Afraid I got bitten by a rabid bat during my sleep

[LunarCoffee]

Yes, but anxiety can be Mild, Moderate or Severe. If a medical professional determines your anxiety to be above normal, no matter which category, it's a disorder (providing no normal trigger for such isolated temporary emotions) and therefore needs to be addressed.

Last time I went to my family doctor, she gave me two questionnaires to fill out, and the end result was mild in both. Most of the day, I can live without caring about this stuff, but when I do, it's generally not that bad, actually.

Also, I'm 99% sure I'm having those pus-filled things you're talking about, because I can repeatedly "expose" them (for a lack of a better word) and have them "scab" over with something like pus again. Thanks for the reassurance!

[Scass]

My anxiety has been diagnosed as mild too. It certainly doesn’t feel like it sometimes, and if there was something I could have done at your age to help myself, then I would. So, don’t just deal with it, if you have the option of help, then take it.


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[LunarCoffee]

Also, about a trigger, there was and is one (the same one). Around two and a half months ago, I began having constant brain fog and mental fatigue. Because I had no idea what this was, I constantly researched for possibilities. Sadly, there are an oddly low amount of articles describing the probably actual cause of it, the hormonal changes that come with adolescence. As such, I discovered some pretty terrifying diseases, and worried quite a bit about those. After that, I realized that my worries were just brain stimulation, and that my brain just wanted more stimulation so it wouldn't be bored, and so it was probably getting me to look more things up to fuel the fears. Either way, I kept googling for some reason, and am now where I am.

[LunarCoffee]

UPDATE:
At this point, I'm pretty OK in general. The biggest problem now is that my brain now says "hey, I know you don't want to worry about cancer or rabies or whatever, but how can you ignore something like that?" It sounds and looks a lot more stupid after I typed it, but I feel like I'm on the verge of recovering to my previous mental state, like I'm about to close the door on some door-to-door salesman but all of a sudden they're giving me a great deal. It's kind of as if I already am OK, but my brain's trying to drag me back, and in those moments where I believe that I have cancer or CJD or something else again, it feels terrifying. That's about it.

---------- Post added at 15:07 ---------- Previous post was at 14:16 ----------

Quick question: if the issues I have no longer concern the initial topic, should I start a new thread?

[MyNameIsTerry]

The thing to consider is not the theme but the reoccurring patterns.

I felt it was unclear how your anxiety affected you other than what you mentioned about it's mildness. But I see you've now got another thread asking about bowel issues and lymph nodes & prodding are also mentioned in there.

You come across as intelligent and well aware of your anxiety, the latter being something many much older than you struggle to achieve. With this in mind, and that your HA jumps theme to theme, it would be wise to invest some time into self help work as with this being mild you might find you can get it to work for you.

Even mild anxiety that is reoccurring with these HA themes should be telling your doctor they need to help you.

Tackle it now before it becomes ingrained. You are still learning and working a lot out about yourself so I believe that is an opportunity to catch it before it starts to stick.

[LunarCoffee]

Also, about a trigger, there was and is one (the same one). Around two and a half months ago, I began having constant brain fog and mental fatigue. Because I had no idea what this was, I constantly researched for possibilities. Sadly, there are an oddly low amount of articles describing the probably actual cause of it, the hormonal changes that come with adolescence. As such, I discovered some pretty terrifying diseases, and worried quite a bit about those. After that, I realized that my worries were just brain stimulation, and that my brain just wanted more stimulation so it wouldn't be bored, and so it was probably getting me to look more things up to fuel the fears. Either way, I kept googling for some reason, and am now where I am.

I mentioned this in a previous post, not sure if you saw it or not. When I realized it really was the googling that was making me the most anxious, I realized that my anxiety was just brain food, and that my subconscious didn't really care if it made the concious anxious, just about the fact that it was stimulating. As such, my brain would try to make me Google more to find out more, to get more information to stimulate my brain. Along with that, I realized that if that's true, then not googling would help stop the anxiety, because that's like denying the brain its source of information. Eventually, it would get bored of thinking about the same thing over and over, and it turned out to be true.

About the lymph nodes, that was around 3 weeks ago (they're still swollen, but that's probably because I touched them 10+ times a day for a week, to the point where they hurt on their own). At this point, the rabies don't matter anymore. The colon cancer is pretty much over with now, because logically, everything is fine. Now, it's up to either me googling, or some other source of information I can't just turn off or walk away from.

[Fishmanpa]

I have talked to my parents, but it's not really suffering.

