Help me help my friend

[Constantworrier77]

Hi everyone,
I have a friend who in March we are pretty sure she had covid-19 she was quite poorly and was really run down, she wasn’t eating drinking or sleeping and doing became really poorly..she started ringing the doctors and called ambulances as she thought she was going to die she was prescribed antibiotics over the phone and this went on a few days, she then googled her symptoms and joined a covid group on Facebook she started getting more symptoms and went to a&e a few times, she passed out and also had to have an enema due to being impacted, she now has herself in such a state that’s she’s going to die and leave her kids and family she’s convinced of it even though her blood tests blood pressure heart readings mri etc are all fine. She doesn’t see how she can feel how she feels if nothing is wrong. She has tingling in her fingers pains in her joints, she thinks now that her brain isn’t sending correct signals due to the hypothalamus dying in her brain and this is why she has no appetite and can’t go to the toilet on her own

Please can someone help

[pav1984]

Sounds to me like your friend is suffering anxiety from the covid diagnosis as the docs cant find anything wrong. It is easy to get yourself in a state especially when something serious has affected you or a loved one.

The problem you face depends very much on the openness of your friend to mental health. Many people will take offence and think you are saying they are barmy. Others will listen.

I would ask your friend on their opinion of whether the stress of covid might be playing a role. This way you are asking an opinion rather than making a statement as it were.

Not sure if this is right or wrong but until your friend accepts anxiety, there is nothing you can do

[MightyPC]

This virus has many many symptoms and hits people differently. I know of people that have got over the symptoms in 2 weeks and others that are 13 weeks in still feeling rough, everyday like an advent calendar wondering what will hit him. I totally understand her predicament. Is it how she’s feeling that’s causing the anxiety and uncertainty or anxiety exacerbating the symptoms!

[Constantworrier77]

Sounds to me like your friend is suffering anxiety from the covid diagnosis as the docs cant find anything wrong. It is easy to get yourself in a state especially when something serious has affected you or a loved one.

The problem you face depends very much on the openness of your friend to mental health. Many people will take offence and think you are saying they are barmy. Others will listen.

I would ask your friend on their opinion of whether the stress of covid might be playing a role. This way you are asking an opinion rather than making a statement as it were.

Not sure if this is right or wrong but until your friend accepts anxiety, there is nothing you can do


hi she didn’t take offence and she has said I can try and get her help, she doesn’t understand how she can feel the physical symptoms and pain etc if it’s anxiety

[BlueIris]

Oh, goodness, our bodies are so weird with the things they do! My anxiety has caused me any number of weird symptoms from tingling to toothache.

I think you're a brilliant friend for being so supportive, and it would be a good idea to encourage your friend to have a chat with her GP.

[pav1984]

Your mind certainly can cause physical symptoms. Best example I can think of is when you were at school and they reported a head lice problem. Even though you didn't have them and weren't itching before hearing about lice, you probably started itching.

I once did a chemical trial and had so many side effects that I was convinced I had the real tablet. Turns out I had the sugar pill.

Powerful thing the mind.

[ankietyjoe]

The first thing your friend has to do is leave the covid group and ban herself from google. She's trapped in a catch 22 situation at the moment where she feels bad so she googles, and then feels bad because she googles.

This is not to say she hasn't been ill and doesn't feel bad already, but an anxious and negative mental state can make it very difficult, if not impossible to recover.

Secondary to this is sorting her eating and digestion out. Having significant digestion issues alone can cause significant mental and physical distress. Getting her on a structured plan of nutritious eating would be a first step, even if it's just soup three times a day.

Your mind can destroy you physically, and it sounds like that's where she is right now.