View Full Version : Real symptoms, how to control health anxiety
I've not been well since having our little girl. At first my iron was extremely low which caused all sorts of problems, I've also developed a really bad back in between my shoulder blades and a very sore/stiff wrist which I believe is all from feeding/holding baby.
Ive been gradually feeling worse each day so i went to see my GP who repeated bloods for my iron levels, these are the symptoms I told him of
Sensitivity to heat(sweating a lot for no reason)
Red hot cheeks & nose(lasts around 30 mins)
Dizziness and losing my balance(I fell over with this)
Extreme tiredness(cannot keep my eyes open by midday, even when I've had a full night's sleep)
Noticeable pounding heart, fast heart beat can be heard from my ears(had this during pregnancy)
My blood results shown that my iron was still low, he said not dangerously low but low enough to make me tired.
Also my blood pressure was 110/65 which I know is low and he said this could be making me feel faint. But he didn't seem concerned about it. My pulse was 96 and when I asked him why would it be that fast he said he's not concerned.
I have been really trying to keep my health anxiety at bay but when I'm feeling so rotten with no real answers it's so difficult for my mind not to wonder. All my GP has suggested is more rest, more water to raise blood pressure and eating more often. I am to go back in two Weeks to be checked again
I am glad that he isn't concerned, but no checks or tests have been done to come to that conclusion and im not sure if they quite get how bad I'm feeling. Should I go back and explain? Or is this going to start off a bad cycle.
Any advice welcome x
Have you been eating food with high iron? If he isn't concerned and that it's not dangerously low it's probably really nothing to worry about and the best you can do is try to eat healthier like he suggested until you see him again.
WiredIncorrectly
09-03-18, 12:58
If you're looking after a newborn that's going to hit you hard regardless of how much sleep you get. It's also quite possible your body is still adjusting to you not carrying a baby inside you :)
Try to stay positive (trust me, I know how hard that is). If the doctor isn't concerned you probably have nothing to worry about. Remember, doctors see this a lot and often.
Anxiousamyj
09-03-18, 13:49
I had to start seeing a chiropractor regularly after I had my kids. He has helped me so much with muscular type pain, as well as helping with nutrition and vitamins to help me feel better. MDs are great when there’s something really wrong, but if it’s something like you’re describing, a chiropractor could really help. Several of my friends see one as well and really like it and benefit from it.
MyNameIsTerry
11-03-18, 01:45
You had a major op to give birth (C-section for those who haven't seen your other threads) and I suspect that takes months to recover from. I think other mums mentioned that (pulisa?).
As long as your GP is monitoring and working on our iron levels I think you have to trust them on this as you are going through a typically physically & mentally draining time with a new baby alone let alone anxiety, another one for causing fatigue & many other annoying symptoms, but also this major op.
I've been trying to eat foods high in iron so hopefully that will help. I keep telling myself that it's just a long process, and my doctor said i just haven't recovered as quickly as others from pregnancy/section ect.
If things don't improve or get worse i will ask to test my hormones and thyroid, i'm just trying to take his advice at the minute and rest, he said even if you only manage to do one thing in a day, just not to push myself if i feel so weak and tired then i still need to rest.
Hopefully things will imrpove, it's just hard having anxiety on top of all this!
countrygirl
11-03-18, 16:47
Did your blood tests include thyroid function test. If you dont know then ask surgery and if not then ask about having one. I would hope that it has already been done and was normal. I was an advisor for thyroid advice charity and pregnancy can occasionally trigger thyroid problem and not all drs test for it.
Please dont worry as even if you did have a probkem with your thyroid its very easily treated.
Pregnancy and wrist soreness makes me think of carpal tunnel syndrome. Can you get a wrist brace over the counter like we can in the US? I wear one to sleep at night, and it really helps my wrist.
It also sounds like you might be having hot flashes, which can be hormonal. Being pregnant and giving birth really messes with your hormones. I second the suggestion to have your thyroid function checked.
I'm going to call the surgery tomorrow but i think all they tested was my iron levels, if so i will request a thyroid check for sure as there seems to be so many things out of whack, energy levels, sensitivity to heat, very dry skin, hoarse voice ect
MyNameIsTerry
12-03-18, 02:35
See what your GP thinks, they must deal with this constantly. They may have already decided to hold back on further tests or are monitoring. If you ask, they may do it knowing you are now asking about it when before it was something they kept in mind as doctors do rather than tell us everything.
See what your GP thinks, they must deal with this constantly. They may have already decided to hold back on further tests or are monitoring. If you ask, they may do it knowing you are now asking about it when before it was something they kept in mind as doctors do rather than tell us everything.
He did say when i got back in two weeks he will do a full post natal MOT so to speak, so guessing he just wants to give me more time to recover?