While I can see your point, you're a 13 year old "child" IMO. You exhibit patterns (started another thread I see) that if not addressed now, will continue to take hold. The fact that your fear brought you to an internet anxiety website speaks volumes that there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

My daughter suffers from anxiety and depression. She came to me when she was 18 and I, along with her mother, made sure she got help. She still struggles years later but she has the tools and support to tackle her anxiety. You didn't answer my question earlier... Do your parents know you're posting on an anxiety website? Perhaps you should talk to them again and show them this thread.

Positive thoughts

[LunarCoffee]

What you're saying is probably true, considering I'm only 13 and don't really know much yet. One thing is, though, after I post a thread, just a few hours later, I kind of feel like I shouldn't have done it. Not because it won't help, but because the fear has already kind of passed. Honestly, I probably should've made a general thread instead of a specific focused one.

The one thing that I really believe is, though, is that my brain won't be truly comfortable until my brain fog and fatigue passes. Deep down I know it's because of hormonal changes, and that I can't do much about it, but my brain just looks for other explainations. Over the last two months, the scale of my anxiety has gone a lot down, as in it's gotten a lot better. It's kind of like expecting to get a Christmas present early, when you're really only gonna get it on Christmas. You know it's fine, but you just "hope" anyways, except it isn't hope, but fear, in this case.

If this ever pretty much fully stops, it will probably be some time after I feel normal. When I'm not worrying about a specific disease, I only really think about my patterns in fatigue. So far, it's been up and down over the course of 3-6 days generally, but I still have a small unsettled feeling when I feel more tired. I doubt this will fully stop, because at this point, it's probably stuck with me for a little bit.

Anyway, back to the question. My parents don't know I'm on this website. I'm not sure they'd react well, but at least they'd know it's still a thing. But about this still being a thing, I feel like part of that is because I'm still on the forums, which makes me think about the stuff I've worried about. There was a time, a week or so, where I didn't google new stuff, didn't go on any site about this, and just overall didn't care. It was great. Everything was normal (except for my brain fog and slightly increased fatigue), with a few minor aware moments. I was able to actually enjoy life and be free, and it was pretty nice. Then I looked up rabies, not even because I was anxious, but because I was curious about the disease itself.

About colon cancer and that thread, I've always had a small fear for it, because my grandma has it (she's doing great), and my uncle died from it before the age of 50 (I think), which puts me at above average risk, or something. That probably going to stick regardless, but right now it's pretty OK.

[NervUs]

Dude (and I said that in my mom voice)...

You are fighting the idea that you have a problem. That's fine, and your choice.

BUt, if it is affecting your life negatively even in the teeniest, tiniest of ways, it might be a good idea to get on top of it, with therapy.

Hate to break it, but life is one thing after another with possible health triggers. Puberty, dating, having children, then your 40s which are just a cruel kick in the backside in terms of lumps and bumps and aches and pains and pressure and stress and responsibility. I haven't made it to my 50s yet, so can't tell you everything that's to come.

If you are feeling this as a kid, there is a VERY GOOD CHANCE that it will dog you your whole life. You might have respite from it, but it has a sneaky habit of coming back and you can't know if it will always be "mild." You seem like an analytical person (you don't seem 13 to me, tbh), and that you are trying to figure out your reactions and your triggers and how it expresses itself in you. That's all great. But, if it's possible, wouldn't it be better to not have a care in the world at 13? I have a son who just turned 14 today is his birthday, and he is like that. It would never cross his mind to worry about something going on with his body. It would never cross his mind to google rabies just because. You might be able to get there on your own, but maybe not. It's very hard, especially if the fear response typical of you begins to escalate into moderate or severe.

It's your call, of course, but if you ever feel like you need help and can't handle it alone, there is no shame in that, and you should get it.

[LunarCoffee]

I've thought about how life is full of health anxiety triggers, and that's definitely true. Maybe anxiety isn't the right word. More like just caring too much, like you've said. I definitely should not have a care in the world right now, but I guess that's just who I am. If I look at myself, I feel like I'm the kind of person that would get anxiety. One thing that I'm doing right now that actually helps a lot is to talk to "myself," but as if I am an audience of people. Sounds pretty dumb, but it helps.

Anyway, I don't feel like I need help right now, it's very manageable. If I do need help, though, I will be sure to ask (though I expect that might be harder than it sounds if the time ever comes). Also, quick question: is seeing whether or not you have symptoms when you're distracted a valid way of determining if they are percieved and not actual?