View Full Version : Balance (I was doing so well)
*am doing so well. Just want clarification here.
I have had a brilliant day. Fighting the anxious thoughts, felt very happy. Then my boys mom said she's been feeling dizzy so I decided to to do balance tests....
Heel toe test is normal
Balance on leg eyes open - really easy, 1 minute plus
Romberg test - normal, slight sway but nothing major
Close eye touch nose test normal
Balance on leg eyes closed I wobble and this worries me. I can do it for like 5-6 seconds and then I wobble. Does this mean any sort of lesion? Or is this normal. Internet seems to say my age group should hold for 30 seconds!?
brucealmighty
26-08-16, 23:27
I think if anyone tried this level of testing they`d wobble, you sound fine to me,
don`t let these thoughts creep in again you were doing well. you`re not feeling dizzy so I`m not sure why you`d think of doing balance tests but anyway, head up and carry on.
I wouldn`t fancy standing on both feet with my eyes shut without smashing into something so I think you`ve done rather well.
I had been feeling slightly lightheaded with tension headaches on and off. I'm worried now.
brucealmighty
26-08-16, 23:38
I can`t help you. I hope you stop worrying soon.
ServerError
26-08-16, 23:40
Sorry to see you're back to worrying. It's very hard when it's become a relentless habit. The problem is, sheer force of will and positive thinking are rarely enough on their own. You do need to seek help for your anxiety. I'm aware you're waiting for CBT. I wonder if you should consider postponing Korea until you can get your CBT done.
After all your struggles, walking away from the forum and from compulsively checking and posting is going to be hard to do. One way or another you need real world help.
I understand Server and I am confident enough that I can do this. But I ended up testing my balance and now one poor result is scaring mex
ServerError
27-08-16, 00:02
Personally, I believe that having people respond directly to your worries is not helpful to you. In fact, we know it isn't. For that reason, I won't say anything about them. All I will say is what I've said before - you can't live like this. You do have something wrong with you - anxiety and OCD. These conditions need treating.
My results are the same as a 70 year old lol :/
I can do all the rest well! I can balance eyes open for ages.
---------- Post added at 00:33 ---------- Previous post was at 00:20 ----------
More I try the longer I can stand for? Just did a 14 seconds and then 10
Should I be concerned?
---------- Post added at 10:06 ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 ----------
I understand you're all annoyed with me but this doesn't seem normal. It's my birthday in two days and I don't want to be worrying.
brucealmighty
27-08-16, 11:12
hope you can put these thoughts to the back of your mind and enjoy your birthday.
I had a look round some other forums to see if there was anything that might help you and there`s a girl on anxiety zone with very similar symptoms and worries, it might be worth joining and getting in touch with her to see if she can offer any advice or tips to get you over this rough patch, link is below
http://www.anxietyzone.com/index.php?topic=124541.10
sometimes it can help just knowing other people have at least gone through the same issues so good luck and I hope this helps you. and best wishes for your birthday on monday
Tanks Bruce but that's me on there too.
I have found articles that say if you can't do this then you've already had little strokes and have risk of a big stroke. I'm only young! I'm bloody scared now I've tried this.
hope you can put these thoughts to the back of your mind and enjoy your birthday.
I had a look round some other forums to see if there was anything that might help you and there`s a girl on anxiety zone with very similar symptoms and worries, it might be worth joining and getting in touch with her to see if she can offer any advice or tips to get you over this rough patch, link is below
http://www.anxietyzone.com/index.php?topic=124541.10
sometimes it can help just knowing other people have at least gone through the same issues so good luck and I hope this helps you. and best wishes for your birthday on monday
I don't know if you're aware, but that poster is helenhoo, she's using another name and posing the same questions on other anxiety forums.
Helenhoo, what results are you expecting from doing these tests? Where did you learn them?
What you have performed on yourself is not a basic neurological exam, it is a very thorough exam that can only be properly assessed by a trained physician. It is not about how long you can keep your balance, it's about the methods you use to retain your centre of Gravity, how your body reacts to different challenges etc. This is why it must be observed by someone who knows what they are doing.
You, on the other hand, have no idea what you're doing and are simply using little bits of sketchy info from God knows what websites. This is just silly on your behalf, you are doing nothing more than self harming. You are actually wanting to find some kind of fault, so you can go back to being worried.
There's nothing wrong with you. Please stop this, you really are acting like someone who wants to be told that they're seriously ill.
---------- Post added at 12:21 ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 ----------
Tanks Bruce but that's me on there too.
I have found articles that say if you can't do this then you've already had little strokes and have risk of a big stroke. I'm only young! I'm bloody scared now I've tried this.
Can you please PM me a link to these articles? I'd like to see who said this.
Have sent it to you Gary
You didn't read it properly, did you?
If you can stand on one leg with your eyes closed for 15 seconds, with a bit of practice, then you are completely and utterly normal.
By the way, the Daily Mail is well known for posting hysteria about health risks, I reckon it's responsible for about 50% of HA sufferers, if not more so.
In short, you have certainly dug into the Internet to find something to worry you, which is very counter productive, and not only that, you have simply latched on to the parts that confirm your worst fears and ignored that parts that actually confirm that you're perfectly normal.
This is really becoming tiresome. Stop reading obscure articles, stop searching out this rubbish, and stop testing yourself. You are NOT HELPING yourself, you are hindering yourself at every turn and then turning to everyone here to debunk some random crap you've managed to drum into yourself.
