Yoga*Lover
01-04-17, 16:43
Hi everyone
I'm having a really hard time with health anxiety right now. The past week has been hell. I have no idea what's caused this relapse but I really wish I could get through it and get back to 'normal'. It all started last week when I got cellulitis on the bridge of my nose. I was on oral antibiotics for this but my eye became a little swollen so went back to GP. He wasn't concerned but said if the swelling didn't stop then I would have to be admitted for IV antibiotics.
That night I started panicking about my eye and stupidly googled complications of cellulitis and became paranoid about cavernous sinus thrombosis. I then started to feel like I was getting pain in my eye and developed palpitations and felt like my heart was going to burst. Ended up in a&e with tachycardia and chest pain. Had two ecgs which were normal and all my bloods were fine. They gave me antibiotics and fluids just incase and then I was sent home.
I then became obsessed with the palpitations and was scared I was having a heart attack. Ended up back in a&e the following night - further ecgs were normal but they kept me in because of how anxious I was. Had a chest X-ray and a VQ scan which were all clear and was discharged the next day.
Since this I have been a nervous wreck. I became obsessed with my breathing and feeling like I couldn't get a deep enough breath. I've gone from worrying about heart failure to bowel cancer to brain aneurysm. My GP ensures me it is anxiety and I've been started on sertraline but I can't shake this fear. I'm so frightened all the time and I can barely eat or sleep. I'm so scared something will happen to me in the night. My latest worry is an aneurysm or brain tumour as I keep experiencing mild shooting pains in the right side of my head, above my ear and in my cheek around my eye. Sometimes I feel these pains when I'm lying down. I also keep waking up with a strange sensation in my head, as if I'm on the verge of being dizzy but not and sometimes a pulsing sensation. I have been clenching my jaw most of the day so I'm aware this could be causing the pain but my mind keeps wondering. My ears are also ringing.
I've never had anxiety attacks this bad. I feel desparate and doomed. Dr has signed me off work for 2 weeks because I'm a nurse and there's no way I could switch off my mind and look after others right now. I keep crying and I'm convinced something is wrong. I'm 26 years old - just want to be enjoying myself and can't. Sorry for the long post. Health anxiety is so lonely 😳 Xx
I'm having a really hard time with health anxiety right now. The past week has been hell. I have no idea what's caused this relapse but I really wish I could get through it and get back to 'normal'. It all started last week when I got cellulitis on the bridge of my nose. I was on oral antibiotics for this but my eye became a little swollen so went back to GP. He wasn't concerned but said if the swelling didn't stop then I would have to be admitted for IV antibiotics.
That night I started panicking about my eye and stupidly googled complications of cellulitis and became paranoid about cavernous sinus thrombosis. I then started to feel like I was getting pain in my eye and developed palpitations and felt like my heart was going to burst. Ended up in a&e with tachycardia and chest pain. Had two ecgs which were normal and all my bloods were fine. They gave me antibiotics and fluids just incase and then I was sent home.
I then became obsessed with the palpitations and was scared I was having a heart attack. Ended up back in a&e the following night - further ecgs were normal but they kept me in because of how anxious I was. Had a chest X-ray and a VQ scan which were all clear and was discharged the next day.
Since this I have been a nervous wreck. I became obsessed with my breathing and feeling like I couldn't get a deep enough breath. I've gone from worrying about heart failure to bowel cancer to brain aneurysm. My GP ensures me it is anxiety and I've been started on sertraline but I can't shake this fear. I'm so frightened all the time and I can barely eat or sleep. I'm so scared something will happen to me in the night. My latest worry is an aneurysm or brain tumour as I keep experiencing mild shooting pains in the right side of my head, above my ear and in my cheek around my eye. Sometimes I feel these pains when I'm lying down. I also keep waking up with a strange sensation in my head, as if I'm on the verge of being dizzy but not and sometimes a pulsing sensation. I have been clenching my jaw most of the day so I'm aware this could be causing the pain but my mind keeps wondering. My ears are also ringing.
I've never had anxiety attacks this bad. I feel desparate and doomed. Dr has signed me off work for 2 weeks because I'm a nurse and there's no way I could switch off my mind and look after others right now. I keep crying and I'm convinced something is wrong. I'm 26 years old - just want to be enjoying myself and can't. Sorry for the long post. Health anxiety is so lonely 😳 Xx