How many times have you convinced yourself you're dying?

[Andromeda]

I'm going through such a rough patch at the moment.

I've had a funny tummy for over a week now. Bloating, severe abdominal pains, digestive issues etc. I've not been able to eat properly this entire time so i've lost around 10lbs this week. i have NO appetite and i feel like i can't function.

I've seen 2 GP's at the walk-in surgery near me who have felt my tummy, checked my temperature, pulse, blood pressure, blood sugar levels etc and both think it's some sort of IBS (but obviously i haven't had any blood tests or scans)

I don't have an appointment with my own GP until Saturday now and i wish i could articulate how difficult this week has been.

Possibly THE worst episode of health anxiety I've ever had to deal with.

Today i have woken up feeling extremely fatigued. I just don't feel like i'm here.

It feels like i'm using all my energy just to move. I'm in work and i just feel so terrible i keep bursting into tears at my desk. I'm SO tired.

I've convinced myself that i'm dying. I know it sounds dramatic but it's not the usual panicky i'm dying thoughts. It's like an absolute certainty in my head that i'm dying and it's making me not be able to function. I feel like a ghost i feel that weak and exhausted. It's not normal.

I don't want to lose my job or not work but i just feel ill. In my head i either have ovarian cancer or stomach cancer or some horrible bug that's slowly killing me.

I don't know what to do:weep:

[sial72]

To answer the title of the post...loads of times, with 2 times being worse than the rest, being totally certain...one of them at present...horrible, but this too shall pass xx

[Traceypo]

Tons of times too hun, I'm still here, but have thought I am dying on many occassions, so much so that I isolate myself from my loved ones as I don't want them getting close to me as I honestly believe at that time, I'll be dead by the end of the day.
Health Anxiety does this to us, I'm currently having a relapse of it and feel dreadful in myself, I have not used this forum for over a year, however it's been my lifeline for the last couple of days to help rationalise the feelings and thoughts I am currently putting myself through.
I'm currently feeling so tired, most likely because I'm exhausting myself with all of this worrying.
Good luck with Doctors on Saturday, please let them know how your symptoms make you feel. xxx

[Andromeda]

To answer the title of the post...loads of times, with 2 times being worse than the rest, being totally certain...one of them at present...horrible, but this too shall pass xx

:hugs: Thank you xx


Tons of times too hun, I'm still here, but have thought I am dying on many occassions, so much so that I isolate myself from my loved ones as I don't want them getting close to me as I honestly believe at that time, I'll be dead by the end of the day.
Health Anxiety does this to us, I'm currently having a relapse of it and feel dreadful in myself, I have not used this forum for over a year, however it's been my lifeline for the last couple of days to help rationalise the feelings and thoughts I am currently putting myself through.
I'm currently feeling so tired, most likely because I'm exhausting myself with all of this worrying.
Good luck with Doctors on Saturday, please let them know how your symptoms make you feel. xxx

Thank you Tracey. I've teared up reading what you said because that's exactly how i feel.
In my head i'm saying my goodbyes and i do feel VERY distant from my loved ones because i keep feeling like i'm not going to be around for much longer. I don't feel like i'm here anymore.

Like my head has checked out already and my body is catching up. The feeling is so overwhelming that i just feel like i can't cope with it. XX

[ricardo]

To answer the post on the night of Jan23rd this year when my heart stopped beating for 19 seconds,after having had a heart attack earlier that day. I obviously didn't know but was woken by the doctor/nurse, told what had happened and monitored closely in intensive care.