MyNameIsTerry
12-03-18, 13:04
He's probably hoping your body will recover given enough rest & time. Are you getting enough rest or are you not wanting your bloke to do so much? It's only natural to want to do everything you can and I remember you didn't want to be sitting around.
MOT eh? You've only just come down off the ramp! :winks:
Pregnancy must knock everything out of whack so it makes sense to check everything. This & periods...I thank myself I'm a man with anxiety!
He's probably hoping your body will recover given enough rest & time. Are you getting enough rest or are you not wanting your bloke to do so much? It's only natural to want to do everything you can and I remember you didn't want to be sitting around.
MOT eh? You've only just come down off the ramp! :winks:
Pregnancy must knock everything out of whack so it makes sense to check everything. This & periods...I thank myself I'm a man with anxiety!
This last week or so i have let him take over, he's been given dependency leave from work and is doing pretty much everything! I will help with what i can and luckily she has been an angel and is sleeping at night for us.
He just basically said even though my blood pressure and iron are low, he doesn't think something is causing it, more a case of my body adjusting to having much less blood and allowing time for my hormones to balance out. But agreed that if in two weeks i don't feel at all better then they will do more tests. I do think my thyroid could be causing problems, i have read that it can be quite common after pregnancy and hopefully resolves itself if i rest and eat right.
Yes Terry if there is another life after, then i choose a mans life! :roflmao:
MyNameIsTerry
12-03-18, 13:29
I had pneumonia when I was at sixth form and I ended up in hospital for a week (I have asthma). It took me a few weeks at home afterwards to recover from that. The day I got up to go to college I felt terrible, really fatigued and my eyes were blood red. It took me all my strength to eat a bowl of cereal, tell my mate I wasn't going and then drag myself upstairs on my bum to get into bed. It turned out to be a low count of platelets and a few more weeks rest sorted it out.
And that's nothing compared to what you've just been through!
It sounds like your GP is well in control of things. And it's good to hear your bloke is off because you really need to follow your GP's advice as much as baby allows you too. Great that she is sleeping, that's always a win on the lottery to new parents! :yesyes:
Katie,
How many months postpartum are you?
Before you freak out and start worrying, please know that your symptoms are absolutely normal. I had the same! I wish I had someone then to tell me it was normal and I would be fine. I had wrist issues because of all the extra fluid in your body during pregnancy and something about lose joints. My wrist issue took a really long time to go away. To be honest I don’t remember how long. It was carpal tunnel btw.
Secondly, I had major heart palpitations and super high heart rate during pregnancy AND afterwards. My normal pregnancy heart rate was between 84 to 110. My post partum heart rate was 80 to 110. It took a while to get down but it did go down. Again, I can’t remember how long. Once I stopped worrying about it it went away. But I kid you not, this issue freaked me out the most. But I promise you it’s normal. Especially when you are focusing on it and are anxious about it. Give your body some time. It takes 18 months for a woman’s body to return to normal. I recently developed lower back issues due to lifting toddlers all the time. Freaked me out in the beginning I immediately thought cancer. But now I can tell it’s muscular.
---------- Post added at 19:11 ---------- Previous post was at 19:08 ----------
Also, low iron is normal after childbirth. You have just lost loads of blood not just during birthing but also afterwards. Post childbirth bleeding can be brutal. Also, make sure you are getting iron from your diet. Your body absorbs that loads better than pills
Katie,
How many months postpartum are you?
Before you freak out and start worrying, please know that your symptoms are absolutely normal. I had the same! I wish I had someone then to tell me it was normal and I would be fine. I had wrist issues because of all the extra fluid in your body during pregnancy and something about lose joints. My wrist issue took a really long time to go away. To be honest I don’t remember how long. It was carpal tunnel btw.
Secondly, I had major heart palpitations and super high heart rate during pregnancy AND afterwards. My normal pregnancy heart rate was between 84 to 110. My post partum heart rate was 80 to 110. It took a while to get down but it did go down. Again, I can’t remember how long. Once I stopped worrying about it it went away. But I kid you not, this issue freaked me out the most. But I promise you it’s normal. Especially when you are focusing on it and are anxious about it. Give your body some time. It takes 18 months for a woman’s body to return to normal. I recently developed lower back issues due to lifting toddlers all the time. Freaked me out in the beginning I immediately thought cancer. But now I can tell it’s muscular.
---------- Post added at 19:11 ---------- Previous post was at 19:08 ----------
Also, low iron is normal after childbirth. You have just lost loads of blood not just during birthing but also afterwards. Post childbirth bleeding can be brutal. Also, make sure you are getting iron from your diet. Your body absorbs that loads better than pills
Hi thanks for your reply, i'm 2 months pp and still bleeding, although a lot less. It's great to hear from someone who has been there, it's really worrying when you have a baby to look after and you feel like this!
I must say the last few days i've noticed small improvements, so fingers crossed the GP is right and i just need more time x
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