How do you cope?

[tinycritter]

Hi all. What I'm after is some advice! My health anxiety started five years ago when I was unemployed for 10 months, ran out of JSA, spent every day lying in bed, depressed etc and developed random muscle-twitches. I convinced myself this was MS (although I now know that they were an anxiety symptom and that a lot of other people have them), and from that I have progressed to just about everything under the sun. For the last 2-3 years, I have been diagnosing myself with a different (and always terminal) cancer more or less every week. The trouble is I am also doctor-phobic (I once went 12 years without a visit to my GP and that's almost half my life!), and so I don't have much in the way of professional reassurance! I am trying to ban myself from Googling, but find it very hard. I just wondered if any other HA sufferers have any advice - what helps you calm down when you have a symptom-panic? Is there anything that helps you to stop thinking about whatever it is that's currently scaring you? Anti-depressants, counselling and CBT have all failed for me so any input gratefully received! :huh:

[Andromeda]

have you ever tried ringing NHS direct !? alternative to visiting the doctor , when i'm in my states of panic over a brain tumor or something else like that i ring them , and they talk me through my symptoms and help reassure me rationalise ! it really helps me , and they dont mind how much you pester them ! haha XX

[tinycritter]

Actually I never thought of NHS Direct at all! Thank you, that's a really useful idea :)

[blackberry1972]

Actually I never thought of NHS Direct at all! Thank you, that's a really useful idea :)

I started suffering with anxiety 4 months after my father died of Motor Neurons. I basically had a bad back and somehow convinced myself that it was the start of the same illness.
My father’s disease is non hereditary and extremely rare but this didn’t seem to help. During the worst time, which was in August of last year I started getting muscle twitching and I then again convinced myself this was another symptom. Since then I have got a lot better through counseling and exercise. I try and keep myself busy and try to focus on other things.
My counselor told me to only allow myself 5 minutes a day when I would think about the anxiety and anytime after that you just have to say “sorry times up” and think of something else.
It helps of course if you have something to focus on so try taking up a hobby, something to look forward to once a week.
I’ve taken up Judo recently and now when I worry I just think about my next Judo lesson, doesn’t always work but it does sometimes.

Something else I’ve found works is when I’m taking a shower I leave my arms by my side and as the water trickles off the end of my fingers I imagine that this is all the anxiety just dripping out of my body. Try it, even for 5 minutes hopefully it works for you.
Take care

[barbn]

Sometimes I am in a "fog" for most of the day - I force myself to do "normal" things - like go to work and household chores. I'm like you, I am constantly diagnosing myself with what ever terminal cancer - right now it is breast cancer as I am going in for my yearly mammogram.

How do I cope - we besides forcing myself, I do my best on the days that I can - focus on somethign other than my anxiety. When it gets to be too much I must reach out for help. I take daily medication for depression and anxiety and I pray a lot! ;-) I liked reading this post as it has a LOT of great examples of what we can all do to help cope!! Thanks everyone!!! :winks: