This is a re-post of what I put in the Panic Attack Section because it definitely applies to Health anxiety too....feel free to talk to me!
Hi everybody, this will technically be my second post because I posted my first one in the Intro section to get acquainted. ANYWHO, I just thought I'd give my complete story...I'll make it as short as possible. If you are a sufferer like I am, this should reach out to you(assuming that you read all of it) and even hopefully I can converse with some of you with your replies.
I started with weird panic attacks as a kid. My first one was whenever I was around 7 years old. I remember always being afraid to swallow my food. I lost 25 lbs at one point. Eventually, the panic attacks went away, although I still to this day struggle with swallowing my food. Once I became busy with growing up, like everybody should be doing, the panic attacks suppressed. I had other minor problems that may have been or may not have been related to my issue such as social problems, i.e. very opinionated, always thinking that people were evaluating my personality or how I looked, etc. The years went by and I got older and overcame many obstacles. At that time, my only real problems were not being assertive, afraid of being around people too much(same as social problems I just listed), and the swallowing problem. However, my nightmare hadn't even begun. I was 20 years old(I'm 22 now) and had an experience that kick-started the worst 2 years of my life. This may sound stupid, but I developed chronic anxiety after experiencing heat exhaustion working out in the hot sun. I worked 40 plus hours a week installing pool liners, and one day I got too hot. I became dizzy, my vision was blurry, heart racing, etc. I eventually recovered. I want to also confess, that prior to this(around a year and a half or so) I started experimenting with heavy drinking and marijuana.....I believe that these stimulants have caused my mental anxiety to be worse than what it could have been. Anyway, several hours after the heat exhaustion, I developed a migraine. A week before the heat exhaustion, I had my first migraine EVER. I was smoking too much marijuana..I remember walking from my truck at a gas pump inside the gas station and the overhead lights where the pumps were killed my head due to the brightness! Anyway, another scary phase that I went through immediately after the heat day was physical symptoms triggered by my anxiety. I had chronic head and face pressure, PVCs(heart palpitations), blurry vision, and migraines. My migraines and head/face pressure alternated. They were never present at the same time, they took turns! I know, weird.....anyway, I have dealt with it every day, no breaks, for two years. I was so paranoid that I thought I had a brain tumor. I visited a neurologist and had an MRI. All was normal. Ever since I've started this anxiety up again, I've developed random health problems. I've had strep throat for the first time, bacterial infections, I had a random heart arrhythmia that lasted three hours, and my biggest health issue is that I had gallbladder attacks last year(I know have chronic stomach trouble). The persistent physical symptoms have become better over time(with the exception of random health problems popping up), but now I am currently dealing with agoraphobia. The panic attacks have returned, and they occur if I am driving or if I drink or smoke. By the way, I do neither of those stimulants anymore. I haven't touched alcohol or marijuana in over a year. If I don't feel sober, I will definitely have a panic attack because I feel that I am not in control. My biggest triggers that introduce panic attacks are whenever I travel long distances, I pay attention to my heart, or whenever I drive long distances or over bridges(especially at night or if I am by myself or both). I go to college and live off campus, so I experience the panic attacks driving there, especially going over the bridge. This thing we call anxiety has changed my life dramatically. I am always dependent on other people's attention, I don't like going out anymore, and I feel unsafe if somebody is not around me. My biggest fear is death. I know all of you have a personal story too, and I look forward to talking with you about it. Any advice for me is appreciated and anything that you related to reading this, please don't hesitate to type it.
God Bless and thank you for welcoming me to the No More Panic community,
Adam
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