View Full Version : How can you tell whether it's anxiety or something serious?
So part of my steps to overcome health.anxiety I'm trying to stop going to the doctors all the time.
However I'm having some frightening head/eye/face pain which screams aneurysm to me and i'm a terrified miss. I want to stop going to the doctor however I'm scared that I wont go and miss something life threatening
How can you tell the difference??
ankietyjoe
21-10-13, 18:43
How can you tell the difference??
When it goes away after a couple of days and/or turns into something else.
Which for me, it inevitably did.
This has been.going on a week, oh no :(
How can you tell the difference??
By looking back over your posts and seeing that nothing you thought was serious or deadly has actually happened to you :)
Good Luck!
It hasnt happened yet but it is going to! :(
It hasnt happened yet but it is going to! :(
~sigh~
Good Luck to you!
Roxy, I do hope that some comfort at least may come if like Fishmanpa suggested you do look back over your previous posts further back with the same fear about clots or an aneurysm, none of which have happened.
It is far, far more likely that your head pain is due to severe anxiety and stress which is ongoing than anything sinister, you just have to try to believe that.
Are you occupied at all during the daytime with work or working at home or keeping your mind active with other stuff? When you constantly question or notice how you are feeling physically, the mind is a powerful thing and often it conjurs up/creates symptoms just because we are focusing on something being wrong. Been there myself.
Many of us can't tell the difference when it come to symptoms. A lot of dealing with them is just taking on faith and trust that it is not serious, and seeing how we go, and if things really persist or go down hill, that's we seek help. That is the best way to go about it I think. It is just about training your mind not to jump to the worst possible conclusion from the off.
I do think it sounds more like a tension headache or (as I think I may have suggested before) an occular migraine, but I think even with an occular migraine your pain would be much greater, and you wouldn't feel like typing!
Hugs to you.x:hugs:
Roxy, I do hope that some comfort at least may come if like Fishmanpa suggested you do look back over your previous posts further back with the same fear about clots or an aneurysm, none of which have happened.
It is far, far more likely that your head pain is due to severe anxiety and stress which is ongoing than anything sinister, you just have to try to believe that.
Are you occupied at all during the daytime with work or working at home or keeping your mind active with other stuff? When you constantly question or notice how you are feeling physically, the mind is a powerful thing and often it conjurs up/creates symptoms just because we are focusing on something being wrong. Been there myself.
Many of us can't tell the difference when it come to symptoms. A lot of dealing with them is just taking on faith and trust that it is not serious, and seeing how we go, and if things really persist or go down hill, that's we seek help. That is the best way to go about it I think. It is just about training your mind not to jump to the worst possible conclusion from the off.
I do think it sounds more like a tension headache or (as I think I may have suggested before) an occular migraine, but I think even with an occular migraine your pain would be much greater, and you wouldn't feel like typing!
Hugs to you.x:hugs:
Brilliant post and I echo every word of it. Roxy, this is great advice. Please read and re read it - print it out and put in on your fridge if necessary x
Thankyou everyone :) I do take comfort in everything that.has been said, and I especially respect fishmanpas advice. Debs that was a fab post and have genuinely taken it on board.
I do have distractions during the day, I work have a little one and a partner (who wants to smother me lol). Im terrified of dying and losing them.
Ive googled too much. These.signs point to an aneurysm and are a red flag.according to.some sites
I wish.i could unreqd things!
Thankyou everyone :) I do take comfort in everything that.has been said, and I especially respect fishmanpas advice. Debs that was a fab post and have genuinely taken it on board.
I do have distractions during the day, I work have a little one and a partner (who wants to smother me lol). Im terrified of dying and losing them.
Ive googled too much. These.signs point to an aneurysm and are a red flag.according to.some sites
I wish.i could unreqd things!
Hon, every single little ache and pain is a "symptom"of some deadly disease that could kill us within a month. I have no doubt that if I googled "sudden urge to make curtains" I'd find that I have the rare but deadly "curtain impulse cancer". Is it not far more likely that you have a headache and I just dislike my current soft furnishings? X
Thanks Katesa and Roxy for the nice feedback x:hugs:
I hope the post doesn't sound bossy or patronising in any way when I mention about being busy in the day. I just find that my worst moments with anxiety are when I am doing nothing much, and before I know it I am in full blown anxiety mode, worrying about everything, but if I have stuff to do, it's a great distraction.
