severe health anxiety happened after having my child 6 years ago!! Can anyone relate

[Chili9]

Just asking this because I want to know if it will ever get better?
I have always had anxiety and panic attacks since I was 11, but it was more GAD then when I had my daughter the health anxiety began. I'm 32 now. A month after my daughter was born 6 years ago a lady I know who was 33 years of age passed away and left two children and she was 5 months pregnant. This has obviously affected me greatly and what I worry about most is not in fact me, it's my daughter! What I mean is that I worry how she would cope. Every time I get a "scary symptom" I automatically think it's something bad then go through my head about who would look after my daughter as her dad and I have separated so I think about who could come and live in my home so she wouldn't have to move out and blah blah blah! Argghhhh!!! Has anyone tried hypnotherapy? Or has anyone got any success stories in relation to this as I am at my wits end!!!

[Andria24]

Looking back I was messed up way before my kids arrived but for sure once they did terrorising thoughts about dropping dead and leaving them all alone plagued the hell out of me. I think (I could be wrong) that it was a natural reaction to motherhood and being the primary carer.

Many parents go through this, and of course given you're already anxious, it's going to feel worse. For me it just melted back and forth, never really left me. Still does and they're all grown up now.

Have you had any therapy or?

[Chili9]

Hi Andria, thank you for your reply
I feel like i'm losing my mind at the moment, seems to get worse as the colder months come in and the darker nights as I am worse at night.
Did you ever get help with it? I think about it day in and day out and have reduced myself to tears. I am currently waiting on a psychology appointment. I have tried this in the past but I didn't think it was working but I wonder if I just didn't give it a chance...? I worry about my daughter more than myself yet before that it was more GAD and I hated being away from home and my family. Every symptom to me is bad and I automatically think all these things. Someone suggested hypnotherapy but I don't know how successful that would be...?

[Andria24]

Nope, never got help. That's why I've gotten like I have now (at 45).

To be honest I've always been the warrior kind ... 'suck it up, pain makes you feel alive, deal with it and keep moving' - which is not recommended. Pottered along fine(ish) and dandy then been feeling a bit panicky (last few months or so), got some miserable news on Saturday from a specialist and my head went all 'nick back paddy whack'.

I'm on meds and down for CBT, so my advice is face it, face the fear, work it out. CBT may be better for you, have you tried it?

And yeah, maybe it didn't work in the past but were you open to it, did you accept that you needed the help? All this makes a difference. Clearly you're making yourself miserable so perhaps this time is the right time

[Chili9]

I'm assuming I will get CBT through the psychology appointment? Sorry if I seem dim.
I have tried the "stop this ridiculous behaviour and get on with your life" etc but like you, it just doesn't help in the slightest.
I think you're right in the fact that I probably didn't want to accept the help and thought I would eventually get over it, so yes, you're right but I never looked at it that way, just convinced myself that it wouldn't help!
I hope you have success with CBT, I am waiting on my appointment so hopefully we will both have success stories to share thanks Andria Just want to enjoy being a mum...

[Andria24]

You go get sorted and yep, hopefully we can share swap CBT stories

[natalie5555]

i can relate I've always had bad anxiety but when i got pregnant it got worse little things would make me jump or make me uncomfortable that didn't before. Then 3months after having my daughter i started having panic attacks. My daughter is 13months now and i worry all the time what will happen to her if something happens to me i love her so much and i get weird symptoms everyday and panic attacks and it makes it so much worse when u have a child too. If u want a chat message me

[kimballs]

Hi there..same here, I have 5 children and one is blind. I really understand what your going through. your not alone

[roxy90]

I'm exactly the same as Natalie, my daughter is 14 months and I'm terrified of leaving her, terrified I wont see her grow up etc I have extreme health anxiety stemming from a fear of not seeing my little girl grow up , it's awful I have a huge array of symptoms its awful I panic a lot too. Youre not alone x

[LE]

I am the same. I developed ha after having my daughter 4.5 years ago. It was just subtle at first. But then my friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer at 42 and she had two small children and suddenly I felt like 'fair game'. I.e if she could get it then so could I and leave my baby girl.

Things then got worse when I had to for an MRI scan to check something that had been found on my liver during an ultrasound for gallstones. For the first time ever, I googled as of course he told me I had cancer. So for 3 weeks I had non stop panic attacks and lost about 10lb as I could not eat for the fear gripping me.

Anyway I had the MRI and was told it was a benign cyst that I'd likely had from birth and it had only been found incidentally. Had follow ups since and all fine.

I though I would 'go back to normal' but form then on I have been consumed with everything being cancer. I've had lots of tests and seen several specialists and the only thing ever found is some fluid in my ears. And yet I am still poking and prodding my body daily looking for what the doctors must have missed?!?!

I am taking sertraline and see a psychologist. Just started both so it's early days. I had another baby 8 months ago and after the birth I got really bad think hormones and not being on meds (my choice) made it worse.

Just wanted to share you are not alone.