Sudden severe health anxiety

Posted , 6 users are following.

Hello all,

I just recently joined so if I'm posting in the wrong forum please excuse me! This may get slightly long so please bare with me.

Background info: I'm 25 (will be 26 in a few short months) and have always considered myself pretty healthy apart from some chronic digestive issues I suffered during middle school that I eventually sorted out myself.

I'm the type of person that normally never runs to the doctor for every ache and pain unless it's persistent and isn't going away.

Well last month, with my luck, I somehow managed to contract a nasal staph infection. Now, I normally Dr. Google everything and I've usually been on the money the past few times I've been ill.

I went to the doctors and was prescribed a strong medication 500 MG 4x/day for 7 days. It cleared up.

It's been just my luck this 2 weeks ago I contracted a strep infection seeing as everyone around me was horribly sick. I was given 500mg amoxicillin 3x/day for 10 days. Just finished it 3 days ago.

This is where my anxiety comes in. Shortly after the amoxicillin I debeloved a chest cough and chest pain. It persisted so I got it checked and told the doctor my right side was bothering me. He checked me over and said my lungs and chest were clear and said it was likely muscle strain from coughing and said take advil.

Shortly before finishing my meds I became constipated and it's been about 6 days and it hasn't let up much. I've also been having random pains on my right side, upper middle back and left side (very sporadically ). Well of course I went to Google and typed in my symptoms and everything points to pancreatic cancer!! I am now BEYOND convinced I have it! I wake up every day thinking "today is the day I have jaundice/severe pain on my side and am told I'm dying". I've been obsessively go ogling and had a breakdown 2 days ago where I cried hysterically for a good 3 hours.

My aunt passed away at 46 from it 10 years ago I'm sure of it. However, she smoked like a chimney, took random weight loss pills she got online and drank coffee and hardly ate. But knowing she got it has me convinced I have it now at 25.

I'm terrified at the idea of death. I want to go to the doctor but I'm scared of being dismissed. It doesn't help that my stools have been a dark green and now a brown/orange. Go ogling that has sent me into another spiral.

Can someone just offer a word or anything? This is taking over my everyday life. Thank you to anyone who bothered to read all that!

1 like, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • Posted

    I Google a lot too and I have random pains in my head and dizziness and have convinced myself I have a unfound brain tumor of anurum and doctors don't take you seriously and so its common to over think things its a curse

  • Posted

    Its anxiety, you must go to the Dr and tell him/her, exactly what you have told us. I know the feeling and what you are going through, plz plz get some help for this.

    Anxiety can cause sooo soo many symptoms, stress is a very strange thing, that is all that is happening to you. You can overcome this.

    Good luck, let us know what the doc says

    All the best 😊

  • Posted

    Hi Andy I suffer very badly with health anxiety and I am doing a Cbt course for it at the moment, one thing I have learnt is that your brain is very clever and can mimic diseases! When you have anxiety and you over concentrate on a certain illness your brain becomes convinced that you have it and will give you all the symptoms of the illness, this does not mean that you have it but it does mean that you are focusing on it far to much and you need to try and tell yourself that you are not sick you just believe that you are! I hope this helps in reassuring you and gives you a little comfort.
    • Posted

      hello kerry i have the same issue good luck ! seems our minds are " "acting " very well. I would award mine an Oscar ! :D Take care
  • Posted

    andy please stop googling and go to a therapist ! 

    I had some problems with my health and although it was sorted my worry made me google and this caused me and my friends and family so much suffering.

    Please go to a therapist soon. You can do the exams but please try to start trusting somebody else because yourself may possibly play tricks on u right now.

    I never worried much about my self but after some problems that caused me pain for a long period i started being frightened and so worried .

    I believed i had aids got tested then i thought i had nerve damage on the spine 

    then multiple sclerosis .I actually felt all these kind of pain on my body really so strong i had to take 3 pills and couldnt sleep.

    I did all the tests even MRI neurologist after finally trusting my psychiatrist .

    I had an evil month it felt like the worst hell . I am 100 times better now . 

    please stop googling or at least go and find a doctor you trust and do all the tests you need to get sure it is mental and then you will get over it with time. 

    But get out of google world ! :D take care and hope your adventure ends soon . 

    I am sure of a happy ending

    • Posted

      I have been googling alot and it sent me spiraling into panic for the last 2 months and I can't seem to get it out of my head. My big fear from googling like you was ms. I convinced myself this is what's happening to me. My dr keeps telling me no its anxiety and muscle tension from the anxiety but I still can't stop thinking about it. I can't cope. I thought I was starting to feel better but I just had my dose of sertraline increased and now my anxiety is really bad again and my shoulder hurts more from tensing so much. Every time I pay attention my shoulder is up and tensed and it feels normal. I can't relax bo matter how hard I try it just goes tensed again. I just want to feel better and have my life back sad
    • Posted

      tracy please give some time to yourself i suffered a lot and know how it feels i even tried to kill myself but i am so much better .It took me 3-4 weeks did not believe i would get better like you do now. It is like i am given my life back like you say. 

      i take half ladose a day (antidepressants ) for about 3 weeks .maybe that has helped too. 

      I could not think anything else i could not sleep cause all my body was so tensed and trembling constantly but i feel better . 

      I know you cant think anything else now but be sure it will pass soon . 

      Take care and stop googling. it seemes you are convinced it is psychological as it surely is your mind just needs some time to get the message but sure it will .

    • Posted

      Thanks for the reply. It has been 2 months for me I finally just started taking antidepressants 2.5 weeks ago. Did you have severe muscle tension and burning feel8ng as well?
    • Posted

      i had burning... muscle tension ...headacke ...numbness ... trembling ..nightmares ..the whole package ! All out of my mind . I couldnt keep my back straight and have a bath . It is unbelievable now i think about it. 

      I was totally convinced even my parents and some doctors too ( before taking the tests of course) .

      I thought i had schizofreneia because of this burning feelings but  i suffer from ypochondriasis. I suspect you too. It takes some time for antidepressants to start helping. 

      My psychiatrist said 1 month.

      You will get better be sure about it . There is no way you can not get better. If you believe and convince yourself you dont have ms you will get away from all the symptoms and be back you healthy and more mature and happy than ever.

      It needs some time . You played and convinced your mind and it needed some time i guess you googled a lot and have been to the same pages at least 3 times. Maybe your laptop advertisments are all about health news and medicine after such a research .

      Maybe if we gave exams with medical students we would succeed better :D 

      But like it took time to convince your mind you are ill it needs time to believe everything is ok. Dont have any doubt it will . Every doctor you would ask with some experience on this will tell you it is common and treatable as far as you understand it .

      I am not a 100 percent cured but i made a progress of 80% only in 4 days after a month of hell. I thought i would need years to get better last week.

      You just can see you out right now. :D Keep us informed and good luck

    • Posted

      I also am in same situation, feel stuck in my on mind, health anxiety is I'm scared I'm going mad, or ill develop schizophrenia. I'm 3 weeks on sertraline now, I'm not cured at all, but sleeping and eating better. Doc is keeping me on 50mg of sertraline for another 3 weeks. I hope this stuck in my mind thing goes away, or do I need therapy for that? I also feel ill never be 100%.. Your words are very inspiring and give us hope thank you. It is such an awful illness. X

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