Hi - health anxiety sufferer just joined - HELP!

[Mranxious]

Hi, my problem is health anxiety. I've had SSRIs and CBT intermitently for 2 years, and the problem seems to be seasonal. The last two christmases have be affected and I fear that this one will be too. I felt like I had things under control during the summer months, even up until last weekend - but through my own stupidity I feel like i've undone all the positive steps and am only days away from going to the Drs again for more SSRIs - something i'd hoped I wouldn't need again.

I've also tried EFT - the tapping technique, but either i'm doing it wrong or it doesn't worl on me.

It's like I get a symptom lodged into my mind and don't feel happy until i've seen a DR who confirms everything is OK - thus the cycle of seeking reassurance begins/continues.

I suppose that i'm guilty of not working at my problems when I feel good - it's like when I feel good, I don't want to revisit the darkness by choice.

Thanks for reading :)

[honeybee3939]

Hi

A BIG warm welcome to you, lovely to see you here, im sure you will get some great advice while making new friends on the way.:D


First Steps:
First Steps to overcoming Panic and Anxiety (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=942)

Love

Andrea
xxxx




"If you have a worry turn it into a problem, you cant solve worrys but you can solve problems"

[strawberrie]

hi mranxious, welcome to the forum! :D:D:D

i could have written your post myself - my health anxiety gets worse around christmas time, i think its because i love christmas and i have this huge fear that some life threatening illness will come along to ruin it!

i'm also guilty of not working at my problems when i'm feeling good - in fact, i had not really thought about that before i read your post, but it is so true of me - i just want to get on with my life and forget about the anxiety when i have the chance.

you will get lots of help and advice from the forum, from people who understand what its like.

mag

[trac67]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum, you will get a lot of good advice here and make some new friends.

Take care

Trac xx

'Live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten'

[manmoor]

Hi,

A big warm welcome to you. I too suffer health anxiety so know how hard it can be. Welcome aboard.

Take Care

Mandyxx

[Sue K with 5]

Hi Welcome to NMP !

The Health Anxiety Forum is very good and can offer you so great support.

I also have health anxiety but in the last year its been harder and i know the only way to change this is to change my way of life which is not easy to to.

Use this site as a support network and speak to your GP about health CBT



Sue

scknight

[kittykat]

Hi there,
and welcome, i'm sure you'll find all the advice and help you need here. I suffer the Health anxiety as well and am now undergoing CBT for it but i do find it can get worse at this time of the year.

Take care
Shirley xx

[Mranxious]

Thanks for your kind welcome everyone!


Further to Strawberrie's comment "i think its because i love christmas and i have this huge fear that some life threatening illness will come along to ruin it!" That's exactly my problem - yet the only thing that is actually causing the problem realistically at the moment is me! What makes it worse is that I know it's me.

Rationally, I can think back to the summer, feeling fine, not being overly anxious about any potential health problems, yet at this moment in time it's like the summer didn't exist and i'm back to feeling worried like this time last year. One of my health 'problems' was checked twice last year, i've ignored it for most of this year - yet for some bizarre reason i've decided to start worrying again about it. I know that the last two summers i've felt comparitively happy - odd blips - but on the whole happy. Why have I let myself relapse again to someone who wakes up feeling sick in my stomach and unable to rid my mind totally of health worries?

One part wants me to get some SSRIs again as they take a couple of weeks to kick in, but the other, supposedly more rational side of me thinks that i've had 32 christmas's that i've been lucky enough to enjoy without any incidence of health anxiety - so why can't I just switch off from the niggling doubts that suggest to me that there is a problem with me? Why do these most likely false ideas control my emotions rather than the rational side? I feel that the main problem is that I don't trust myself. There is the idea that no matter how hard I try and rationalise and switch off from the problem, that only seeing a DR will alay my fears as they are the professionals.

I know that a DR doesn't have the same amount of time to examine me in the way that I do, and in the past although I thought that there might be something amiss, the DR on checking finds nothing to worry about. I'm 99.9% sure that if I went to the DR again, they would again find nothing to worry about. This shows me that whatever it is that is causing me to worry is in fact nothing - so why can't I believe myself? Why can't I switch off from the negative thought which I deep deep down believe is false, and concentrate on being happy and carefree?
I know that seeing a DR doesn't always work, as one worry is solved, another can step in to replace it - and by that I don't mean that seeing a DR is a bad idea!! I simply mean that unless I can switch off and control my thinking, then I will just find something else to worry about.

[yorkylover]

Hi and welcome,you will get lots of support here and helpful advise.;)

Ellen XX

[Lindalou64]

welcome im sure you will find lots with the same and info and support
best to ya.......Linda[8D]

[Mranxious]

Thanks.

It's nice - in a bad way! - that there are others feeling the same. I remember when I first saw my CBT counsellor that it felt good that she had a pre-printed booklet on the subject, it made me feel less of a freak and I knew that there were others in the same boat. Let's overcome this thing together and concentrate on something useful and important :)

[LickeyEndBlues]

Hi Mr A,

As you are discovering you are not a freak or alone in your thoughts.

Welcome to NMP, it is a great place for support, help and advice.

Take care

Iain

What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?