Anxiety sky high

[Primula]

Please help. My anxiety is sky high. I am having therapy with a good therapist, but I've taken a dive the past few weeks.

I've had on and off aches in right side of my back for over 2 years. Had a blood test last year and everything was normal.

The last few weeks I haven't been able to stop focussing on the back ache, and have almost convinced myself that I have some awful cancer like pancreatic cancer.

My therapist would like me to have a blood test as part of my exposure therapy, because she thinks it would reassure me and put me in a better frame of mind to work on my fears. The thought of another blood test terrifies me, as I'm convinced it will show something bad. I'm 52 btw.

Any wise words would be much appreciated.

---------- Post added at 11:21 ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 ----------

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[Female healthanxiety]

Hi Primula,

back ache is so so common, what has made you think you have the C word??!

Get your bloods done - as this would confirm to you that you have no such thing and start moving forward with your therapy.

I get a backache every so often, which comes and goes and I can barely walk for the day, and then the next couple of months I am fine - have not had it checked out as it comes and goes too quickly xxx

[Primula]

Thanks for replying FHA. I will get the blood test done, even though the thought scares me. I suppose it's better to know if anything is wrong or not. By not getting it done I suppose it's a form of avoidance, so will be good exposure work,

[Female healthanxiety]

Yes definately!

You will then be able to use your therapy effecively...

I wish you the best of luck and keep calm and carry on!

[ItchyOne]

My anxiety is sky high at the moment too... after a year of being relatively free of anxiety.
Let's pull through this together! I have a specialist appointment tomorrow for my latest symptoms. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Hang in there!

[Primula]

Thank you for your replies. Had a day of no aches yesterday, but this afternoon, ache started in my right side again, also burning sensation in both buttocks. I'm getting very worked up thinking that this must be a sign that I have something terminal, but I'm also wondering if I'm somehow causing these symptoms because I am so anxious and stressed. Or that I have selective attention, when it comes to bodily symptoms. So fed up with myself.