Health Anxiety???? What is happening????

[dan84sim]

Hi,
My name is Dan and I'm a newbie to this. I'm basicall hoping someone will be able to explain what on earth is happening to me.

I'm 26, male, very fit and able - at least I was.

About 2 months ago I jumped into bed and as I was laying there it felt as though my heart had stopped or was stopping, I began to panic and started breathing very quickly until I could feel my heart beat again, ever since then I have been having terrible pains throughout my body. I have always been a worrier, worrying about dying, worrying about catching some deadly disease that is uncurrable. I mean the list of symptoms I have had is stressing me out as everyone I speak to is saying Stress/Panic/Anxiety - Really, EVERY symptom is related to that??
I'll list them:
Had a headache for 2 months now, like a swelling pain, every now and again I get a really sharp acute pain down the left hand side from the top of my head to behind my eye/ear.
Bowel movements, Irregular, watery (Sorry) Solid (again sorry) sometimes I get blood in the stool, sometimes around the stool, I get masses amount of wind.
Chest pains, sometimes I get a tingly pain, or a sharp pain in my chest, I also suffer with severe shortnesses of breathe, these occur at anytime, relaxed, stressed, excercising whenever.. It feels as though when I breathe out I can't breathe back in..
I get this sensation throughout my body, it's weird, my body sort of goes numb and i feel like I am about to die, i seriously worries me and lasts less than 30 seconds..
My eyes hurt, especially when the headaches are there.
I get a pain in my side, an acute pain that feels like it is in my lung, I get that exact pain in my back between my shoulder blades.
My pelvis and lower back aches from time to time
I get vertigo and dizzyness regularly, to the point where I feel sick or I have to stop what I am doing because I think I am going to faint.
Neck pains
As I am writing this my head has gone really numb, then throbbing and I keep getting this feeling in my chest and throat that feels like it is making it hard for me to breathe..

Now all this has been put down to like I say Stress/Anxiety/Panic, can all of this really be the outcome of them?

I mean I have had a difficult life and I am only 26, step dad, real dad dying, moving away from friends and family, half sisters that don't wanna know me, lost my pet I had since I was 16 6 months ago, got burgled 3 months ago, arguing with the ex girlfiend, lost one of my closest friends when we were 18.. I mean, I put on a show and make out I am ok, I know I am not but has all this just caught me up?

I have been to hospital and doctors, even paid for a BUPA advanced check up and they come back fine.. ECG's Blood Tests etc etc. What i'd really like is an MRI scan but no one will give me one..

You read everyday in the papers about doctors and hospital missing things, today for instance in the sun they reported on a lady who died after doctors failed to diagnose a rare brain condition after she had been complaining of headaches for 6 months, yesterday i read a lady had died because doctoors failed to notice a blood clot that travelled to her lungs, she wasd suffering with shortnesses of breathe and complained of feeling unwell..

Am i just suffering with health anxiety or is there something more to it?

Sorry for the essay, i am just now at my wits end with feeling this way..

Dan :yesyes:

[gypsywomen]

the short anwer is YES YOU ARE SUFFERING WITH ANXIETYit can make you feel very ill but its your mind ,making you feel bad have you someone you can talk it throu with it might help on a 0ne to one basis you will get better beleive me but it takes time and lots of strength had to edit as laptop keys missing letters

[Kerry B]

Hi Dan I know its hard to believe that symptoms are through Anxiety I am suffering with GAD and I cannot get ride of my dizzy even though 4 doctors have examined me and said it Anxiety I still cannot believe I am causing this myself, and If I am how can I stop it.

[dan84sim]

I have thought about joining a support group but then I back out, The only person I have spoken to about is my Ex, but then she wasn't fantastically supportive, i felt like I was burdening her with it as she told me to 'man up' That's kind of put me off talking to anyone else that is close to me..

[bexy1970]

hey,
youve got the classic symptoms of anxiety!! join the club!! lol..i have terrible health anx, youll find your sooo not alone on this ste!! and realise so many other people have it that itll make you feel tons better!!
becca xx:hugs:

[dan84sim]

Hi Kerry, that is the frustrating thing about this, I am told I am ok, but I am obviously not, there has to be something not right for my mind to be creating this, but like all the doctors say, I am fine.. In that case how do I stop myself from being or creating illnesses and pains? It's driving me crazy.
I wish my mind was as powerful during exams all those years ago.. Lol

[dan84sim]

Hi Becca

Although it is reassuring that I have Health Anx, it still doesn't make me feel any better that other people are suffering, I feel sorry for anyone who suffers with anxiety as this has caused so much disturbance to my life with work, friends, family.. I have so much respect for people who are battling and over coming this or who have already beat it because at times I wish I had an illness, at least then it would be 100% confirmed and I could channel everything into beating it.. It just seems no matter how many times I see the doctor or go to hospital or no matter how many times I am told I have Anxiety, It doesn't ring true, I feel like they don't know what is happening so they'll put it down to stress and anxiety..

Dan

[Kerry B]

I know what you mean Dan, I say the same if I am creating the Dizzy why carnt I stop it, was told to try taking my mind of it like having a hobby or o something I enjoy doing, but I just cannot get Interested so so Anxious, and you do need support and reasurance even though after having CBT was told I should not keep seeking reasurance without I would go out of my mind. Are you taking an medication? x

[dan84sim]

Hi Kerry

I'm not on any medication, that's thing, I haven't been diagnosed with Anxiety, just been told it's a possibility and that my physical symptoms are nothing to worry about.. I feel so unsupported by the NHS, that's why I went to BUPA, Even they were dismissive.. I love playing football but because I have split my kidney and broken my ankle playing in the past I don't take it seriously anymore and just have a light knock about with my friends.. I've been told to get more exercise or like you say get a hobby but every time i go to do something I get a twinge or some other illness feeling and I freak out, the only time I am comfortable is when I am asleep.. Lol

[Kerry B]

Hi Dan same here I keep having naps when I am not at work as I think its helps shutting my mind down. I am on Seroxate only been on these for 12 days now was on another Antidepressant Cipralex but found they didnt work for me. I am hoping these new tablets work, and I am at a loose end, Why don't you go to your GP and ask for some Antidepressants, only if you take them short term to get you back on track?