Help us to help you, for goodness sake.
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 14:18
In short, you have certainly dug into the Internet to find something to worry you, which is very counter productive, and not only that, you have simply latched on to the parts that confirm your worst fears and ignored that parts that actually confirm that you're perfectly normal.
And that's a good example of several of the Cognitive Distortions. It's exactly how it works and why CBT is successful in educating people to look for their negative thinking patterns.
Learning them helped me greatly. Combine it with a Thought Record and it's an exercise is assessing your thinking about something that guides you through coming up with counterevidence.
With my eyes open yes but eyes closed I just about get to 14 at a push, some tries I'm like 4 seconds. I feel like my head is a bit tight and worry I'm dizzy now.
I'm trying to help me. I did so well fighting the worries and using logic.
With my eyes open yes but eyes closed I just about get to 14 at a push, some tries I'm like 4 seconds. I feel like my head is a bit tight and worry I'm dizzy now.
I'm trying to help me. I did so well fighting the worries and using logic.
No you didn't. You lasted about two days and off you went again trying to scare yourself.
So now it's dizziness? :weep:
In the last month you've went from "phantom smells", to schitzophrenia and apparently hearing voices, to balance issues and now dizziness.
At what point do you begin to realise that none of your worries are realistic? At what point do you actually listen to the advice you're given across multiple anxiety forums?
Every time an explanation is put forth that should put your worries to bed, you just brush past it and create something else. Why are you doing this?
Seriously, just stop it.
That worked for me Terry. I'm capable of taking control and I can understand your concerns considering how bad I have been/can be. I just got a little worried. I have had slight lightheaded feeling but not described like anything on the net (for once) just feels right around my head and shoulders. I'm not like 'woah I'm dizzy' or 'I feel I'm gonna faint' just a 'that feels a tiny bit woozy.
You can get through this! I too have some worries right now that I am trying to rationalize out and fight. This HA is a battle, that's for sure.
It's hard because I get over the smells by finding logic and reasoning behind it. While obsessed with smells I found articles about schizophrenia (of which at the time didn't think of again) but then this eventually became a worry, I then use logic here. I'm 98% over this one now. I go back and forth to brain tumour worries, always. I've even read that dizzy with tumours isn't a 'oh' it's more like a holy shit.
It's hard because I get over the smells by finding logic and reasoning behind it. While obsessed with smells I found articles about schizophrenia (of which at the time didn't think of again) but then this eventually became a worry, I then use logic here. I'm 98% over this one now. I go back and forth to brain tumour worries, always. I've even read that dizzy with tumours isn't a 'oh' it's more like a holy shit.
And therein lays the problem. "I read". If you have such a history of finding and reading things that scare you, then why do you repeatedly do it?
You are giving yourself these battles, nobody else.
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 14:35
Every time an explanation is put forth that should put your worries to bed, you just brush past it and create something else. Why are you doing this?
That would be a first for me. Some anxiety sufferers might be like that but my observation of this forum, and at the charity walk-in groups, is that is takes a lot more than an explanation to prevent an obsession, and just a fear alone.
Reb is going to have problems like this, I would be astounded if she didn't. Even if she was moving forward in recovery, she will have blips and end up back in places like this. We all do.
That would be a first for me. Some anxiety sufferers might be like that but my observation of this forum, and at the charity walk-in groups, is that is takes a lot more than an explanation to prevent an obsession, and just a fear alone.
Reb is going to have problems like this, I would be astounded if she didn't. Even if she was moving forward in recovery, she will have blips and end up back in places like this. We all do.
That doesn't make it right.
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 14:44
That worked for me Terry. I'm capable of taking control and I can understand your concerns considering how bad I have been/can be. I just got a little worried. I have had slight lightheaded feeling but not described like anything on the net (for once) just feels right around my head and shoulders. I'm not like 'woah I'm dizzy' or 'I feel I'm gonna faint' just a 'that feels a tiny bit woozy.
One thing that anxiety sufferers can get a lot of is muscular tension. I get this in my neck and traps and it gives me dizziness, lightheaded feelings, strange funny heads, etc.
I get loads of it like that, it's become a main symptom for me these days.
You are going to get triggered by things, Reb. If you didn't, you wouldn't have OCD to me. It just doesn't go over night, I spent years working against obsessions & compulsions. I'm still working on obsessions now, 4 years on! I just don't talk about it much.
---------- Post added at 14:44 ---------- Previous post was at 14:40 ----------
That doesn't make it right.
I don't understand your point? This forum is full of people who don't get an explanation and then go off to enjoy the rest of their day. They may not post about it, but they still have the issue.
Like I said, I spent YEARS trying to rid myself of obsessions & compulsions and 4 years on I'm still working on them. I'm pretty normal in that respect on the OCD board and on the GAD board there are people like me (9 years with GAD now).
Why isn't it right? So, with my Magical Thinking OCD someone giving me the explanation that my thoughts wouldn't cause someone to be harmed because I don't have those kind of powers, would have made me say "oh, cool, I'll forget that then". I knew they were wrong, I didn't understand what was happening to me, I spent over a year getting rid of thoughts like that. When anxiety has created new core beliefs, it takes time to create new ones to mothball them.
