How to end the cycle?

[Apwb2b]

This all started for me 7 months ago. I was scheduled to go on a business trip that I was dreading and the day before I left I received a call my grandmother was dying and this was my last chance to see her. I drove to the nursing home and apent a few hours watching her pass away. The next day I got on the plane and spent 6 days away on business. Now I have had acid reflux for a couple years with generally pretty mild symptoms, but for whatever reason (stress, anxiety I suppose) it flared up horribly on the trip and while waiting for my return flight at the airport my chest began to hurt like nothing I had experienced before. As I sat there convinced I was having a heart attack, left arm numb and all, I got on the plane and promptly threw up in the bathroom just after take off. Once I landed and got home I felt a little better. Long story short from there....2 hospital visits with no heart issues....3 MRIs for MS symptoms.....endless google searches.....worries about ALS and now cancer scare. When will this stop? I honestly feel all the physical symptoms, thats the worst part! Even when I tell myself its only anxiety they dont dissipate immediately like I feel they should.....help?

[Allochka]

Hello,
Sorry to hear about your grandmother...
No wonder you are so stressed out, you have all the reasons. And no wonder your symptoms don't go away - you are still very stressed. Just telling yourself it is anxiety won't help. You have to really calm down and be like that for a while (even months maybe) for them to disappear.
You should start fighting health anxiety asap before it takes over your life.
Hugs!

[maianixon]

Sorry to hear about what you're going through, I'm currently the same for about 3 months and a half now and also struggling how to break the cycle. I think the first step is definitely to stop looking up symptoms. What I find very helpful for myself is to be reciting myself rational thoughts sometimes even out loud - acknowledging that there was an obvious trigger, clear pattern of my symptoms & behaviour, counting the doctors that have pronounced me fine, etc. I go to my GP A LOT and I do find that that helps me, but I no longer ask them for further tests and believe their judgement if they don't refer me on (well most of the time). That being said I still struggle A LOT, especially when new symptoms hit I'm not yet familiar with, but I would say these are the first steps yoh can do. Apart from that it would probably be good if you find yourself therapy, or speak to your GP about possible medication etc.