Googling is a blessing and a curse. On won hand it is a great source of knowledge, on the other it sends the health anxious mind into overdrive as you get TOO MUCH info that is usually incorrect in your particular case. Best thing is to stay FAR away from Google!!:winks:
Hi there,
I try to avoid Google but I almost always end up on it again. I will lie to myself and say I am just going to look a symptom up real quick and not read much. Well before I know it an hour has passed and I am in a panic.
I am guilty of going to my doctor, or dentist, or ENT, or dermatologist, or emergency room even, too much. The reassurance never lasts yet I keep feeling the need to go.
Health anxiety is hard and I feel bad for all of us who suffer with it. :(
Hang in there, :hugs:
Debs it didnt sound bossy at all :)
Googling is my worst habit, I wouldnt be worried about half the stuff I am if it wasn't for google.
Ive.been to the.doctors today, and probably now feeling more worried. I bad pains in my.head and around my eye.and tge socket, its so sore and tender. He said its.viral conjunctivitis although I dont actually have red or watery eyes which are the main symptoms of conjunctivitis.
He didnt care about the headaches, im currently getting very sharp headpains and eye pains, im so scared and a mess I know this is an aneurysm, i.just know :(
Hi Roxy thought this might help, my husband had aneurysm no warning at all. He suddenly got the worse headache of his life and passed out,history now had the op and is fine, His consultant told him its very rare to have any symptoms before hand, I know its not easy but try not to worry.Take care Simi
Simi I'm sorry to.hear about.your husband, and im glad he is okay now. Its my worst nightmare.
I know its rare to get symptoms beforehand, its also rare to get one at my age but im 99.9% certain thars what i.have, im in such a state with.these head and eye pains :(
There are so many people with a virus at the moment same symptoms as you head pains etc, and it seems to last a long time, take comfort in the fact the doctor would do lots more tests if he was worried. Simi
Roxy, you have been given some brilliant advice on this thread (I wish I had half the responses when I have a relapse!) you should take it.
You think a doctor, who spent years and years at medical school knows less than you and Dr Google? Do you think that after spending that many years training, your doctor is going to risk being struck off and sued by sending away a girl if there is even the slightest possibility she is having an aneurysm?
My friend had an aneurysm and when he started getting symptoms of any kind, there was no way in hell he would have been able to type messages informing the internet of his plight. Furthermore, when he had a visit from a doctor (because he couldn't get to the surgery either) he was sent immediately to the hospital because it was so blatantly apparent that there was something majorly wrong. Because Doctors can tell with these things.
Now, I'm currently having a blip with my own HA recovery and having a lung cancer scare so I totally understand your fear. But you are not taking what people are telling you on board honey.
Re-read Debs brilliant post. Re-read your own post history and see how many times you've "just known" you had some awful thing and count how many times you've been right.
And then you should go and rest because I'm no doctor but I do know that if you have headache, looking at a computer/smartphone and typing/googling will hurt your eyes and head even more.
I hope you feel better soon x
Oh i.know if I had a ruptured one there would be no doubt, it's the about to burst ones that panic me.
I know I have been given some great advice.and i'm completely trying to take it,.but this eye pain is frightening me especially as nhs say go to gp immediately or A and E :(
I'm calling you out on this Roxy!
Remember this post a little over a week ago?
Tips on how to beat anxiety.
Right, I'm determined to beat this. I'm sick and tired of my life revolving around heart issues and brain aneurysms. I'm miserable day in day out and it has to stop, I just want to live!
Time to step up to the plate... those are YOUR words... I'm holding you to them!
Positive thoughts and prayers.... no luck involved!
Hon, if you really are that convinced, then nobody here is going to make you feel differently. At the start of this thread, you were just asking a perfectly rational question. Now you have become convinced that you definitely have it. I don't think this thread has helped you at all chick. But that's not surprising since your trip to your doctors didn't either.
If you are really that sure, then by all means go to A&E. Wait for hours in a place full of very poorly people to eventually be told the same thing your GP told you. And then resolve to trust your doctor next time.
Calling 111 would be a good start. Chances are they will tell you to go to A&E because, like the NHS website, they can't see you (like your doctor did) and have to cover their backsides. However, A&E will be less frustrated with you if 111 send you in rather than just going in yourself.
I have no intention on going to A and E, I have no way of getting there.
Yes I was asking a rational question.and since my eye pain has gotten considerably worse I can.safely say it isnt anxiety.
Since I've been on this site, I've not seen one case where one's worst fears were realized. Sure, a few folks had a common virus or such but no cancer, no brain tumors or strokes etc.... and no one has tragically died either!
Take into account past posts and that this is an "anxiety" forum and you can pretty much take it to the bank.
Just sayin'
I have no intention on going to A and E, I have no way of getting there.
