What's wrong with me?

[Lauren6144]

Hi All,

Recently I've been under a lot of stress about my health, starting a few months ago when I had a HIV scare. I was constantly on the internet looking up syptoms of HIV and convincing myself I had the symptoms, losing sleep over it and barely eating. About 3 weeks ago the test results came back negative, I was relieved but I keep thinking "what if they got my blood mixed up with someone elses? What if I tested too early?" I tested about 2 months after the unprotected sex but I've read you need to test at about 3 months for an accurate result. Would my negative result be accurate at 2 months? I had no reason to believe he had HIV but as part of my anxiety it was all I thought about.

Since this I've not been feeling myself, for about 2 weeks I've had a constant headache, mainly at the back of my head but sometimes it goes into my temples and the rest of my head and jaw. I've also had some pain in my right armpit and right groin, like a dull ache. I've tried to feel for swollen lymph nodes but as I don't know what they feel/look like I have no idea what I'm looking for. I'm also constantly tired.

I don't know what's wrong with me, is all this just in my head or are they real symptoms I should be worried about? There's no end to the diseases I've convinced myself I have, I've got myself into such a state about the headaches I think it's a brain tumour or something serious. I don't know if this is all stress related or whether I'm actually ill.

Any advice or reassurance would be very much appreciated.

Lauren

[Babikins]

Evening Lauren (:

You're on this forum, so part of you must have accepted you have health anxiety, right? With todays technology and medical care it would be very very unlikely. HIV is a serious disease, doctors won't take it lightly. If there was any chance 2 months was too early, they would have you back in a month to test again. Doctors don't hand out results they aren't 100% sure about. The symptoms you describe sound like health anxiety worries to me, I've had all of the ones you state! But I believe that if the only way to put a health anxiety worriers mind at ease, is to keep going to the doctor until you have ruled everything out, then do it! It helped me a lot. I had all my bloods screened, ecgs, blood pressure, everything. And it helped me realise that I am physically very very healthy and that it is all in my mind. We pay our taxes and the NHS is there to help people with illness, health anxiety is an illness. If your worried you have every right to talk to your GP and ask for help.


(:

[littlenik]

Hi there! I experience some of these symptoms too but a bit differently. I have strange head sensations (mainly at the back of my head) that feel almost tender like bruises and they come and go, sometimes ill get sharp head sensations or a feeling someones kicked me in the head and other times just unexplainable head sensations. i also get jaw pain but i grind my teeth at night, i also clench my jaw during the day mostly in nervous situations. i am worried as well, but have been told it is anxiety and i do stress 24/7 even if it is over nothing i am always a worry wort. xx

[Lauren6144]

Thank you so much for the responses!

The slightest symptom I get I convince myself its something serious and make myself feel even worse, I'm sick of constantly worrying about it it's beginning to take control of my life. I haven't always been like this it began with the HIV scare.

I've made a doctors appointment for Monday, I try to avoid the doctors a lot as I feel that I'm constantly there! My main concern is the lymph nodes, I don't know what these pains in my groin and armpit are so I've been feeling them but as I don't know what lymph nodes feel/look like I keep thinking any bump is a swollen lymph nodes, it's driving me insane!

Lauren