Needing some serious help now please

[Starscream]

Got to the point my girlfriend is now majorly stressed with how paranoid and stressed and anxious I am about my health and she has made a doctors appointment for me tomorrow and is coming in with me.

I have had raised spots on my tongue, at the tip of it, and they are sore when i put my finger across them. They look white, but I'm not sure. Maybe light red. But I know from Google that this is a seriously bad symptom. I dont know if it's through biting them when sneezing, accidentially biting them in my sleep (!?!?), general stress, a reaction to something or, my major fear - a serious illness.

I have, on the right of my tongue, a red smooth patch which clears up sometimes but gets very red other times. I seem to have developed it recently. I didn't ever notice it before. Strange how this all seems to have happened when I am convinced I have a major illness.

Also seem to be a lot more itchy, especially my arms, top of hands and now last night, my chest. And I know itching is a really really bad sign too. Sometiems, I am having difficulty breathing when I am out and about as well, and I don't know why.

This has been ongoing for over a year now and I am constantly looking in the mirror for the SLIGHTEST thing I can see and I google it, and then I go to bed and end up dreaming that I have this illness, and the dream seems so real.

Is my problems more than just fear and being scared ? Am I mentally unwell ?

People tell me I am stressed but I know that when you are stressed all you get is a sore head.

I am talking EVERYTHING i have, I can't stop looking online, getting scared, asking friends/family several times about it , looking in the mirror about 100 times a day at the problem.

It's getting to the point that if I can't sort this out then I will lose my girlfriend, and my friends too, who are sick of this.

[BornWorrier]

OK - deep breath, sweetie :)

Red spots on the tongue are NOT a serious symptom of anything. We all have them. If they become more pronounced it COULD mean that you're lacking some vitamin or other. This is not serious and is easily rectified. How's your diet.

The red patch that comes and goes sounds like a canker sore - a type of mouth ulcer. Again, could indicate a vitamin deficiency.

In the absence of any other symptoms, the itchiness is not alarming. This could easily be down to anxiety. Try to feel reassured by the length of time you've had these symptoms - if there were anything sinister going on, youd know it by now!

You are NOT mentally ill - you have Health Anxiety. As you can see from all the many members here, you are not alone :)

It's great that you're seeing the doctor tomorrow. Explain EXACTLY how you feel and how it's taking over your life. The doctor will have seen it all before, so don't feel embarrassed.

In the meantime, rest assured that you are not displaying ANY worrying symptoms, and stay well away from Dr Google. He doesn't always tell the truth :)

[Starscream]

Thanks for your reply.

A Canker sore ? Is it not Geographic TOngue ? Again it looks like that, according to Google though

My diet is ok. I have a lot of Vit C and Zinc these days. I could eat better but I don't eat a lot of crisps and sweets as such

Isn't anxiety just a sore head and feeling dizzy though ? I don't get this ?

I didn't know itching was a major anxiety thing.

[j2]

I can't emphasize enough that you should never google any symptom. I agree with everything that BornWorrier said about your symptoms. I would add that if you have had them for a year and they haven't spread dramatically or changed in shape and grown, then I would not worry about them. You are consumed with terrible thoughts and can't control them. We have all been there. The sooner you begin to accept that this is anxiety the sooner you are going to feel better. Most of us here have not beaten anxiety but we have good days and bad. I have found that exercise and rest help a lot as does posting often on this board. I certainly don't won't to belittle what you are going through, it is hell and I feel very very badly for you and can totally relate. Tell your doctor how worried you are and what behaviors the worry is causing. If he suggests medication, take it. Don't google side effects, just take it. It doesn't mean you will be on drugs forever or that you can't change the drugs. Try yoga or meditation. Good luck and remember we are here for you.

[j2]

I just saw your response to bornworrier. Look over on the left of this page at the "symptoms" area. You will find a long list of things anxiety can do. For more info search this site for symptoms and you will find even more.

[Starscream]

I can't emphasize enough that you should never google any symptom. I agree with everything that BornWorrier said about your symptoms. I would add that if you have had them for a year and they haven't spread dramatically or changed in shape and grown, then I would not worry about them. You are consumed with terrible thoughts and can't control them. We have all been there. The sooner you begin to accept that this is anxiety the sooner you are going to feel better. Most of us here have not beaten anxiety but we have good days and bad. I have found that exercise and rest help a lot as does posting often on this board. I certainly don't won't to belittle what you are going through, it is hell and I feel very very badly for you and can totally relate. Tell your doctor how worried you are and what behaviors the worry is causing. If he suggests medication, take it. Don't google side effects, just take it. It doesn't mean you will be on drugs forever or that you can't change the drugs. Try yoga or meditation. Good luck and remember we are here for you.

Thank you for your reply.

Do you sometimes ever think about a worrying symptom and it happens ? Or think of a frightening illness and then it's in the newspaper or on a weblink immediately ?

It's like I am living in a dream/hell and anything scary I think of seems to always happen in real life, whether it be a frightening illness in a tv show when I was thinking about it a few mins earlier, or something a friend mentions when I was pondering it or daydreaming.

It's absolutely horrifying to feel like you are so alone with this

For example, I saw Chest Itch/Rash is a really bad symptom of a bad disease and I never had it. Now 2 weeks later, I have a really bad Chest Itch and Rash. And I feel absolutely terrible with it like am I bringing these all on just by the power of thought ? Or can aftershave I got for Christmas do it ? Even though I am not spraying it on my chest, it's my neck, and my neck doesn't have anything on it. :weep:

[j2]

yes I get this type of self imposed illness after reading about it or seeing it on a TV show. The thing about noticing an illness in the news after you first worry about it is very common among us. There is a wonderful book called "it is not all in your head" by Asmundson. Please get a copy and read it. The knowledge is priceless. There are also exercises to help relax. Also, Weekes has several good books. If you can't afford them, I can send you some books. Send me a PM with your address and I will air mail them to england if I have to. I want you and you need to understand that you are fine, you are not alone, the people on this site will not judge, you will feel better and you can always talk to us. For right now, you need to break the cycle. Do anything to distract yourself, watch a movie, go for a run, watch a match on TV, go volunteer at a homeless shelter. Do anything that will get your mind off of your body. Do anything but drink yourself to sleep. That will only lead to more problems, trust me on this one. Anyway, I am here for you buddy, we all are. Good luck.

[BornWorrier]

It COULD be geographic tongue. Have you looked at some online pix? Do you have a family history of it?

Either way, it's NOT something that could ever prove fatal. Show it to the doctor tomorrow.

Anxiety can manifest in a million different ways - just check out all the threads on here! Our brains are capable of playing the most spiteful tricks on us. The moment we worry about anything, it instantly gets worse! Guaranteed.

I'm assuming you've ruled a minor allergy to specific soaps and washing powders?

I have personally never developed any of the illnesses that I've been convinced I've had over the years. That's not to say it couldn't happen - but with us worriers we tend to exaggerate our symptoms in our minds and it's only later we realise that they were never that significant. So, I would imagine, for most of us our worst fears are never realised.

I promise - itching that lasts a year without getting significantly worse, and patches on the tongue are NOT symptoms of anything terribly sinister :)

[Starscream]

The pics seem to look like what I have but no one in my family has had it.

I didn't think of any allergies at all cos I havent had it before. If I have I havent ever noticed it before.

Thanks for the replies anyway.

Gonna try and just play the PS3 and relax before tomorrow morning with the doctor.