Yes I was asking a rational question.and since my eye pain has gotten considerably worse I can.safely say it isnt anxiety.
111 will send an ambulance if they think there is even the slightest of tiny remote chances that there is anything wrong that requires urgent medical attention.
I don't think you need to go. At all. But you don't believe me. You don't believe the folks here. You don't believe your doctor. And you're sat there convinced you are about to die. I don't know what else to suggest.
The reason i.dont.believe my doctor is ive suffered from conjunctivitis a hell of a lot.of.Times and ive never experienced eye socket pain like this, ever.
My symptoms simply dont match that of.conjunctivitis.
Im genuinely not being difficur on purpose,.unfortunately conjunctivitis is something I have.actually a lot of experience with :(
The reason i.dont.believe my doctor is ive suffered from conjunctivitis a hell of a lot.of.Times and ive never experienced eye socket pain like this, ever.
My symptoms simply dont match that of.conjunctivitis.
Im genuinely not being difficur on purpose,.unfortunately conjunctivitis is something I have.actually a lot of experience with :(
Then go to the hospital! Discussing it here is getting you nowhere!
Good Luck!
ankietyjoe
22-10-13, 16:53
My symptoms simply dont match that of.conjunctivitis.
It might actually be something else then. And not something that'll kill you in a week.
For example, excessive neck tension was the cause of stabbing pains I used to get on the top of my head. And when I say stabbing pains I mean pains that felt like somebody was jamming and ice pick into my skull. Of course, it must be a brain tumour right? I made no connection between that and my neck tension, because I was so busy focussing on every little sensation I had that I didn't even realise I was suffering from neck tension.
The reason i.dont.believe my doctor is ive suffered from conjunctivitis a hell of a lot.of.Times and ive never experienced eye socket pain like this, ever.
My symptoms simply dont match that of.conjunctivitis.
They also don't match what you are thinking of, no matter what you've read on google. Again, no matter how many times you have had an illness (I've had 12 thyroid storms, and they were never alike), your doctor knows more than you. He knows what an aneurysm looks like.
But if you are that certain, call 111.
The reason almost all of us post on here is that on some rational level we understand that the concerns we have about our health are irrational. Otherwise we would not be posting on a HA forum.
Members here will never be able to convince you whether or not you have a particular condition. However we can try and support you to take the right course of action. As far as I can see, various doctors are not worried that you have life threatening symptoms. Personally I am inclined to take their word for it, as frankly in the litigious society in which we live it simply is not worth taking the risk.
I used to know a medical negligence lawyer and some of the figures involved are quite staggering, certainly not worth the risk of not referring someone were they to need it.
The problem as I see it, is that you are chasing your tail. Would you be satisfied if you went to A&E and they also tell you there is no problem? I doubt it very much, or at least if you were reassured for a short while the fear would still return.
At some point, and this is down to you, you need to take a leap of faith that in fact you are not going to drop dead at any moment. Your recent history of not dropping dead provides a fairly solid basis for this :)
Unfortunately there reaches a point where the only person who can help you, is YOU. You have to make the choice and you have to put in the hard yards to make a change.
For what it is worth (and I feel quite irrational myself) your posts come across as progressively more outlandish. Please dont take that as an insult, more just an observation that even though you can't see it because of where you are at the moment, that what you are saying doesnt make sense on a rational level.
Not sure if this helps or hinders.
---------- Post added at 17:01 ---------- Previous post was at 16:59 ----------
Also worth adding that A&E is not poplated with specialists. They are in many respect just the same as GPs (just in an accute setting) and will only refer you for tests if they believe that there is something wrong (or any worth their salt anyway).
The reason almost all of us post on here is that on some rational level we understand that the concerns we have about our health are irrational. Otherwise we would not be posting on a HA forum.
Members here will never be able to convince you whether or not you have a particular condition. However we can try and support you to take the right course of action. As far as I can see, various doctors are not worried that you have life threatening symptoms. Personally I am inclined to take their word for it, as frankly in the litigious society in which we live it simply is not worth taking the risk.
I used to know a medical negligence lawyer and some of the figures involved are quite staggering, certainly not worth the risk of not referring someone were they to need it.
The problem as I see it, is that you are chasing your tail. Would you be satisfied if you went to A&E and they also tell you there is no problem? I doubt it very much, or at least if you were reassured for a short while the fear would still return.
At some point, and this is down to you, you need to take a leap of faith that in fact you are not going to drop dead at any moment. Your recent history of not dropping dead provides a fairly solid basis for this :)
Unfortunately there reaches a point where the only person who can help you, is YOU. You have to make the choice and you have to put in the hard yards to make a change.
