View Full Version : Back with a bang again - please help!
I'm fearing a pulmonary embolism. I have had mild mild chest ache on and off since yesterday and I so worried I'm going to die soon. I just read another article that cropped up on Facebook and now I'm petrified (not pill related) I'm 25, female not on meds. Anxious yes but otherwise ok I bleive. Had blood done recently.
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Heart rate is 66bpm
Why do you think you have a pulmonary embolism.
Are you in therapy or taking meds? If not, put your computer away, and go to the doctor right now. Honestly. This is maddening.
Josh why is it maddening.
Still awaiting therapy. Lost me once been referred again by a nurse. Haven't been home for a week so may have letter who knows.
And I have tight chest. I also read about it then felt this.
It definitley is maddening. Especially when I'd Been doing ok, even off these sites for almost a week!
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Ella, I'm one of those serial posters. Annoys some people but we leave it be because it causes unnecessary drama :) xx
Stop reading FB.
It's not good for you.
That is all I'm going to advise you. Get off social media until you are stronger.
Im sorry you are feeling this way xxx we are all going through different stages of this anxiety and like you im going through a rough patch myself thinking there is all sorts wrong with me but we are stronger than we think because we deal with this every day xxxx I don't google or read anything health wise on Facebook because like you if I read it ill have it. Its a horrible illness to deal with.xx
Thank you lovely, I hope you're well.
MyNameIsTerry
04-05-16, 23:20
It's worth you blocking those articles until you are ready for exposure work in your therapy. Permanent blocking is reinforcement of anxiety but early on some avoidance can help reduce anxiety a bit so you can gain some ground. See what your therapist thinks too because excessive avoidance is something that had made my recovery so much harder and I think it can be a fine line at times.
Remember you saying using written methods to challenge your thinking was helping? This is exactly the time when you need to practice it in order to rationalise, re frame and build self reassurance.
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Are you in therapy or taking meds? If not, put your computer away, and go to the doctor right now. Honestly. This is maddening.
Why not just give advice, Josh? Attaching our personal feelings when they are negative is adding unnecessary elements and encouraging disputes. Click off, basically the same advice you just gave Reb.
I've not got lookog for these articles Terry for once there's one about the pill circulating my Facebook and then a few others. I Was doing well on my own so hoping therapy gives me that push.
MyNameIsTerry
04-05-16, 23:27
Elen mentioned a way to block certain things off her feed on Savvy_Darling's thread yesterday. Might be worth a look?
It will be some time before you can prevent your reaction to these unexpected triggers. Initially being able to tackle the obsessions you are aware of is what you can do and then you will be stronger in moving onto the surprises.
For instance with the freckle issue I showred happily without checking and was almost over it. I was very telaxed over the weekend as I was busy and distracted and when I did think I shrugged them off. Then I saw that darn article and here I am! X
Nicholebear
04-05-16, 23:55
You post here so much. You can't live your life in fear! Think about it, let's say in a few years you are diagnosed with something like cancer. Do you want to waste your healthy years fretting over every little thing you feel in your body? What will you have accomplished? You might as well not worry about it, because one day you will die. Wouldn't you rather live your life without worrying about things that aren't real? You've been to the doctor so many times, you probably are in the clear for a long time! What is actually hurting you is the amount of unnecessary stress you're putting on yourself. The more you quit worrying, the more your symptoms will diminish. At this point I suggest deleting your account here. At my worst I had to have my internet browser disabled on my phone so I couldn't Google when I noticed a new symptom. If there were anything majorly wrong with you, trust me, there would be no doubt
It really isn't that easy or this site wouldn't exist. I like how its full of the wise and the worriers so we can balance each other out. I find myself commenting on others posts who I see are worried over something little and silly yet here I am.
I like to try and think of logical reasons I feel how I do. I know my triggers are health stories or someone Ill or dying. Someone I knoe has been diagnosed with stomach cancer but he's 67. I even found self googling it and I haven't done that in a while.
