hello there

[shell]

hello

basically I had my first panic attack about 9 years ago, I got over the panic but started with what I now think was general anxiety. This involved several years of headache symptoms, tests, CAT scan which were all clear and I just lived with it. I have always been a worrier but kept it under control reasonably well over the last couple of years and was free from headaches and other symptoms.

To cut a long story story short, last year was particularly stressful and things came to a head in january. I was finding everything really difficult to deal with, catastrophising and became obsessed with my health. I saw a CBT therapist privately and it became clear that i was suffering from health anxiety and depression. The therapy was put on hold as I was advised to see my GP for anti-depression medication. I didn't do this and got so wound up that I started suffering from all sorts of aches and pains in my arms legs and head and was convinced that i was dying from an illness. I have had some blood tests which have all come back clear, I am now waiting to see a neurologist as a final check. The doctor said he does not expect to find anything but just wants to be sure. I have started applying some of the strategies from the CBT and they do work, but some days are better than others. Because I'm waiting to see the neurologist I can't get out of my head that there still might be something wrong. I just wonder if this will continue for-ever?

I wish I'd found this website ages ago, maybe things wouldn't have got as far as they have. I look forward to being part of it and hearing from you. I am resistent to medication but wonder if anyone has experience of anything herbal which might take the edge off it?

Shell x

[nomorepanic]

Hiya Shell

Welcome aboard to the website and forum.

I too now suffer more from general anxiety and rarely get panic attacks but it is still scary isn't it?

The Health anxiety does continue for a long time unless you can start to understand how our bodies work and try to reassure yourself over and over that you are not ill.

Have you heard of Rescue Remedy atall - completely herbal so no meds in it?

I hope we can offer you some advice and support on here so stick around ok?

Nicola

[vernon]

Hi shell and welcome to the site. Hope u find lots of useful information here, which I am sure you will. I have suffered anxiety for 40 years from what I can remember and probs longer as I remember being a bit scared of things as a child. Same as you I think the panic attacks do seem to go and leave you with a general anxiety and sometimes quite distressing too. I have had lots of health anxieties the past few years and such a bad phobia of dentists and hospital treatments (I have suffered tooth pain for over a year now and just wont go, I even tried hypnosis to see if that would ease my fear but it didn’t lol. I also last year had real bad tummy pains even passing blood and that started another bad health anxiety off. My GP took some tests and said the calcium was raised in my blood, I looked this up on the internet (which we shouldn’t lol) and it said it could be a sign of cancer spreading to the bones. Wow this really scared me so back to the GP and she said it could be bowel cancer because of my stomach pains, her saying this only made my health anxiety much worst. Any way she sent me to see a gastro specialist, who sent me for Barium enema, chest x-rays, more blood tests and a sigmoidoscopy I was really ill and scared of all these tests but had to go to find out. It took about 10 months to have all the tests and then see the specialist again for results. There was nothing wrong with my bowel, or colon he said it was just IBS, and when I asked about calcium he said it was ok and doctor probs didn’t read the results properly. Well I felt really good at this time and my anxiety dropped loads, I don’t even hardly get the tummy pains now so I think that should have learned me not to worry about something that hasn’t even happened? I am much better lately but still get the health anxieties same as you like if I have a bad chest or breathless its a heart condition or lung disease, A few spots or lumps skin cancer and thing well I was ok after all the tests but what if something has happened since then. I practise lots of relaxation and positive affirmations now, which help a lot. I think its silly because look at all the years of life we have wasted just worrying about health matters that went even there? I think at last I am getting there with positive thinking and yes it is so amazing how we can feel so physically ill and it’s just in our unposative thinking. Because if it was what we was thinking we would have been dead years ago. Well hope this makes you feel a little better and hope u feel better soon. We do have a chat room and there is usually someone in after 8pm every night and they are all a friendly bunch, you are welcome to pop in and chat or just look any night. All the best for now. Vernon

PS If you are new to chat talk LOL = laugh out loud, a geture meaning laugh

[seh1980]

Welcome Shell!! :D

[Karen]

Hi Shell

Welcome to the forum.


Karen



It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.