That's just how obsessions work. They take time & effort to dismantle. Everyone on here has blips, they post and we talk about it. I'm yet to come across anyone on here who hasn't had blips.
:shrug:
One thing that anxiety sufferers can get a lot of is muscular tension. I get this in my neck and traps and it gives me dizziness, lightheaded feelings, strange funny heads, etc.
I get loads of it like that, it's become a main symptom for me these days.
You are going to get triggered by things, Reb. If you didn't, you wouldn't have OCD to me. It just doesn't go over night, I spent years working against obsessions & compulsions. I'm still working on obsessions now, 4 years on! I just don't talk about it much.
---------- Post added at 14:44 ---------- Previous post was at 14:40 ----------
I don't understand your point? This forum is full of people who don't get an explanation and then go off to enjoy the rest of their day. They may not post about it, but they still have the issue.
Like I said, I spent YEARS trying to rid myself of obsessions & compulsions and 4 years on I'm still working on them. I'm pretty normal in that respect on the OCD board and on the GAD board there are people like me (9 years with GAD now).
Why isn't it right? So, with my Magical Thinking OCD someone giving me the explanation that my thoughts wouldn't cause someone to be harmed because I don't have those kind of powers, would have made me say "oh, cool, I'll forget that then". I knew they were wrong, I didn't understand what was happening to me, I spent over a year getting rid of thoughts like that. When anxiety has created new core beliefs, it takes time to create new ones to mothball them.
That's just how obsessions work. They take time & effort to dismantle. Everyone on here has blips, they post and we talk about it. I'm yet to come across anyone on here who hasn't had blips.
:shrug:
Oh ok, I'll try again.
Helenhoo, what you're doing is perfectly ok. Keep it up. :yesyes:
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 14:48
Oh ok, I'll try again.
Helenhoo, what you're doing is perfectly ok. Keep it up. :yesyes:
Seriously? :doh:
So, you haven't noticed all the other forum members on here going through the exact same issues? Blips are very common around here.
Ok, sarcasm really isn't helping.
I think Helenhoo is showing an ability to work through it. Helenhoo, you said yourself you are 98% over this one and that's actually really good!
In my personal experience with my own HA, the reading and googling is similar to an OCD behavior. We compulsively check our bodies, and then need to find reassurance by reading. It's all part of the condition. It's not something that I think needs to be shamed, but gently reminded that it feeds the condition.
I still fall victim to it even though I am doing well with my HA. Just now I gave in a googled a health issue I am dealing with that I haven't experienced before. I am not posting about it on here, but it's a very real part of HA that we have to fight over and over again. It's definitely not easy and I've been dealing with my own HA for a long time.
I mean would you shame somebody with panic disorder for having a panic attack?
Seriously? :doh:
So, you haven't noticed all the other forum members on here going through the exact same issues? Blips are very common around here.
So what? Does that mean we shouldn't point out that despite the fact we all know it's anxiety, or OCD or whatever, that we can't attempt to make the poster aware of it and show them their faulty thinking patterns?
We just chalk it up to "a blip" and just let them carry on regardless?
I'm actually failing to see you're point altogether here. No I don't expect me to wave a magic explanation and for the OP to skip off on her merry way, not at all. I'm attempting to show her that the way she's thinking is wrong and the way she responds to explanations is also wrong.
Why is that an issue?
I COULD name a few members who I see post daily but I won't do that. I am aware that I am not the best at responding and I know I tend to overlook responses non of which I have done on purpose. I have felt better because of the support from members. And not in 'there there poor you' but I have had stern telling offs from a few of you that make me realise I'm being ridiculous but when I'm feeling like this it's hard to not come to a site. I've said before, I'd rather strangers think I'm a bleep or expletive than worry.
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 15:01
So what? Does that mean we shouldn't point out that despite the fact we all know it's anxiety, or OCD or whatever, that we can't attempt to make the poster aware of it and show them their faulty thinking patterns?
We just chalk it up to "a blip" and just let them carry on regardless?
I'm actually failing to see you're point altogether here. No I don't expect me to wave a magic explanation and for the OP to skip off on her merry way, not at all. I'm attempting to show her that the way she's thinking is wrong and the way she responds to explanations is also wrong.
Why is that an issue?
But the point is - your expectation is unrealistic. It's a fundamental of OCD. Just because someone tells you that your obsession is irrational and holds no logic doesn't mean you stop being stuck in that cycle. It might take you some time working with various strategies to beat that issue, it won't come from someone on a forum telling you why you don't have X, Y or Z. I find this is where the HA board struggles with OCD, and that's been my observation for a long time. On the OCD board, this would all be understood since it's very basic.
And the point about blips is that when you are working on recovery, you have setbacks. We call them blips. Bumps in the road. Times when we are triggered and struggle. We talk about them and how they are transient, how we all experience them because recovery isn't a smooth curve.
I'm not sure why I'm explaining this, we all know this on here - we talk about them all the time across all the boards.
Why does she repeatedly do it? Because it's compulsive. To stop that means beating it through hard work & time. I understand that because I've educated myself about how OCD works and worked on understanding my own.
And as swgrl said, your sarcasm really isn't needed. I appreciate you are having a hard time at home and I hope your dad has a full & speedy recovery (and if you need support, we are here for that and some members have had heart attacks) but I find this very negative and at times, demeaning.