[dan84sim]

I think I might, i've got to do something because this is driving me insane.. Had to leave work early today because I felt like I was having another attack so went to hospital, all ok as always.. Only thing is it's starting to affect my work..

[gypsywomen]

best oneis swimming

[Kerry B]

I know that feeling to I am in work really struggling, could even get out of my car yesterday to get into work was so Panicky I do't know how I manage to stay I must of had 2 Diziapam today which I don't like taking often, but its the only thing that calms me down

[dan84sim]

At least you can stay at work, I respect that.. I had to leave, just felt so lost and wanted to make sure I was ok..

Swimming, hhmmmm hadn't thought of that one, was going to try jogging but then freaked..

[gypsywomen]

it is the most relaxing ,,i found you feel so relaxed after.worth a try

[dan84sim]

I will definitely try it it, thank you.. I'd do pretty much anything to get away from this..

[dan84sim]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my last post by my symptoms are changing and getting worse:

I'm now getting this weird feeling between my chest and throat, it feels like a cross between just before your sick and a shortness of breathe, had a severe panic attack on the train today, couldn't swallow at allow, kept feeling as though my throat was closing, racing heart again, just freaked out..

My whole face ache's behind my nose, behind my ears, my throat - it's so weird, it feels like i have burnt my throat or something because all the air i breathe in and out feels really warm, there feels like there is no relief at all, is this always going to be the case because it's driving me crazy now, I think I am going mad..

[blueangel]

Hi Dan

It sounds to me as though you have become hyper-aware of yourself. It's very likely that you're just feeling things that normally happen in your body anyway, but because you've become so sensitive to what's going on inside yourself, it's like everything has got out of control.

Have you been to see your GP? Do you feel that you could tell him/her how you're feeling? if you can, I'm sure they'd be able to reassure you - I've had pretty much all of the symptoms that you've been describing, and I've had some of them on and off for YEARS - and (as far as I can tell :wacko:) I'm still here!

[JaJa]

Hi Dan, I have just joined the forum for the first time and I happened across your post and thought I would contribute as I can relate so much! Im 32 year old male and have been experiencing health anxiety for 2 years now. I agree with the post just before that we can become hyper-aware of our bodies and in that state obviously we feel things that normally wouldnt bother us or even occur and in turn causes more anxiety and consequently more symptoms etc etc.. however, that does not stop me or others from questioning and worrying about every little thing that I can feel and searching for explanations as to why that pain, ache or twinge or flutter should occur, what can it be, and so on! I too have had to leave work on occasions because I have got so upset and distressed and thought that I was dying.. I do have good periods where most of the anxieties are kept at bay but there are periods when that is not so and especially if I have a cold or stomach bug then they can be triggers, or like the other day I woke up with a rash on my hand freaked out and weirdly it went after a few hours, at the moment Im having a bad time - this week my stomach/guts have been playing up and Im sure my stress and anxiety is making that worse and I have a strange mild choking like sensation in my throat with a slight hoarseness and in the centre of my torso / lower end of my rib cage I am having a strange sensation, with twinges and like a foreign object present.. I have been really down about this convincing myself its cancer.. Im just praying that in the next few days these sensations will go and I will reassured for now anyway, or not as the fear inside me says!! I know how you feel when you say you think your going mad because the anxiety over it does drive me insane, the fear of it, the way my mind is so preoccupied about it.. I hope you feel better soon mate, all the best, Ja.

[dan84sim]

Hey BlueAngel and JaJa.

Thanks for replying, being over aware of what my body is doing is something that I feel I definitely am, it's really weird because my memory is shocking, my friend could talk and 20 minutes later I could have forgotten what we were saying but, I can tell you what pain and where and how it felt to the exact point for the last month or more.. It's crazy that something as powerful as the mind can allow something like anxiety to take complete control, it's a vicious circle though, I had a panic/anxiety attack at work this morning and instead of leaving to go to the hospital I decided to stay and fight it out, once i got my composure back i had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind (what if it's real this time, what if I am going to stop breathing and I don't go to the hospital, will I die, is there a first aider on the floor who could help ) That in turn brought on another panic attack, In all I had 3.. The only thing that stopped me going to the hospital is that a girl who works for me came over and said describe what your feeling, describe the pains and the symptoms and what the hospital/doctors have told me everytime I go, turns out she has exactly the same, again, not knowing the cause or the reasoning behind her attacks.. She has been having them 7 years now but they have got easier, she has them in bouts like a few in a close period of time and then none for weeks, months even.. I'm really glad that she could spot what was happening because talking to someone in the flesh about what is happening and someone who has been/is going through the same was really encouraging and reassuring..

It is a weird feeling but sharing the problem is actually halving the problem, it hasn't stopped, I had a little flutter on the way home but I just kept telling myself I am ok, I can breathe, I am not bleeding or collapsing - I will be ok....

I hear what your saying JaJa, I get weird things like that but 9 times out of 10 it is a result of something else, I get bad stomach, Anxiety causes IBS, I think cancer too but it's always something I have eaten, I get chest pains I think heart attack but infact it's where I laid funny in the night.. I try and switch of when I hear my body, it's hard but I try and focus on something else..