View Full Version : Health Anxiety after death of mum & sister,
Hi,
This is my first time ever posting, I'm just looking to see what other people think as i'm still very confused.
I lost my mum at 63 to a stroke 3 years ago totally unexpected only then to lose my sister who was 40 to a PE again only 3 months after losing my mum, totally unexpected, they were both fit and healthy ladies.
I've been as ok as expected for a while until the end of last year when my gallbladder decided to play end ending up with me having out in March this year, well since then everything has been terrible.
Suffering with extreme dizziness, palpation's, acid relfux. Which has ended up with me having lots of test, which have all come back fine, nothing wrong with me at all. So health anxiety has been mentioned, which now i'm starting to think is what is wrong, the pain and feelings are there for sure, not making them up but my question is, am I causing them??
My doctor has given me a short supply of Diazepam to take when i'm feeling very anxious or concerned, but I am now worried about long term, what can I do to help thus go away? I didn't even know what it was, so I'm still quite concered.
Can anyone offer any tips of advice, I have cut out alcohol, coffee, I am eating healthy, walking lots.
Hi fluff,
Yes all those symptoms point to anxiety and it would be perfectly understandable to have adopted health anxiety after reading your story.
Pleased to hear you are already looking after yourself, buy as for meds, I can't help as I don't take any.
Maybe another member will be able to share their experience?
I think it is hardly surprising that you are suffering with many fears after losing two very close family members, so close together and so unexpectedly. It must have been incredibly painful and difficult for you, and sometimes in life we get through events with 'courage' only to be hit a bit later with some ripples from the event. I think your physical manifestation of various symptoms is understandable, and I would question what else the GP could offer as it sounds to me like some good ole fashioned counselling would be in order. There is a cause and effect here, and I would wonder if there are unresolved issues surrounding both deaths and you would certainly benefit from talking everything through.
Are you 'causing' your phsyical issues?......being stressed and anxious can certainly cause the things you mention. Yes, they are there, they aren't in your head or imagined. There is a common mis-conception that psychosomatic (with regard to physical symptoms related to inner turmoil) means they are all imaginary - but many of them can be caused by the body reacting physically to stress. E.g. indigestion, the stomach acid is altered in times of anxiety e.g. Dizziness, sensitive muscles in the ears and eyes put under tension and giving false signals. The things you describe could all indeed be your body out of kilter and responsing to adrenaline and fear. Just take a look at some of the articles on this site - there is one that lists anxiety symptoms and its by no means a complete list!!!
There are lots of self-help books out there, some are again listed on this site, which could give you some explanations and suggestions of ways to try and deal with your situation. Do you have health anxiety, maybe, or do you have generalised anxiety which is causing you to feel unwell, its hard to tell.
Hi fluff, just wanted to say I’m so so sorry for your loss. My health anxiety was also triggered through loss, I lost my auntie to cancer and my brother (37).
Initially i I was going through the motions of grief, still am, but one day out of nowhere crept in the health anxiety and some days I feel like I have no xontrol
over it. I really don’t know what to advise but I just wanted you to know you’re not alone hun. Xx
I’m so sorry for your loss. My health anxiety came back after a long break when my parents died. It’s completely understandable but very hard. I can imagine how lonely you feel with it all too.
Have you had any form of counselling? You lost them very young and it must have been an awful shock, I’m sure you’d qualify for help.
Getting out every day helps, guided relaxation is a good thing too x
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Thank you. I thought I was coping too. I didn’t even realise all of the symptoms are me? It’s very confusing x
Can they all really be caused by anxiety? I’ve never suffered before. The grief is horrible but all of these pains etc I really thought they were something?
I did try were they first passed away but I didn’t understand how it could help? Should I try it again? X
MyNameIsTerry
22-06-19, 01:51
Do you have health anxiety, maybe, or do you have generalised anxiety which is causing you to feel unwell, its hard to tell.
I agree with Carys here, there is too little to go on really from what you have said. I'm sorry to hear about the losses you have experience :flowers: and many on here will support you, it's a common trigger to mental health issues for very understandable reasons. However I think you need to look at whether this is HA or a more generalised anxiety.
HA spreads across 3 types of anxiety disorders: OCD, Somatoform Disorders and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. SD's are more the traditional hypochondria but they split into various categories based on what the patient is focussed on. OCD is more wide ranging because HA is only a theme under it's umbrella and therefore someone with OCD may experience other themes too as well as have traits related to OCD in the past that were never an issue. GAD tends to be more anxiety relating to the health of others.
But anxiety itself, in any form, has a very long list of symptoms you can feel. It's not just that you many influence them yourself but that the body just produces them due to the chemical changes we experience. The difference with the HA element is that rather than hate the symptom and fear it the person is busy chasing a disease to explain it. That's not to say any of us could have some concerns, or even short term worries, about whether there is a health issue in play but the HAer type will display obsessive-compulsive style behaviours chasing for tests, Googling scaring themselves and picking out the deadly stuff over the obvious and fight back against anything that points to something benign or low level.
I would also say assess whether your anxiety ranges further than health. And were you always anxious before. These may point away from HA and so the bigger picture needs to be considered.
Based on what your GP says though it sounds a bit early to diagnose HA but we don't know the full picture without you telling us a bit more.
You will get plenty of support on here though.
I'm sorry you've experienced these losses! I think therapy could definitely be beneficial. It's certainly possible that your grief has triggered anxiety, which has triggered physical symptoms. Or, even that you're just reacting physically to the grief. I know people who have gone through terrible losses and end up with very intense physical and psychological symptoms as a result. Grief is very draining, even if you don't realize it immediately. My husband, who had never experienced anxiety or depression in his life, had his first panic attack a few months after his father died.
That kind of loss of two people we love in short order would be hard on the healthiest person, and would certainly leave a mark. I actually don't think your anxiety would be that difficult for a good therapist to help you with, due simply to the fact that it has a self recognized trigger. Do seek out a mental health professional and get some counseling. I think it could be of great value.
I would add, from personal experience, if you start to feel better from it, don't quit going. Go until you have learned some solid maintenance and coping skills, and expect it to take some time. It isn't something you do for a month and "I am better, thanks doc." It is a long, sometimes painful process, but in my case it really, really helped.
I would add, from personal experience, if you start to feel better from it, don't quit going. Go until you have learned some solid maintenance and coping skills, and expect it to take some time. It isn't something you do for a month and "I am better, thanks doc." It is a long, sometimes painful process, but in my case it really, really helped.
I agree with this. And I'd add that I find therapy to be so valuable even when I'm not specifically working through anything. I recommend therapy to everyone, even those who don't have a specific "need". Just taking some time out for yourself to speak with someone who is dedicated to listening to you is a really lovely thing. Sometimes I go to my appointment with no idea what I'll even talk about because I'm doing well, but I always come out feeling really refreshed and energized.
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