[Meg]

Shell,

Vernon makes some good points.

Practically , the key is learning to underreact rather than constantly overreacting as you are tending to do day in day out. All anxiety is overreacting to your particular thing, when that is about your health - it is with you all day everyday.

Our bodies are built well and although things do go wrong within our bodys structure - it is nowhere as frequently as our scaremongering media would have you believe. We knwo if we are essentially healthy individuals.


Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

[maxine]

Hiya Shell,
Welcome to the site:D:D

Maxine

[sal]

Hi shell

Welcome to the site. Hope you can get all the support and help you need from us.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.

[Piglet]

Hi Shell - My panic attacks are few and far between but my general anxiety levels fluctuate all the time and I have ridiculous levels of anticipatory anxiety sometimes, but I am now beginning to realise that not once has anything I've stressed about beforehand ever felt worse in practice (not easy maybe but definately not worse).

Having had 3 fillings at the dentist at Xmas which I fussed and fretted about for weeks and it turning out to be nothing like my imagination, I am beginning to see how daft it was.

Like Nicola I've had Rescue Remedy in my bag for years (I know I'm ok when I havent needed to use it and it goes all goey and sticky and furry) and I also have Lavender oil on a cottonwool ball in various pockets (I used to hate the smell and love it now). I told a friend of mine about that years ago and she does it too now and her daughter said she got through her GCSE's on that. Just having a sniff seems to interrupt the process somehow.

There is a good bit about natural remedies on the site which I wonder have you seen. I've bought a few more oils after reading that recently.

All the best
Piglet

[zena]

Hi Shell.
Welcome to the site.
You have had a lot of positive advice from people. Haven't got alot to add sorry.
I'm glad I have found this site as the people are good. They give you a ear to sound off.....a shoulder to cry and a kick up the backside if you are feeling down to long...Not really.
They have some wonderful human beings on this site. Would recommend them to anyone.
Hope all goes well for you
Take care

with good wishes

Zena

[shell]

Thank you all for your kind replies, I returned to work this after nearly three weeks off and it was ok, the rescue remedy has helped and I'm starting to find the old me again!

[sal]

Well done Shell and pleased it went okay.

Keep us updated on how you are getting on hun.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.

[Karen]

Well done for returning to work Shell. Glad it went well.


Karen



It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.

[angelag]

Hi Im writing this because I feel like I have no where else to turn. This all started about 4 years ago. I remember panicking becuase I had a pain between my breasts and was convinced it was breast cancer. I remember leaving the doctors after he told me it was just a bruise. However I then convinced myself I had cancer of the cervix and went to see a specialist and was told that there was nothing wrong. After this I then started to feel very depressed and anxious and had diarrahoa constantly. This carried on for a while and the doctor said I could go for tests for bowl cancer (just to put my mind at rest). When the appointment came through I decided that I didn't need to go and this was just due to nerves. I then went to see a phsyciotherapist to try and stop the anxiety. I was ok for a few months after this but have since convinced myself I have had tongue cancer, throat cancer, bone cancer, bowel cancer and skin cancer. I have continued to have bouts of diarrohao and some days I just put it down to anxiety and nerves and then other days its cancer and today is one of those days. Having found out someone I know has got bowel cancer, he explained what the symptoms were and now I am convinced thats what it is. I am on the list to have Cognative Behavioual Therapy but it's been about six months since I went on the list. The last few weeks I have been particularly bad and have had pains in my legs and of course convinced myself it was bone cancer. I really dont know which way to turn, If I go back to the doctor for tests for bowl cancer, I know that the following week it will be somewhere else and I will concentrate on that. I just want to be normal again and look forward to holidays and things, becuase at the moment I just see bad things happening to me. I also feel like people dont believe me when I tell them about my symptoms. They do feel very real to me. Sometimes I think they are caused by anxiety and then other times I think it is Cancer.

[weeble40]

Hi and a big welcome to NMP its great to have you here, hope to see you in chat sometime,

Take care

Emma xxx

[sunshine-lady]

Hi and welcome to NMP

Pleased that you have found us. I am sure you will like it here as there is so much advice, information and support.

Chat is a great place to make friends.

xxx