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View Full Version : 2 months of severe anxiety-getting in the way of life.



Distressed
18-01-15, 17:54
Hi all, I just felt like giving you my account of HA that has been really bad recently.

About 2 months ago, I woke up with a slight pain in my throat, nothing too bad, but it ended up becoming a big deal for me. After still feeling it for a couple of weeks I started becoming very anxious about it and I also felt a slight lump on my neck. After freaking out thinking that it was a tumour, I was then reassured that it was just a swollen gland. However, things didn't get better as I just had a feeling of being under the weather from then onwards- I frequently had spells of feeling nauseous and feverish. This was when the anxiety really ramped up, as I started thinking that there was something seriously wrong with me as I had never felt these symptoms before. I would notice every pain in my throat-however minor and start to panic. I would constantly feel my neck for any abnormalities and any swollen gland would be poked constantly until it started to hurt. I was always going to the mirror and looking inside my mouth, and swore that my throat did not look normal and there was something seriously wrong with me. After this, I have started to experience a gagging sensation which comes and goes. Since then I have visited the doctor 4 times, had blood tests which came back normal and had my throat and ears inspected. The doctors who have looked inside my throat have told me that it looks totally normal, but I don't trust them, or I think they didn't look hard enough. Both doctors and my family are telling me that these symptoms are nothing to worry about and that everyone gets them at this time of year, but I am still worried after feeling them for so long and cannot take my mind away from my health. I am only 21 and know that I am too young to be at risk of any sorts of throat cancers or mouth cancers, but somehow think that I have something horrible which the doctors haven't found yet. I feel that unless I have every test, then I will never be sure, but I am not being sent for any.
This is wrecking my current life as well as future prospects. I am a student and need to focus on work, so can't be dealing with this

elliesun
18-01-15, 23:28
i can't give any solid advice, but i just want to let you know that i'm suffering the same way you are with health anxiety and if you ever want to talk you can message me on here!

i totally sympathise about knowing that logically you're being irrational but not being able to shift the anxiety so you're not alone there.

all i can do to help mine is try to distract myself, i usually find that if i get distracted with something my symptoms are less noticeable, and that reminds me that my anxiety is a huge cause of whatever symptom I'm feeling

xx