I COULD name a few members who I see post daily but I won't do that. I am aware that I am not the best at responding and I know I tend to overlook responses non of which I have done on purpose. I have felt better because of the support from members. And not in 'there there poor you' but I have had stern telling offs from a few of you that make me realise I'm being ridiculous but when I'm feeling like this it's hard to not come to a site. I've said before, I'd rather strangers think I'm a bleep or expletive than worry.
I'll just leave this here.
---------- Post added at 15:10 ---------- Previous post was at 15:08 ----------
With that, I'm out of this one.
Hopefully the next time Helenhoo posts you guys might respond to her rather than waiting for someone else doing so then jumping on them and telling them how wrong their approach is.
Good luck.
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 15:11
Well, that's up to Reb. If she wants her arse kicking. I don't see much point in asking basic questions that are answered by reading the an introduction to OCD on any charity website. :shrug:
But then, she does also seem to be learning to work with her thoughts little by little but we can't expect a reassurance-seeking pattern to disappear over night.
Well, that's up to Reb. If she wants her arse kicking. I don't see much point in asking basic questions that are answered by reading the an introduction to OCD on any charity website. :shrug:
But then, she does also seem to be learning to work with her thoughts little by little but we can't expect a reassurance-seeking pattern to disappear over night.
I don't Terry, I just don't see a point in encouraging it.
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 15:16
I'll just leave this here.
---------- Post added at 15:10 ---------- Previous post was at 15:08 ----------
With that, I'm out of this one.
Hopefully the next time Helenhoo posts you guys might respond to her rather than waiting for someone else doing so then jumping on them and telling them how wrong their approach is.
Good luck.
Well, again assumption. I wasn't saying your approach was wrong, other than the sarcasm which is against forum rules for a start, but trying to explain that what Reb is displaying is actually common and can be answered simply by reading about how OCD works. I don't understand why such questions are being asked, anyone who understands OCD already knows the answers. Getting frustrated over what is just a fundamental part of OCD makes no sense at all to me, it's going to be present in people with OCD so you just accept it and push on with the rest.
---------- Post added at 15:16 ---------- Previous post was at 15:15 ----------
I don't Terry, I just don't see a point in encouraging it.
Me neither. But understanding & accepting it as already being there due to the cycles of the persons disorder isn't encouraging anything. I simply expect it because it's reasonable to. I don't see anyone telling Reb to keep posting & seeking reassurance, quite the opposite in fact.
Well, again assumption. I wasn't saying your approach was wrong, other than the sarcasm which is against forum rules for a start, but trying to explain that what Reb is displaying is actually common and can be answered simply by reading about how OCD works. I don't understand why such questions are being asked, anyone who understands OCD already knows the answers. Getting frustrated over what is just a fundamental part of OCD makes no sense at all to me, it's going to be present in people with OCD so you just accept it and push on with the rest.
---------- Post added at 15:16 ---------- Previous post was at 15:15 ----------
Me neither. But understanding & accepting it as already being there due to the cycles of the persons disorder isn't encouraging anything. I simply expect it because it's reasonable to. I don't see anyone telling Reb to keep posting & seeking reassurance, quite the opposite in fact.
My approach is my approach. If admin think it's wrong I'm sure they won't be shy in telling me. I'll be the first to admit I don't understand OCD, perhaps I could learn about it, I agree, but you need to remember you're going to be far more empathetic to the condition because you live with it. I don't, and never have.
I've been thinking about it as an addiction (which is clearly is): getting "sober" feels weird. You aren't engaging in a behavior which is familiar and gives you a particular reward, however unsatisfying. Not engaging in these behaviors (drug of choice) can feel super unsettling...unsafe, even. Over time, you learn how to live without it, find healthy outlets, rediscover LIFE. You have to strengthen muscles (mental, emotional, physical) you've allowed to atrophy through addiction (checking, monitoring, obsessing, googling, etc.).
But, addicts know that they are prone to relapse during times of stress, sickness, even good times...they can forget their limits. They think, "Just one won't hurt"...and for many, that one brings them RIGHT back to the old familiar habits, albeit damaging, that made them so unhappy and unhealthy in the first place.
I do realize there is an OCD component to this, I share some of that. But the above analogy is helpful in detaching from the behavior itself, seeing it from a different angle. I have gone a long time without acute health anxiety (scanning internet and body, jumping from one malady to the next, etc.) so I think I forgot I'm still an "addict." For some of us, the internet cannot ever be used for health purposes. I know I have to go back to those tough rules I had for myself. I have to keep up with reasonable, regular checkups. I put my dates on the calendar for regular check ups and be DONE with it. I will not CHECK. If I have a question, I will write it in a notebook for that particular doctor and I cannot CANNOT CANNNNNNNNOOT research it, look up pictures, palpitate myself or any stupid bump or perform idiotic tests on myself when I am NOT a physician--but I am intelligent enough to know unequivocally when something is wrong with my body without having to search for it. I have to chose to trust my doctors and mySELF. I don't NEED to google, I already have enough information.
We have to be very strict. We cannot indulge the addiction. EVER.
Another thing that has also helped me is meeting with friends, helping others in true need, getting OUT of myself. It's amazing what investing in others can do gain perspective.
(I say all this from personal experience. YMMV.)
