Can anxiety mimic symptoms?

[misscharlie757]

Hi everyone. I'm having a nightmare at the moment !! My dr has sent me for blood tests for autoimmune diseases as I have varying symptoms. He has stressed to me that they're just for precautionary measures and he doesn't expect anything to come of it but obviously I'm terrified and waiting for the results this week :weep:. Anyway, I have been googling autoimmune disorders and have got nearly every symptom of the worst ones (lupus etc) but I can't be sure whether my anxiety is tricking me into the symptoms? For eg I have started itching all over especially in my joints but I didn't have this before?! And I've started getting painful joints which I didn't have?! Has anyone got experiences of their bodies tricking them into symptoms and it just being anxiety? Thanks :)

[Aussie11]

Yes I find the same thing happens to me! As soon as I google a couple of symptoms and it comes up with some awful disease I then start feeling all the other symptoms associated with that particular disease as well. A few years back I had it happen all the time. I went through thinking I had ovarian cancer, lymphoma and some sort of bone cancer in my spine. Lymphoma was the main one, I started by looking up swollen lymph nodes, then decided I had night sweats, itching and whatever other symptoms I read about. At the moment I'm having another episode of health anxiety and this time it is lymphoma again and something with my pancreas. I'm hoping it's just my anxiety causing my body to play tricks on me again! For example, last night I was reading stuff about how pancreatic disease can cause bad back pain. I'd had abdominal pain for ages along with a few other things but had no back pain until today - woke up and my back has been killing me all day, have sat here with hot water bottle on it for hours. I don't know how the brain does it but it does!

[venusbluejeans]

yep your brain can talk you into thinking you have the symptoms definitely.... or you have a minor symptom and you think about it a lot and then that symptom feels worse as you are concentrating on it.

DO NOT GOOGLE!!

[misscharlie757]

Thanks!! It's a great help :) I'm still waiting for blood test results over a week later than expected...which obviously has made me think they're taking longer because they've noticed something bad...when will this end. It's been my Easter holiday and I've spent it all worrying...back to work soon without any rest. No wonder I'm stressed so much.

[HalfJack]

The list of side effects stress has caused me at one time or another is actually so long and strange I can't keep up with it :D
Deff stay away from google xxx