Does anyone have obsessive thoughts relating to health anxiety?

Sorry to hear you are so distressed. I am not an expert but I do know there is light at the end of the tunnel and one day with right support and medication you will overcome these feelings for that is all they are abnormal feelings. At this moment you are not able to see that and it is all very real to you. Please try and calm down a wee bit try saying to yourself go away I don't have time for this right now or a variation of what makes you comfortable. It is repetitive behaviour and the more attention you give it the worse it becomes. Distract yourself if possible and I know its easier said than done but these techniques all work eventually. I am on my way out just now but I'm sure loads of people will write a post for you to reassure. Take care.

Josephine I can totally empathise with you.I am 55 and mine started after a consultant diagnosed me with oesphagitis, first of all the camera showed Barrets oesphagitis ( can sometimes turn cancerous ) then when I saw him on follow up he said not Barrets just normal oephagitis. When I questioned this he didn't like it and was so rude and said he didn't have all afternoon to explain to me.Since then I have battled with severe panic attacks and like you my brain just keeps going over and over. I am now at the point where I am even too anxious to see GP. I was already taking diazepam for post traumatic stress and anxiety, so thankfully they help, but I try and limit them as I don't want to become addicted.

Bigmag is right, try and get as much distraction as possible, and I know its really difficult but try and do some exercise, even if you just run up and down on the spot. I also keep saying to myself that I am not going to let it beat me.Its a horrible condition. I have two beautiful grandchildren and I look at their picture everyday and say I will get through this. I have tried antidepressants but the side effects were so horrendous that I had to stop them, was that your problem with them,or did they just not help.I hope talking on her has helped you.

Thank you both for answering so quickly - I can't believe how it helps. Bigmag are you sure ur not an expert? My counsellor said the same, but it seems to help more hearing it from you. My friends and family ALL say the same too but I just can't see it. I did what you said and had a shower! I've had 2 hours without lying on the bed - this is worse than giving up smoking! Jane, it goes without saying how I feel for you. I had no side effects with the anti depressants but they don't stop the thoughts so they didn't help. Btw my son is actually training to become a doctor in psychology but although he's spent hours working with me it hasn't helped either. He sai need to see a Psychologist but the nhs only refers you if you are suicidal and my problem is that I want to live lol. I admire your fighting talk I just give in in a heap - every time I try to be positive I think but what if I didn't cause it and off I go again trying to reassure myself which can take 4 hours and sometimes I only stop because I'm sooooo bored. Talking really helps bless you and good luck!

Josephine what a coincidence, my oldest son has a BSc and an MSc in Psychology and he is now doing his PHD in Health Psychology at Exeter University.It is really hard to think positive and I so often go in to negative thoughts just as easy. Most of my life has been spent with Tragedy and Trauma and I had to fight to be strong for my children.

It all started in 1984 when my husband was knocked down by a car when I was seven months pregnant. He survived but had life changing injuries and has been in and out of hospital ever since.

Then in 2008 my Brother was admitted to a physciatric unit as a suicidal patient, they did not look after him properly and he hanged himself just 2 hours after admission, he was left severely brain damaged and died five agonising weeks later. The police tried to prosecute for corporate manslaughter and it made media headlines.

If this wasn't enough, just 2 weeks after my Brother died, a colleague where I had worked for 17 years then hanged himself actually at my place of work in the back area. Rumour was that it was a copycat of my Brother's suicide. I consequently was dismissed from my job on ill health as I just couldn't return after that.

That should have been my salvation going back to work.

All this has caused my anxiety to get out of control like yours, but you took your first step today so be proud of that, and keep doing that, just little steps at a time, don't give yourself goals that you cant reach yet.

Hi Josephine,

I've suffered all those symptoms in the past so I understand exactly how you feel. The reason you feel so bad i because you are so scared of the symptoms and thoughts.

Sertraline helped me. I didn't have any side effects with it. Even if you do have side effects, then they always go away after a few days if you just go with it.

What I would say to you is to repeat a mantra to yourself every time you get a symptom and wind yourself up. With me, i used to say "vivid imagination dot com". Then I'd try and carry on as normal. The more you say the mantra and the more time passes you will definitely feel better.