Gary, I've read a lot of your posts, and I find them really helpful and reassuring, but I'm further along in my recovery than Helen. I have been in her situation, moving from one symptom to another desperate for reassurance, driving my husband crazy with asking if he thinks my symptoms are normal.
I really don't want to offend you, because as I've said, reading your past replies to others has really helped me, and would love to carry on reading your posts they give me a good kick up the a***. I don't think it's helpful for you or Helen for you to comment on her posts. There's plenty of us that are willing to speak to her, you don't need to keep involved, just bypass her posts.
Please lets not get in to one of those spirals again.
Best wishes Gary
Gary, I've read a lot of your posts, and I find them really helpful and reassuring, but I'm further along in my recovery than Helen. I have been in her situation, moving from one symptom to another desperate for reassurance, driving my husband crazy with asking if he thinks my symptoms are normal.
I really don't want to offend you, because as I've said, reading your past replies to others has really helped me, and would love to carry on reading your posts they give me a good kick up the a***. I don't think it's helpful for you or Helen for you to comment on her posts. There's plenty of us that are willing to speak to her, you don't need to keep involved, just bypass her posts.
Please lets not get in to one of those spirals again.
Best wishes Gary
I agree actually.
Helenhoo herself has commented saying that she finds approaches like mine more helpful, but I do accept that won't be the case for everyone.
I get frustrated when I see positives then boom, we're back to square one. I want nothing more than to be a solution, I want to get people like Helenhoo to delve into her logical side. Perhaps that's too simplistic, but hey, I've never claimed to be an expert, I just offer what I feel is right and hope the poster takes it on board.
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 15:30
My approach is my approach. If admin think it's wrong I'm sure they won't be shy in telling me. I'll be the first to admit I don't understand OCD, perhaps I could learn about it, I agree, but you need to remember you're going to be far more empathetic to the condition because you live with it. I don't, and never have.
The forum rules are the forum rules. We should abide by them, Admin shouldn't be expected to police us all, they haven't got the resources. Being direct doesn't breech forum rules, I meant your response to me when I was trying to explain about how anyone with OCD (or who has read about it) already knows that a rational explanation doesn't halt an obsession and it's corresponding compulsions. The response was inflammatory and there was no need for it, don't you realise it looks immature?
I knew nothing about OCD when mine started, Gary. I thought it was all hand washing, hoarding & checking locks as that's all I had seen in the media. I had to spend time learning it to understand what I was going through and that I wasn't losing my mind. I felt like I had no control, a big part of that was the GAD being so high.
I never had OCD until a out 4 years ago. A SNRI med caused it and it all kicked off within weeks. It happens, I know other people on here who have been triggered this way.
Reb will find that anything stressful will likely ramp up her OCD, that's a common one OCD sufferers talk about. The SK trip being a very obvious one there. But she found some respite in the tools that Primula gave her and I would encourage her to focus on those more & more, get into distracting activities that take up plenty of time too, add in periods of relaxation techniques to get her body & mind used to being relaxed more. It all helps.
I don't expect the posting to stop, it's possible, but I'm savvy enough to know people head to other forums anyway, out of sight out of mind for NMP then. What I find encouraging is that the more recent posting is changing back to previous posting where more discussion by Reb was apparent.
The forum rules are the forum rules. We should abide by them, Admin shouldn't be expected to police us all, they haven't got the resources. Being direct doesn't breech forum rules, I meant your response to me when I was trying to explain about how anyone with OCD (or who has read about it) already knows that a rational explanation doesn't halt an obsession and it's corresponding compulsions. The response was inflammatory and there was no need for it, don't you realise it looks immature?
I knew nothing about OCD when mine started, Gary. I thought it was all hand washing, hoarding & checking locks as that's all I had seen in the media. I had to spend time learning it to understand what I was going through and that I wasn't losing my mind. I felt like I had no control, a big part of that was the GAD being so high.
I never had OCD until a out 4 years ago. A SNRI med caused it and it all kicked off within weeks. It happens, I know other people on here who have been triggered this way.
Reb will find that anything stressful will likely ramp up her OCD, that's a common one OCD sufferers talk about. The SK trip being a very obvious one there. But she found some respite in the tools that Primula gave her and I would encourage her to focus on those more & more, get into distracting activities that take up plenty of time too, add in periods of relaxation techniques to get her body & mind used to being relaxed more. It all helps.
I don't expect the posting to stop, it's possible, but I'm savvy enough to know people head to other forums anyway, out of sight out of mind for NMP then. What I find encouraging is that the more recent posting is changing back to previous posting where more discussion by Reb was apparent.
Fair enough. Sarcastic post was pretty poor. My apologies.
I'm actually going through quite a big blip a the moment, and if I posted all the things that were going through my head at the moment, I expect a lot of people reading would think"that's ridiculous" why can't she see that.
The difference for me Helen is that I know what I have to do, and that means NO googling symptoms, no checking myself, even if I have to sit on my hands. It isn't easy but just doing something different breaks the spell. A few yoga stretches, some relaxation, and trying to focus on something else. It's not easy, and some days will be good and some will be crap, but keep going.
Captain irrational
27-08-16, 15:34
Balance on leg eyes closed I wobble and this worries me. I can do it for like 5-6 seconds and then I wobble. Does this mean any sort of lesion? Or is this normal. Internet seems to say my age group should hold for 30 seconds!?
