is this normal?

[chrisduff]

Morning everyone. I have suffered with health anxiety for years but had been clear until last xmas. Having being on dosulepin since then my family think im back to normal! Not the case,there hasn't been a day that has gone by that I don't think im going to die. I try to rationlise it that that has to have some effect on my body. Woke up during the night with an on/off pain in my hand but I already have pain in my other hand. I've convinced myself that I have cancer that is spreading through my whole body:-( does that sound ridiculous to anybody because in my head it all makes sense. How,many possible symptoms can anxiety create?! Thanks in advance x

[cattttt]

Anxiety can create just about any symptom you can possibly think of, and quite a few that you never thought of. If you think you have something, your body can create the symptom, the mind is a powerful thing. It is possible to get your thoughts under control, but it is hard work and I can't tell you how to do it in this space. I was in your situation a few years ago, and it's taken a multi pronged approach, with several different strategies (none of them involving medication, as that was one of my fears) to get where I am now, where the anxiety just lingers in the background. The same strategies may not work for you. My suggestion is that you start looking around for coping strategies, of which there are quite few, and see what might work for you.