Please don't despair. You wont always feel like this. Take it from me xx

Hi Myra

That's exactly it you become afraid of the panic.At one stage I couldn't leave the house. I have managed to overcome that but my problem now is seeing my GP I just panic at the thought of it. My meds are on repeat so I don't need to go in for them but I need to see her about the query on my oesophagus, but I just go in to a blind panic at the thought of it.

Hi Josephine

I personally think that positive thinking has a helpful effect on the body. When your mind is determined to survive and be healthy, your body will do its best to follow suit.

Living with health anxiety, you have probably heard a thousand times that worrying won't make anything better. So, thinking positively is pretty much the answer by itself. Keep a strong resolve to beat whatever is getting the best of you, you know that you are stronger than that and if you really believe that you can get through whatever it is, then you have a fighting chance at the very least.

I sincerely hope that everything turns out fine and you keep us posted. Remember that this is health anxiety just like all the other times and if you have methods of dealing with plain old HA, use those methods now too.

J

Dera Josephine, Sometimes there is an underlying problem which manifests itself as a health anxiety. I used to have terrible fears of catching communicable diseases. and also a fear of burning to death. It was a nightmarish existence. I was engaged at the time and after I broke the engagement my fears began to diminish. Many years later I had both breast cancer (early stage) and unrelated lung cancer (also early statge). Neither of these really frightening experiences caused me as much anxiety as the imagined ones of years before. I am now 5 years without any trace of cancer. Thank God. What you are suffering is worst than a physical illness. I wish you luck in finding a cure.

Thank you all so much for your help and advice. It helped me so much yesterday, that I didn't cave in and spend the day on the bed worrying, as I do. I took all your comments on board, and put a lot of the suggestions into practice. I found it incredibly difficult not to think, and did have some 5 minute sessions trying to reassure myself now and then when the fear and panic levels got unbearable but I DIDNT lie there for hours. I just hope I can do it again today.

Jane I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am to hear the tragedy you've had to experience. I feel so guilty that my problems stem from something I probably caused. I know other bad things were going on to fuel it but you my poor love have had to contend with so much more and I pray that the rest of your life is filled with good things. It's a pity our sons aren't at the same uni. Mines at Liverpool and got his masters at Bangor.

I would also like to respond to Vicky's comments because my counsellor said my biggest problem is the not knowing and if I do get cancer I'd deal with it a lot better than I imagine because human nature kicks in and makes you stronger than you think you'll be. I'm so happy you beat it!!!

I shall keep reading your all your comments again and again. I'm so glad I asked for help because it has helped, I just hope I can keep improving like yesterday and not give into that nasty demon that's taken over part of my brain! Thank you all so much for caring x

No worries glad to be of help. We all know the feeling that we are the only person in the world this happens to and really when you join forums like this you are more aware of how widespread these anxiety problems are. We truly can all relate to what you are saying having had experience first hand its not the first time i have told myself i am a fruitcake!! Joking aside glad you appreciate comments and hopefully you will move forward remembering it is not always a straight road and you might meet many detours along the way. I personally am still not comfortable going to GP with any health issues. I tend to over think and before I know it I am dead and buried whereas my rational side tells me otherwise.

We are all here to support each other. Also, we are all here to remind each other to remember the good days and what we did to keep those times positive.

That's one of the great things about these types of forums. It's almost as if it's a second 'home' where your virtual friends are there to remind you that it DOES get better and KEEP focused on getting better.

When times get tough and you just can't cope anymore, we can just come back here and find a reminder of the love and support that has been shared here.

bidmag, couldn't put it better myself!

J

I have only just registered on this site and seen these messages. I do hope everyone is on the mend. I am going through absolutely debilitating panic about anxiety about my health especially cancer. I have been on medication for depression for years and had bouts off and on like this but I believe my current situation has been triggered by losing my dad to the most sad and cruel cancer in May. I have every symptom under the sun, obsess constantly about them, but am frightened of the doctors. As I approach 50 I feel as if I am heading into a riskier age group and can't think too far into the future without getting frightened.

These messages help me know I am not alone. Thank you all for your candid messages and support.