I just tried this myself. Was wobbling all over the place like a drunkard. And to be honest, that's hardly surprising. Standing on one leg with your eyes closed is not something we naturally do in our day to day lives, if ever. So of course it's going to be difficult, it's something our bodies are totally not used to doing.
Seems like a silly test to me really and I fail to see what it proves.
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 15:37
I've been thinking about it as an addiction (which is clearly is): getting "sober" feels weird. You aren't engaging in a behavior which is familiar and gives you a particular reward, however unsatisfying. Not engaging in these behaviors (drug of choice) can feel super unsettling...unsafe, even. Over time, you learn how to live without it, find healthy outlets, rediscover LIFE. You have to strengthen muscles (mental, emotional, physical) you've allowed to atrophy through addiction (checking, monitoring, obsessing, googling, etc.).
But, addicts know that they are prone to relapse during times of stress, sickness, even good times...they can forget their limits. They think, "Just one won't hurt"...and for many, that one brings them RIGHT back to the old familiar habits, albeit damaging, that made them so unhappy and unhealthy in the first place.
I do realize there is an OCD component to this, I share some of that. But the above analogy is helpful in detaching from the behavior itself, seeing it from a different angle. I have gone a long time without acute health anxiety (scanning internet and body, jumping from one malady to the next, etc.) so I think I forgot I'm still an "addict." For some of us, the internet cannot ever be used for health purposes. I know I have to go back to those tough rules I had for myself. I have to keep up with reasonable, regular checkups. I put my dates on the calendar for regular check ups and be DONE with it. I will not CHECK. If I have a question, I will write it in a notebook for that particular doctor and I cannot CANNOT CANNNNNNNNOOT research it, look up pictures, palpitate myself or any stupid bump or perform idiotic tests on myself when I am NOT a physician--but I am intelligent enough to know unequivocally when something is wrong with my body without having to search for it. I have to chose to trust my doctors and mySELF. I don't NEED to google, I already have enough information.
We have to be very strict. We cannot indulge the addiction. EVER.
Another thing that has also helped me is meeting with friends, helping others in true need, getting OUT of myself. It's amazing what investing in others can do gain perspective.
(I say all this from personal experience. YMMV.)
Addiction and OCD are not connected. It may appear that way but that's not what the medical professionals say. Addiction is about reward/pleasure-seeking, OCD isn't. And there are OCD sufferers with different themes that worry intensely about that very thing, that they are seeking it out - they are not.
There is a compulsion that crops up called testing. This occurs where the sufferer basically tries to recreate their fear response to the obsession to check that it is still based on fear, revulsion, guilt, etc. What they sometimes find is the response isn't what they expected and this triggers fear for them as they believe they are becoming the monster they dread becoming.
These cases are more for the OCD board though, but they absolutely are not seeking it out, they are terrified of it. HA people with OCD are more into the body scanning, Googling, chasing for symptoms to scare themselves so it can appear more like an addiction but it's obsessive-compulsive, which is different because of the lack of pleasure/reward. There are some disorders based on reward-seeking like compulsive hair pulling or compulsive skin picking that fit into the reward-seeking behaviour style. Your doctors have reclassified them under OCD Spectrum Disorder now, but we use the WHO manual which has retained them with things like gambling addictions.
Right now for exmpale, I have slight headache but I also have some congestion so assuming, logically, it's sinus. For me my triggers are those horror stories you read on DM like 'I saw 7 doctors and nobody noticed a, b or c.'
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 15:39
I'm actually going through quite a big blip a the moment, and if I posted all the things that were going through my head at the moment, I expect a lot of people reading would think"that's ridiculous" why can't she see that.
The difference for me Helen is that I know what I have to do, and that means NO googling symptoms, no checking myself, even if I have to sit on my hands. It isn't easy but just doing something different breaks the spell. A few yoga stretches, some relaxation, and trying to focus on something else. It's not easy, and some days will be good and some will be crap, but keep going.
Definitely. Reb mentioned how she found your tools helpful and I think she would be best concentrating on things like that again.
I doubt anyone would think things you were thinking are ridiculous. It's all like that really on this forum, so it would be hypocritical.
I agree actually.
Helenhoo herself has commented saying that she finds approaches like mine more helpful, but I do accept that won't be the case for everyone.
I get frustrated when I see positives then boom, we're back to square one. I want nothing more than to be a solution, I want to get people like Helenhoo to delve into her logical side. Perhaps that's too simplistic, but hey, I've never claimed to be an expert, I just offer what I feel is right and hope the poster takes it on board.
I do understand how frustrated you feel, but I also know how hard it is for Helen, and how it appears to others who haven't experienced what us HA people do. The things I've done in the past in an attempt to get reassurance make me curl up with embarrassment.
Your commonsense down to earth replies are spot on, but I feel dismayed when you use sarcasm. Please don't do it.
Btw, do you have a medical background, because your explanations of symptoms are wonderfully clear and concise. :)
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 15:41
Fair enough. Sarcastic post was pretty poor. My apologies.
