View Full Version : Has anyone totally recovered from Health anxiety?
I have suffered anxiety most of my life . Terrible panic attacks. But the worst symptom of it all is health anxiety. I have had several bad bouts of it over the years lasting months . This current one lasting the longest yet. I want to beat thisand I have tried everything from counselling, hypnosis, bowen therapy, reading every book I can get my hands on but I just cant move past this latest fear.
I would love to hear from anyone who has successfully beat this horrible illness and how you managed to overcome your fears.
Xx
I am treating my health anxiety and believe that you can fully recover based on previous experience with ocd.
I used to wash my hands obsessively. My knuckles used to bleed and my life was dominated by hand cleaning. Cbt has cured me of this. I didn't realise how effective treatment was until this pandemic. I now have to make a conscious effort to wash them more.
Health anxiety is just a form of ocd so cbt will work if you put in the hard work.
Unfortunately cbt requires you to expose yourself to your fear gradually and safely. It will teach you to change your attitude to your fear. This isnt easy but well worth it.
I have, like you tried all sorts of treatments in the past but never really stuck with one.
What truly worked with my hand washing was cbt and medication while I worked through my issues.
Thanks pav.
Well done for working through the ocd .
I am waiting for cbt therapy but there is a long waiting list unfortunately.
I know this can be beaten its just im caught up in the whole symptoms thing just now the more symptoms the more anxiety the more anxiety the more symptoms.
Not fun but hopefully I can get ovet it again.
There is a good cbt document on the stickies.
If you think about it, it is a circle. You look for/notice a symptom, you google, ask reassurance, feel better. Then the circle happens again and again. You need to break the circle.so basically by not googling,you break the cycle. Obviously there are times where genuine health matters need to be investigated, however this is best done by a doctor. Once you receive advice from doctor you need to trust the doctor.
Like I say, there is an excellent cbt document in the stickies. Give it a go while you wait for therapy. Dont forget to speak to people that you trust so they can keep an eye on you. If you feel daft,just come on here and we will help
Thanks i will have a look at the sticky.
I stopped googling a long time ago it never ends well. Dr google is very scary.
Hello,
I know (online) several people who fully recovered. I haven’t recovered fully, but I am muuuuch better than before.
Medication works for me. Excellent advise above to break the cycle. All my meltdowns (which happen much more seldom these days) are when I give in to googling/not trusting doctor.
Have you tried meds?
Hi im glad you are doing better these days.
I'm not on any meds just now as been through them all.I am trying to work through it and hopefully have some better days soon xx
I had a nervous breakdown due to HA (4 years ago)
I refuse to say that I'm cured because I'm predisposed to anxiety and there is always the potential to slip back down that rabbit hole..
So, I say that I am in control of my HA, and that it is work in progress. I choose not to see 'setbacks' or 'relapses'. I choose to see opportunities to put into practice everything that I've learned along my journey.
I am more logical these days, and if I get an anxious thought about my health, I don't fight it, or respond with fear, I simply ask myself what is different? I do the detective work, and then go to work on addressing the problem.
Thoughts are going to come into the mind because of the human negative bias, but I see them for what they are - just thoughts.
Things I did which got me back in control....
I learned to breathe properly.
I researched, in depth, the stress response on the human body.
I researched anxiety, in depth.
I made changes to my lifestyle (cutting out stimulants, social media, watching the news)
I stopped Googling (aside anxiety and topless pics of Tom Hardy)
I made my peace with the possibility of becoming ill (I have since been diagnosed with FMS, which isn't an illness as such but it is a pain in the arse!)
I'm already good with death, because I've had too many positive experiences with dead people, not to be. My fear was dying before my job getting my 11 year old son into independence is done. Regarding that, I know that it's something that is beyond my control. All I can do is try to keep as healthy as possible, and to give my son the tools he needs to make it in this world while I'm still here, and to accept that others will step up if needs be.
I learned to 'float' on my crap days. (see Claire Weekes for that one)
I understood that the power of the mind works both ways: it can all but destroy you, but it can heal you too. It depends which one you feed.
I've 'died' more times than Kenny from South Park, but I'm still here...
