pb's Health anxiety worries thread

[pb]

Despite your fears you still manage to cope with everyday life and situations and get to dentists socialise etc. Perhaps you need a break from posting on here and the site altogether to help you readjust. Repeatedly posting and anticipating and seeking reassurance from other members I think is now becoming more harmful than beneficial. You should be phoning your CPN or GP if this is happening and your under a mental health team which presumably you are with a psychiatrist if cbt wasn’t beneficial. Break the cycle. Your in control all of this is you and your body and you’d mind even when it feels real you know deep down it’s in your mind otherwise you wouldn’t be able to resist going to a and e with chest pains. You have a choice take control or continue. Why don’t you focus on little achievements each day. One is your not dead from your heart so keep living. I know it’s easier said than done. And I’m not trying to be savage however I’ve been in the darkest depths of anxiety and when I had no other choice but to surrender it’s changed my world completely but I did that not this website (however much I love you all no offence), the support of my gp, support from my CPN, secondary care mental health team, meds and finally acceptance. Don’t end up like me needing a triple dose of diazepam and nearly being committed as I lost all ability to function.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

At the beginning of this in March and April, I went to bed and pretty much stayed there, loosing a lot of weight.
Im not there now and sort of function, but at a very low level, two social events only in 7 months and these were for my nieces Holy Communion. I am able to have my nieces and nephews for sleepovers now and this helps.
Your right , only I can find away out of this.
I do pretty much think there is something wrong with my heart, but am too scared to go to A&E again , and I don’t think I could tolerate an exercise test due to my extreme anxiety.
I do think this forum helps me, I’m really lonely and do not really have people to confide in , apart from one friend who is on holiday at the moment.
I’m really glad that you are doing well.

[pulisa]

The evidence is that this forum doesn't help you to manage your HA but it does provide you with people to talk to about your symptoms which is not necessarily a good thing when it has gone on for so many years with little effect.

I just feel that you should be seen and treated properly by your secondary mental heath care team because they should have a range of services which could help you feel less isolated and you should have a proper assessment and diagnosis done by the prescribing psychiatrist. There's help for you in the real world, pb but you need to be assertive and insist on better treatment x

[NoraB]

Ive always been anxious.

So have I, and I always will be because it's how I'm wired, but I still overcame health anxiety, and so can you.

You won't look at the online resources. You tend to use the words 'I will try' which I now know means you won't. It's far easier to Google those symptoms, right? Always got time for that! I've been there, I know.

I've explained what causes chest pain with anxiety. It's a very real symptom caused by hyperventilation.

Words like, 'scared' and 'panicky' means you are triggering the stress response over and over and over and over again - which is why you feel the way you do. We don't breathe properly when we're panicking, or scared, and this means that we take in too much oxygen which contracts blood vessels - which causes pain. Or we bloat up which puts pressure on the lungs - causing chest pain. This is what you need to be focusing on, not angina or heart disease...

You don't have to wait until you are face to face with a therapist to teach yourself how to breathe properly and to deactivate the fight or flight, and at the moment, and this is the best thing you can do for yourself.

Next time you have chest pain, immediately start to breathe properly from the diaphragm (maybe upload the Calm app where the breathing exercise is a freebie)

Do not tell yourself you're having an angina attack. Instead, tell yourself that you are having a panic attack or that you are having chest pain because you're not breathing properly.

Accept that you feel anxious, and say, 'I feel anxious, and it's very unpleasant, but I'm ok. This will pass - it always does.'

Then do something 'grounding' like some gardening, baking or going for a walk..

Make there be something good about your day, no matter how crap the day is - even if it's watching some funny videos.

Practice that deep breathing while you're having your deep clean!

[Phoenixess]

At the beginning of this in March and April, I went to bed and pretty much stayed there, loosing a lot of weight.
Im not there now and sort of function, but at a very low level, two social events only in 7 months and these were for my nieces Holy Communion. I am able to have my nieces and nephews for sleepovers now and this helps.
Your right , only I can find away out of this.
I do pretty much think there is something wrong with my heart, but am too scared to go to A&E again , and I don’t think I could tolerate an exercise test due to my extreme anxiety.
I do think this forum helps me, I’m really lonely and do not really have people to confide in , apart from one friend who is on holiday at the moment.
I’m really glad that you are doing well.