Health anxiety is a battle and I think even the strongest of us flag at times. I've seen a few posts of those who push me back up from my lowest recently.
I appreciate your reply though Nichole and hope you're doing well :)
MyNameIsTerry
05-05-16, 00:09
I think the fact you were able to distract yourself and tackle the trigger without worry tells me that you may not be quite so severe afterall. I know at my worst my issues were 24/7 for many months and there was no distraction, nothing worked back then.
Obviously still continue the therapy route, and a therapist will find your break encouraging as it will show an ability to engage in therapy, but try to work on it like that too. Reduce overall anxiety levels, it does cause OCD to calm down from it's fever pitch if you can achieve it, acknowledge how to didn't react to a known trigger with negative reaction (and document it, add it add evidence to your Thought Records), keep the breaks going and the distraction.
You can work on the unexpected triggers once you are in a better place.
Thanks Terry! I've always had my own back on the severity of it. It's defintely not mild and has gotten worse but i like to think I have a good chance of getting ilover the HA.
Sometimes with my 5 different illness concerns at once I take a step back and give self a pep talk. I'm that sassy friend we all need ha.
ServerError
05-05-16, 01:12
One thing I've noticed with you, Reb, is that you'll say you were doing well and not worrying about things, and then something came along to remind you or trigger something new.
Well, I think that's understandable. Anxiety doesn't just go away in one go. It's a process and it takes time and you have to be prepared to work on it. You're doing the right thing by seeking therapy. It's a shame you have to wait. But in the meantime, learn not to give yourself such a hard time over the fact stuff comes along to set you back. Try not to attach too much meaning to the better moments or the worse moments. Knowing that you can't chase anxiety away in one go, be prepared to accept that it will rise and fall. And be prepared to go easy on yourself.
You say you think you have a good chance of getting over health anxiety. Well, I'm absolutely sure that recovery is possible for you. Do you ever go in the success stories forum? That might be a better place than Google for you. But nobody is beyond help, and everybody has recovery in them. I'm no expert and I'm running out of ideas as to how to help you myself, but that's only because of how fixed your anxiety spiral is right now.
You need to start breaking that spiral. CBT will hopefully help you with that process, but you have to take some responsibility for it yourself. One thing you should bear in mind is that you've been born with an advantage that gives you a great chance of being healthy for a long, long time - you're a woman. In the UK we're not that far off the average life expectancy for women reaching 90 years. My grandma has just turned 90 and she's never had a major health issue. She still drives, for crying out loud. I suspect she'll outlive me! This is just an anecdote, of course, but the point is, being a young women means you stand a great chance of being healthy. Imagine being a man - even those who reach 90 generally start to fall apart by about 50!
There's so much you can do to give yourself the best chance of avoiding any nasty illnesses. You have a melanoma fear. Well, look after your skin. Wear sunscreen and keep out of the blazing hot sun. You have dark sin* if I remember rightly, so you should be fine there. You mentioned pulmonary embolism today. Live a healthy lifestyle and keep active and you'll probably never need to worry about this. It generally affects the overweight or inactive as it requires a bloodclot to form. If you eat well and keep active, you have a good chance of living a long life. It really is that simple. Nobody can tell you that nothing will ever happen, but the greatest extent to which you can take things into your own hands is to take advantage of the bonus of being a woman: look after yourself. Eat well, exercise and enjoy a little of what you fancy here and there. And don't ever become a man. It's much worse.
Think about what all your worrying is doing to you now. In a way, you are unhealthy, in that you have a condition that is affecting your life so much. By that, I don't mean you're physically unwell, so don't panic. I just mean that you're allowing yourself to end up in the position you fear anyway. It's so important to get out there and live. By constantly worrying like this, aren't you kind of killing yourself in a way? Yeah, you're functioning, but you're ruining the life you've been given. And yet recovery really is out there for you.
