ElectricAlice
17-03-17, 08:34
So someone awesome mentioned to me on here once when I was struggling with one sided sensory issues that Carol Vorderman had an episode of this too.
You've probably seen my posts regarding my struggles with MS fears; buzzing in my left foot, numbness in my left hand, tingling in the left side of my face, perceived weakness, etc, etc... along with my inability to accept Dr's/specialists/scans.
So I looked up what happened and this is the article: HERE (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1090135/My-Countdown-meltdown-Carol-Vorderman-reveals-toll-forced-Channel-4.html)
But some bits that stood out for me are:
'[I]She woke up unable to move, fearing she might have had a stroke. 'I had gone numb all down my right side,' she says. 'I couldn't feel anything touching my arm, and my skin was cold. I was terrified. I went to hospital, and it turned out to be an extreme physical reaction to tremendous stress.'
'All the worry had been building up for weeks and, on that particular morning, my body just couldn't take any more. It was so scary, because I was thinking, "I'm here with the kids, they depend on me", and I couldn't comprehend what was happening. I knew I had to get to hospital, where they did a whole battery of tests, including an MRI scan to see if there was anything on my brain'
'I was so stressed that I kept getting my numbers wrong.'
I don't know why, but I find all this extremely useful information, and very reassuring. Because a lot of us on here always think to ourselves 'if I had just gotten THIS test or THIS test I would feel okay' - and I'd bet that Carol Vorderman got ALL the tests under the sun due to being able to afford top medical care. There is also another article where she talks about her vision was blurry in one eye and she felt sick too.
If this was me, or many other HA sufferers, I'm sure we would have, understandably so, worried about these symptoms, googled them - and therefore the symptoms most likely would have stuck around and persisted, or even returned.
I hate my anxiety relapses. I personally can be feeling absolutely fine and then BAM - out of nowhere- they return, along with my symptoms. I always say to myself 'next time I won't google', but as soon as I feel a slight tingle or a weird sensation, or brain fog - I start to obsess and my anxiety levels peak and the symptoms stick around usually for a couple months.
I've decided I need to stop seeking reassurance for my symptoms. Sure - they are annoying - but do they actually get in the way of daily life? No. But do you know what does get in the way of daily life? ANXIETY. Obsessing over MS. Googling. More obsessing. Seeking reassurance. Not being able to focus on my kid, my relationship or anything else.
I need to understand that I could get ANY illness tomorrow, there is NO certainty in life, and I have to be okay with this. Health anxiety thinks it needs 100% certainty to go away, but the reality is, there is no such thing as that. Because life isn't certain. We need to accept this in order to heal.
So method A: Google, research, seek reassurance, get medical tests, obsess, think you have a medical illness, believe it - keep doing this and see how much better it makes you feel?
Method B: Understand you have anxiety, work on your anxiety, go for walks, do yoga, STOP [for the love of God] GOOGLING, stop body checking/scanning, stop reassurance seeking, accept your symptoms fully, BELIEVE it is stress and anxiety causing these things, understand and accept the uncertainty of life, live in the moment and BREATHE.
I bet method B will make you feel a lot better.
:yesyes: :hugs:
You've probably seen my posts regarding my struggles with MS fears; buzzing in my left foot, numbness in my left hand, tingling in the left side of my face, perceived weakness, etc, etc... along with my inability to accept Dr's/specialists/scans.
So I looked up what happened and this is the article: HERE (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1090135/My-Countdown-meltdown-Carol-Vorderman-reveals-toll-forced-Channel-4.html)
But some bits that stood out for me are:
'[I]She woke up unable to move, fearing she might have had a stroke. 'I had gone numb all down my right side,' she says. 'I couldn't feel anything touching my arm, and my skin was cold. I was terrified. I went to hospital, and it turned out to be an extreme physical reaction to tremendous stress.'
'All the worry had been building up for weeks and, on that particular morning, my body just couldn't take any more. It was so scary, because I was thinking, "I'm here with the kids, they depend on me", and I couldn't comprehend what was happening. I knew I had to get to hospital, where they did a whole battery of tests, including an MRI scan to see if there was anything on my brain'
'I was so stressed that I kept getting my numbers wrong.'
I don't know why, but I find all this extremely useful information, and very reassuring. Because a lot of us on here always think to ourselves 'if I had just gotten THIS test or THIS test I would feel okay' - and I'd bet that Carol Vorderman got ALL the tests under the sun due to being able to afford top medical care. There is also another article where she talks about her vision was blurry in one eye and she felt sick too.
If this was me, or many other HA sufferers, I'm sure we would have, understandably so, worried about these symptoms, googled them - and therefore the symptoms most likely would have stuck around and persisted, or even returned.
I hate my anxiety relapses. I personally can be feeling absolutely fine and then BAM - out of nowhere- they return, along with my symptoms. I always say to myself 'next time I won't google', but as soon as I feel a slight tingle or a weird sensation, or brain fog - I start to obsess and my anxiety levels peak and the symptoms stick around usually for a couple months.
I've decided I need to stop seeking reassurance for my symptoms. Sure - they are annoying - but do they actually get in the way of daily life? No. But do you know what does get in the way of daily life? ANXIETY. Obsessing over MS. Googling. More obsessing. Seeking reassurance. Not being able to focus on my kid, my relationship or anything else.
I need to understand that I could get ANY illness tomorrow, there is NO certainty in life, and I have to be okay with this. Health anxiety thinks it needs 100% certainty to go away, but the reality is, there is no such thing as that. Because life isn't certain. We need to accept this in order to heal.
So method A: Google, research, seek reassurance, get medical tests, obsess, think you have a medical illness, believe it - keep doing this and see how much better it makes you feel?
Method B: Understand you have anxiety, work on your anxiety, go for walks, do yoga, STOP [for the love of God] GOOGLING, stop body checking/scanning, stop reassurance seeking, accept your symptoms fully, BELIEVE it is stress and anxiety causing these things, understand and accept the uncertainty of life, live in the moment and BREATHE.
I bet method B will make you feel a lot better.
:yesyes: :hugs: