Need somebody to talk to, reassurance please?

[reddevil]

Hi,

For those who have read my threads of late, I had a lump on my neck, which was worrying me.
As I was worrying about my neck, I had not other disabling symptoms.

Well, Yesterday I managed to get in at the surgery to see my doctor.
He checked out my concerns (moles and a lump, which I have on my neck).
He said they were all fine, which I was so delighted and I went away very happy.
The doctor asked me how my main symptoms were (headaches and frequent urination).
I told him they were ok and that I'm managing to cope, which was how I felt yesterday, no headache or no frequent urination.

I woke up this morning (6am), with a horrid headache, felt like the ones I had years ago, which were 24/7.

Why is this?
Is it because I had nothing else to worry about and my brain has focused on the headaches again?
Is it something serious?

I feel ashamed and very, very down because yesterday I told my doctor I was ok (as I was 100% fine).
I surely can not go running back after just telling him I was ok, would feel like I'm after attention of some kind.

I'm on 50mg of amitriptyline, which was originally for the headaches, but even this is not taking the pain away.

These headaches are my worst symptom of anxiety (if it is), make me have negative thoughts about living.

About 3 years ago, I had an MRI and Lumber puncture tests for these headaches, which all came back normal.

Can something of appearde since then?

I have had the headaches on and off, they do seem to go, when I'm worrying about something else with the body.

Any advise or reassurance please because I just don't know what to do, it's like having one symptom after another, without a break?

Red

[lass]

Hi Red, sorry to hear you are feeling so low again.

When I've been to my GP, I've been elated how reassured I feel, but next day feel scared that something's been missed. It's like needing constant reassurance that everything is ok and unfortunately no one will ever be able to confirm we are 100% healthy.

I find it helps me to look back at topics I have posted months ago, reminds me how I was feeling and how I got over one symptom, for it to be replaced with another.

Please be reassured by the fact that your various symptoms come and go. Anything serious would not go away.

However I do appreciate how exhausted you must feel with constant symptoms. And the more you get, the more you are looking out for more. It's a vicious circle and I think very hard to break.

I think I remember reading you were getting some kind of therapy - has this started yet?

Also, would you be able to ring your GP and explain that yesterday you felt fine, today you are concerned about your severe headache, and maybe get a review on your medication. Say that you don't want to take up any more of his time, but you are really struggling with this and don't know where to turn.

Sorry I can't think of anything else that could be of help to you, but I hope you are feeling better soon.

Caroline

[reddevil]

Hi,

Funny you mention therapy, I was told yesterday that they will be assessing me sometime in January but this date is not in stone. I asked if I could get it pulled earlier as I feel like I need it sooner rather than later but I was no.

Red

[tam]

hi red i have said to myself loads of times im going to tell doctor how i feel and then when the day comes to see doctor im not as bad and dont get out everything and the day after i can be bad again.i think its reasurance we need more than anything and when we are not good we look for more and more things.im sure you are fine,the headache is probally the worry and stress you did before going to doctors the other day.dont be ashamed about saying you are ok this is what happenes with us one minute were fine the next were not.when we are worried about something and we sort it thats when we then seem to find something else to worry about if you know what i mean.you will be fine im sure take it easy.tc tracy

[manmoor]

Hi Red,

I just wanted to say that because the doctor mentioned your headaches thats what has brought it on. Sometimes with us health anxiety sufferers just talking about symptoms brings them on I know thats usually how it works with me.

Take Care

Mandyxx

[reddevil]

Hi,

What's making it worse, last week a 44 year old man in the office went home and went to bed with a headache and never woke up.

Red

[lass]

Well there you go, that's why you are thinking like you are. At the back of your mind, you are thinking, it could happen to me.

I don't know what the answer is, coz I haven't found it for myself (yet!), but I do think you need some more help than just medication. I have been having counselling and it has helped me to see why I feel like I do, and it also helps to have someone to talk to who can put a different perspective on it.

I am now starting on CBT with my counsellor, as I said to her that it is all well and good to understand why I over-react and get anxious, but I needed help to change this.

Are you in a position to pay for some CBT privately? I looked on the website (babcp.com) and found a therapist close to home - although I was then lucky enough to get my counselling arranged by my GP and only had to wait a matter of weeks for it.

I think you need something to get the ball rolling in order to help you cope with your anxiety. Maybe others on here will have some ideas for you.

[mick]

hi Red
dont worry m8, its anxiety causing the headaches i also get them at the moment reguarly and like you when im worrying about some other symptom they go away,the other day i had the runs as i also suffer from ibs quite a lot and then i was worrying about bowel or stomach illnesses! this when im am rational i know to be anxiety, but when your stressed and paranoid you cant see that can you,one thing why dont you try hypnotherapy? ive see a hypno therapist now again and allthough not a100% cure its helped me take some of my angst away and made me think more positive and would say its a definate help
good luck
Mick

[creatrix]

Hi, red. I don't know if this will help, but I used to have headaches 24/7 and started going to the chiropractor and it has helped immeasurably. I still get headaches and miserable migraines, but I now have days where i don't have a headache at all, which is really nice since i had one pretty much always from tyhe time i was 16 to 32.

Good luck to you!!!

[ceecee]

hi red i sympathise with you,i too am pretty much the same!!!
i will get reassurance for one thing only for something else to appear!!!!!!
the headaches ARE stress and nothing else its just that devil on your shoulder telling you its something else!!!!
take care
hope you feel better soon
rachel x

[Sheik N Shimmy]

Hi Red,

Sorry you are suffering from headaches at the moment. I'm not a doc but I'm 100% sure they are anxiety related as I've had them too. It used to drive me bonkers when I'd get back from the doctor (yet again) after getting reassurance about harmless anxiety symptoms and something else would start to annoy me.

I reckon that one by one you are reassured about particular symptoms (when they are explained by a professional) and you start to relax about them but also you start to notice something else which hasn't been explained so you worry about it. When you worry about it that makes the symptoms worse and it's back to square one.

I reckon you should say to yourself 'let's see how I feel in the morning and the morning after that' and make a judgement on it then.

Best wishes,

E



Keep On Keepin On

[Debra]

hi there Red i also suffer from headaches/shooting pains sometimes they come on suddenly which panics me and i think the worst.However when i have something else on my mind they dont come so it must be anxiety related...youll be ok:DDEBRA

[reddevil]

Hi all,

Thankyou for emails.

My wife told me if I had a brain tumor or anything else wrong I would have more symtoms, is this true?
Red

[lass]

Well, I'm no doctor, but I'm sure you would. Also, you have been having headaches for years, but they come and go. If it were something serious, it wouldn't go and it would become progressively worse and you would get more symptoms.

It's so hard to think rationally about a symptom when you are going through it, and I find it really hard to accept that "just" anxiety can cause such major physical symptoms, but you have to believe that it IS anxiety and nothing worse.

[cfury]

Are you sure they are not sinus headaches? I just got rid of my headache a few hours ago, after 48 of horrible pain/tightness/sensitivity all over my face and neck.

[reddevil]

Hi,

I dont think they are sinus related because I had these headaches 5 years ago, were the start of my anxiety.

Back then I ha a nose operation, sinus clear out, mri, ct scan and the dreaded lumber puncture, which was horrid.

These headaches disappeared when I discovered a new symtom and it seems as though I have run out of new symtoms, they have reappeared.

Red

[LickeyEndBlues]

I have been having loads of headaches recently, well thinking about it for about a year. Once they set in the seem to stay despite any painkillers.

I am convinced they are anxiety related and I'm not to worried about them other than how they make me feel.

Laissez les bon temp roulez