Can anybody relate?

[razziledazzile]

Hello all. I was posting today not because of my health but because what my health fears are doing. My family/ boyfriend have been getting frustrated and annoyed with me. Does HA affect your relationships as well? They have gotten to a point where they just don't want to hear it. I don't know exactly how to go about this because even when I try not telling them of my fears, they see me stressed and worried and I guess that still frustrates them. Advice is needed please if you have any.
Edit: I have seen a therapist and unfortunately got nowhere, it leaves me to feel helpless.

[AMomentofClarity]

Hello all. I was posting today not because of my health but because what my health fears are doing. My family/ boyfriend have been getting frustrated and annoyed with me. Does HA affect your relationships as well? They have gotten to a point where they just don't want to hear it. I don't know exactly how to go about this because even when I try not telling them of my fears, they see me stressed and worried and I guess that still frustrates them. Advice is needed please if you have any.
Edit: I have seen a therapist and unfortunately got nowhere, it leaves me to feel helpless.

Have you discussed medication with your doctor? Therapy can be much more effective if you’re in a better place mentally/emotionally. It’s hard if you’re in a panicked state.

[travelgirl77]

Me! I can completely relate. I have it on a few levels. First, my husband just cannot understand this at all. He finds me distant, angry, and worried all of the time. I have to keep telling him that it is not him, it is me. He is constantly asking why I cannot just be happy and implores me to stop worrying. He also completely ignores me when I start in on an illness or disease. Second, my children are constantly upset with me because my OCD impacts them as I am deathly afraid of an deadly illness coming for them, which results in a lot of questions from me. This is the worst impact this has had. Finally, my parents are beside themselves and my father actually said to me last week, "I have never seen this side of you," while I was in the throes of anxious thinking about my kids.

Like you, I have a desire to rid myself of the anxiety. I want my relationships to be better. I always say to them, "If you think I don't want to get better, you are wrong. If I could just snap my fingers and be happy, not worried, joyful, etc. I definitely would." I have a tendency to start easing up on my anxiety only for it to remind me that it may not be anxiety...there may be a real reason for me to feel this way, the impending doom is real, and I cycle again.

I feel for you. I know this is hard. I am trying to view this like any other illness and get help for it, whether that is medicine, therapy, or other. Hugs to you.

[Anxiousamyj]

I can relate as well. I’m doing fine at the moment, but have experienced all that you describe with regards to relationships. I manage my HA the best when I’m very discliplined about not googling or body checking, and I take a very small dose of klonopin at night to get good sleep. Exercise helps so much as well, which I have been neglecting lately due to a busy schedule. I’m under the care of an amazing paychiatrist who spends a good amount of time with me every 3 months, or more often if I need her to. Is there any doctors or therapists who you’ve found to be helpful? I’ve found that if I can unload all my fears and anxieties onto my psych or therapist, I don’t have to talk so much to friends and family about it. Maybe try journaling as well as a different means of getting it out.

[razziledazzile]

I have another question for you all but didn’t want to start another thread. Do you all also take signs from the news or other people? Like if I see a news report about a girl with cancer I will think to myself “oh wow this must be a sign I should investigate these symptoms further” or if I see an ad about MS I will be like wow I should look this up now that it’s brought to my attention. I don’t know if that’s just me, or if others with HA do the same.

[forbiddenxo]

I have another question for you all but didn’t want to start another thread. Do you all also take signs from the news or other people? Like if I see a news report about a girl with cancer I will think to myself “oh wow this must be a sign I should investigate these symptoms further” or if I see an ad about MS I will be like wow I should look this up now that it’s brought to my attention. I don’t know if that’s just me, or if others with HA do the same.

All the time and it seems like those sort of stories always want to pop up when you might be feeling certain “symptoms” :curse:

[SarahNah]

I have another question for you all but didn’t want to start another thread. Do you all also take signs from the news or other people? Like if I see a news report about a girl with cancer I will think to myself “oh wow this must be a sign I should investigate these symptoms further” or if I see an ad about MS I will be like wow I should look this up now that it’s brought to my attention. I don’t know if that’s just me, or if others with HA do the same.

Oh! All the time, I used to be able to super keep myself away from all of that. Now it's like I think everything I hear is going to be about me. I currently freaking about something over something I heard on the news! It can be a awful feeling.

[Worrywart84]

Yes to all of this.

[Mark1974]

This could all have been written for me.

I have once again fallen off the wagon in health anxiety, to the point I went to bed on Tuesday and half hoped I wouldn't wake up the next day so I wouldn't have to endure the discomfort I'm feeling with my abdomen at the moment. I was doing well in this respect, and something I can't fathom has triggered it off again in recent weeks. The thoughts I had on Tuesday alarmed me enough to go to the doctors (again) today for help, and (for the moment at least), I am relaxed again and guess what the pains have all but gone away (until next time :weep:)