Why don’t you ask others more about how they are if you rely on this forum. Sometimes giving back helps more than internalising and feeding the commentary of the irrational thoughts and fears.
What would you say to me if I thought I had a thiamine deficiency and beri beri disease however I have had my blood tests done and nothing is showing that deficiency however the doctors tell me it is still anxiety however I am convinced they have missed it and I am about to die. But tomorrow I’m sure I have a degenerative brain stem in my neck however the doctors say again no it is purely anxiety. But now my heart is beating so fast and I can’t breathe I’m sure I’m about to fall into a coma I ring my family and friends to say sorry I’m going to miss them I’m going to die however this is just anxiety.
I highly recommend a book I read just after my breakdown called help me I am a hypochondriac it’s on amazon it is brilliant if you can’t relate to it I eat my own words. But it’s true it’s all in our minds and breaking behaviour patterns are the best way to recover.
The suggestion of taking this forum away from you scared you and you defended your reasons why you must stay however no one can tell you what to do but we actually all want to see some breakthrough for you. I highly suspect if there was something wrong with your heart you would know by now. You need to ask for proper support or really need to pull your own reigns on it if you feel you have the ability to do so.
I could relate initially to a lot of your fears however I have never asked do you get intrusive thoughts along side your fear of your heart? And actually what is the biggest fear of your heart?
Your mind is using your heart as a bypass for what is really stressing you out in reality. You say you care for you parents how are they? What are there conditions tell us more about your real world.
Sending light and love.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pb]

Why don’t you ask others more about how they are if you rely on this forum. Sometimes giving back helps more than internalising and feeding the commentary of the irrational thoughts and fears.
What would you say to me if I thought I had a thiamine deficiency and beri beri disease however I have had my blood tests done and nothing is showing that deficiency however the doctors tell me it is still anxiety however I am convinced they have missed it and I am about to die. But tomorrow I’m sure I have a degenerative brain stem in my neck however the doctors say again no it is purely anxiety. But now my heart is beating so fast and I can’t breathe I’m sure I’m about to fall into a coma I ring my family and friends to say sorry I’m going to miss them I’m going to die however this is just anxiety.
I highly recommend a book I read just after my breakdown called help me I am a hypochondriac it’s on amazon it is brilliant if you can’t relate to it I eat my own words. But it’s true it’s all in our minds and breaking behaviour patterns are the best way to recover.
The suggestion of taking this forum away from you scared you and you defended your reasons why you must stay however no one can tell you what to do but we actually all want to see some breakthrough for you. I highly suspect if there was something wrong with your heart you would know by now. You need to ask for proper support or really need to pull your own reigns on it if you feel you have the ability to do so.
I could relate initially to a lot of your fears however I have never asked do you get intrusive thoughts along side your fear of your heart? And actually what is the biggest fear of your heart?
Your mind is using your heart as a bypass for what is really stressing you out in reality. You say you care for you parents how are they? What are there conditions tell us more about your real world.
Sending light and love.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I live with my elderly parents, my mum hardly talks and spends her days making jewellery or doing jigsaws on the iPad. We don’t have an official diagnosis, but she has slowly got worse over the years, from the age of 65, I feel that she probably has some kind of dementia.
My dad is 82, he has quite a lot of health problems , he has had diabetes for 42 years, but he is active and able.
I have a sister, who does not really give us a lot of support, she is married with no children, she will buy us nice food , but does not really give us her time. She doesn’t really understand my anxiety.
My brother lives near by and has three children, who I adore. I haven’t got kids and this makes me sad , but slowly I have come to terms with this.
I use to work as a “ Health and Safety Officer”, but due to bullying I had to leave, I have done some invigilator work.
I have a few friends , but I live in London , so I have no one near by.
Im lonely and if I’m honest , I feel that I have no future.
I’m terrified of my parents dying and being alone.
I hope you are doing ok and managing to control your HA. I will buy the book from Amazon x

[pulisa]

Thank you for being so honest with us, pb xx

There is so much pain and sadness there..You deserve a better life and a life which isn't dominated by HA. You need a reason to motivate yourself to get a grip on your HA. Do you feel too low to want to get better? xx

[BlueIris]

Pulisa's right, you deserve so much more than this.

[pb]

I really do want to get better, but I feel that there is no way out x

[BlueIris]

Nobody's blaming you, you're in an awful situation.

However, you're also the one with the power to change it (admittedly, it'd help if the NHS was a bit quicker about offering help).

[Phoenixess]

I have PM'd you xx