OutOfExile
10-06-17, 03:55
Hi All,
Long time lurker, first time poster. About 2 months ago I stumbled across a palpable lymph node, which sent me into a massive health anxiety spiral. My anxiety affected everything - my appetite, my performance at work, my focus on things at home, and I just couldn't seem to pull myself out of it. I'd stopped feeling like me, and my whole life was spent worrying about whether this was something sinister, despite medical assurances that what I was experiencing was't particularly concerning.
This had happened to me before several years ago, but this time, the difference was that I found the no more panic forum, which really turned everything around for me much more quickly than if I had been on my own.
From the posts on this site, I learned that (1) I wasn't dealing with anything exotic, (2) Lots of people had the same experience as me and turned out to be fine, and (3) If my doctor says I'm ok, then I need to believe him and move on with my life.
My lymph node (swollen, palpable, reactive, whatever you want to call it) is still there, but my health anxiety really isn't anymore - after using some techniques on this site and reading lots of other posters' experiences, I was gradually able to pull myself out of the rabbit hole, and have been back to feeling like myself again for last couple weeks.
Apologies for the long post - I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone on this forum, particularly those who spend time reassuring those of us experiencing panic over our lymph nodes. I'd like to stick around and pay it forward to any one I can. I know what a monster anxiety can be, how it can take over all the important parts of your life, and how it doesn't have to be that way
Long time lurker, first time poster. About 2 months ago I stumbled across a palpable lymph node, which sent me into a massive health anxiety spiral. My anxiety affected everything - my appetite, my performance at work, my focus on things at home, and I just couldn't seem to pull myself out of it. I'd stopped feeling like me, and my whole life was spent worrying about whether this was something sinister, despite medical assurances that what I was experiencing was't particularly concerning.
This had happened to me before several years ago, but this time, the difference was that I found the no more panic forum, which really turned everything around for me much more quickly than if I had been on my own.
From the posts on this site, I learned that (1) I wasn't dealing with anything exotic, (2) Lots of people had the same experience as me and turned out to be fine, and (3) If my doctor says I'm ok, then I need to believe him and move on with my life.
My lymph node (swollen, palpable, reactive, whatever you want to call it) is still there, but my health anxiety really isn't anymore - after using some techniques on this site and reading lots of other posters' experiences, I was gradually able to pull myself out of the rabbit hole, and have been back to feeling like myself again for last couple weeks.
Apologies for the long post - I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone on this forum, particularly those who spend time reassuring those of us experiencing panic over our lymph nodes. I'd like to stick around and pay it forward to any one I can. I know what a monster anxiety can be, how it can take over all the important parts of your life, and how it doesn't have to be that way