Hi,
Just discovered the site and wish I had heard about it about 4 years ago when I was at my worst. I have suffered from anxiety for years really, however did not recognise it. I lost my father to a massive heart attack when I was only 17 I witnessed it and since then I have suffered terribly with Health Anxiety.
I ended up off work for about 4 months 4 years ago when things got really bad. I felt very faint a couple of times while I was at work and discovered I had anemia (which is not a serious complaint) however the indignity of fainting and making a fool of myself sent me into a downward spiral I got to the point that even the thought of going out of the house would send me into a panic attack. I got through it with the help of a counsellor and self help books. But if one more person had told me to 'pull myself together' I think I would have gone completely mad!! If only it was that simple eh!
I now manage to function fairly well on a day to day basis,however it is still there and it is still a fight to keep control of it all. I no longer feel like a freak, although I do wish I could switch my questioning brain off now and again and give myself a rest.
It has been great reading all the posts and realising I am not alone. My counsellor did tell me that my questioning brain is a sign of great intelligence and that the fact I need reason and explanation for everything is not always a bad thing. The jury is out on that!!
Sorry for the long post
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to nmp its lovely to have you here 
. what a terrible thing for you to have seen at such a tender age 
