Does your HA change, or have you always worried about the same thing?

[lilboops]

I guess my HA started when I had a panic attack about 13 years ago. Then, I was worried about my heart.

But, for the past 10 years or so, I've worried mostly about my lungs, with the occasional heart attack or stroke thrown in. (Usually when I'm having a PA. When not having a PA, it's back to lungs, lol).

I see some posts in here from people who have one worry after another. I'm just curious as to what your HA brings you.

[sammi]

Myns always my heart well I've had the worrying of the odd blood clot here and there but mostly my heart x

[kay1986]

hi mine is a mixture of heart attack/ brain tumour and cancer!!!!!!, have had a good few weeks really thought i was getting over it, but all came back last week am now suffering with pains in my chest and abdomen at the moment, i mainly seem to worry about the big C and it scares me senseless, but i guess if there was something seriously wrong with me then the symptoms wouldnt keep subsiding then reappearing, well thats what keeps me going anyway and the thought that my little girl needs me!!!!, hope you guys are ok xxx

[stressbunny]

Yes and no.

For a while (since August) I have been worried about Parkinson's. My mum has it and, although I am only 39 and it is not hereditary, there is a genetic link. I have symptoms that I have googled, suck as jerking when relaxed (or asleep?) in bed - there is a condition where you act out your dreams that has been noted in people who go on and get Parkinsons - I am not quite sure this matches my jerking/twitching but certainly seems to when I am anxious.

My GP said she is sure it is not Parkinsons (has run some basic Neuro response tests), but offered to refer me for reassurance (on my private healthcare!!). I have refused cos I am far enough down the path to know that reassurance won't help me. The alternative is a positive diagnosis and quite frankly, if that is the case, I dont need to know yet!

All that said, this started with a bad shoulder (in my head now this is also a Parkinsons problem). I was CONVINCED I had rhematoid arthritis. Panic attacks etc arrived, I had pins and needles in face, feet, hands - convinced I had MS. I also went through a Motor Neurone Disease phase (which is a popular one with us neuro symptom sufferers!!). It is a short lived phase normally tho, I expect cos MND progresses so rapidly that our anxiety outlives the period of sensible diagnosis!

If you check my past posts, there have also been posts about mouth cancer, bowel problems and I dont want to remember what else..so maybe it is not Parkinsons, maybe it is just angst...

Bottom line is, my neuro symptoms dont really cause me a problem...only feeling anxious all the time does. It is debilitating and all consuming...my FEAR of having parkinsons. I could get run down by a bus tomorrow, and a my last thought will be ...well, I wasted that time didn't I?

Sorry to hijack your thread for a rant...but the bottom line is that we will always find something new to worry about once we have reassured ourselves about one thing. In fact this is sometimes the upside, in that I got over the MS thing when I moved on to cancer!! Joke.

The thing we need to address is our anxiety, not an undiagnosed condition..........if only it was that easy :)

[glowworm]

My main HA started about 10 years ago, not too long after my mum died. (Could there be a connection?) I went to the doctor with various symptoms and he made me more worried by wanting to run lots of tests for unrelated conditions. I had a CT scan on my head, a chest X-ray, etc, so initially I thought I had MS and lung cancer (even though I'd never smoked and was only 30). Then I had an HIV scare. Later, it was fears about heart problems, as I was having bad palpitations. A cardiologist ran several tests and found nothing. At other times, I've had big fears about things like skin cancer. Now, my fears are mainly about my husband's health. So, yes, mine has definitely changed. We should be reassured that with past worries, we were fine after being SURE we had a terrible condition. But each time, I think this could be the time my fears are shown to be justified!

[stressbunny]

Yes that is exactly how I feel .... This time I am right!!

[Going home]

Mine is mostly my heart. I've suffered with ectopics for a long time and this has been the main fear. Its got slightly easier as time's gone on but it has stopped me doing things and going places in the past.

Anna xx

[blueangel]

I've swapped from one thing to another as well. The first time I had health anxiety (as opposed to generalised anxiety), it was most definitely biased towards central nervous system problems. It was triggered by my mother suffering a brain haemorrhage, and I became obsessed with brain tumours, strokes and MS. This was also made worse by the fact that my dad died of MS when I was 7, and I knew there could be a familial link with it. This took several months to get over and caused a whole shedload of symptoms. I also dallied with leukaemia and HIV, but during this period the only "real" thing that I got diagnosed with was IBS.

A few years later it was my heart that I worried about. This was triggered by a sudden and quite severe attack of SVTs (paroxysmal tachycardia) which came from nowhere. Needless to say, this was pretty terrifying and the GP I had at the time wasn't very good and just didn't take any notice of it. To make matters worse, he didn't explain anything either. Luckily I managed to find another GP at the same practice who was much better and he was a great help. At the same time I was convinced I had a heart problem, I also had a lot of problems with GERD, which of course I connected with the heart issues. I then went on to have ectopics, palpitations and all sorts of other associated things.

Since then, I've not focussed on things quite so specifically, but have a dread of getting cancer, or having a stroke. These days, I am in the age group where cancer and strokes start to get statistically more likely, therefore I'm not sure how to get my head around this one.

[blueangel]

And both stressbunny and glowworm made me smile with their replies. We seem to have a thing about wanting to be right eventually! :blush:

[cattttt]

I've had all sorts of worries. Many years ago, the favourite was cancer, and infectious diseases. Now it's heart/stroke and allergies, though the infectious diseases still get a look in too. Not too bad at the moment, but maybe the other things going on in my life have distracted me a bit!

[MidnightCalm]

Started with Brain Tumour. Then Lymphoma. Then leukemia. Then MS. Then ALS. Then Bowel Cancer. Then heart problems. Now back to a mix of brain tumour, stomach cancer or bowel cancer.

[MidnightCalm]

Oh and aids.

[Ella_Jayne]

From the start the thing I worry about most is my heart. I have ventured into the brain tumor worry and also clots. But 90% of my panic and anxiety is me worrying about my heart.

[speeder]

I have a huge list of things I've worried about....here's just a few.

HIV/AIDs
STDs
rabies (no joke)
CJD (an old favourite)
breast cancer many many times
lung cancer
brain tumour
ovarian cancer
MS
ALS
skin cancer
leuakemia
colon cancer
Parkinsons


In the last 6 weeks alone, I've worried about skin cancer (funny mole), colon cancer (upset tummy), lung cancer (upper back pain), breast cancer (because it's in my family), Parkinsons (trembling hand) and, my current favourite obsession, ALS.

Do I win any kind of prize for the most? Like a new brain? I think I need one!