Do you think you can bring on pain wih anxiety?

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hi again all

I am having extreme anxiety again oer my health.  It started with chest pain and i went to the ER they said i was fine and did bllodwork, but about a week later i starte experiencing ovarion pain and have my self convinced its ovarion cancer.  I am 52 and my mother had breast cancer but survived!  My sister was diagnosed with luekimia about this time last year.  She went through some rough chemo but is still fighting.  Now yesterday i started having knee pain and convinced the cancer has spread to my bones.  I am so afaid to go to the doctor, because ithink their going to tell me i have cancer and i won't live long.  i have had 2 meltdowns today and had o take an ativan to calm down.  It is so horrible and i hate it so much!  The more i think about the pain the more i get it.

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Posted

    Yes anxiety can absolutely bring on pain, it doesn't of course mean we can't have pain for physical reasons too. It's always good for a worrying pain, or with a history to have these checked out. The trouble is we seldom take that as any kind dof reassurance, but its worth doing.  But yes anxiety really can make us physically feel terrible
  • Posted

    Hi Cathy,

    You've come to the right place. I'm so sorry that you feel this way and I totally understand how you feel and you'll find that there are so many other people here in this forum that suffer like we do. I thought I was the only one that suffered from health anxiety but after joining this community realized that I am not alone. Can't tell you how many times I've been in a panic thinking that there is something horribly wrong but all the doctors tests come back normal. I've learned to try to let things go for a few days before calling the doctor now and try to stay away from Dr. Google. Hopefully you'll feel better just knowing that there are people just like you out there. Hang in there.

    • Posted

      Health anxiety is by far the worst part of anxiety for me. I get the dry mouth that anxiety brings, but then that becomes my focus for the health and, I worry then about how dry it is, or how wet it is etc etc, its such an exhausting and terrible part of anx
  • Posted

    For some reason I got your post twice...so I am answering it twice.

    I don't know if this is reassuring...but we all experience aches and pains...and you will experience even MORE the older you get...like me. I have a crunching knee with mild pain..but it isn't bone cancer, i am sure. I have borderline high blood pressure which if not controlled could lead to a stroke...which I am not overly worried about. I have had acid reflux for a few years (which one poster has helped me with enormously)....and I'm sure it is not esophageal cancer. I have an itchy mole...which I will have checked out since my father and daughter both have had malignant melanoma...but I am not overly worried. It can be removed and being optimistic by nature, i am sure it will be fine. From time to time I get kidney 'discomfort' when I don't drink enough water. Since I have had 3 kidney stones, this is a signal to drink like crazy which I do...but I don't give it much thought after that. I have mosquito bites which could have given me West Nile disease but I figure the chances are slim and I would be feeling sick by now. I have a little hard lump on my thumb (which the doctor said was probably from an injury) which never grew in size so i'm okay. If I stand for too long, my lower back aches badly...which I chalk up to getting older.  I used to suffer from cardiac arrythmia and my cardiologist told me that if the chest hurts as your chest expands from normal breathing, it is likely NOT a cardiac issue. Also, he told me that cardiac pain moves...down an arm, up the neck etc.. It doesn't just sit in one spot....like a tense muscle pain. 

    The point is that we ALL have aches and pains...but very rarely are they due to anything serious.

    I think it might help to count your blessings. You are getting married and the focus should be on your mate, the celebration, the honeymoon, your guests etc....not on your sore knee! 

    Can you do breathing exercises? From what I have read, that is supposed to help enormously with anxiety and panic attacks.

    All the best in  the future, Cathy!

    Robin

  • Posted

    Yes, anxiety can definitely cause pain. It sounds like you now have health anxiety as well as general anxiety. Be reassured that you've had the all clear from the Drs smile 
  • Posted

    I think we mist always remember that while anxiety CAN and often does cause physical pain, it doent ALWAYS cause it. Sometimes it is worth running things past a doctor in the first instance. With a family history of cancer I think its a good idea. For the anxiety, proper treatment is the only way to go, no one should self treat long term anxiety, its not something that typically will go away on its own. It can for a lucky few, but the causes are so varied the chances are slim.  Bottom line I guess is to speak to a doctor and discuss the best treatment plan. 
  • Posted

    Thanks everyone for the support.  i really do appreciate it.

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