Nothing I or anyone says will make anxiety go away overnight. I expect you to keep posting threads because I know you can't stop. I'm not expert enough to advise you on how to stop doing it, but I know you need to truly start working on this. If I can get better, you definitely can. You probably think I must be stronger than you, or that my anxiety isn't as bad. Well, I would wager that I'm a probably a weaker person than you, and my anxiety has been bad enough for me to require hospitalisation. I recovered by seeking the right help and practicing acceptance of my situation. I refused to stop my life. I continue to wish you all the best and will share with you any advice I can in the future if you need it. But really, what you need most is yourself.
*obviously I meant dark skin but I wanted to leave it in as it sounds amazing and makes you sound intriguing and a bit scary.
MyNameIsTerry
05-05-16, 02:51
Well my dad is mid seventies and worked hard all his life and smoked through most of it. He still does physical work now for a bit of cash. Up until he had to retire from full time work he was still doing a very physical job along men half his age. He's one of many, I'm sure.
It's not just about the numbers.
One of his brothers lived into his nineties and passed away a couple of years ago. Several of his sisters have not made it into their nineties, more mid-to-late eighties.
Personally, I'm not sure I even want to live that long anyway given how my health could be and how I could need round the clock nursing. So, I don't dwell on the numbers or the downsides. If I was born a few generations back beyond my dad, I would have been lucky to make it into my sixties.
Oh and there are men running marathons and more at over 50.
It's bloody annoying. I'm sat here feeling fine and the office talks about cancer. Morbid yes but now my mind wants to google and check.
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Also, my mom went to pick up my pills and they said I need to see doctor first. I was like oh probably annual pill Check but then remembered I had blood tests and no worry something is wrong.
I had rang up at the time and the receptionist said it was all normal but I still worry.
Beckie4567
05-05-16, 14:21
Its hard to see as you remind me very much of myself a few months back I was in a very bad place posting everyday afraid of my symptoms I decided that enough was enough I needed to get out of this .i tryed cbt and it didn't really help me as much as I hoped.so I had no choice to try meds.(please don't be afraid to except help from meds its amazing how many people take them) .I've started the meds bout 2 and a half months ago and feel alot better doing cbt with it.don't get me wrong I don't think ill ever be cured bout they've def eased my anxiety and starting to feel myself again if u ever need to chat private message me.i no only to well what its like take care ��
Its hard to see as you remind me very much of myself a few months back I was in a very bad place posting everyday afraid of my symptoms I decided that enough was enough I needed to get out of this .i tryed cbt and it didn't really help me as much as I hoped.so I had no choice to try meds.(please don't be afraid to except help from meds its amazing how many people take them) .I've started the meds bout 2 and a half months ago and feel alot better doing cbt with it.don't get me wrong I don't think ill ever be cured bout they've def eased my anxiety and starting to feel myself again if u ever need to chat private message me.i no only to well what its like take care ��
Beckie, I can't tell you how happy I am to see this post and you finally taking control of your anxiety. I know how difficult it was for you to take the first steps but it's quite apparent you're making great progress. Your posts are markedly different and calmer. Looking back at your post history, it's amazing what the last two+ months of meds and therapy has done for you. Truly, I'm so pleased to see this. Keep up the good work!
Reb... Please, please listen to Beckie. Look back at her history. You'll see a lot of replies by me urging her to get help. I was tough on her too as nothing seemed to get through at all. Many, many others did the same thing and the reaction was uncannily similar to yours as she went right back into the dark hole of her fears. People got very frustrated as well.
You can treat this. You can gain control but it's truly up to you to do so. I know you're on a waiting list for CBT but based on what I and many others see, you should at least consider meds in the mean time as well as a self help CBT on-line course. There are many that are helpful. I know you're vehemently against meds but ask Beckie... she was the same way. If you're fearful of SSRIs, there are several non-SSRIs that may help. I have a chill pill I can take when things get a little rough from "scanxiety" (Buspar). I can start and stop without the side effects of going on and coming off SSRIs. It's really helped me when I needed it.
