemxo in reply to EleanorRose]

Thanks for your reply...

I NO it's all in our heads but seems very real... how did u get passed it and take ur mind off of it ?

I wake up and bang head ache lol

I dunno how am going to cope it's so much anxiety x

[EleanorRose in reply to xogemxo]

I truly can empathise. I have had times when the anxiety has been unbearable and I know that at times it can feel so, so real. It’s terrifying.

I’d like to say I am completely over it, but I’m not, and actually at the moment my health anxiety is worrying about something else!

I’ve scrolled back through some of your old posts and see you have been struggling with his for a little while. My biggest advice, is to not put off seeking health for the mental health side of this. My biggest, biggest regret is not seeking help sooner - some of these thoughts are now so deeply embedded it’s hard to get past it.

The thing which has helped me most is talking about it and not trying to hide it and also embracing the fact I have a mental illness. That may sound like an odd thing to say, I don’t want to be mentally ill, but rather than waking up thinking ‘I have a brain tumour’ , thinking ‘I have a mental illness’ and directing my energy towards that, slowly changes the way I think about things.

It’s not nice and it’s not easy, but it is possible. I might add, through this I have maintained a more or less ‘normal’ life from an outside perspective - I go to work etc but I’ve given up hiding how I feel which I did for many years.

I hope you find some relief from this because it truly is a horrible way to live and feel free to message me anytime if I can help