General Health Anxiety

[Dan D]

I feel kind of awkward asking this, being only fourteen and presumably the youngest member... but it's hard to find people my age with this kind of thing.

Anything scares my health: palpitations, the common cold, slight chest pains. Even going pale.

The problem is that it runs in my family. My Dad once had it really, really bad - to the point he thought he was dying and called an ambulance. My brother has it too.

At one point i went to the doctors four days in a row and had an ECG... it's just really annoying me now; i'm scared of doing exercise because of the chest pains and palpitations which doesn't help. I worry over it which causes anxiety and then i worry about having anxiety which means i have a panic attack!

I read up on panic attacks and i have that under control-ish, but my health anxiety is really starting to annoy me.

I need some advice from people who are recoverers of this, or people who are going through it: having it at fourteen is a real burden and doesn't aid my future in any way.

[Dreamer029]

aww poor thing!! i had the chest pain, heart palpitation deal.. it's tough to deal with. i do the same thing about worrying about that and then worrying about the anxiety. one thing that helps with palpitations is to try not to drink too much caffeine, also sometimes acid reflux can give you the sensation of a palpitation, i ended up on a prescription for reflux and the palpitation like feelings stopped!! i am in school to be a physician assistant right now, so i can tell you when they do an ECG, it checks for abnormalities in the heart function. if there was something wrong with part of your heart the ECG would be able to tell, leaving the cause of your palpitation to the anxiety. i know it stinks really bad but when you are having a palpitation find something to do and just breath! PM me if you need to any time :-)

Lauren

[russ]

Hi Dan, anxiety and mental health issues often run in families, so it does not shock me at 14 after being exposed to people with high anxiety levels that you have this problem.

I never knew my grandad suffered panic attacks until I was ill and told by my mom. My Dad also suffered for a period.

There is no quick answer I'm afraid. What you should do is take comfort that your tests are clear. Any likelyhood of a heart issue at your age is very remote, unless you had an underlying issue, but this would have been picked-up when you were younger or in your tests. You are very unlikely to suffer a bad illness at your age. Probably more likely to win the national lottery ( if you were old enough to play!! ).

Maybe long term you should look to have therapy to try and alter how you are thinking right now, maybe even family therapy if your dad and brother suffer?

[jen25]

hi dan
hope you are doing ok ? anxietys not a nice thing is it, every little niggle you feel in your body and you fear the worse, Im always having to seek reasurance when i have convinced my self im dying !! lol I laugh but it not funny when it happens!
Its always good to try and keep yourself occupied , and maybe it might help speaking to someone about it . Im starting to challenge my thinking after having cognative behavourial thearpy through a phycologist. all though im by no means back to myself its helped me think more rationally ,and now have less panic attacks, as im starting to get my head round the fact that it is fear that causes the symptoms .
your GP will be the best person to advice you as a different avenue maybe more appropriate in your case.

hope this is some help !! :-)