Health Anxiety Update... How can it feel so real...

[Carly Lou]

Hi Guys.... as you may have noticed im back... back to my anxious self after a whole year of being anxiety free after 3 years of suffering the worse health anxiety/ocd & GAD :weep:

Im still so unconvinced that i am making myself ill... the symptoms i feel and how they all minic cancers of various types... one stops then a new symptom arrives and then i believe its a different cancer or.... the cancer i believed i had has just spread... im sure you all know this routine very well...
well after a few weeks of suffering from flu like symptoms ( run down apparently from anxiety and stress ) and headaches, not to mention convincing myself i found a lump in my neck... to then add i have started a early period ( stress related again) altho cervical cancer springs to mind... im finally waiting to hear back from the doctor so i can babble on about how i feel and is this really anxiety... im really struggling with the belief that its causing me to feel so unwell.... my senses are so hightened just the slighest twinge sets me off into a overload of panic.
how am i causing my headaches
how have i caused a early period
why am i feeling sick
the list goes on and on with symptoms that i just cant accept are just anxiety... i think deep down i know they are.... but im sturggling to understand how powerful the mind is...
no more googling for me.... i even googled the rarest cancer yesterday and decided i have 3 symptoms of that... its absoloutly daft and my mind really is my own worse enemy... i try to diet and be healthy and then start thinking what if i die tomorrow.... i would have eaten boring food, so i then eat something rubbish and then cry...

I just want to thank everyone since i have been back on nmp for your help and support... it does honestly make me feel much better... i just wish i could wake up one day with a spring in my step like i used too, to feel happy and not wait for another symptom to start that will terrify me...
i am awaiting a call from the doctor so we can discuss this and see if i really need any tests for peace of mind...

Thank you everyone

Carls x
,

[Mogwog]

Hi Carly

Sorry you're feeling bad again - me too. I have been ok for about a year and a half because I was on antidepressants but I've come off them because I want another baby and I feel dreadful:weep:

I don't really have any advice as I'm in the same boat but the fact that you recognise that its come back is a great first step and you're doing great not googling anymore - I always say I'm not going to do it anymore and then do and make myself worse:wacko: Also it great that you've been in touch with your DR - are they helpful/supportive?

Sorry if I haven't really helped you just wanted you to know you are not alone:hugs:

xxx

[ealtvater]

posting to an old thread as I have similar issues. Did you all reach some sort of resolution?

I've had anxiety for the last 10 years or so and it only seems that recently that this sort of thing has been happening to me. The frequency seems to change but it's been as often as every two weeks or so for me here lately. It always starts the same way...I start to feel really anxious like something is off. By the next day, I can only describe it as feeling sick...like a bad cold or the start of the flu. I don't really seem to have external cold symptoms other than being told I "look sick" in my eyes. I feel run down, extremely tired, internally shaky like I have a fever even though I don't, aches/pains especially in my wrists and ankles, headache, mental fog, dry eyes...the whole deal. It legit feels like I'm sick. It usually lasts for me like 3-4 days like a cold would, so I can't help but wonder "am I really just sick or is this caused by anxiety?" This sort of thing seems to happen more in recent years even though my anxiety has gotten significantly better. The inner hypochondriac in me assumes I'm dying of cancer and I absolutely hate going to the doctors so I avoid it. When my anxiety first started I had a really bad experience with my doctor and being dismissed for feeling the way I do. I get really bad white coat hypertension too so getting my blood pressure taken is always a treat. Times I have gone during this "illness" they do bloodwork and everything always comes back fine. Once again my inner hypochondriac assumes they missed the one blood test that would pinpoint what's wrong with me. Lol. I have noticed this whole deal is more likely to happen after I drink over the weekend, but not always. When I feel sick it seems to be "physically deeper" than just the anxiety I usually experience if that makes any sense.

Long story short I sympathize with you all because I know how terrible it is to feel sick all the time.