cerridwen
09-01-16, 19:09
Hello
Just thought I'd introduce myself. I have been a member of No Panic for a long time and I have been hanging around the message boards reading about other people's experiences. It makes me feel less lonely with this health anxiety that has me in a vice like grip.
I am a 50 year old woman from North Gloucestershire. I have been suffering from various forms of anxiety (GAD, panic attacks and health anxiety) for about 35 years. On and off, of course, The intensity of anxiety comes and goes but it's always there at a low level. I am married, no kids, one very affectionate cat😺.
I am academically well qualified and I am a practising scientist. This, you would think, would make health anxiety easier to deal with, but I have come to realise that health anxiety is just not rational, so it doesn't seem to originate in the part of my brain, the scientific part, that can be analytical and logical. So I am afraid that most of the time it controls me, not the other way around.
Over the last year my health anxiety levels have been really bad. My mum died of breast cancer in 2014 and I am utterly convinced that I have the disease despite having no symptoms. The logical part of my brain tells me I have no symptoms when I check myself (about 20 times a day) but I still don't believe it. I did speak to my GP six months ago and she was very understanding but I am not on meds and not seeking reassurance at the moment from anyone. The not seeking reassurance is hell but I am determined to not feed the anxiety. So no Dr Google........
Anyway, that's me! I love reading your posts, I will be hanging around here some more and maybe contributing a few comments. Thank you for such a great resource.
Cerridwen😄
Just thought I'd introduce myself. I have been a member of No Panic for a long time and I have been hanging around the message boards reading about other people's experiences. It makes me feel less lonely with this health anxiety that has me in a vice like grip.
I am a 50 year old woman from North Gloucestershire. I have been suffering from various forms of anxiety (GAD, panic attacks and health anxiety) for about 35 years. On and off, of course, The intensity of anxiety comes and goes but it's always there at a low level. I am married, no kids, one very affectionate cat😺.
I am academically well qualified and I am a practising scientist. This, you would think, would make health anxiety easier to deal with, but I have come to realise that health anxiety is just not rational, so it doesn't seem to originate in the part of my brain, the scientific part, that can be analytical and logical. So I am afraid that most of the time it controls me, not the other way around.
Over the last year my health anxiety levels have been really bad. My mum died of breast cancer in 2014 and I am utterly convinced that I have the disease despite having no symptoms. The logical part of my brain tells me I have no symptoms when I check myself (about 20 times a day) but I still don't believe it. I did speak to my GP six months ago and she was very understanding but I am not on meds and not seeking reassurance at the moment from anyone. The not seeking reassurance is hell but I am determined to not feed the anxiety. So no Dr Google........
Anyway, that's me! I love reading your posts, I will be hanging around here some more and maybe contributing a few comments. Thank you for such a great resource.
Cerridwen😄