Health Anxiety is Through the Roof!

[YorkiesWorld]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and wanted to share my own concerns in hopes someone might have had the same or similar as me at some point!

To start with, I'm 23, 5 feet 5 inches tall and admittedly I am overweight, approximately 12.9 stones according to the last time I checked. I do also suffer with ADHD and Aspergers.

In 2010 I randomly started getting Health Anxiety for no apparent reason at all. I still remember my first panic attack where I felt like I was dying. I was in the car (passenger) and all of a sudden I just felt numb from the waist up. I couldn't feel anything and one side of my face also went numb. I had my first panic attack that day almost 7 years ago and since then it carried on and on and on until I was seeing a Cardiologist as I was getting chest pains and palpitations, and then to a neurologist as I was getting the numbness down one side of my body again.

Both the cardiologist and the Neurologists could not find anything sinister despite doing several ECGs, Heart Ultrasounds, Blood Tests, Brain MRI's and the full works. I was eventually told by the Neurologist that I was suffering with Anxiety, and I think it was the fact that I'd had a brain MRI and a heart Ultrasound that put my symptoms to rest. I did still get worries but far more less frequent than what I did before seeing these specialists.

This brings us to today. Around August 2016 me and my partner of 5 years moved into our new property together. It's the first time either of us have ever moved out, and we've been together since 11/11/2011.

I was working for an Insurance company in a VERY stressful environment up until November 2016 when I lost my job. This was shortly after my anxiety had started up again.

Prior to this my grandfather, who has brought me up since I was young and taught me everything I know suffered a Cardiac Arrest at the wheel and was lucky enough to be saved. Not only this, but now me and my partner have found out we are going to be parents!

A lot of things have happened in 2016 and its been downhill from there with my health anxiety. I constantly worry about having a brain tumor or brain aneurysm, or even a heart attack even though there is no family history of a aneurysm.

I've been getting a truck load of symptoms such as:

1. Palpitations
2. Feeling like I'm going to die
3. Worries of brain tumors/aneurysms etc...
4. Random "head zaps" or feeling like I've suddenly dropped like when you are in an elevator for example.
5. Pressure in the back of my neck and towards my temples
6. Random feelings of adrenaline or panic
7. Inability to sit in one place or stick to one task without having anxiety or needing to swap tasks or go outside.
8. General sense of not being well
9. Feeling lightheaded, dizzy and as if I am going to pass out
10. Sharp, sometimes shooting pains in random places of my head which literally last a second or two but bring about worry whenever they happen
11. Indigestion symptoms, even when I haven't eaten - which make me feel like I'm having heart-related pain
12. Sometimes pain in my left shoulder and tingling in my hands.
13. Ringing in my ear (Can affect either ear) and sometimes I get loss of hearing slightly in one ear for up to an hour.
14. Seeing black floaters in my vision which come and go whenever they please - but only appear when the anxiety is present.

I've so far had several blood tests, and ECG's both at my GP and at the Hospital when I've felt the need to go out of worry that something terrible is happening. All of which have been normal. My BP is within normal ranges and there is no evidence of an Over Active or Under Active Thyroid at all.

Conveniently, going outside or switching tasks actually makes this near enough go away completely which tells me this is anxiety. Lately I started going swimming several times a week which tends to help massively. I feel a lot better once I'm in a different environment.

I do get increased anxiety in some social situations too, which forces me to go outside or go to the bathroom to calm down.

I don't know whether it's relevant, but I noticed that within the time scale of a week, now when I have a pint of beer or other alcoholic drink, I feel tipsy/drunk VERY quickly, like literally within the first few mouthfuls, and it is accompanied by a feeling as if my head is pulsing to my heartbeat. It seems to go away once I get fresh air but comes back as soon as I go in a house or indoors of any kind.

I'm convinced this is anxiety, but as always I'm still worried. I know how unlikely this is to be something serious but I wanted to know if anyone else has had similar symptoms. It would be interesting and would probably help put my mind at rest because I really do feel overwhelmed at the moment with anxiety which causes me to literally think I'm dying 24/7 at the moment and it's really ruining my life.

I want to be the best partner I can and also the best dad but I feel like my anxiety is really starting to take over again and I cannot do anything at all without fear of dying or something terrible happening.

I hope someone can help/advise!

-Yorkie

[Colicab85]

To me it sounds classic anxiety. Infact your symptoms and fears closely mimic my own.

Keeping yourself busy is definitely the right thing to do. It will pass with time.

[RLG]

I to have ADHD and anxiety is a common symptom/side effect of the condition. What you are explaining seems to mirror my symptoms when my general anxiety polarised into Health Anxiety. For me the physical aspects have faded with more understanding of anxiety but I still get pangs of panic when I convince myself that I have an illness or what-not.

[MrsDavies]

I had so many of your symptoms when I had health anxiety. Especially the BT fear, i had the 'dropping' sensation in my head, the head zaps, random shooting pains for a split second, the ringing in my ears, temporary hearing malfunction and also some of your other symptoms. I, at the time thought 'how on earth can anxiety cause such wacky, scary and strange sensations, something must be seriously wrong' and I'm not going to lie to you, it took me a looooong time to accept it was just anxiety. I mean, a mental health condition causing actual physical symptoms?! Especially such strong ones?! Sounds mad doesn't it but it was!! I still struggle even now to believe that anxiety can cause so much grief but I can honestly and truthfully tell you that it does and it's blooming horrible! It's a horrible horrible condition to have and it's so deceitful please please rest assured that you are 99.9999999% absolutely fine other than anxiety ripping you apart, the fact that medical professionals have told you that you are okay also says to me that you are just suffering from anxiety (I use the word just very lightly as I know it certainly isn't that simple)!

[Stena]

Sounds like anxiety to me as well. You have been through a lot recently which is going to add to your symptoms. You are not going to die, you have your whole life ahead of you and also fantastic news that you are to become a father.

Why not speak to your GP and ask if you can have some counselling. I read a brilliant book by Joshua Fletchwr on anxiety which helped me a lot.

Take care