Health Anxiety

[Porkkala]

Hi guys I'm new on this forum. I feel like I have to pour my heart out.

I'm 29 years old and I've been having health anxiety since my childhood.

I managed to take control over it for a long time but the last couple of weeks have been very very bad.

It started mid January with the bones in my hands and feet aching....My fingers, wrists, arm... knees, legbones, ankles even my toes hurt.

I dont even have to move they hurt during the night but sometimes walking or moving makes it worse. Sometimes stabbing pain sometimes feel like bruised and sometimes burning feeling. It is unpredictable.

For 3 weeks now it is accompanied with night sweats. As soon as I fall asleep I wake up with sweats all over my chest and neck. My back aches as well..a deep pain which makes me dry cough.

All of this frekaed me out. I have no appetite and I feel so exhausted all the time.

I visited my GP last week and he ordered a blood test and a chest x-ray. Blood test results are due tomorrow and I will go for the x-ray this week as well.

In the meantime I live in fear.. I can not concetrate on anything... I can hardly work... all of my thoughts are consumed by anxiety I always think about being diagnosed with bone/lung cancer, lymphoma, leukemia... that's my first thought in the morning and the last before falling asleep.

Can anxiety cause bone pain? Am I overreacting?

[Moon_B]

Hi Porkkala,

Anxiety can cause all sorts of bodily discomforts. It is possible that you have something minor like a cold but because you have this fear over your health you imagine it to be much worst than what it really is. I am like that when it comes to health too. I understand it is hard to be rational about it.

Hopefully you have nothing serious and you will feel better soon.

[Ladysuisei]

I have suffered from severe chronic anxiety for well in excess of 25 years. The amount of physical ailments caused by extreme anxiety is huge. The sort of pains you talk about are much worse at times of acute anxiety. Maybe if you can get outside walking a bit you will feel a bit better 👍