Health Professional = Health Anxiety??

[Nurse_Gladys]

Hi,

I was just wondering if there were any other people around with the same sort of anxiety. I am a nurse, but i have health anxiety. Sounds strange, i know...a nurse with hypochondria! Im a doctors worst nightmare! (And, believe it or not, i actually started the job AFTER the anxiety began....talk about becoming my own worst enemy!)

Anyway, i tend to find that the symptoms i get and the health problems i fixate on are related to what speciality im working in at the time. So, it used to be that i thought i had PVD, now its heart disease. I KNOW that its all in my head, its psychosomatic etc, etc, blah, blah...but the palpitations and pains i get in my chest, and the panic i feel when they occur, ARE real and, when im in the middle of the anxiety/panic attacks, i cant seem to sort out the facts from the fear.

Ive read posts from people who do the whole angel on one shoulder/devil on the other, arguing with themselves and rationalising the symptoms vs. the anxiety, and i do that myself, but i think its the fact that i have a broader knowledge than a lot of people that is my downfall. For instance, there are maybe some symptoms that only a health professional could know to look out for, so i get fixated on that, then i start to develop that symptom ON TOP OF all the others. So i MUST be ill, right??? The brain, its great, but its a bit of a monkey, too....:wacko:

Thanks to anyone whos read my rabbiting... Just typing it has made me feel a little lighter...

x x x

[cheskia]

Hello . I work in health care and suffer from health anxity but i am only an auxillary nurse! People say im the biggest hypocondriact they know, i get a slight pain in my chest and i think im having a heart attack but people dont realise that im genually fear striken and do believe my heart is going into attack and im going to die. I am only 18 and i wish i didnt think about these things but i cant help it.

[Nurse_Gladys]

Its strange how your body works vs. your mind.

x

ps, theres no such thing as 'only' an auxiliary nurse! You lot keep the hospitals going!

[spoonfriend]

I know exactly what you mean. I'm a nurse and I've worked LTC, oncology, and med surg so I've seen a little of everything and whatever "illness" I have always seems to be related to wherever I'm working at the moment lol. I think I have found oncology to affect me the worst though.

[PHOBIA MAN]

we call the devil/angel thing 'being in two parts' and parts therapy is very powerful for resolving inner conflict. In no way can i do it justice here but you should get the gist, don't do it just learn ok, its a mini demo.
pick a hand for one thought and the other hand for the other (opposite) thought, these are the parts. you are asked to 'ask' the parts in turn to find out what it is trying to get for you, and after some deeper questioning you'll often find they both want the same thing, for instance...
"Whats important about fear for health?"
"uuum I want to be healthy"
"what will this give you"
"peace"
this is very abbreviated! both parts lead to the same goal, then we intergrate them back together using an imagination technique and both parts are back together again and this lead to a sense of certainty.
This is done by some hypnotherapists/ NLPers I use it often and it really works!

[angietomjimandcass]

im a psychologist and i have it.

[CJH86]

Hi....im nearly 4th year into my pharmacy degree! i know what you mean, sometimes knowing more can be good for some worries but an absolute killer for others. I too have arguements within my head about my symptoms, sometimes i think im kidding myself by putting my symptoms down to anxiety even though im 98% sure they are!

When training to be a pharmacist we are taught to recognise so many warning signs and subtle symptoms, which makes it so easy to make a differential diagnosis on yourself.....more often than not for me its the worse case scenario or the 1 in a tenthousand chance illness. Ironically im very anxious about taking medicines too :blush: x

[valleybear]

Ex Psychiatric nurse and social support worker..oh! yes have Health Anxiety surrounding cardiovascular issues for years also Depression , GAD and panic attacks. Phew!

[westbury]

Hi, Im a Nurse and I too suffer with chronic health anxiety. At present its ectopics and heart issues. It gives me panic attacks all the time. Sometimes wish I had chosen another profession!

[countrygirl]

I worked in a Drs surgery ( lowly in comparison to everyone else on this post!) but gave me access to everyones health records and tests etc - I found that I would be updating someones notes and come across a symptom that ended up being cancer and of course I had had that symptom! I also used to issue prescriptions( pre dr check) so knew all about huge number of drugs including their side effects. I find health anxiety means my brain is like a sponge retaining any health info ( have been told I would have made a good diagnostic Dr! by another Dr) its not so bad with lay people who look wonderingly at me and ask how I know so much medical info if I forget myself and say something and I can say oh I worked at a Drs for ages but have come unstuck with other Drs who look at you and say how on earth do you know that which straight aways alerts them to health anxiety.

