View Full Version : Last session what now ?
So tomorrow will be my last session of councelling through my work , I have really enjoyed the sessions but my health anxiety is still no better, I think it is until I get a symptom then it's straight back to square one , I have been messed around so much by my nhs mental health service and my doctor is sick of me , surely there has to be some help out there for us health anxiety sufferers are we really that uncommon , because I look of the amount of members just on here to think surely not !! Nobody really understands the condition unless you suffer from it and your frowned upon for wasting doctors time and nhs money when really all we want is help, I wish there was more knowledge and understanding and then maybe we wouldn't feel embarassed and ashamed ,
Had anybody ever truly been cured ?
Xx
Well I can tell you that CBT helped me see the wood for the trees and although HA is a difficult habit to break, I do find my reaction to things getting less over time.
When you say your doc is sick of you. Do you mean he is sick of you coming with innocuous physical symptoms. Would he be sick of you visiting him and saying you need help with your mental health? Personally I would do one of two things, persevere and get CBT on the NHS, or if you have the means pay privately as you are right mental health services on the NHS are somewhere close to shocking.
I think also there are various online courses you can do which are free.
My opinion is that there is no golden bullet, just am awareness of what you can alter, what to focus efforts on etc. this helps.
Thanks for he reply , to be fair I havnt visited the doc for a few months , I just can't see a way out, I could pay private but then I worry that i will have wasted money to still feel like this , I don't know about you but I'm not depressed but feel very down about being this way , I wish I lived in an area where the nhs mental health was better , mine is worse than shocking and they were rude to me and discharged me because I cancelled 1 appointment ,
Glad your feeling better and I hope 1 day I to will make progress x
Hi Rebecca, have you tried physical exercise? It takes a while to kick in but it works wonders. All the best to you. AnA
Well I can tell you that CBT helped me see the wood for the trees and although HA is a difficult habit to break, I do find my reaction to things getting less over time.
I think also there are various online courses you can do which are free.
Chris, that's an interesting take on HA as it being a "habit". I agree in that one's reaction to every niggle ( I love that word!) sends them into a spiral of worry and panic, I also believe there in some kind of chemical imbalance in the brain that prevents one from rationalizing the situation as well as elements of ones environment and upbringing. I base my thoughts of what I've read here over the months.
I've read up quite a bit on CBT and find it fascinating. I'm actually using some of the techniques myself and find them very helpful in dealing with the aftermath of my cancer journey. I too suffer from what I call "scanxiety" concerning the very real possibility of my cancer returning.
Rebecca, there is an on-line course here that's free. It's what I was referring to. Here's the link: http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=131664
It's certainly worth a look see...
Positive thoughts
Rebecca, I use the free online course that Fishmanpa is referring to, and it's been wonderful. It really works if I work it!
Thanks to everybody that has replied , I did some googling this afternoon and came across a doctor that specialises in health anxiety so I thought it wouldn't do any harm to contact him for fees etc... I nearly fell over when he said he charges £180 per session , one think ill just stick to the free online course and realise this is how I am made , born to worry ��x
I cannot get onto the online course :-( x
Hi Rebecca,
Have you tried reading any books regarding Health Anxiety? They really helped me.
I also had CBT on the NHS and can say they really got me out of a bad place, unfortunately I am now experiencing a relapse and am waiting for CBT again.
One thing which I can recommend is keeping a diary, firstly of how many times you may Google symptoms or seek reassurance, if you try and beat the number by at least once each day you will be surprised at how quickly it drops and how you actually start to feel better..
I can also recommend keeping a diary to recognise things that trigger you off, for example every time I see an ambulance it sets something off and I sit there an hour later and think god why did I have that dizzy spell, I look at my diary and think ah I saw an ambulance earlier which probably affected me.
I hope this helps :)
Hi Rebecca. I agree that reading up on the problem is very, very helpful. Also its great that the sessions you have had have been so helpful too. This shows you are open to change and that if you pursue way of helping yourself then that change can come.
You say it's months since you saw your doctor. Believe me Rebecca that does not amount to bothering him! If he frowned upon you then I'd give him a slap because he would totally be in the wrong job!
I recall last year going to my doctor thinking he was going to tell me off for wanting to discuss some blood results in detail. The results were find so that was good but my depression wasn't. Instead of being greeted with a heavy tone & feeling like I was wasting he time, he was so lovely to me it made me cry!
Also don't feel shame or embarrassment about any issues you have. Anyone who fails to appreciate the difficulties you have - as you say just does not understand. So if you ever do get rolled eyes or tuts from people, you remind yourself they are just ignorant. Good job its not happened to them because with their attitude, they wouldn't get better. in fact they would not be able to admit they have a problem!
