Feeling messed up. Venting here. Stress? Allergies?

[Towelie]

Hi all,

So I've been suffering from some back pain and all kinds of muscle tension and aches for a few months now. But recently I've had some indigestion and bloating, cramping, gas. Went to the Doctor and got bloodwork done and I'm trying nexium while I wait for results. Now I have butterflies in my chest sometime when I breathe deep, I feel a little nauseous, still all the muscle aches, headaches, but the most worrisome thing, along with chest pain, is this sort dizzy feeling and brain fog that comes and goes. I've noticed for months but it hasn't been super frequent but the last 2 days it has been on and off all day. Now I'm supposed to wait 2 weeks to follow up with my doctor but I'm tempted to go to a walk in. I feel like I need a full MRI to put my mind at ease from worrying about tumors and cancer :(

I do my best to change my thinking and try not to worry but it just sucks feeling this way. Haven't felt healthy for more than a couple days in the last 6 months.

One thought I've had is that I'm repressing emotions at work (trying not yell at my boss) and causing a ton of stress and that's causing all of my symptoms. Or I'm eating something my body doesn't like. My whole health anxiety started getting bad around 2 years ago when i became allergic to the sun (which was shortly after starting this job). Since then I've become allergic to chlorine as I get the exact same rash when I use a hot tub. Soo weird, why me you know? It's like by the time I'm 40 I'll be allergic or intolerant to everything good in life. I'm 26 btw.

Anyways, I'm enrolled in an online course to hopefully break into another industry and relieve some stress if that's what's causing it. Feel free to chime in if you have any advice. Thanks for reading!

[sam93]

Hi Towelie,

I can totally relate to your situation. I've had chest pains and abdominal pain, including the butterflies in chest. I've had chest x-rays, ECGs, blood tests, urine tests, been prodded and poked, been listened to through a stethoscope, had an ultrasound and every single thing has come back fine.

I'm afraid it's the nature of anxiety. And today, I posted a thread about how my hand is a slightly different colour. So even though I've had all of these tests, it hasn't put my mind at rest.

What I'm saying is that you're probably fine, but health anxiety is a vicious circle that goes from one symptom to another. Others may have a way to help you forget about it, I've found giving yourself something to look forward to takes my mind off of it. I've been watching a series on Netflix and look forward to getting hope after work, cooking and watching another episode.

Positive thoughts and best wishes :)

[Towelie]

Thanks for the reply. A little reassurance goes a long way. Feeling a lot better mentally after listening to the podcast posted in the stickies and reading your reply.

[sam93]

A huge part of this is mentality! So I'm glad you're feeling a better. ]

I've written myself a little letter which lists all of the reasons I'm not ill, including test results, and a general reality check on things. I read it whenever I think I'm about to spiral. Maybe you should give that a go too :)