Health Anxiety becoming entirely overwhelming...

[ms639]

I am a 33 year old Male with a good job, solid family life and am healthy (no pre-exsiting medical conditions, eat well and exercise regulalry)

Just recently however my life has been flipped upside down by health anxiety. I have recently returned from South Africa from a holiday and had an upset stomach (this was 4 weeks ago), I have subsequently come down with severe health anxiety, convincing myself that I have some kind of cancer (stomach, bowel, pancreas etc etc).

I have had 3 GP appointments in 4 weeks but I cannot break the cycle that it is something really serious, I am stuck in this vicious cycle and it is consuming my whole life, it's the first thing I think about when I wake up and my brain is living in my stomach right now.

Any tiny twinge I get absolutely fixated on, it's stopping me from eating as normal or partaking in day to day activity, I just want to sleep to try and be unaware of what's going on.

This is entirely new to me having had little to no anxiety in the past. If anybody has any advice it would be hugely appreciated

[Mamamichl]

you may want to take some emergency anxiety meds for a while. Also, have you ever had anxiety around health before? Try to keep in mind that the anxiety is keeping you from living g your life to the fullest. Also, trust the doctors in knowing medical procedures well enough to be thorough. They know best. I would also make sure they know you were out of the country if you haven’t told them yet.

[mallet-head]

Hi.

It’s. best to go through a process of elimination. Get a THOROUGH check out from your GP to rule out any physical ailments first. Stomach upsets are quite common when travelling abroad and can last several weeks. My son-in-law was ill for about 6-7 weeks after a trip to India.

If all physical stuff is ruled out, it is probably anxiety (your bodies built in protection system) kicking in. You perceive there to be a threat to your health ( which you should have just ruled out!) Your body is producing an excess of Cortisol and Adrenaline as part of the “fight or flight “ reaction, which in turn can cause all sorts of unpleasant sensations (stomach churning, aches and pains, muscle tension, headaches, jelly legs - you name it, anxiety can make you feel it)..

The key is to try not to react., but rather accept and sit with it until the sensations subside, as they will. Relaxation techniques such as slow deep breathing, mindfulness meditation will help along with your excercise routines (brisk walking can help immensely).

Hope this is of some help.

kind regards Mallet-head

[ms639 in reply to mallet-head]

thanks for this message, it was reassuring to read.

The doctors believe it’s giardiasis based on all symptoms presented and I got given meds today. I did end up in the hospital to get them.

They conducted blood tests and an X-ray which both came back clear and I also did a stool sample and will be waiting on results, I just want a clear diagnosis of something not too serious so I can deal with it.

The waiting around is a real brain scrambler.

[mallet-head in reply to ms639]

Glad to hear you are making progress with GP etc. Hopefully this will give you the reassurance you seek, and help put your mind at rest. Worry is so tiring isn’t it?

Take care 😀👍

[ms639]

it’s honestly exhausting! Thank you for the message I really appreciate it