PSThinEdge
10-04-18, 21:25
Hi Everyone,
This is my first time on this forum and in fact on any forum.
I have recently developed health anxiety after a scare late in Nov that landed me in the ER for an overnight stay. Since then i have had more tests, and seen so many more specialists than I ever have.
The underlying health issue was identified as asthma triggered by an infection, and high blood pressure. The asthma eventually went away after the infection cleared though it took 3 months. I tried 4 different meds for the high BP and they all gave me really bad side effects, so I went off them to try and deal with it naturally. My BP is under control and in the normal, to slightly elevated range, and I am probably relatively healthy now, i have been unable to return to a normal lifestyle of work, friends etc. because of anxiety around random symptoms.
I was symptomatic after the ER visit and I attributed a lot of that to the High BP (thank you google, even though its supposed to be largely without symptoms for most). Now every symptom i have that reminds me of that time, or that's new or unusual sends me into a panic about my BP going up again. I was checking my BP 3-4 times/day and obsessing about all kinds of foods and herbs to help control it. I have managed to get past all of that but this most recent one is exhausting and i don't seem to have the strength to deal with all of this.
The most recent development is a bout of sleeplessness that has me in a panic. I am anxious about getting enough sleep which causes me to get less sleep, which I'm afraid will resurface my High BP issues. Its a vicious cycle that i can't seem to break out of. I panic when i walk into my bedroom during the day, or as the day progresses towards evening, in anticipation of another sleepless night.
I have read about every mindfulness tip i can and keep trying them obsessively, but that clearly isn't going to help.
Please help me break out of this cycle if you can
This is my first time on this forum and in fact on any forum.
I have recently developed health anxiety after a scare late in Nov that landed me in the ER for an overnight stay. Since then i have had more tests, and seen so many more specialists than I ever have.
The underlying health issue was identified as asthma triggered by an infection, and high blood pressure. The asthma eventually went away after the infection cleared though it took 3 months. I tried 4 different meds for the high BP and they all gave me really bad side effects, so I went off them to try and deal with it naturally. My BP is under control and in the normal, to slightly elevated range, and I am probably relatively healthy now, i have been unable to return to a normal lifestyle of work, friends etc. because of anxiety around random symptoms.
I was symptomatic after the ER visit and I attributed a lot of that to the High BP (thank you google, even though its supposed to be largely without symptoms for most). Now every symptom i have that reminds me of that time, or that's new or unusual sends me into a panic about my BP going up again. I was checking my BP 3-4 times/day and obsessing about all kinds of foods and herbs to help control it. I have managed to get past all of that but this most recent one is exhausting and i don't seem to have the strength to deal with all of this.
The most recent development is a bout of sleeplessness that has me in a panic. I am anxious about getting enough sleep which causes me to get less sleep, which I'm afraid will resurface my High BP issues. Its a vicious cycle that i can't seem to break out of. I panic when i walk into my bedroom during the day, or as the day progresses towards evening, in anticipation of another sleepless night.
I have read about every mindfulness tip i can and keep trying them obsessively, but that clearly isn't going to help.
Please help me break out of this cycle if you can