Stressed, getting in a panic

[ColourODarkness]

My life has been VERY stressful past couple of weeks with the end of a 5 year relationship and a breast lump scare and its making me anxious about every tiny thing.

I have an ultra scan on my breasts Monday for a lump which is naturally making me nervous. I've been scared of forgetting things, so much so that when I said "yesterday"a few days back and it didn't sound right to my ears, I freaked out.

The other day I had a pain in my back and some chronic pain in my abdomen and thought I might be having gallbladder problems.

Yesterday I found an odd red mark on my arm and worried it'd be something like meningitis.

Today I had the sudden sensation of my heart beating to slow and having to take a breath and a jolt to get it up to speed (which happens often when I'm anxious... Does anyone else suffer the same thing???), and now I'm terrified I'll have an unidentified arithmia and suddenly my heart will slow to the point where I'll collapse and die.

I'm having a very hard time thinking rationally about anything and its making my life just that much more stressful :(

Any comfort would be appreciated x

[.Poppy.]

I'm so sorry you are feeling this way - I can totally sympathize. I went through this in a very serious way about 6 years ago, but about 4 years ago I decided enough was enough and I just worked on calming myself down and telling myself that every new "symptom" was in my head and harmless. Call it denial - it felt like denial at the time - but it really worked for me. Others find CBT or medication helpful; it just depends.

I would suggest getting comfortable in bed and watching a favorite show or your guilty-pleasure movie to keep your mind off of things. Pamper yourself a bit. For a week, just try to be in denial - when you find your mind wandering to your symptoms, go out and distract yourself. Or set aside a couple of minutes of "worry time" a day and the rest of the time distract yourself.

As for your tests on Monday - you think they could be bad, but on the other hand, they could also totally set your mind at ease! Try to be as positive as possible - I know it's MUCH easier said than done, but it will help you out in the long run.

Good luck, and I hope you get to feeling better!

[TheHusband]

I have noticed the "normal words can sound odd" thing myself. It is just something silly people do. My wife is anxious and that sort of thing can make her panic.

I cannot see that a pain in your back/gut, a red mark, or anything else you describe is an indicator of illness. Humans are just not clever enough to identify diseases from noticing one single symptom in themselves. There are so many daily aches and twinges which mean nothing, that a trained doctor needs several symptoms and careful questioning to diagnose anything.

I also don't believe it is possible to detect a heart rate on the slow side. Fast, yes. But not slow. And you can't make yourself speed it up either (only by exercising or having a panic attack). I believe you are imagining these things, and need to stop. You are just creating misery.

It would be well worth your while finding out about methods to control your anxiety, because they do exist. It is hard work but you can reduce the misery.