Please, can everyone with health anxiety read this urgently

[skippy66]

I heard someone on TV yesterday saying that health anxiety is increasing rapidly due to the current crisis.

Health anxiety in itself is a harmless condition - but it's knock-on effects are debilitating and cost the UK NHS (and health systems across the world) MILLIONS every year.

At this time, the last thing we need is our health service being further burdened by an increase in health anxiety cases which leads to many unnecessary doctor's appointments and expensive tests.

We need to pull together and stop this.

As someone who suffered from health anxiety for many, many years, and completely recovered without needing either therapy or medication, I can tell you that..

YOU CAN BEAT THIS.

And you WILL beat this. Because right now as a country (and a civilisation), we need to be doing all we can to free up time and NHS/health service resources for people who really need it.

"But I really need it" I hear you say..."I am convinced I have a brain tumour/ALS/insert deadly illness".

I absolutely understand your mindset right now, because I have been there. And right now I know you are terrified about maybe catching the virus, or even worse, not being able to receive hospital treatment for your brain tumour/whatever.

So anything I write here is not going to convince you that you just have severe health anxiety. I understand that. It took me roughly 7 years to realise that I had health anxiety. I ignored doctors and forum posters for years.

All I am asking is that you open your mind to the possibility that what you have is health anxiety, and that you are prepared to try one thing to help both yourself, and the world, right now.

I have written a book on how I recovered. The link is in my signature & it helps pay for my livelihood. But I am going to start posting extracts/chapters from the book on this forum thread so that I can try to help alleviate your fears and worries, without you having to buy the book.

All I am asking is that you give this a try.

I am also happy to answer as many questions as I can via PM or on this thread. I hope older forum members will vouch for me, although I am NOT a medical professional and I will not be doling out any kind of medical advice whatsoever. I am just going to share how bad my health anxiety was, and how I found a way out of it.

Thanks for reading, and best wishes in these troubling (but manageable) times.

[annyc]

sorry where can I find details of your book ?

[Nettypart]

Can I buy a copy please as I don’t have a kindle

[pulisa]

Maybe this thread would be better on the "Success Stories" board as it involves book sales?

[Fishmanpa]

Maybe this thread would be better on the "Success Stories" board as it involves book sales?

I hear you but how many with severe HA venture outside this sub forum?

Positive thoughts

[skippy66]

I hear you but how many with severe HA venture outside this sub forum?

Positive thoughts

How’s it going Fishmanpa? Very long time no speak!

[skippy66]

Maybe this thread would be better on the "Success Stories" board as it involves book sales?

Can I ask your advice please Pulisa. How do I get this message out to the thousands who are suffering from HA and obsessing over every little symptom every day?

I’m selling about 1 book per day at the moment, it’s not enough to feed my family of 5 but it’s some compensation for the hundreds of hours I put into writing it and getting it published.

The reviews have blown me away, they’ve been generally so so positive and I feel like I’ve actually improved people’s lives which is such a satisfying feeling. I’ve done charity work before but nothing compares to someone emailing you to say that you’ve changed their life for the better.

I’m happy to send you or anyone else on this forum a free copy of the book, just send me a PM and I can email you the PDF.

If you have any ideas on how I can reach more people with this then they would be much appreciated.

[Fishmanpa]

How’s it going Fishmanpa? Very long time no speak!

I know right?! What have you been up to? Probably not too much based on what we've all been dealing with but I do hope you're well. Me/us? Despite everything going on, we're doing Ok. Challenges just like everyone else but we're managing. Health is decent, wife is doing well, kitty doing well (can you believe he's 10yo?). We recently adopted a doggie but turns out he's not cat friendly so we have to return him :( It's a shame as he's a sweet little guy. Glad to see you post! I truly hope others take advantage of your offer as you provide great advice and experience.

Positive thoughts

[skippy66]

I know right?! What have you been up to? Probably not too much based on what we've all been dealing with but I do hope you're well. Me/us? Despite everything going on, we're doing Ok. Challenges just like everyone else but we're managing. Health is decent, wife is doing well, kitty doing well (can you believe he's 10yo?). We recently adopted a doggie but turns out he's not cat friendly so we have to return him :( It's a shame as he's a sweet little guy. Glad to see you post! I truly hope others take advantage of your offer as you provide great advice and experience.

Positive thoughts

Very glad to hear you’re ok and thanks for the compliments - you were one of the most influential posters for me at a time when I couldn’t see a way out of the dark hole I’d gotten myself into, I’m eternally grateful for your words of reassurance and wisdom back in those dark days.

Can’t believe your kitty is 10 - that time has absolutely flown by. I’m near to hitting 40 and back then I thought 30 was old 😂. I actually cringe when I look back through my old posts now. Life is so short and to waste so much of it worrying about stuff you can’t control is truly tragic.

F*** covid. I’m looking forward to everything re-opening so we can all get back to living life to the full.

Great to hear from you.

[pulisa]

Can I ask your advice please Pulisa. How do I get this message out to the thousands who are suffering from HA and obsessing over every little symptom every day?

I’m selling about 1 book per day at the moment, it’s not enough to feed my family of 5 but it’s some compensation for the hundreds of hours I put into writing it and getting it published.

The reviews have blown me away, they’ve been generally so so positive and I feel like I’ve actually improved people’s lives which is such a satisfying feeling. I’ve done charity work before but nothing compares to someone emailing you to say that you’ve changed their life for the better.

I’m happy to send you or anyone else on this forum a free copy of the book, just send me a PM and I can email you the PDF.

If you have any ideas on how I can reach more people with this then they would be much appreciated.

Why not contact a national radio station such as BBC5 Live? There's a lot of emphasis on not overwhelming the NHS but the drain on services caused by the worried well-even during Covid-shouldn't be overlooked. A feature on national radio would make a real impression on book sales, I think?