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Can all this really just be anxiety?

Posted , 6 users are following.

Wez96
Wez96

Hi this is my first post and I'm just looking for a bit of advice and reassurance. Just so you know I'm a 20 year old male. If I'm being honest I've always been overly conscious about my health but never really worried apart from before opticians appointments ect (worrying he'd diagnose me with eye cancer or something) or thinking I might have bone cancer because my arm aches but it never really effected my everyday life. I first started to experience panic about 4 months ago when I found a small lump on my ankle and googled my symptoms which lead me to believe I had connective tissue cancer. This was the first time in my life I went into a full blown panic, I didn't feel like eating and had to force myself to eat. I felt dizzy and nauseous and started to convince myself that I had cancer spreading throughout my body and spreading to my brain. Anyway after a few days of worrying it subsided and I was able to get on with my life again until about 2 months ago when I was on holiday in the supermarket and I totally forgot the name of a bottle of wine I intended to buy someone as a gift, this lead me onto thinking I had a brain tumor that was effecting my memory and ever since that day I have been unable to relax and not think about my health. I constantly feel like I can't concentrate, like my brain is running at 2mph, people have to say things to me multiple times before I'm able to understand what they mean. My memory has become terrible and I can't remember what I did 5 minutes ago, never mind yesterday and I have to think really really hard to remember anything, even stuff from years ago or stuff that I really should know like passwords although being honest I do always remember it in the end. I feel really fatigued like I can't be bothered doing anything besides lying in bed and I have no interest in doing anything anyway, even stuff I used to love. I feel like I just have a weight pulling down on my head and mind. I struggle to read sentences and sometimes have to read them 3 times before I understand what they mean.I find the gym so difficult to point where spin class seems impossible and I have to really push myself through it. I just feel like a floating head disjointedly going through life. Like its pointless and not one bit enjoyable. I've been to the doctors twice. The first doctor didn't even examine me and said he'd refer me for cbt, The second doctor has sent off routine blood tests. I'm wondering now if any of these symptoms could be caused by an underactive thyroid and if these blood tests would pick this up and also if it could really all just be anxiety. I fear I have dementia or a brain tumor or ms or something that is causing all of this. I know if I can convince myself that anxiety really can cause all of this and it is just my constant thinking that's causing these symptoms then I can stop thinking about it and I can start to just enjoy my life again.

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • emilylawless
    emilylawless Wez96

    Posted

    I understand unfortunately it is anxiety! That's how it was for me I was perfectly normal and just one time thinking there was something wrong with me it freakin scared me! I had a little bit of heart Palps one day and then found out some kid went to sleep and didn't wake up because of an un diagnosed heart condition so I went into a full blown panic attack and for almost a year was so scared there was something wrong with my heart. Then I heard about someone dying drom bacteria in a lake getting up her nose and my family went to a lake and I was scared we all were gonna get that! Basically now if I here of anyone dying Inthink im next with the same thing! And now I always have physical symptoms brain fog confusion loss of concentration twitches heart Palps head pressure and so much more

    • Wez96
      Wez96 emilylawless

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply, it's relieving to know that someone else feels the same way and I'm not alone! It's just so hard to convince yourself that all the symptoms are just anxiety isn't it rolleyes

    • emilylawless
      emilylawless Wez96

      Posted

      Yes I have a lot of physical symptoms in my head now that I just can't trust are anxiety.... It sucks so bad I just wanna be normal and carefree like I used to be

    • Wez96
      Wez96 emilylawless

      Posted

      I know exactly how you feel, I'd do anything just to feel normal again too rolleyes

  • richard89308
    richard89308 Wez96

    Posted

    you have health anxiety where everything is worried about concerning medical problems.
  • lee12629
    lee12629 Wez96

    Posted

    Thats it,you said it,you are over thinking,thats why you dont remember things. This also seems to be causing you depression. Honestly,sounds like you are fine. Try and relax,Id bet it's just excessive worry. Xx

    • Wez96
      Wez96 lee12629

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply, it's good to know everyone else thinks it's just anxiety. Now I just need to make myself believe it