[Traceypo]

I've found that being honest about how I feel has been a great support, my partner and work colleagues now know I suffer with this, some may think I'm a bit weird at times, but my behaviour was far stranger to them before they knew why. I've found that being able to talk to people about it helps a lot, and you'll be surprised by how many people will say they've been through something similar.
Hugs help too, deep breaths, sometimes I close my eyes and count back from 1000 minus 3 each time. I'm also currently using Calms to take the edge off my anxiety. Tell your Doctor how you feel, in my area we have a self-referral system for support and I have accessed CBT through that on two occassions which did help but I may need a refresher!
Good luck, you're not alone, instead of the worst scenario, focus on the best, maybe you ate something that didn't agree with you, or you've picked up a bug. xxx

[CeeCeeCee]

Hi Andromeda, yes, several times, always the same, convinced, not wondering but knowing it. I had been really great with my HA for a while, now it is right back to BAD! I have been feeling tummy and back pains and bloating for a few weeks now, different from what I normally suffer with IBS. I've been to the docs twice, who also felt my tummy and said he could fell nothing. I have been reassured on there by several people and it has helped a lot, however, this morning I feel terrible again. Pain in tummy, pressure in rectum and tired. I had my tablets changed to Sertraline and am on third day, so maybe they are having some side affects. I really felt ok last night, but really low today and very scared again in case it is something that can't be felt on examination. I need to know that it can be many other things, like Chrohn's or Coeliac type of illness but I keep thinking it's the worst. How are you feeling now?

[BlueEyesShining]

Hi

Easier said than done but try to distract yourself. Distraction is the key. Don`t Google. Don`t always pick the worst case scenarios. Listen to your favorite music and try to relax. Every form of distraction will help. The more you focus on your symptoms, the worse it will get. To answet your question, yes, i`ve convinced myself that i`m dying a thousand times, but deel down i know that i`s only my anxiety and nothing bad is going to happen

[Fishmanpa]

To answer the post on the night of Jan23rd this year when my heart stopped beating for 19 seconds,after having had a heart attack earlier that day. I obviously didn't know but was woken by the doctor/nurse, told what had happened and monitored closely in intensive care.

Been there done that! Nov. 2007 in the ER with my 1st heart attack. It was a funny weird feeling welling up from my belly and chest and I thought "This can't be good"... Next thing I remember is waking up. I was out for a bit until they brought me back.

Positive thoughts

[unsure_about_this]

in 2013 to 2014 probably every day at least twice some days, when I have bad abdominal pain thought I had one of the big c thanks to google and not trusting the doctors/gps. but I do have a health condition which could have cause the abdominal pain but nothing serious was found.

[Fallenangel76]

I'm struggling at the mo as I'm going through horrible thoughts that I'm dying and there is something wrong with my heart I had an episode a few weeks ago where my heart was doing 200bpm but by time got to hospital it had slowed down then it went very slow for a few days I'm now waiting to have a monitor but I'm so scared I'm going to die I get horrible night sweats and haven't slept prop for weeks it's just awful I can't snap out of that I'm ok

[GingerFish]

Lost count how many times! Currently in the 'appendicitis' fear at the mo even though I have very little pain, it isn't constant, can still eat etc - my brain wont switch off the fact that no! It must be appendicitis!

The last time I fully convinced myself I was dying was at the start of summer this year. I suffer from migraines a lot but I usually just the headache and nausea, the only kind of aura I get beforehand usually is just not feeling quite right and very tired but in this case, I had the migraine - the pain went away and then I got the visual aura for the first time and I went numb down one side and it scared the absolute crap out of me. I was outside when it happened too which made it even scarier. I tried to call NHS24 but they were shut because the GP surgeries were still open (it was 5:25pm when it happened to they would be shutting in 5 mins which is why I thought I would be better calling NHS24 instead) I managed to get through to my surgery and I explained that I thought I was having a stroke or something but they said because I am only 23 it wouldn't have been that. Even though they were closing, a kind doctor agreed to see me. As soon as I mentioned the dark spot and then the zig zag lines, he said instantly it was an aura and although terrifying, nothing to worry about. He also said he gets them too and they still scare him even though he knows what they are. That was the worst panic attack I ever took. Took me weeks to have the courage to go out again after that because all I could worry about is having another aura like that outside again.