Health Anxiety has become so severe with long covid

[Sweetie88]

I suffered from health anxiety from when I was 16. Now I am 35. I’ve had therapy CBT and lots of self work where I’ve had it under control for years.
Since developing long covid and being in and out of doctors and ER visits to be told nothing is wrong with me has made my anxiety the worst it has ever been in my entire life. I honestly think I have ptsd. I wake up in the morning hyperventilating thinking I’m going to die and can’t breathe even though my oxygen is 100 on my oximeter.
I’ve been off work since December and I’m worried I’ll never be able to go back. I’m worried I am going insane too :( I don’t know if anyone else is in the same position but if so, what are you doing to cope? Ease your anxiety?
None of my normal techniques are working or herbal stuff that I am taking propranolol for this as well as high heart rate and 2mg of diazepam. Which I do not want to have to rely on :(

[ankietyjoe]

I suffered from health anxiety from when I was 16. Now I am 35. I’ve had therapy CBT and lots of self work where I’ve had it under control for years.
Since developing long covid and being in and out of doctors and ER visits to be told nothing is wrong with me has made my anxiety the worst it has ever been in my entire life. I honestly think I have ptsd. I wake up in the morning hyperventilating thinking I’m going to die and can’t breathe even though my oxygen is 100 on my oximeter.
I’ve been off work since December and I’m worried I’ll never be able to go back. I’m worried I am going insane too :( I don’t know if anyone else is in the same position but if so, what are you doing to cope? Ease your anxiety?
None of my normal techniques are working or herbal stuff that I am taking propranolol for this as well as high heart rate and 2mg of diazepam. Which I do not want to have to rely on :(


Just curious, when being told 'nothing is wrong', does that mean nothing is wrong apart from diagnosed long covid?

[Sweetie88]

Hi Joe

it means nothing is wrong in terms of my blood tests x rays etc that they do in the hospital.

[serith]

so were you diagnosed with long covid?

[ankietyjoe]

Hi Joe

it means nothing is wrong in terms of my blood tests x rays etc that they do in the hospital.

So you've been diagnosed with long covid, or not?

Also, what do you think has caused PTSD?


Just trying to unravel what you're saying so we can break it down.

[Sweetie88]

Yeah my go diagnosed me with long covid back in October!

[Sweetie88]

Yeah I was diagnosed back in October. Long covid has a large variety of symptoms and I always feel like I’m dying every day now my HA has got so much worse. Long covid is just post viral syndrome and there’s no cure for it really.

I think I have ptsd from having an abnormal ecg at the gp then her sending me in an ambulance to hospital for all my bloods and x rays etc to be normal. I also witnessed a man have a heart attack in the waiting area. Which now I think I have cardiophobia.

I just wish I could feel normal and not be in this constant 24 7 anxiety mode :(

[ankietyjoe]

Yeah my go diagnosed me with long covid back in October!

Ok so THAT is what's wrong then.

If you're hyperventilating, you will feel short of breath. That's how it works.

If you have thoughts like 'I'll never get over this', that will become your reality. You have to learn to live just for now. You can't project disaster into the future as it's not reality, but your subconscious doesn't know that. It'll react as if it IS reality, and react accordingly.

You're caught up in a cycle of panic after suffering an illness we were all told is dangerous for years. You're suffering long covid because some poeple do, but most people get better over time.

You're catasrophising imaginary future events, which seems to be the biggest issue here right now.

We're coming up to Spring. Instead of being cooped up indoors fearing the worst, it's a really good idea to get outside for a walk (whatever you can manage) to normalise your relationship with life outside your imaginary and literal walls.