Ok, fair enough. Have a man hug :hugs::blush::ohmy::D
I understand he connection to addiction and in fact likened them in the past. In that same example 'just one won't hurt' sometimes I'll find myself googling and I don't even feel anything wrong. It then sends me in to panic because i had that symotom that once etc etc. Longest I've lasted WITHOIT Google in last year? Five days. Bad huh? Even when I was phone less id use others tablets and laptops and delete the history because I told them I wasn't using it to google symptoms. Just like look back to cervical cancer worry and my melanoma worry (remember how bad I was?!) I want o look back at all my worries. It's hard having HA. You always worry whether this is now a time to worry for real or if it's serious?
---------- Post added at 15:46 ---------- Previous post was at 15:42 ----------
And I am continuously grateful for responses despite frustrations, believe me. I want to be the one helping.
---------- Post added at 15:46 ---------- Previous post was at 15:46 ----------
And Prim hope you're well.
Definitely. Reb mentioned how she found your tools helpful and I think she would be best concentrating on things like that again.
I doubt anyone would think things you were thinking are ridiculous. It's all like that really on this forum, so it would be hypocritical.
Thank you Terry, I also find your posts very helpful, and have bookmarked the links on the bottom of your posts. :D
Addiction and OCD are not connected. It may appear that way but that's not what the medical professionals say. Addiction is about reward/pleasure-seeking, OCD isn't. And there are OCD sufferers with different themes that worry intensely about that very thing, that they are seeking it out - they are not.
There is a compulsion that crops up called testing. This occurs where the sufferer basically tries to recreate their fear response to the obsession to check that it is still based on fear, revulsion, guilt, etc. What they sometimes find is the response isn't what they expected and this triggers fear for them as they believe they are becoming the monster they dread becoming.
These cases are more for the OCD board though, but they absolutely are not seeking it out, they are terrified of it. HA people with OCD are more into the body scanning, Googling, chasing for symptoms to scare themselves so it can appear more like an addiction but it's obsessive-compulsive, which is different because of the lack of pleasure/reward. There are some disorders based on reward-seeking like compulsive hair pulling or compulsive skin picking that fit into the reward-seeking behaviour style. Your doctors have reclassified them under OCD Spectrum Disorder now, but we use the WHO manual which has retained them with things like gambling addictions.
I've read that, but I disagree and believe, at least in some cases, there is very clear overlap.
I don't mean reward in a traditional "pleasure" center sense, but there is often similar neuro reaction. Over time, however painful and dreaded, even that behavior offers a sense of relief.
There is no doubt there are differences, for sure, but there are also obvious similarities. Ultimately, none of us are her doctor or therapist, though many of us are educated and have similar experiences. Not one of us can claim to be an expert because none of us are her doctors. We're all simply keyboard analysts here, taking stabs in the dark. Carry on!
I understand he connection to addiction and in fact likened them in the past. In that same example 'just one won't hurt' sometimes I'll find myself googling and I don't even feel anything wrong. It then sends me in to panic because i had that symotom that once etc etc. Longest I've lasted WITHOIT Google in last year? Five days. Bad huh? Even when I was phone less id use others tablets and laptops and delete the history because I told them I wasn't using it to google symptoms. Just like look back to cervical cancer worry and my melanoma worry (remember how bad I was?!) I want o look back at all my worries. It's hard having HA. You always worry whether this is now a time to worry for real or if it's serious?
---------- Post added at 15:46 ---------- Previous post was at 15:42 ----------
And I am continuously grateful for responses despite frustrations, believe me. I want to be the one helping.
---------- Post added at 15:46 ---------- Previous post was at 15:46 ----------
And Prim hope you're well.
Thank you Helen, I'm ok, just blipping a bit, but I KNOW I will get through it using the tools I've learned. You will get through this too, but you have to do the hard work. :hugs:
It's hard having HA. You always worry whether this is now a time to worry for real or if it's serious?
This is very true.
Captain irrational
27-08-16, 15:54
Right now for exmpale, I have slight headache but I also have some congestion so assuming, logically, it's sinus. For me my triggers are those horror stories you read on DM like 'I saw 7 doctors and nobody noticed a, b or c.'
Seriously, stay away from The Daily Mail and any of that ilk. They are absolute poison.
Seriously, stay away from The Daily Mail and any of that ilk. They are absolute poison.
^^^^ that.
The Daily Mail has scared the crap out of me one more than one occasion I agree with the above comments.
I understand he connection to addiction and in fact likened them in the past. In that same example 'just one won't hurt' sometimes I'll find myself googling and I don't even feel anything wrong. It then sends me in to panic because i had that symotom that once etc etc. Longest I've lasted WITHOIT Google in last year? Five days. Bad huh? Even when I was phone less id use others tablets and laptops and delete the history because I told them I wasn't using it to google symptoms. Just like look back to cervical cancer worry and my melanoma worry (remember how bad I was?!) I want o look back at all my worries. It's hard having HA. You always worry whether this is now a time to worry for real or if it's serious?
I get that, completely. And not checking makes you feel unnatural, and even more panicked because you have this sense that if you aren't in the watchtower scanning for threats (checking, googling) you'll miss that ONE thing. It's a constant loop.
But use your own history to your advantage, along with self- discipline and ADDING healthy distractions. So, 1. recall and remind yourself of the past concerns and how they were resolved, 2. Make an action plan for health (preventative and regular doc appointments) and do not self-diagnose, LEAVE IT, trust docs and yourself more. 3. Replace! Replace those idle times spent obsessing with other engaging activities. Find busy work. Spend all your energy in the gym. Do a service project in your community. Join a book club. Worry loves a vacuum. What you eliminate, you must replace.
