Pretty desperate

[lindzanne]

Hi, I am new to this site, and I am so happy I found it because I have noticed how positive and supportive everyone here is. Although we are all suffering from the same thing and I bet a lot of us generally feel pretty anxious and awful everyone responds to each other in a really healthy way.
Anyway, I am just looking for advice, maybe some ways that people have coped with this horrible health anxiety on a daily basis.
A little bit about myself-I have had anxiety like this just subtly most of my life, but it never got out of hand until over the last year, I still really feel like I don't know what triggered it, I had a horrible headache for over a week that turned out to be a sinus infection, but I basically just lost it and ended up in the hospital twice with panic attack symptoms and just basically desperately trying to get anyone to validate my fear. It took me three months to recover from this, I couldn't leave the house for a while and just didn't believe anyone who told me I was ok, the funny thing is my anxiety would change, I actually did have a headache but then I would think, well, what if it's leukemia. or lymphoma? I would push on my lymph nodes until they got swollen and painful to see if they were swollen and painful! So rediculous! Once I got over this episode I just moved on and was like, well I'm glad thats over. I never thought it could happen again. Although now I realize that I never stopped being anxious, I was just coping with it. I would look up symptoms of horrible diseases "just to educate myself", just in case. Now I have some unresolved symptoms and my life is spiraling out of control again. I wake up with my heart racing, I ended up in the hospital again because I was so paniced and feeling suicidal my husband dragged me there. I've been to my doctor 5 times, and another doctor, who have both assured me my fears are unfounded, but I just cant believe them. I spend my days alternating between panic that escalates to the point I almost throw up, to rational thinking that just doesn't last. My stomach is a wreck, I don't want to eat at all. I am exhausted. And really really sad, because I am convinced I'm dying and no one is listening.
It seems like a lot of people here feel the same. Does anyone have any advice, just on how to get through the day? Does anyone else have similar stomach problems related to anxiety? Does anyone else ever believe their doctor, or have advice on how to do that? (Of course I have the typical addiction to google and see all sorts of stories of undiagnosed cancers, etc. that doctors took forevor to diagnose, and thinks, THATS ME!)
I would appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance.
Lindsay

[j2]

Welcome to the forum and I am sorry for what you are going through. You will find many open arms here as we have all gone through the many trips to the doctor, the feeling that no one will listen and the urge to google. I can tell you only what has helped me but you can always post anything. I have found comfort in various books. The best I have found is "It is not all in your head" by Asmundson (sp?). Claire Weekes writes good stuff too about anxiety and what it can make you feel in your body. I personally will go through any given day and think I have any of a half dozen deadly and obscure diseases. I find comfort in exercise and reading. I tend to get a lot of bowel problems from my anxiety which of course set off alarms and make my anxiety worse. I have found that taking metamucil in the mornings keeps things working, even through my rough times. A stress redcution cd has also helped. The long and the short of it is that we all (on this board) tend to have good times and bad. We are here for you. The stuff I mentioned above has helped me a lot but I have yet to find a quick fix. Take care and post whenever you need to.

[Mudskipper]

Hi there
As J2 says, we all have good times and bad, we're here to help you through the bad, although we like to hear about the good!
Stomach/digestive problems seem to go hand in hand with anxiety, I know they do with mine so I wouldn't worry about that. Are you on any meds at present? They can help a lot, particularly in bringing you to a level where your body can at least function properly, ie eating and sleeping etc. Meds aside, the best thing I've found is distraction activity, whether it be exercise, music, reading, watching TV or even doing something practical that really needs doing around the house. Right now, I'm a bit limited in my options as I've injured my knees whilst trying to run, and they're pretty painful, but even that has a kind of upside to it. It's a real, easily diagnosed problem, so it doesn't bother me mentally, but the pain is distracting me so much that several other minor physical problems which have nagged at me for years haven't bothered me at all since! Now I'm not suggesting you try and injure yourself as distraction therapy, but it does kind of illustrate the benefits of having something else to think about!
Whatever you try, we wish you well and don't be a stranger:flowers: