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LadyHomeLover
14-07-16, 19:55
Hello new friends! I have just joined and after reading a few threads I am not sure if I have HA. Maybe y'all can "diagnose" me?

I do not spend time worrying that I have or might get this, that or the other illness or disease. I don't even think about my health unless I am actually ill at the time.

What I do get is the physical symptoms of a panic attack when the slightest thing goes wrong with my body. And that makes whatever it is worse, which makes me panic more, rinse and repeat until I am in a frenzy of panic, petrified and unable to think straight.

So, for example, I experienced an episode of cardiac arrhythmia. I panicked and thought I was having a heart attack and dialled 999 for an ambulance. At hospital my heart put itself right and I felt a bit silly. Days later I told a friend and he said he gets it all the time and just ignores it, because it's harmless. He could not understand why I panicked.

Another example: I had really bad indigestion, for many hours, which didn't go away even with loads of antacid tablets, fizzy water, abstaining from food. I went into a panic attack, scared that my food had got blocked in my stomach and toyed with going to hospital to get my stomach pumped or something. When I told a friend he laughed and said, that's just indigestion, you silly sod.

Is this health anxiety, or panic syndrome? I don't seem to panic about anything else in my life, just when my body isn't working perfectly.

Thank you for any advice.

LHL

Carrie8484
14-07-16, 19:59
Definitely doesn't sound like health anxiety , more a panic disorder? But it does sound like you're on the milder end of the scale if that helps. How long have you had these panicky episodes?

LadyHomeLover
14-07-16, 20:38
Definitely doesn't sound like health anxiety , more a panic disorder? But it does sound like you're on the milder end of the scale if that helps. How long have you had these panicky episodes?

Oh, thanks for your opinion. I was thinking it was HA because it's always about my health and nothing else. For example, I don't panic if my smoke alarm goes off or I have to speak in public. It's just health.

I've had it since being rushed off to hospital a few times by ambulance, with asthma-like breathing difficulties, three years ago.

LHL