These are my rules. I got really lazy and "relapsed."
---------- Post added at 10:58 ---------- Previous post was at 10:57 ----------
Clearly I fail at quotations.
^^^^ that.
Agree, DM has been my downfall on more than one occasion. Thankfully I know better than to believe the rubbish it prints now.:yesyes:
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 16:03
I've read that, but I disagree and believe, at least in some cases, there is very clear overlap.
I don't mean reward in a traditional "pleasure" center sense, but there is often similar neuro reaction. Over time, however painful and dreaded, even that behavior offers a sense of relief.
There is no doubt there are differences, for sure, but there are also obvious similarities. Ultimately, none of us are her doctor or therapist, though many of us are educated and have similar experiences. Not one of us can claim to be an expert because none of us are her doctors. We're all simply keyboard analysts here, taking stabs in the dark. Carry on!
Well the point of the compulsion is to relieve the anxiety. It doesn't always follow that way, but it's the idea.
I think I get what you are saying, I just tend to be clear in the difference because I'm used to discussing it on the OCD board where the obsession is not usually health but mostly intrusive thoughts which can be about harming loved ones, abusing children, etc and those people need it clear.
The difference is the driver, the OCDer is trying to stop/mitigate/relieve but the addict is chasing the high. The high comes from Dopamine, the reward system. Anxiety is more GABA to calm down or Serotonin, etc.
But I agree with the principal that they can appear outwardly similar. Digging into the detail and reading what the experts say is the difference is the important part for me.
Agree, DM has been my downfall on more than one occasion. Thankfully I know better than to believe the rubbish it prints now.:yesyes:
They're actually pretty hysterical about everything. The link PM'd to me by helenhoo had the headline "IF YOU CANT BALANCE ON ONE LEG FOR TWENTY SECONDS YOU'VE HAD A SILENT STROKE!!!!"
I know that's not true, and I honestly would love the medical world to get on to them and tell them how hysterical they are.
MyNameIsTerry
27-08-16, 16:08
Thank you Terry, I also find your posts very helpful, and have bookmarked the links on the bottom of your posts. :D
Thanks Primula. I'm glad if it helps.
I had a look at the site you gave Reb and thought it was very useful.
On the subject of the Daily Mail, at some point they are going to run out of possible causes for cancer and end up printing "reading the DM gives you cancer". Russell Howard dots a sketch about the DM's many claimed causes where he played them back to back, it's quite funny.
Thanks Primula. I'm glad if it helps.
I had a look at the site you gave Reb and thought it was very useful.
On the subject of the Daily Mail, at some point they are going to run out of possible causes for cancer and end up printing "reading the DM gives you cancer". Russell Howard dots a sketch about the DM's many claimed causes where he played them back to back, it's quite funny.
Yes it's a great website, it doesn't overload you with information, which I think is really important for treating Health Anxiety and GAD.
I'll take a look at that sketch.
---------- Post added at 16:24 ---------- Previous post was at 16:20 ----------
They're actually pretty hysterical about everything. The link PM'd to me by helenhoo had the headline "IF YOU CANT BALANCE ON ONE LEG FOR TWENTY SECONDS YOU'VE HAD A SILENT STROKE!!!!"
I know that's not true, and I honestly would love the medical world to get on to them and tell them how hysterical they are.
Ha, ha , ha. I've read that one, have to confess I tried it myself a while back. Fell over, but then remembered I broke my left ankle a few years ago, and my balance has never fully returned. :roflmao:
brucealmighty
27-08-16, 16:32
back in high school about 400 years ago there was a trick played on us new starters where a well meaning older boy would say that it had been on the news that if your right hand was bigger than your face you`d only live to be 21 - so you`d open up your shaking little paw and dutifully put it against your face only for them to punch the back of your hand.
lovely people - but the daily mail reminds me of them with their random tripe. coffee is great for you one week, then it will give you heart disease. fruit is a life saver, but its too sugary. drink 844 gallons of water a day, oh no hold up - it`ll dilute your salts and stop your heart. take vitamin e to thin your blood - or don`t, it can cause a stroke.
the sunday sport is a much more reliable read, aliens found in huddersfield, elvis working on a building site in wigan, and a double decker bus found at the south pole:D
give or take certain things you are best just doing what feels right for you personally as long as it doesn`t harm others.
Yeah. 100% agree. DO NOT real any of the garbage the daily mail prints. It's sensationalist bullshit and its sole purpose is to make you worry.
When I first started I couldn't stop reading their articles, I can't believe they are allowed to get away with it to be honest.
I wonder how many of the 800+ views stood up and tried the balance thing.
I know I did
Haha what was your result? ;)
I didn't, but only because this was something I tried several years ago when my HA was at it's worst and I remember not doing well!! lol
My neurologist asked me to do this! Apparently I have excellent balance. Over 20 seconds!
Blimey - eyes closed?!
Eyes open I get up to 60 Seconds, closed highest I've got is 14.
first go I stopped at 18 seconds. its very similar to a golf swing balance exercise (just with eyes open).
then my wife had a go and she said its easier if you clench your core muscles and then did 30 seconds... so of course I had to do 30 seconds.
its good for improving your balance and small ankle/calf muscles.
fairly meaningless though some people are better are balancing than others and you can practice anyway.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.