[jothenurse]

I am a nurse and I think with our medical knowledge it does make you look at things more closely. I have tachycardia, and have been told (when it was up to 160 in the ER once, that it was sinus tachycardia). But, I still have this happening to me and I still can get scared. One doctor thought I had an svt, so that is always in the back of my mind and a worry. This was never documented though, all the EKG's I've had has been sinus tachycardia. I had a 24 hour holter monitor done, which I did have a couple of episodes on, so I am still waiting for the results. The waiting is making me very nervous. But in answer to your question, I think having a medical background does make it worse because you know more things about what to worry about.

[margaret jones]

Hi Nurse GLADYS

[margaret jones]

Hi Nurse Gladys
Another nurse with HA , welcome to the club .I actually find my HA is worse if i have symptons that are not resolved with a Diagnosis .
Early Jan 2009 i had a Pacemaker fitted due to Bradycardia was not sedated at all and was virtually climbing off the table , when they where threading the wires into my heart .
A little Knowledge was a bad thing that day hence panic/anxiety /depression for past 19 mnths thankfully i am well on the road to recovery .

Take Care Maggie:blush:

[alicegreen]

Hi there, im another nurse with huge health anxiety. Im off sick at the moment and have been for 3 weeks now and have recently started sertraline, which right now is making me worse.
I sometimes think that i need a career change as i too read and retain everything and find it impossible to be objective.
My recent obsessions are heart disease and diabetes after ending up in A & E with tachycardia and when they tested my blood sugar it was 8.2.

[melvin]

hi guys im not a nurse or doctor im a gas eng but id just like to say thanks for sharing Ur stores its a good thing to know that even people like Ur self's can get this and understand what we go through

[Neen]

Hi there,

I am a Dental Nurse in the Maxillo - Facial department. I too suffer with HA - worsened by the fact I see post op cancer patients and have to tell patients they have cancer. I'm going through a series of tests myself because of my throat. I'm awaiting an ultrasound and Barium Swallow result. I
Freaking myself out. I know an x ray report is written straight away and diagnosed. So the fact I've had to wait 10 days for this ultrasound has been horrendous.

I can totally symathise with you all. The more we know, the worse it is. I'm always getting the consultants to look down my throat and check my neck for lumps. I am my own worse enemy. In a way it's good we have the knowledge; however deadly in the hands of a HA sufferer!

God bless to you all.

Nina.

[blueangel]

I've also worked for the NHS for 20 years, although I'm more of a techy/manager type than a clinician.

It's been a bit of a swings/roundabouts journey for me; I've learnt a huge amount, particularly about the pharmaceutical side of things, as that's where I spent a lot of my time working. A lot of this knowledge has been very useful; I previously used to panic hugely about taking medications as I assumed I would get terrible side-effects, but I've learnt that the really bad ones are actually very rare. I've also learned that a lot of the illnesses I used to worry about are also statistically pretty rare, which is oddly comforting.

However, working in a hospital can have its downsides, as you inevitably hear horror stories of misdiagnosis, people who have symptoms that don't get picked up in time, blah, blah, blah, but most of the time I'm able to put these out of my mind. Oddly, even though I've worked in hospitals for such a long time, I don't like hospitals much and hate having to go on the wards (which luckily I don't have to do very often). I try to avoid the thought of being a patient!

[debbsi]

Hi
I'm an occupational therapy (OT) technician and have worked mainly in stroke but also general medicine and a&e. I am also a student in ot.
I hate being like this, I am determined not to work in medicine when I qualify - luckily ot covers a very broad range of jobs so hopefully i could stop working with sick people!!

[fightingmyself]

This is a fascinating thread. My Dr said a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and when at medical school trainees generally took 1 of 2 routes, worrying about everything, or being complacent about everything. I imagine if you have the HA predisposition it is a nightmare.