I'm a creative, arty-farty soul nerd, but I was born with a brain that's been set to HIGHLY SENSITIVE from day one. I don't know what it's like NOT to function in some level of anxiety, and I have other mental disorders, so I know that I'm never going to be Baloo the Bear - not unless I'm in a coma - and even then, I doubt it. But I kicked HA to the gutter with a LOT of effort and perseverance. It's not been easy for me to go against the natural order of my brain, so if I can do it cockers, anybody can.:yesyes:
Hi Nora
Everything you say i can relate too.
I have a highly sensitive brain to and came out of the womb anxious.
I have many times got over my health anxiety bouts but this one is taken longer. Like you I never say I'm cured of anxiety as I know its lurking right there somewhere.
Claire weeks is fantastic ive read all her books over and over in the middle of one now for the hundredth time.
I like you have researched every aspect of anxiety but as im in that bad state just now its like my brain says nah forget that 😅. Health anxiety is a b@#^h .
I know I can get out of this again hopefully soon xx
carriewriting
02-10-20, 12:26
Hi Molly, read all of Nora's posts, they're the best and my go-to when I start to spiral. I've had HA for 15 years, maybe more. I'm starting Schema Therapy next week. CBT helps me rationalise specific illness fears but I have an underlying feeling that something is wrong with me all the time and my therapist thinks Schema might help in addition to CBT. Don't give up, I truely believe there is a path out of this fearful way of existence and into living a full life. All the best x
Thanks for your reply .
We all look to do the best we can to combat this horrible illness.
I hope the therapy works for you.
We all look to do the best we can to combat this horrible illness.
What you said above gives me hope that you will recover. Mental illness is truly an "illness". Because of the complexity of the organ itself, the brain can develop illnesses that are beyond the reach of medical science and detrimental to ones overall health. When we have a physical illness, regardless of the severity, we fight it! We treat it with the most current medical technology, medication and therapy. Sometimes a physical malady can be treated with something as simple as a lifestyle change like diet and exercise, and sometimes, lifestyle changes can help mental illness. It all depends on the severity of the illness. And like physical illnesses, even the best treatment science can offer may still not be enough but damn if you're not going to fight and put every effort to recover.
In the big picture, treatment of mental illnesses is still in its early stages. There are dozens of psychotropic drugs and methods of therapy and there's not really one proven remedy. Again, based on the complexity of the organ it affects, it will be some time before there's a 'vaccine' for mental illness like mankind has done with physical illness. It comes down to the inner fortitude to do what it takes to find the right treatment that works for you. Fortunately, there several proven treatments and medications and it may take time to find the right combination, but it still comes down to personal effort and the desire to get well.
Work at it. Find the treatment that allows you to heal and move on with your life. Take my word for it, life is much too short to spend it worrying about things that are fabrications of a brain illness and may/will never happen.
Positive thoughts
I have many times got over my health anxiety bouts but this one is taken longer.
What's different this time?
If you gained control in the past by using CBT and other such techniques, you need to put it all back into practice, and if you're still struggling - ask yourself what is different this time.
Claire weeks is fantastic ive read all her books over and over in the middle of one now for the hundredth time.
I give her books to people who are struggling with anxiety. Of all the anxiety books out there, hers are the best.
I like you have researched every aspect of anxiety but as im in that bad state just now its like my brain says nah forget that . Health anxiety is a b@#^h .
Because HA is in control, not you.
For me, there are no relapses - only opportunities to put into practice everything that I've learned, and which helped me regain control. My FIL is dying in a hospice and the stress from that is flaring up my fibromyalgia something rotten and I'm having numerous symptoms - some new. 4 years ago, I fell down the rabbit hole but now I know how stress affects my body, and that I need to ramp up the self-care now more than ever. The thoughts do come, because we as humans are set to negative bias. It's about survival.
Of course the HA classic' yeah, but what if' thoughts are going to flit in and out of my mind because of the negative bias, but while I'm observing this thought, and acknowledging the familiarity of it from before - I'm not reacting with fear - it's more curiosity, and that's how I know that I'm still in control.
I know how ill severe anxiety can make a person feel. It really can make you feel like you're about to drop down dead, but once you've all but lost your marbles to HA and made your way back - you see it for what it really is - kind of when Toto reveals the all great, Wizard of Oz, to be nothing more than a little old bloke who knows some magic tricks, and that is what your mind is doing - tricking you.
I find that it helps to remind myself of how many times I have killed myself off and how many times I was 'dead' wrong. (couldn't resist)
Also, the reminder that there is an in-between where, yes, we become ill, and develop conditions, but it's not the end of the world.
