Family problems caused by anxiety

[Sophie1]

I'm having a really bad time with anxiety at the moment, due to the feeling of the lump in my throat and swallowing problems. I am still convinced it is something serious after two visits to the doctor and this is causing my family to get angry with me, which is making my anxiety worse. I hate anxiety :(

[Poppy Girl]

Hi Sophie
So sorry to hear you're having problems with anxiety and with that feeling of the lump in your throat. I absolutely know how you feel as I had exactly the same. Even though my doctor told me there was nothing wrong, I still kept thinking he must have missed something. He even explained to me that it was called "globus" and was due to muscle tension so the back of my throat couldn't relax properly but oh no - I was convinced it was a tumour of some sort and I was going to die.
My husband just told me I was being ridiculous but the thing with anxiety is that even though the rational part of your brain knows there's unlikely to be anything there, there's this other part where a little voice is constantly saying "but what if.......?."
You don't say whether youre taking any medication but if not, a small dose of diazepam for a couple of weeks may help. It helps calm your mind (as my doctor said, your brain is your best friend but it can also be your worst enemy when your thougts get out of control) but it's also a muscle relaxant so will help to relax your throat.
If you're prone to anxiety, look for cognitive behavioual therapy books (cbt) or there's a website called Living Life to the Full, which will help you think about things in different ways and challenge your negative thinking, so reducing your anxiety.
It's really hard for people like your family to understand anxiety if they've never experienced it themselves. It's completely irrational but I found that the more you try to control it, the worse it gets. My husband didnt get it at all and got very impatient with me but like any illness, it takes time to stop feeling anxious.
You could also try relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing or mindfulness - there's a brilliant app you can download called Headspace. There is a free trial and I found it great.
Sophie, I hope things improve for you soon but if you need more help or advice or just want to chat then I'm here.
Hugs to you :hugs: x

[Sophie1]

Thank you for the reply, this lump sensation is so difficult to deal with and really struggling - of course my family thinks I'm going insane. They keep reassuring me, but of course when you are extremely anxious, no amount of reassurance will help haha. Also doctor Google has scared me and got me extremely paranoid that I have ALS, even though I am seventeen, have no family history of it and I am not slurring my speech. I am actually laughing at how ridiculous I sound.

I am taking sertraline and propanol for now, but have only been on it for three weeks, so I am not expecting a miraculous recovery yet.i will try the website like you said :)

Thank you for the advice :)

[Poppy Girl]

Hi Sophie
You're right - it does sound ridiculous but when you're suffering from anxiety you stop being able to think rationally. You tell yourself there's really no evidence for what you think is wrong but then the little voice in your head goes "yes but what if......?" and then the bad thoughts start over again.
:doh:
You just have to try and distract yourself by doing things you enjoy - go out with your mates, go shopping etc and stop trying to make the anxiety go away - the more you try and tell yourself to stop being silly the worse it gets.
Above all STAY AWAY FROM DR GOOGLE! He pretends to be your friend but actually doesn't really know anything as he doesn't know you! 😷The more you research into your symptoms online, the more ill you'll convince yourself that you are. I should know - I spent 6 months after having surgery to remove my gallbladder (literally the first thing I've ever really had wrong with me) convinced that there was something else going on inside my body that was going to kill me (no real evidence to back this theory up other than googling every symptom I had).
Anyway, medication helped but in the end keeping busy and distracted in other ways and also stopping trying to make the anxiety go away and just accepting it for what it was helped to calm me down. It wasn't quick and it wasn't easy but I've now been back to normal for over 2 months with a few setbacks along the way.
We can't force ourselves to be a certain way - I will probably always worry about my health to a certain extent so accepting that's just how you are is also part of the recovery process.
Keep us updated as to how you're getting on
:yesyes: xx

[Sophie1]

Food is the problem today - the joys haha. Food has been an on and off problem and magically got worse on the day I had a doctors appointment. I also have the lovely lump in the throat feeling that has also been on and off - it used to be on the right side, but it has now moved to the middle.

Thank you for the reply and I will stay off doctor Google haha