[toria]

HI i have worked for nhs for over 10 years and i suffer from HA it is worse since working in hospital i have constant health worrys last years i had the flu jab at work because they wanted every one to have it within 2 days had massive lump in neck went to docs new doc sent me for chest xray abdominal scan and and other things but nothing showed up my HA was through the roof then went to see my normal doc and he did blood test witch showed nothing he said probley flu jab the lump did go down but my point is working in that enviorment is not good for me but end of the day it is my job and can't afford not to work so i just have to get on with it sorry for rant but i do no where you are all coming from xxxx

[debs71]

Hi Nurse Gladys,

I'm also a Paediatric Nurse and though I don't suffer with health anxiety, since I have been nursing I do recognise that I am much more paranoid about what certain symptoms may mean illness wise. I find it very annoying that I do this, lol. Sometimes knowledge IS NOT power, it is just a pain in the bum as your mind works overtime whereas if you don't know what something might be, then in theory, you shouldn't worry! I think though that even that is near impossible these days with Dr. Google so readily on call!

In saying this, I personally don't panic or fixate on every little sniffle or ache, and I loathe going to the GP so will do only if I have to, but I can completely understand how health workers can develop a HA.

I think that if I am ever blessed to have kids I will probably be the most neurotic Mother on earth, as until I became a kids nurse I never realised all the illnesses they can get!!!:wacko:

[paula lynne]

Hi Im Paula, Unfortunately my anx and panic robbed me of my neurosurgical nurse career. I didnt have help, was alone and scared, relied on valium. If Id known about this site when I first got ill, things would have turned out very differently for me.
Well done, keep going, all the best, and dont let the panic and anxiety beat you x

[mollyboo]

HI there, I,m a registered nurse and i,m exactly the same. I,ve had anxiety for the past 18 months. I have easy times and bad times especially around every third period lol .I do elieve that my experience lo oking after people has brought this hell on but i,m quite sure looking back at my personality that it would of happened anyhow, it,s just the little bit of information that tipped me over the edge lol. i,ve had ECGs at work because my pulse was 130bpm they all asked if i had chocolate pro plus (like i,d dare to take the stuff lol) caffiene which i limit as i know its one of the triggers. One doctor that i had look at my ECGS initially looked worried well to me anyhow because i had one that had an invertes t wave which would mean ischaemia and the other a day later i was bradycardic at 50 bpm. After studying them for 10mins with me processing all sorts of emotions from his face, to me which were saying go to a&e right nowlol he simply stated that its a very common occurence for this anxiety happen in junior doctors registere nurses etc, this did make me feel much better and put the heart fear into perspective. This would be great apart from the fact that now i have neurological symptoms that i have to work at lol but i know i,ll get there and then it will be another bodily system that will bug me.

[angiebaby]

Hi guys. I am a senior HCSW and worked in the hospital for 16 years, adults and kids. Have now been in general practice for 8 years. I never had any problems until 6 years ago and it has ruined my life (in my eyes). I now hate my job but have to keep going for the money - obviously. I used to love my job! I feel like my career has been snatched away from me through no fault of my own. I had a small operation and it dropped my bp and i really throught i was going to die and then three months later i started develping strange symptoms. I have been diagnosed with GAD, depression, anxiety and panic disorder. Although i know that this all started with PTSD from the op. Things are so unfair aren't they? But i am a lot better now than i used to be and am doing more now. But it still feels wrong, like i am not the same person that i used to be. Hoping things continue to improve though and each day i am working through the hell! Hugs to us all. xxxx:)

[Primula]

Are bther any Doctors on here who suffer with HA and if so how do you cope?

[lauraw]

Hi I am a physiotherapist and my main health worries are neurological ie MS etc I think working in the hospital you forget you only see worse cases as well. A little knowledge.....I also find it hard to go to GP especially with pain as I think I should know how to fix myself!!!!

[violetta]

I am not a health worker just some one who has had this problem for a long time and devil has taken over poor angel has gone I just live in fear I am 84 and also have list of nerdy things like fibromyalgia arthritis IBS diverticulitis I have a lot of pain and exhuasted at drop of a hat present worry is my throat is closing up and I will go mad die this sounds so daft ,, gps say dont keep bothering us nothing we can to help take paractamol for pain..I live at home with my 86 yr old husband who is handicapped with walking problems I not able to walk far he has good attitude and gets meals as I am our family all away

[Freaked]

Final year psych student. Suffered from SEVERE anxiety, panic attacks and fair hints of depression since I became physically ill six months ago. My parents are like 'can't you treat yourself?' and it's like...no.

[Nurse_Gladys]

Violetta, are you still on this site? xx