With HA we tend to go straight to terminal illness, and imminent death, despite this being the least likely outcome.
Keep listening to Claire - she knows her onions!
Hi Molly, read all of Nora's posts, they're the best and my go-to when I start to spiral.
I'm so glad my ramblings help you. X
Hi Molly,
I am so sorry you are going through this, I know exactly how you feel. I am 40 and 4 years ago I had extreme health anxiety so bad that for around two years my life was on hold and I was at the doctors/ hospital most days begging to help me. I had so many scans and tests... I was googling constantly and on here too.
My only advice would be is to NOT Google and do stuff to keep your mind busy all the time (I read a mag or watches a funny film) Do stuff you enjoy. My only thing now is my breathing is crap and at the moment the doctors are going to check this for me as it is affecting my sleep and I am restless. I am not sure if anyone still gets restricted breathing after having anxiety for so long?.
I think having kids and thinking we may get ill and leave them makes most mums go intoa massive panic but some like us can't shake it off. I do promise in time it does go away as they get older... It's really shit and I would not wish having anxiety on my worst enemy. If you need to chat I am here, having someone to talk to helps too x
Thank you for your replies guys its really appreciated.
I will beat this that I know I just have to find that switch that just clicks and then my recovery will begin thats how I've beat it any other time its like something in me said right enough is enough. The problem is because I still have acid reflux so symptoms as you know send us ha sufferers down a dark road and this is whats halting my recovery. 5 months of acid is not fun. Done all the usual things eating fodmap diet taking a ppi not much success unfortunately. So in turn the anxiety keeps going.
Joe569 yes I sometimes get a feeling my breathing is restricted its very scary but doc says all anxiety. I try to breath slowly which helps a bit . Hopefully it will pass for you soon . Anxiety is no fun . X
I will beat this that I know I just have to find that switch that just clicks and then my recovery will begin thats how I've beat it any other time its like something in me said right enough is enough. The problem is because I still have acid reflux so symptoms as you know send us ha sufferers down a dark road and this is whats halting my recovery. 5 months of acid is not fun. Done all the usual things eating fodmap diet taking a ppi not much success unfortunately.
Have highlighted your HA dialogue for you.
It's the classic, starts with a positive HA arse kickin' sentence and then comes the, 'but', or 'the problem is'...
The fact that you've 'beaten it' other times, but you're in this state again, means that you didn't 'beat it' before. It simply went into hibernation ready for round number whatever.
Gaining control, and staying in control, of health anxiety is work in progress. Did you stop doing whatever it was that made you feel better?
It's not the acid reflux which is halting your recovery, it's you.
'Recovery' from HA is having these symptoms and not reacting with fear.
How can you get better when you feel so shite? This is THE time to gain control of your HA!
I know what 5 months of acid reflux feels like because that was a perk of one of my pregnancies, and it is horrible. However, I have a chronic condition which has numerous symptoms, and it's for the rest of my life, so I did myself a huge favour by working on my health anxiety, or I would probably have been sectioned by now...:scared15:
Sometimes we only practice self-care when there isn't a problem - when we feel well - but the best time to be practicing selfcare is when we feel epically shit. And it comes in many forms - like listening to beautiful music (music which doesn't raise the heartrate - yes, there is a science to music!) or watching funny films or whatever. It's comfort food for the soul, but it's also helping to heal our body. No amount of anxiety and worrying will do this - it will only ever do the reverse.
When you react with fear to the reflux - your body fires out more stress hormones which keeps the whole cycle going - so do whatever calms you, and do it as often as you can.
Instead of reacting with the HA thought, 'This isn't normal. There has to be something seriously wrong with me'. Try, 'This feels unpleasant, but I'm just going to get on with my day. This will eventually pass'.
This is a healthier message to send to your brain. You are acknowledging how crap you feel (no point in pretending otherwise) but you are being positive about it, and most importantly - not triggering that stress response which will only ever make you feel worse.
All the very best to you.
Thanks Nora
What you say is so true . I have gotten over many bouts of ha but never actually cured it hence it keeps coming back .
My plan today is to accept my symptoms and keep busy and hopefully today will be a better day. I am currently reducing my ppi at the moment to see if that helps my acid reflux as I honestly think they make it worse .
Thank you again for your response its much appreciated x
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