    • Fusrohdave
      Fusrohdave Wez96

      Posted

      Hey, I know this is old but I wanted to say I have a very similar problem except Im always concerned about my heart. Started 2 months ago. I'd been dealing with major pain in my left leg and I read somewhere some girl had the same problem and then one day just dropped and died because of a blood clot. Guess what's in my family history? Yep blood clots. I got so scared one night that I got up and passed out. Went to the ER, no blood clots, probably just sciatica. 2 weeks later, got dizzy at work and had my first real panic attack. Heart palps, trouble breathing, shaking, dizzy, tunnel vision. Went to an urgent care, EKG, no problems, blood taken, no problems. A few days later I started to not feel right and got so scared I went back to the ER, again no problems, d-dimer test for blood clots again, nothing, thyroid checked, nothing, chest xray, nothing, ct scan with dye, nothing. Holter monitor 24 hours, nothing. And yet I still feel something is wrong with my heart. 

      That's the sucky part, this is all health anxiety. So, begrudgingly I made an appointment with a counselor. And while a month ago if I felt my heart go crazy I'd scream and cry and get so convinced I was going to die, now I just sort of deal. I still get worried but instead of running away, I breath deep and try to cope. The sooner you get into see someone the sooner you will feel better. Medication will help but CBT is just as, or more effective, than medication alone. I dont have insurance yet, so going to doctors is expensive, and I want to go to a full blown Psychologist, and I will as of the 1st, but I wanted to let you know there is hope. 

      I get so depressed still, but there is hope that we will turn back to normal. My best friend is constructive reasoning. I.e. really slowing down and thinking about the possibility of me, at 27, after all these tests, I could still have something wrong with my heart. Pretty unlikely.I break it down into steps and dates and walk myself through trying to see what causes my freak out. Maybe that could help you?  

      Anyway, good luck! 

  • lynnann48124
    lynnann48124 Wez96

    Posted

    You have severe anxiety. when you posted ur symptoms It was ME all over I get preoccupied with death im dying. every mark on me.I worry.If i dont move my bowels i have colon cancer. this is all anxiety. Try really hard to enjoy ur life ur 20 my son has the same thing he had to quit working at hospital cause he is dying all the time.(not 4 real) anxiety.I forget all my passwords also.ive been diagnosed when i was 6 yrs old now im 58.You have no brain tumor and Blood work picks up ALL even Thyroid I have a nodule lump on my neck on Thyroid i worried i was dying had cancer its fine.its normal.You do need some medication for anxiety.not anti depressents.some clonapin xanax ativan. to slow down just dont take to many.I have bad rotor cuffs but my arms ache where i cant sleep.The floating head is a panic attack .you feel like your leaving the world.I get where i cant even breath.theres so many kinds please please go out with friends .watch comforting programs.funny ones nothing about sickness. ok.I feel for you. cause at 20 i had every medical book reading it. and having all the symptoms my mom had to lock them up.get on anxiety meds. push yourself and go have a good time you are not dying or have cancer. I ruined my teen life doing this. anxiety is a monster you can not die from. stay in touch. you may out grow this.
  • lisalisa67
    lisalisa67 Wez96

    Posted

    Agreed with everyone else on here. This is an anxiety disorder. Dr. Google is evil stay far away from it. The average person has no clue how to assess themselves enough to even look up symptoms and once you do its a trap. It can cause intense panic trying to self diagnose. It can and it does. When you are told its anxiety its not typical stress, its terror, an intense anxiety disorder where your fight or flight response is stuck in high gear. you have racing thoughts and your scared so yes that will wipe out your focus ability and memory. Theres no room amoungst all those racing thoughts to think about anything else.try the cbt. Try whatever self calming stuff resonates with you. As odd as this sounds try not to spend all your time focusing on the anxiety and why it is happening by urself you can do this with a therapist if you want to delve into it in a positive way. By yourself it will turn into a scary and depressive end result because you do not have enough knowledge or experience to understand this mess. And yes anxiety can cause all this, it can cause a lot of horrible things, it can ruin your life if you dont figure out how to manage it. Read thru the forum more. And please know you will eventually get to a place you do learn to accept it and manage it.
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