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Extreme mental breakdown. Could use support and advice.

Posted , 3 users are following.

Myrissasauras
Myrissasauras

I'm an extreme hypochondriac and it's almost like I have severe health delusions. The other week I had a really bad cold and was coughing uncontrollable to the point where I actually had thrown up and was gagging from it. For some reason, it freaked me out. I now have this anxiety of gagging, and now I gag everytime I talk. I wake up worrying about gagging from talking, and I have anxiety just talking in fear of it. It's really depressing me. The other day I was trying to talk to my mom and just started gagging and threw up. I took some Xanax and that helped me relax but I still have this fear... I just want to be normal again and be able to talk without this happening.

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • jmcg2014
    jmcg2014 Myrissasauras

    Posted

    That's just the nature of health anxiety,its a very extreme outlet of anxiety and crippling I know to deal with. Best advice I can give is ask to see a therapist to get to the root of the underlying anxiety
    • Myrissasauras
      Myrissasauras jmcg2014

      Posted

      I've just never seen anyone have this happened to them. It kinda makes me wonder if something is actually wrong or if it's just my anxiety... I went to the doctor and she said my throat was inflamed and I had GERD, but that's all taken care of and I'm still gagging while I talk, but I feel it's because I am anticipating it to happen.
    • jmcg2014
      jmcg2014 Myrissasauras

      Posted

      There is no amount of reasoning or reassurance that will help with health anxiety,that's why its so powerful. Any possible problem that you can imagine can happen if you focus on it enough,the only real way to deal with it is to deal with the root anxiety, otherwise its a never ending cycle, the health anxiety just keeps maintaining the root anxiety and it goes on and on
    • Myrissasauras
      Myrissasauras jmcg2014

      Posted

      Yeah, I'm gonna get a therapist, in hopes that I can understand why this is happening. I just think it's gonna be hard to talk when I'm always gagging while talking.
    • jmcg2014
      jmcg2014 Myrissasauras

      Posted

      You'll be surprised, as you start to work with a therapist the physical symptoms will start to feel less intrusive
  • Brink
    Brink Myrissasauras

    Posted

    Could your gagging not be because you are very nervous/anxious at the moment? And worrying about bagging is creating more anxiety!

    Try to take out the mental process for a moment and look at it physically!

    When we get anxious or nervous our body gets ready to run or fight! To be ultra ready for what's coming the body will want to be as light as possible i.e. Empty bladder or bowls, be sick and even increase the amount of acid in the stomach to faster process the food what is in there!

    When the acid increase and the stomach is bubbling it can cause gagging, it's a fact, I've had it myself when just walking down the street and had to stand still until it passes! It's due dye your nerves and your feeding it with the fear cycle i.e. I'm scared of gagging so I will make myself nervous and cause more acid and then more panicky when I cause this to happen!

    To try and get over it ask your self, what's the worst that can happen? You gag, maybe your sick, so what? What's really

    That bad? Seriously? You get nervous, your stomach reacts, you feel like gagging, you do gag..... And then??? Then what happens? You clam down, it passes.

    Nothing will happen to you, honestly! You won't stop breathing, you won't be sick, you throat will not close up, you will just panic, heave and then it will pass! It's just another aspect of a panic attack

    • Myrissasauras
      Myrissasauras Brink

      Posted

      I try to think like that, but usually when I gag, I vomit. And that's kind of a problem. I can't be in class gagging and vomitting all the time.
    • Brink
      Brink Myrissasauras

      Posted

      Have you actually been sick in class though or are you just worried it will happen?
    • Myrissasauras
      Myrissasauras Brink

      Posted

      This is what happened. Bout two weeks ago I got a REALLY bad cold and fever, it took about 4 days to go away. A few days later I got this really bad cough, I had extreme mucus build up that I could never get out. Well one night I was having a really bad coughing fit and I starting gagging and then I threw up. Well the next day any time I talk I will gag and either sometimes throw up or just gag and dry heave. I had to leave class once because of it. I went to the doctor that day and she looked at my throat and said it was inflamed I've been on antibiotics today will be the third day but I am still having the problem. So I don't know if things are swollen back there or if this is my anxiety or what.
    • Brink
      Brink Myrissasauras

      Posted

      It may be a bit of both to be honest! I had a cold 2 months ago and it didn't fully clear for 4 weeks... I was very chesty, nasal, and felt dehydrated regularly!

      Sounds like the anxiety is playing a big part here but you could still be ill a little! 

      I have a similar thing. Whenever I start to become ill I do not realise I am becoming ill. I feel a change in my body and then get anxious and start to panic thinking it's my anxiety that is affecting me. It's only until the illness full comes on and I realise I am physicall ill and not mentally!

      Could you let yourself accept you are still poorly and anxious at the same time? It may calm your anxiety and if you can calm yourself down it will also help your stomach settle! Rather than a fear cycle you could introduce a clam cycle! Accept your poorly and anxious and the symptoms may fade and hopefully dwindle to a little niggle rather than a big problem

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