Anyone Having Physical Symptoms 24/7

[IreneRumi]

I’ve been there, truly. And I am mostly recovered. I posted in success stories the other day about what helped me. But the main thing is - stop diagnosing yourself, stop going to the doctors, stop fixating on your anxiety. Just press on. Stop looking things up. Get outside. Seek any distraction. You won’t feel better instantly, it might take months and you will cycle back and forth. But if you ignore it I bet you will slowly get better. Read the story I posted down the page and maybe seek out the book.

[Elen]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.

Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.

It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.

Elen

[Cublad0121]

I’ve been there, truly. And I am mostly recovered. I posted in success stories the other day about what helped me. But the main thing is - stop diagnosing yourself, stop going to the doctors, stop fixating on your anxiety. Just press on. Stop looking things up. Get outside. Seek any distraction. You won’t feel better instantly, it might take months and you will cycle back and forth. But if you ignore it I bet you will slowly get better. Read the story I posted down the page and maybe seek out the book.

Honestly though the body symptoms terrify me they are so intense, so my doctor wants to rule everything out first

the reason I’m in hospital and have so many ambulances out to me is because at the time I literally feel like I’m going to die

its a horrid life to live as you know

[BlueIris]

If you're upright and typing, it's generally safe to assume it's anxiety until you're not.

[jray23]

The best thing you can do is to avoid focusing on everything, and also to avoid focusing on improving . I went through a three month period last year's winter/spring with what ultimately is a real, but totally harmless thing that caused a lot of weird symptoms, some similar to some of yours (but not nearly as many) where I thought every moment I was about to die and saw several specialists and had several heart/brain tests. I was a wreck. Missed a lot of work, even at key dates where I was needed. I even went to the ER and spent a night in the stroke watch ward as a precaution! I was absolutely convinced it was all coming to an end.

My condition (vestibular migraines) remained (and still does) but when I lowered how often I focused on my symptoms, they lessened. The tests all coming back clear also helped my anxiety a ton, and in turn that lowered my symptoms too. It wasn't instant, but in the weeks and months that followed I felt more and more "well", "normal", "human", whatever.

So how to do that? Not easy of course but here are my suggestions:

- Keep following through with your doctors and tests as scheduled. They are probably just doing CYA medicine but roll with it.

- Do NOT Google

- Do NOT track, record, journal, etc your symptoms or how you feel each day.

- Meditate daily, maybe 2x a day

- Take short walks (longer if you feel up to it)

- Sleep a regular schedule

- Keep your mind busy. Read (not about health), watch movies, play games, whatever.

- And the hard part, choose to NOT care how you feel at any given moment. Like when you wake up and go to the shower or whatever you do, if your mind runs to how your symptoms are doing, accept that it is how you are right now and that it is OK for it to be like that today. If it's solely from anxiety, it will fade when you get control. If it's from a real medical issue, the doctors will help treat it.

As for the pulse thing, I experience it in my head, ear, neck, sometime legs from time to time. Very annoying, especially on the pillow, but it's not an indicator of anything.

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[IreneRumi]

JRay, that is excellent advice and almost exactly my experience too. My health anxiety kicked off after experiencing a migraine with aura and I convinced myself I was dying. All my tests checked out, doctors seemed unconcerned, but I was terrified that something more was happening. It wasn’t until nearly a year later I truly began to recover and feel normal, and I have come to find out only a month ago that my brother has suffered from similar migraines since age 11, as do a ton of other people. It is in fact very common and not at all a sign of my doom. But it was very scary in the beginning and letting myself dive into the anxiety created a ton of symptoms that had nothing to do with a migraine - which can itself be a sign of anxiety and stress.

The best thing to do is just move along with each day.

[IreneRumi]

And honestly too I would avoid forums. Seeing what other people worry about and remembering those feelings spikes my health anxiety. It is helpful in the beginning to accept that anxiety sufferers can feel these things and find out what works to help, but at some point it becomes more anxiety producing. I stopped back in after over a year to tell people what helped me since I remember how terrible I felt back then. But now I should back away again!

[Fishmanpa]

And honestly too I would avoid forums. Seeing what other people worry about and remembering those feelings spikes my health anxiety. It is helpful in the beginning to accept that anxiety sufferers can feel these things and find out what works to help, but at some point it becomes more anxiety producing. I stopped back in after over a year to tell people what helped me since I remember how terrible I felt back then. But now I should back away again!

This is an interesting and very valid point. For some members, the forum is actually part of their illness. It would be extremely stressful if the member were not able to post their thoughts, feelings and fears. For many, its essentially a public blog that get replies, affirmation and reassurance. The same thing can be accomplished by a personal blog or journal but would not fulfill the dragon.

There's also the point you made about introducing new anxieties. You weren't on the boards during the ebola scare a few years ago (you should have seen the number of threads!) and if you notice, threads seem to come in waves.... Nodes, cancer, asbestos, rabies etc. Like you said, the forum is a blessing in knowing you're not alone and its cathartic to be able to write out your thoughts, feelings and fears, it can also be detrimental to recovery.

Positive thoughts

[Cublad0121]

The best thing you can do is to avoid focusing on everything, and also to avoid focusing on improving . I went through a three month period last year's winter/spring with what ultimately is a real, but totally harmless thing that caused a lot of weird symptoms, some similar to some of yours (but not nearly as many) where I thought every moment I was about to die and saw several specialists and had several heart/brain tests. I was a wreck. Missed a lot of work, even at key dates where I was needed. I even went to the ER and spent a night in the stroke watch ward as a precaution! I was absolutely convinced it was all coming to an end.

My condition (vestibular migraines) remained (and still does) but when I lowered how often I focused on my symptoms, they lessened. The tests all coming back clear also helped my anxiety a ton, and in turn that lowered my symptoms too. It wasn't instant, but in the weeks and months that followed I felt more and more "well", "normal", "human", whatever.

So how to do that? Not easy of course but here are my suggestions:

- Keep following through with your doctors and tests as scheduled. They are probably just doing CYA medicine but roll with it.

- Do NOT Google

- Do NOT track, record, journal, etc your symptoms or how you feel each day.

- Meditate daily, maybe 2x a day

- Take short walks (longer if you feel up to it)

- Sleep a regular schedule

- Keep your mind busy. Read (not about health), watch movies, play games, whatever.

- And the hard part, choose to NOT care how you feel at any given moment. Like when you wake up and go to the shower or whatever you do, if your mind runs to how your symptoms are doing, accept that it is how you are right now and that it is OK for it to be like that today. If it's solely from anxiety, it will fade when you get control. If it's from a real medical issue, the doctors will help treat it.

As for the pulse thing, I experience it in my head, ear, neck, sometime legs from time to time. Very annoying, especially on the pillow, but it's not an indicator of anything.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

That was a powerful read
thanks for the advice I really appreciate it

[jray23]

No problem, hang in there!

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