I hate health anxiety. I'm worried I have something sinister.

[MrAlexander88]

Hi guys. I am so frustrated at the moment because due to my hypochondria I am thinking so much about my current symptoms.

A few days ago I had a horrible panic attack and since then I've had various symptoms which I keep thinking are not anxiety related.

The symptoms I had initially were lack of appetite. Since today, my appetite has returned. However, since my panic episode a few days ago I have had a tightness and ache in my back, right side mostly. Today I also had a small lower abdomen pain.

I have newly been fasting too, since my panic attack/s, so eating nothing for probably about 16-18 hours+ before my first small meal/breakfast. I am wondering whether the abdomen pain is something to do with potentially IBS flare up and the fasting.

However, you know what us health anxiety sufferers are like - we don't think that logically. I am trying to think logically, but of course it's difficult. When these random aches and pains come on, I end up thinking the worse. I hate thinking that way.

I have other symptoms than this. I also sold my heavy dumbbells (4) and a kettlebell the other day, on Tues. Someone came to buy them off me. I had to take them out the store cupboard and move them outside onto the doorstep later on. I am thinking maybe I triggered the pain in my back by doing so.

On top of this I am carrying a fair bit of extra weight, which I'm put on over the weeks and months due to not being out the house much and overeating. I haven't exercised much either for months, at least not with weights.

I'm trying to think logically. Can you help ease my mind?

[Gailington]

Hey there. I've experienced every last one of your symptoms over the years (professional anxiety sufferer of 2 decades!) so can honestly say it's all anxiety. Proper anxiety, as opposed to just feeling nervous, can create all sorts of crap sensations throughout your body, especially stomach-related ones, but also muscle aches. I've just got back from an ENT appt to discover that my chronic stabbing ear pain I've been experiencing for months is probably a thing called TMJ which is basically tensing and clenching your jaw too much and buggering up your jaw muscels and creating excruciating pain in the ear!!! Who knew anxiety could do THAT. Love and support from all of us on here, matey xx

[MrAlexander88]

Hey there. I've experienced every last one of your symptoms over the years (professional anxiety sufferer of 2 decades!) so can honestly say it's all anxiety. Proper anxiety, as opposed to just feeling nervous, can create all sorts of crap sensations throughout your body, especially stomach-related ones, but also muscle aches. I've just got back from an ENT appt to discover that my chronic stabbing ear pain I've been experiencing for months is probably a thing called TMJ which is basically tensing and clenching your jaw too much and buggering up your jaw muscels and creating excruciating pain in the ear!!! Who knew anxiety could do THAT. Love and support from all of us on here, matey xx

It's horrible isn't it. Wow, 2 decades. How often did you suffer from anxiety? Every few months? It is frustrating. I wish I didn't get anxious so often. How did/do you treat it when you get it badly?
Proper anxiety is definitely the worse. Horrible sensation.

[Worrywart84]

Anxiety manifesting itself as physical symptoms to mess with me is the bane of my existence.

Hang in there! You are already one foot in the door to Logic Land by recognizing the way you think.

[swajj]

This is the type of thread I come here to read when my own anxiety starts messing me up. I already know that my symptoms are for the most part psychosomatic but it helps me to know that others are experiencing and acknowledging the same thing. As to when does it go away? It doesn’t but it goes to sleep until something triggers it again. My trigger is being idle for too long. But it can absolutely be triggered by certain threads here. So I’m very careful what I read when I’m here.

[Gailington]

Yeah I know. 2 whole decades! Started in my late twenties... so I'm an old fogey now! It came on apparently suddenly when I began (what I perceived as) a more stressful job. Started getting all sorts of weird things happen like a tight burning scalp pain which would go with any painkillers.... so convinced myself I had a brain tumour (obvs!!) Then I got pins and needles in extremeties.... so obvs thought I had MS. No doctor suggested it might be anxiety at all. I really wish that I'd known then what it all was as the whole healthy anxiety thing starts to kick in too if you don't know what's happening to you is not medically serious. Sigh. So basically for me anxiety comes and goes depending on what is going on in my life (or head!) and has only really got better in the last 4 years or so with the help of meds, unfortunately. Have tried CBT, but I found it so tricky to slow down my thoughts enough to challenge them that I couldn't really get going with it in any meaningful way as too wired a lot of the time. Meds (citalopram) have helped to take the edge off and assist with calm rational thinking. Sadly though my doc advised me to go on something else as Citalopram can have long term side effects so I got off it just before xmas. So am now drug-free, but surprise surprise, the anxiety has returned! Though I like to think perhaps not as bad...... maybe......!

[Gailington]

Yeah it does help to be careful what you read generally, esp with health matters. Though I have to say for the most part, reading some of the long-term Health Anxiety sufferers threads on here (pb and Helenhoo) that I don't feel like I'm as bad as all that ! I feel really sorry for those two I mentioned and know I have a handle on it a bit more than some.... but obvs not as chilled as the rest of the non-anxiety sufferering population!