For what it is worth (and I feel quite irrational myself) your posts come across as progressively more outlandish. Please dont take that as an insult, more just an observation that even though you can't see it because of where you are at the moment, that what you are saying doesnt make sense on a rational level.
Not sure if this helps or hinders.
This is a great post.
And Roxy, I think deep down you know that your life is not in imminent danger, I think you know you are being irrational.
Because I know that if I genuinely thought I had something that was going to kill me, leave my baby motherless and my husband wifeless, so quickly, then I would do whatever it took to get myself to hospital immediately. Whether that was by calling the emergency services or getting in a taxi, I'd get myself there even if I had to take my baby with me.
And I think you, like any smart person would do the same. The fact you aren't tells me that at least on a subconscious level, you know you are processing things wrong. And that's a good start.
Thanks guys. You do come across as a bit harsh but I know its well meaning :)
I have read waay to many google articles, not recently but unfortunately I cannot unread the things i.have read! (wish I could though!)
The pain is.in my socket, eyebrow cheek and head and that's why I am thinking it is not conjunctivitis, though they are.slightly watery.
Aneurysms are my biggest fear, so once I get a symptom that.relates to that I go.into an anxiety.overdrive, very hard to get over
Ok.Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks. Apologies for any ill feeling in.the.thread, was not my intention. Everything is well meant x
Roxu that kind of pain sounds more like migraine or TMJ, have you looked at either of those options?
Roxy I don't think there is any ill feeling at all, we all REALLY want to help you.
Don't give up, you were doing so well a few days ago.
Yes no hard feeling at all Roxy. Personally, I'm just frustrated that I can't help you.
x
To be honest I.frustrate myself. The amount of stress and tears i've caused myself over the last few months theres a great possibility if I had a large aneurysm it probably would have burst by now.
Im feeling a little happier today :) my headaches are still bothering me but not as much. My chest.is bad today instead, im just not going there! Lifes too short x
The amount of stress and tears i've caused myself over the last few months theres a great possibility if I had a large aneurysm it probably would have burst by now.
Im feeling a little happier today :) my headaches are still bothering me but not as much. My chest.is bad today instead, im just not going there! Lifes too short x
Keep in mind that none of the fears you've posted about have happened! :)
I know I've 'had' a million and one things yet miraculously I'm still here!
I flit between fears depending on which symptom is stronger, today I'm worried about my heart because I feel lightheaded with.chest/back pains :(
Someone further up the thread said this
"I used to know a medical negligence lawyer and some of the figures involved are quite staggering, certainly not worth the risk of not referring someone were they to need it."
And I've wanted to post that kind of comment on loads of threads and couldn't find a way of phrasing it without sounding too cynical. But it's entirely true - even if you don't believe that your GP genuinely cares about your health (and I'd be inclined to think that most do - that's why they're GPs and not just medical researchers), you should be able to believe that they wouldn't risk screwing themselves over by not referring you when it was necessary!
Socket, eyebrow, cheek and head sounds sinus-y to me. And like Simi said, there is definitely a lingering troublesome virus thing going round...
Oh I agree.most doctors are so thorough with the compensation culture we live in. However there seems to be so many stories of people dying/being misdiagnosed I worry I'm.just going to be another spread in take a break or something lol.
My eye feels better, im lightheaded so thats.obviously an undiagnosed heart condition!
The reality is that there are not many stories about people dying, being misdiagnosed etc. The fact is that there are a small number, in fact a tiny number.
The reality is that it just doesnt make a good story to read about a guy who went to his GP, the GP told him nothing was wrong and then he went home and got on with his life perfectly happily.
Oh I know the fact.that it makes the news in the first place means its rare, oh I dunno wish.these pains would.go away then I'd have no worries lol
I hear you, recently my HA has started up again. I've been to the doc numerous times and each time I walk out again, no being rushed to hospital, no deadly disease. Problem is, one reassurance has been sought for one issue, up pops another one. It's depressing and exhausting.
Agree with you there depressing and completely exhausting,.not just for us but the people around us too. What I'm worrying about today is something totally different than yesterday, it sucks.
Karol.Papis
26-10-13, 18:13
Hi, I know it may feel very difficult but sometimes it may be good to try and think 'outside of the box'. If your friend had such problems, what exactly would you advise her/him to do, and how many times in total would you advise her/him to see a doctor(s)? That may give you an indication on how much more you may need to do before you feel able to tell the difference between your actual health and the anxiety :D Good luck whatever you decide! :)
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