Anyway... I'm probably talking to the hand here but as I said in a previous post, I can only hope some of the words get through and make a difference.
Again Beckie. Great going girl! :yesyes: Show the dragon who's boss!
Positive thoughts
Beckie4567
05-05-16, 17:42
Thankyou fishmanpa I really was in a bad place still have bad days but no where near how bad that I was.have the suggested meds to u reb ?
Nope, not on meds and still opposed to them. Glad to see they work for others but I'm almost a hippy on that sense.
ServerError
05-05-16, 19:37
Yeah, those clean-living hippies. No mind-altering substances for them.
MyNameIsTerry
05-05-16, 22:42
Buspar isn't licenced over here for long term use although I've seen some people on it via a psychiatrist. There is a lack of clinical evidence for it working long term. And they do have a side effect profile, just a lesser one. A GP may offer it short term like they do Benzo's but they won't go with it long term as the guidelines are quite clearly the SSRI route.
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Thankyou fishmanpa I really was in a bad place still have bad days but no where near how bad that I was.have the suggested meds to u reb ?
Some people must be eating their words now eh Beckie? Maybe now they realise the complexity of mental health issues but sadly Reb's had some of it too.
It's great to see you getting somewhere.
Beckie4567
05-05-16, 23:42
What do u mean Terri ?
MyNameIsTerry
06-05-16, 00:01
That it is indeed possible to exhibit anxiety the way you did and equally that you wanted to get better. Now you have taken the step forward and have seen how your life can improve hence why you can show Reb how much it affected you, that it can be how anxiety manifests in some and that it can also be recovered from.
It's worth you blocking those articles until you are ready for exposure work in your therapy. Permanent blocking is reinforcement of anxiety but early on some avoidance can help reduce anxiety a bit so you can gain some ground. See what your therapist thinks too because excessive avoidance is something that had made my recovery so much harder and I think it can be a fine line at times.
Remember you saying using written methods to challenge your thinking was helping? This is exactly the time when you need to practice it in order to rationalise, re frame and build self reassurance.
---------- Post added at 23:20 ---------- Previous post was at 23:16 ----------
Why not just give advice, Josh? Attaching our personal feelings when they are negative is adding unnecessary elements and encouraging disputes. Click off, basically the same advice you just gave Reb.
That was advice. She needs meds and therapy, ASAP.
MyNameIsTerry
06-05-16, 00:48
That was advice. She needs meds and therapy, ASAP.
Yes, that part was. Whether she needs meds is a personal decision and a matter of assessment but it's certainly possible.
I just don't understand why the need for the frustration? It's not Reb's fault her referral has been lost. She's been very clear about what had happened and that she has been referred again, now she goes in the queue with the rest.
Health anxiety is a battle and I think even the strongest of us flag at times. I've seen a few posts of those who push me back up from my lowest recently.
I had 9 months almost HA free. Last night was the only night I didn't have a panic attack in around 5 weeks. I flagged big time and I've been working on my HA for years.
I am now back in the wellbeing service, this time trying to work on triggers for the future and a top up of CBT. I didn't think I would end up here again. I knew it would be a life time struggle but I didn't think I would flag quite this hard again.
Reb, you are only at the beginning of trying to get better and haven't had therapy yet, so you are still likely to have bad days no matter how hard you try, but slowly you will notice you have had better moments and those better moments are something to celebrate. I was over the moon that I didn't have a panic attack last night. I am having a small one right now but I'm enjoying the good moments when they come because eventually you will notice the good moments turns into good days and so on.
So enjoy your good moments when you have them and celebrate them because with how ill you are they are huge achievements. Like Terry said, eventually you will need to be able to deal with 'triggers' but right now keep off social media if it's worrying you. I can't avoid things that scare me due to my job but if anything that has made things better, avoidance causes more fear in the long run but I agree with Terry that until you are having therapy blocking websites that trigger you might be useful.
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