Just been diagnosed with Health Anxiety

[drewman]

hi there

I have just comeback from a health assesment with the NHS and have told i have health anxiety.

I suffer from BAD intrussive thoughts relating to having HIV and Diabetes.
I have these thoughts daily and they take me over completely sometimes, i myself think i have OCD more but she said the 2 work very similar together

I am now on the waiting list for CBT which is probally gonna be in the New Year now.

I have thought i have had Pure O for so long and feel empty now knowing i dont, and dont know if i should use the tools i learnt (4 steps) to try and ease these thoughts now i dont have OCD

This has made me VERY anxious and has kicked up all my HIV fears again and making me want to test. Its a Viscious circle

[Dazza]

Really sorry to hear about how you are feeling and what you are going through.

Have you ever had a HIV test? your local hospital may have a testing facility, or does the thought of having a test really freak you out? have you been at risk? a test would certainly put your mind at ease, but i can also understand how anxious it would make you feel.

How did you get the NHS assessment for health anxiety? via your GP?

I (hope i've got health anxiety) as im convinced that i've got a rare heart disease or now i also seem to have a fixation on MS due to my numerous symptoms.

It's horrible this stuff..i feel for you and everyone else here.

[drewman]

Hi Darren

i was refered by my GP. Here is my orignal post from the OCD forum here :



basically i suffer from health anxiety alot and a situation has freaked me out.
My mother is a diabetic and i have been feeling ill of recent, so i used her test pen to check my sugar levels on her home kit to see if my levels were ok, luckily they were and that was the end of it.

then i read somewhere that u can catch HIV through sharing a pen? The reason i am scared is that it seems that my sister used the same pen last sept time and the needle hasnt been changed since, i 1st used the pen last March and actually had a AIDS test last June (not sure of the date) which was negative.

I am kinda scared that the test may not have picked up something incase i caught the illness from my sister, im not saying she has it (she doesnt know as she has never been tested) but she has been quite permiscious in her past.


I have had 4 tests now in in the last year

[Dazza]

Hiya

I see, thanks for the background info.

Thanks for the info about the GP referral. i'm seeing the cardiolgost this week, so as well as talking about my heart stuff, i will ask about MS and maybe a referral for the health anxiety.

Thanks again.

[seeker]

I think the chances of you having caught HIV are very low indeed. The virus itself is actually very fragile and quickly 'dies' on exposure to air. I think if an infected person tested themselves, left bolood on the pen and then you tested yourself immediately afterwards, there may be a tiny risk, but it would have to be almost immediate!

Why not go to your local STD clinic and ask for a free, confidential test? They are very nice and it will put your mind at ease.

Also, are you saying there was a year between your sister using it and you? If so, chances are zero.

[drewman]

there was about a 6month window.

i had used it in march and went for a AIDS test in june which was negative also

[drewman]

Everyone inc Terrence higgins trust say that i am not at risk, esp as there has never been a reported inncident of catchin HIV through a lancet as its not a hollow needle and blood cannot get trapped.

I know all the facts, yet i still doubt everything

[drewman]

I think its best actually that i leave this forum, being told to go and test has made me feel alot worse.

Esp when i know deep down i am ok and this is just anxiety

[LeeBee]

Hi drewman, I think maybe the other posters suggested that you have a test because they didn't know that you'd already had one earlier this year, and they thought that if you'd never had one, it might reassure you. Obviously you do not have HIV as you have had a recent negative test and have not done anything that might expose you since then (it sounds like the epipen probably doesn't count anyway).

It's clear that your anxiety has got you wound up like a coiled spring. I do hope that you are getting lots of support and treatment from your healthcare provider, and that you are feeling much better about this soon.

[drewman]

Hi there

the only risk i had was the diabetic lancet pen, and a 3 month test was around that time

I have been told sooo many times that i cant catch HIV this way but i cant shake the thought of everyone being wrong

[LeeBee]

It sounds, then, that it is your thoughts that are the issue here. I guess that is always the case with anxiety etc. Are you getting help with the anxiety from your doctor - meds or cbt? I don't want this to sound too preachy, but... I know someone who had OCD and anxiety/depression for years. He had prozac and other meds, psychotheraphy, counselling - all with only temporary or limited success. Then he started meditating and has never looked back. He's not "cured" but he has found a way of dealing with the thoughts that works for him. Obviously that wouldn't work for everyone, my point is that it's about finding something that works for you, and that might mean trying a few different things.

Maybe if you focus on dealing with the unwanted thoughts rather than what the thoughts are telling you, that would help?

[drewman]

Hey LeeBee

I am on meds but they dont really do anything but make me tired, so Prozac helped your friend?

I am on a waiting list for CBT so hopfully that will help, i do suffer bad from intrussive thoughts

[LeeBee]

Yeah, it was my brother. He said prozac gave him side effects for the first few weeks - trouble sleeping, I think, generally feeling a bit weird and weight loss, maybe? It was a few years ago, I can't quite remember now. But after that he did say it helped him for a while. He's not on it now, just the meditation. Maybe you could ask your doctor about it, or ask your doc if you could try something else if the one you're on now is making you feel tired. Any idea when you might get CBT?

[drewman]

I was told yesterday that it can be up to 2 months
In the meantime i am going to try and use the 4step program to unstick the irrational thoughts

[LeeBee]

Good for you, drewman. You're going through a tough time at the moment but it sounds like you've got the right attitude. Good luck with the 4 step, let us know how it works out. :)

[drewman]

thank u for your kind words :)