Hello from Derbyshire, England

[Darkfire]

Hello folks :)
well! this forum & site is a bit of a revelation isnt it?!

I have no formal diagnosis yet (of health anxiety.....or anything else for that matter) but my GP has suspected/hinted/suggested I suffer from anxiety for a while. I didnt believe him. Certainly, didnt see the horrendousness of my recent few weeks coming!

I'm 41, mom of 3 (1 older, 2 under 2!!) live with my fiancee in the beautiful Derbyshire Peak District (this would be wonderful, if I wasnt so afraid of leaving the house lol)

I didnt even know this condition existed let alone can do all the things its currently doing to me! But, having spent a couple of days reading, researching - and finding much comfort - here, Its time to accept I DO have HA! The Doc has put me on meds this week but I cant say they've kicked in yet (please, hurry up!)

Gotta be honest though, it definitely has me in its grasp - new symptoms, new fear / panic about some new sensation I'm feeling and its almost constant! No idea where this is coming from or what has triggered it but its scary as hell :( I spend the day battling my own head.

I wouldnt wish this on my worst enemy if I'm honest but am so glad I found this site - jst knowing there are others out there who are experiencing similar is reassuring that I am not actually losing my mind :)

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya Darkfire and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[poppy77]

Hi Darkfire!

Welcome to the forum, it's a great forum with a wealth of info.

I think you are doing well, acceptance that you have anxiety and doing something about it is the first step on the road to recovery.

You mention having 2 children under 2. Are you possibly suffering from post natal health anxiety? I suffered from this after the birth of my third child (I've just turned 40 and gave birth to her in July 2015 and major health anxiety happened around Nov/Dec 2015, peaking in Jan 2016, when family pushed me to seek help). I'm fine now (health anxiety still a little in the background but the CBT techniques help me to quell it and avoid Google - it's a gradual thing I think) and I've been off Sertraline since September 2016 (I was on them for around 9 months, although probably should have stayed on for a little longer).

This is a great site to give help and advice.

Xxx

[Darkfire]

hi & thank you :)

Poppy - i have no idea, its entirely possible, as I *think* the anxiety comes from being acutely aware of own mortality / older parent / I am ultimately responsible for the babies regardless of age.

I dont feel I spend much time feeling worried or anxious generally though - and this is where I get confused - as I get anxious about the sensations I'm already experiencing, the more I focus on them, the worse they get, leading to absolute blind panic.

Who knew you can psychologically manifest the physical symptoms of the health issues you fear most!?

My GP just calls it anxiety & I assume there will be more exploration as I'm due a review in a few days. I feel that the Sertraline has perhaps started to do its stuff today as I havent spent the whole day convinced I'm dying - its 'there', lurking, popping up every so often as intrusive thoughts, but somehow I've kinda ignored it or focussed on something else. Go me! lol :)