First time here after lurking; HA taking over my life

[hye_appppa]

Hello, my name is Hye and I am 19 years old, female. I am going through one of the worst anxiety episodes in my life, which kickstarted a month ago which what was diagnosed as labyrinthitis (it began as an intense episode of dizziness and I spiralled from there).

Since then I have been frequenting GPs, AEs, 111 helpline and Dr. Google (awful habit, I know!) . Like many here I am/was convinced that I have every illnesses under the sun - cancers, heart disease/attack (went through a 5 days period where I was convinced I was going to die of heart attack and almost phoned the ambulance at some point), MS, Menieres (still convinced that I have this), HIV/AIDs, lupus, cfs - you name it, I probably went through a phrase of it at one point in the past month.

I have referred myself to therapy which I have received no response back and even tried medication for my anxiety after rushing to AE, only to be told to speak to my GP about mental health support. I managed a day before giving up because I suffered a very acute reaction from it and it intensified my health anxiety.

My current fixation is lymphoma, thanks to Dr. Google. I have had digestive issues for almost 2 weeks but brushed it off because I thought I knew the cause but I just found a small, movable lump by my jaw which is sent me into a googling frenzy. Swollen glands? check. Digestive issues? check. Weight loss? check. Dizziness? check. Night sweat and itching? Check. You get the deal. How can I not be convinced?

Sorry for the super long first post but after lurking for such a long time, I feel like this forum seems like such a supportive place so I've decided to join in. I will be seeing the GP again soon and hopefully they will take me seriously and refer me to an ENT specialist (I initially wanted to because of the long term dizziness but I guess I have all the more reasons to now). I have only had a blood test for the dizziness and it came out negative for anaemia and thyroid problems – this was a month ago. I haven't had any kind of specialist tests since because the doctors are probably sick of me.

tldr; young, anxious female convinced she has all sorts of diseases. Doctors and GPs doesn't even take me seriously anymore :weep:

thank you for sticking around! Nice to meet you all :)

[unsure_about_this]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I have done the crime of googling and still have bad HA without google. You need to find a GP who will listen to your concerns about your latest worry of lymphoma.

Talk to the GP about your concerns and asked for the tests you know your body better than your GP

[hye_appppa]

Thank you for your reply, unsure_about_this!

I think my biggest mistake was telling my GPs I have health anxiety. They'll just conveniently shove any symptoms into the health anxiety box. I mean, it is fair because anxiety can in fact to cause a lot of the symptoms/issues I'm having, but my personal concern is that I haven't actually had any test done, so I'm stuck in a limbo.

My parents are actually quite supportive of me going back to my home country to have a full health MOT done at a hospital or see private specialists there (it's a lot cheaper there and I can get a break from work as well). Hopefully the GP appointment here goes well, but I am losing faith if I'm honest :weep:

[Pkstracy]

Hi welcome, yes old lovely Dr. Google will get us everytime, I am convinced I have had cancer, going to have a heartattack, some form of liver disease, Hope all goes well with you and your Dr. Appointment.

[swajj]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I have done the crime of googling and still have bad HA without google. You need to find a GP who will listen to your concerns about your latest worry of lymphoma.

Talk to the GP about your concerns and asked for the tests you know your body better than your GP


But before you take the above member’s advice go and read the the thread he currently has running.

[jray23]

Welcome Hye. I don't know if it will make you feel any better, but maybe it will help to know you're not alone. I too just signed up on here a few days ago after being a long time lurker, and for very similar reasons. I've been dealing with what's being called "vestibular neuritis" which is nearly interchangeable with labrynthitis (no hearing loss though).

I too have been sent in a massive anxiety spiral from it. Been in the ER, checked for stroke, saw a cardiologist, scared of a heart problem, scared of tumors, etc you name it. Googled many many things. Currently on the MS fear (although not completely unrealistic according to the docs) have a couple MRIs scheduled for next week to hopefully definitively rule that out along with a lot of that other really bad stuff.

But it's probably all "normal". Everything I've seen about VN/labrynthitis is that it is extremely common to induce anxiety, even if the person isn't already pre disposed to have anxiety. So while I was originally upset at myself for getting all anxious I have now accepted it and no longer view it like I failed. Although I am (at least I say I am) no longer going to be Googling stuff!

Best wishes, I hope your recovery time is shorter than mine, so far I'm on 10 weeks. Many times it can be quicker (or also longer). Definitely push to see the docs. I have no doubts my anxiety has made my symptoms worse than they really are, but it's still a real thing that may need treatment (sometimes can go away on its own)

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---------- Post added at 02:50 ---------- Previous post was at 02:48 ----------

And if you are able to get to a doctor, and symptoms are persisting, ask about "vestibular rehabilitation therapy" (VRT). It's the only thing that has helped me with any improvement so far, been doing it for a month now and feeling more optimistic every week!

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