Anyway, reading up on how to combat health anxiety is a very good idea. I don't mean google stuff and upset yourself. far from it. ideas about not obsessing. thought stopping bla bla bla. If you see what I mean. self-help books have been my saviour. I have found them to contain very useful information and alongside having had therapy, they have helped top up what I learned. helped keep me on the straight & narrow. those written words will echo things you'll have heard with your counsellor and I hope you'd find that comforting. also you'll discover reasons behind how you think and feel. and most importantly ways to help you combat that.
exercise I agree is very good therapy. also try to be aware, perhaps when you are exercising, if you are perhaps frowning. I realise I do this a lot. so I try to remember to relax my face and body. I realised I was doing it right now typing this. goodness knows why!
if you feel inclined to see your doctor for further help then you do it. you are entitled to your care on the nhs and you should go and get your entitlement. otherwise why pay your tax and nic contributions eh? even if the treatments isn't as great as perhaps something paid for privately, its better than not having any treatment at all and as I say it's free.
something I find is helpful to me as well is helping other people. I don't have HA so cannot totally relate to the difficulties but do you find reading other people's posts and helping them also keeps you on the straight & narrow? its a bit like AA meetings I find. if I've discussed something with someone here, next time i'm in that situation, I don't just freak or worry. Instead i actually think.... oh we are here again. and I try to remember what they may have said to me to help.
oh, you cant get on the online course? that's a bit of a bummer. is it full or were you having technical issues?
the suggestion of a daily diary is good.
you could subdivide it such that you always note somewhere separately the good things you manage to do. be that exercising. not googling symptoms when you felt drawn to. it might even be that you helped someone here on nmp.
in general, ts very helpful being able to refer back over time & see how you have improved. you might also be able to recognise certain triggers that have not been apparent before.
I looked at notes I made perhaps 7/8 months ago where I was in counselling. I can see how far I've come. just yesterday I was doubting if it was working & perhaps I should pack it in. but having gone back over my notes I realise I have dealt fully with some things & they've lead to others that need dealing with. but in all I am getting better and that is what counts.
x
Wow Tessar thanks so much please can you be my councellor lol because your great , everything you say makes sense and I am always so conscious of going to the docs to often , maybe I should think about changing my dr because when I go in he just looks at me over his glasses and says "yes" ? , it makes me feel like I'm wasting his time , the exercise thing is good and I have recently joined a ladies only boxing gym and I absolutely love it , I have a lot of other stressed in my life at the minute , work problems , husband problems and my son has been diagnosed with a tic disorder so I am literally drained ,
I'm glad your making progress and I'm not surprised with such a positive attitude I wish you could send some my way , today I have been checking and prodding so hard into my armpit it hurts because i was convinced there was a lump ,
Anyhow thanks again I really appreciate the words of advice xx
Gosh thanku rebecca, thats a very kind thing to say, i am flattered :blush::yesyes::hugs: I wish i could be a counsellor but i wouldnt be able to do it face to face with someone. maybe i could find a way of getting get paid for doing it online!!!
It's good that what I said makes sense. maybe u do need a change of dr. His attitude sucks & quite frankly he is wasting your time.
Joining a ladies only boxing gym is a great idea & its brill that you're loving it. When u get into something like that is really does boost your confidence and how u feel generally.
All that stress.... With so much going on, no wonder u have been struggling. Anyone would & u have issues u have ben trying to deal with already alongside those things.
but you are working hard at it, that is clear. I am glad too that you're making progress. I do my best to remain positive. having been depressed before i dont want "it" taking me over ever again. i remind myself if i sink lower, then it's me who has to put the hard work in to pick myself up. that seems to give me the prod i need to carry on.
i am sending u loads of positive vibes.......
where u mention checking and prodding.... Our cat had a lump I found & each day I had to limit myself to only one session of feeling it as I realised even tho she wasn't reacting, so clearly it didn't hurt, it would if i poked it about too much! It's going down now so was obviously nothing. Even tho when I googled the matter it did sound like it cud b serious, I didn't get carried away. I just waited a week to see and of course, here we r a week later and it's nearly gone. I know it was only our pet but I knew (from what I have read of people with HA on here) that it was Important not to get carried away.
Anyway I'm glad I was able to help & will be interested to hear about your progress.
One great thing about NMP is when people report progress. Successes don't always get much attention so even a slight improvement or achievement is very much noteworthy :-)
So have made up my mind I'm going to pay x
To see a private psychotherapist and I've found one that specialises in health anxiety , it's a lot of money but worth it if it works x
jimbobrooney
10-12-13, 16:39
today I have been checking and prodding so hard into my armpit it hurts because i was convinced there was a lump ,
this made me smile and i dont mean in a mean way. I have exact same issue at moment. My underarms and in particular one of them is very sore as i have been prodding it for over a week now.
I think my right armpit is a bit fatter and more muscular than my left (makes sense as i am right handed) . Noticed it during the summer but dismissed it as it was nothing
Then had a scare last week with a mole (turned out to be ok) and during that week and still now, i am convinced that my right armpit is swollen due to cancer spreading from the mole to my lymph nodes
I cant find a lump under my arm and have poked it a lot so now its sore (left side too but not as bad)
So i totally understand how you feel . I dont think the feeling will go until it just drops out of our heads.
I think my right armpit is a bit fatter and more muscular than my left (makes sense as i am right handed) . Noticed it during the summer but dismissed it as it was nothing.
talking of 'smiling', your words reminded me of when i went to my gp decades ago about a lump between my shoulder and neck. he told me it was muscle and yeah since i did sports involving that arm, it made sense. its still there!!! and of course it was nothing sinister..... but the feeling of stupidity i had in asking him to check it out has lasting all this time!!!!! since then i havent had such a situation thankfully.....
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