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Glitterbug
22-04-10, 18:31
Hi Everyone,

I am 30 weeks pregnant with my second child and am having bad health anxiety.
I suffered post natel depresson and anxiety after my first child and was convinced that I had a heart problem. I had all the checks, ecg etc and everything came back fine. i was put on prozac and had been doing well for about the last 8 months.
I became pregnant in october and decided to cut my meds down to one every other day and came of them completley just before 20 weeks. I had been doing fine, a few down days but no anxiety.

For about the last few weeks I have had what I can only decribe as weird vision in my right eye which gets worse at night, I can only liken it to slightly blurry.
A couple of weeks later and I have it in my head that i have a brain tumor as have been getting headaches too and feeling sick. Got worse over the easter weekend as was convinced that this was it.
I went to the doc on the tues who advised that she would not send me for scans as I am pregnant but cant rule out that its a brain tumor!!!!!!. But that I should not think about it as it probably is not.

I went to see another doc the following week and gave her the same symptoms, which now included a numbness in my left cheek that can work its way down to my chin or to my ear and above my left eye, which also keeps going funny. She checked my ears and eyes and said all is ok. I said to her about my fear of brain tumor and she stated that it was not that and that it was pregnancy with a bit of anxiety thrown it. That was on the monday last week and found myself back at the doc on the friday ( a 3rd one) as was really worried about the numbness and also a shooting pain in my nose, he advised that could not say what it was but thought that it was notting.

I cant get it out of my head that it is not a tumor. I cant sleep at night and the heart problems that I had left behind have returned.
I feel like I should try to believe what i am being told but have a fear that they are not listening to me due to being pregnant and having anxiety in the past.

My left side of my face is still numb, still getting the nose pains and a poping in my ear from time to time and can not see how it could still be like this after 2 weeks.

I am just not sure where to go now or what to do and Dr oogle has just made it worse. i feel like they are saying its in your head now get on with it.

Any advice would be greatfully recieved.

busybeingmum
22-04-10, 19:04
Glitterbug! You musn't ever Google! I think that 3 different doctors would have spotted something if it wasn't right. You have to accept that your hormones are all over the show and that your anxiety is great at the moment. With my second pregnancy I felt pretty ill by the last 10 weeks and had numbness and all sorts of horrid symptoms. The only thing I might worry about if I was you is pre-eclampsia and that will be caught through seeing the midwife for blood pressure etc. Perhaps the best perso to mention your problems to would be the midwife. Please try to relax and enjoy the pregnany - you are fine. xxxx

mary3
22-04-10, 20:10
I know just how you feel, i had my 2nd baby 5 months ago and spent the whole 9 months plagued by health anxiety symptoms and convinced i had an undetected heart problem, i swear my midwife was sick of hearing from me due to all the visits, calls and texts!!
Im sure all your symptoms are linked to anxiety plus a whole heap of hormones. Im sure if you are not conciously worrying about postnatal depression then you are doing it subconciously and that is a perfectly normal thing to do, but that is causing all these anxiety symptoms.
Do you clench your jaw when you are stressed, you might not know are doing it but that can definatly cause the numb feeling, nose pain and ear popping, added to that the sinus's are well known for being problematic during pregnancy (mine were really painful in both pregnancys).

As for the blurry eyes that can be tiredness and light sensitivity due to being anxious and headaches are also very common when pregnant due to hormones.

I cant believe that dr said that to you, actually i can believe it because i have met many drs who are absolutly clueless about how much what they say can affect someone. Im 100% sure if they actually thought that there was any chance you had a brain tumour they would investigate it including scans even though your pregnant.

Please go and see your midwife and talk all this through with her, its their job to look after a womans health whilst she is pregnant and that includes their emotional health too. Feel free to message me anytime as i know how hard it is to struggle with health anxiety on top of pregnancy. x

Glitterbug
22-04-10, 20:52
Thank you to you both for replying.

Was esp good to read your reply Mary, has made me feel less alone.
I think you are right that I am thinking of things even when I don't think I am. I had a bad birth with my first and since I have been feeling like this I have found that I am now starring to think about this birth.

I know what you mean about doctors. The funny thing is she us the doctor I seen all along for my pnd and heart problems and said that even though she did not believe there was anything wrong she would send me for tests anyway. She dies come out with some silly thingss though. Another was when I first seen her about my heart and told her I had a real fear of dying, she told me we all have to due some time!!!!/ I just don't think they even relise what they are saying sometimes. My husband said that maybe they have to say things like that to cover themselves but the second doctor I seen laughed when I said about a tumor and said you don't have a tumor, your tired and pregnant.

Will probably take you up on the offer and pm you for a chat. Has really helped. Thank you xx

mary3
22-04-10, 21:44
Message me anytime. When i had my first baby although it wasnt a horrific birth i was in a bit of shock afterwards and also had some missed heartbeats, anyway from the min i found out i was pregnant again i literaly dreaded the birth. I was in denial for 9 months that she was coming out and i went to the drs at least twice to question why i had these missed heartbeats. Anyway i spent loads of time researching positive birth stories, relaxation and visualisation techniques as i was adament i wasnt going to have any pain relief as i blamed the gas and air for feeling so dreadful during first labour. Anyway im not sure if it was sheer luck or if these things worked but i had a really positive experience, a lot less pain than first time and felt much more in control. Anyway what im trying to say is the mind is such a powerful thing so it can make you feel all these horrible symptoms.
Not saying im an expert but if want advice on the visualisation and relaxation stuff i did then let me know i will try and explain it all. Hope you start feeling better soon xx

mary3
22-04-10, 21:51
Just read that back and it doesnt make as much sense as it should, think its time i went to bed!!! Hope i havent worried you with all that talk about my heart, it wasnt a problem and it only worried me because the heart is my main health anxiety issue. Also i didnt have it after my 2nd child,sorry i should really think before i type x

Glitterbug
22-04-10, 22:18
Hi Mary,

Thanks, no don't worry you didn't frighted me with the heart thing. It's comforting to know it's not just me.

I have had the heart thing, was after my 1st was born. I had 2 short ecgs, one 24 hour one and an echocardiogram. All came back ok.
As it has been happening again at night I can guess it's the anxiety again.

That's a good idea about the birth, will def look into that.

Thanks again Mary. X

shanlynn1012
23-04-10, 02:00
I was you pregnant with my second child every day something physical was happening, and it really was happening but everyon kept saying it was pregnancy etc etc so at 8 months things got real bad and at my birth I had a panic attack becaue i was awaiting my miraculous recovery. Might sound weird but I wasted my pregnnacy and 5 months after being so afraid of what was worng with me that I missed it all.
I had lumps, breast lumps, a blood clot, headaches aka brain tumor, moles removed, skipped heartbeats, swollen aching feet, MS, etc etc etc oh and oral cancer. I now see it was anxiety and not one person pointed it out to me for a very long time. I went threw tests, mris, ct scans er visits nothing ever showed up and the more i learn it was all anxiety. Crazy we can do this to ourselves! Feel better and try reading some claire weeks and enjoy very good times are ahead!