Health Anxiety

Hi Richard, 

I definitely think you have health anxiety. "Feeling on edge" is a symptom of anxiety. Also, I found that you can get so used to being anxious that you don't recognise it anymore. The wake up call for me was when I started having panic attacks. I always knew I had a tendancy to be stressed out and that I would get quite anxious around exams but I didn't realise how much it was actually affecting my quality of life. 

I think therapy will be a great benefit to you. Do consider the antidepressants as well because they do help. I didn't want to go on them at first because I didn't want to become addicted but then when things got to their worst, I decided I had to do something about it and I started on them and it's fine. They have helped me to feel much happier and I am feeling much less anxious than I was when I started. I think therapy is the best for dealing with anxiety though. 

Just remember, there are plenty of people on this site who have experienced similar symptoms to you. You are not alone  

I wish you the best of luck and let us know how you get on,

Agirl xxx

Me again...

Looking back, I wish I had try therapy first, but I was so scared and new to this whole anxiety thing, that I happily took the meds. Back then, I thought they were my problem solver. No one told me about therapy. 

So good for you for going through therapy first. Explore all your options, CBT, deep breathing...try it first. Only then, if nothing works, consider meds. 

This may be helpful

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=53

They won't let me link it but try looking up the Clinical Centre for Intervention website. Click Resources and then consumers. There's a workshop on health anxiety. You might find it useful 

Hi this is my first ever post. Ive decided to join because I am not going to google anymore. 

Instead of what symptoms im having this month, im joining up with people who understand but who maybe able to reassure that it is only anxiety and im not dying

You are definantly experiancing health anxiety

 Every single one of those symptoms go along with it. And even though you dont feel anxiois you are thats why the symptoms appear. Never ever google your symptoms it makes it so much worse I have learned google os my enemie. Definantly go to therapy it helps alot. Also something that my therapist recommended is to keep a journal whem you start feel these feeings right them down. Ans then read it out load and then just say its all my anxiety nothing more. 

Hi Richard....I'm right there with you...I've had all of the physical symptoms you listed (and a few others) for the past eighteen months or so, and have had all sorts of medical tests to rule out anything serious....everything points to anxiety. I struggled for the longest time to accept that anxiety could cause me to feel this way every day (truly, I have at least one or two symptoms every single day, and sometimes they change day-to-day...tough to get anyone to believe that who hasn't experienced it themselves)....I'm doing my best now to accept it for what it is and not waste any more of my time searching for answers on the web (I'm almost ashamed to admit how much time I've devoted to researching my symptoms on Google....only to realize that it ALWAYS makes me feel worse). My thoughts are with you and everyone else who is suffering with this affliction....it's not an easy road, and it can feel very lonely at times, which is why I'm so grateful for forums like this one....at least I know I'm not alone..

Hi guys,

I'm Matt, and 32.  I've been experience similar feelings to you all for quite a while now - they seem to be progressively getting worse, but that could just be my head playing tricks on me.  I am a former smoker (smoked on/off for about 10 years but quit 4 years ago), and relatively active - I gym, run/cycle occasionally, play a lot of golf, etc.  These feelings are beginning to take over a bit though, and are driving me nuts.  I've been battling lower back and neck pain for a while - and I've had a couple of friends who, after having back/neck pain in the past, have been diagnosed with some pretty serious diseases - so I automatically think the same is wrong with me.  On top of that I feel like I've got constant heart flutters, get occasional chest pains when yawning, breathing, etc, feel "spaced" and light-headed at times, like I can't focus on anything - the list goes on.  And as you've all mentioned, look up anything on Google and you're doomed.  The word "cancer" seems to pop up everywhere these days so I feel like that's constantly playing on my mind - and last night I made the mistake of Googling "lung cancer", and of course I have basically all of the symptoms - then again I could probably Google just about anything and fit the bill - or at least convince myself that I fit the bill.

I don't go to the doctor often - last time was for my annual physical about 10 months ago - had bloodwork done and all, and everything was a-ok.  The doctor told me that she doesn't typically give ECG's to people my age just because it's not really a concern of hers, but I think this year I might request one.  She did give me a few Anxiety pamphlets to read which I do skim through once in a while, but that's about it.  Other than that I just try to plod along with day-to-day life.

My wife and I had a baby four months ago, and I've read that part of this "new" parenting process is worrying about the future, etc.  

So, just wanted to share my experiences with everyone, and hopefully these feelings pass soon enough.

Thank you so much for your replies'

I do understand what you are all saying which has in turn giving me some sort of reassurance. 

At the moment  tho I feel like I'm at that! What if stage. What if these symptoms are real and leading to some think more sinister What if I do have some sort of disease. What if....  What if.... 

I'm trying to put on a front sociably and trying to maintain the same-routines as before. But inside my head I'm going insane.