Health Anxiety - Hi

[NeNe01]

Hi everyone i'll apologise for the long post now but not sure how it works on here, I've suffered for 10yrs with health issues, i suffered panic attacks after seeing my dad get really ill, me having an op and i got sunburnt, i had CBT and seem to be doing fine, but over the last few months i've suffered really bad anxiety, its gone way too far now so went to the dr's who gave me citroplam (sp) which sent me absolutely loopy so was taken off it, i was asked if i wanted to try anything else but that put the fear of god into me and said no way, so now i don't like taking any meds! anyway i am now waiting for an intense course of CBT, i've read around here and its good to hear that i'm not the only one who thinks she has everything wrong! it can be a spot i have skin cancer, i have a rash i have an allergy and my throat will swell and i'll die and the story goes on ......

I'm not sleeping, i go to bed at 10 up at 3 wide awake heart pounding that i can't control because i don't no what the fear is from then i'm on & off all night but reading thro here compared to some i'm getting some good sleep, my eating is hit & miss i dont' feel like eating but do because i no i have to, i also suffer diahorria (SP) & sickness proably because of the anxiety but i think i've got stomach cancer!

Well thats my story cut down even tho I could go on and on and on .........

[Derek Connop]

Hi there, I am very sympathetic to your condition as I have suffered with health anxiety (on and off) for 4 years now. I am 44 now and before I started to feel anxious about my health I never used to worry about my health at all. It started when important people around me became ill.

The first thing to do as soon as your anxiety levels are getting out of hand, ie loss of appitiete, trouble sleeping etc is simply visit your GP to re assure yourself that you don't have whatever it is you fear. Last week I went to the doctors due to stomach pains and alternating diahorria and constipation (my head said cancer) the doctor said a bit of IBS brought on by stress, and surprise surprise once I lost the stress over it was the symptoms went away.

If you are getting some sleep then be reassured by this I can go days without any sleep which creates its own problems, and waking up with a pounding heart etc is a classic anxiety response so it is the most likely explanation for it

I do take meds but if you can deal with it without meds then that is a very positive approach so well done.

Where are your levels today ?

[NeNe01]

Hi, i've not hardly slept at all last night, it just seems to be getting worse, i just wake up with a pounding heart, its driving me crazy! If i suffer thro the day i can do something to distract myself or challenge my thoughts but with this i can't because its the middle of the night i can't start doing things and i can't challange my thoughts because i don't no why i'm like this :mad: then i've got IBS on a morning and don't feel like eating which isn't helping because just lately i'm late for work all the time because of it - good job they are understanding and i work flexi! Anyone got any tips on dealing with the sleep?