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Health anxiety driving me mad

Posted , 5 users are following.

zoe40663
zoe40663

Hi, I've been suffering with health anxiety for the past year. It started when I had a trapped nerve in my arm but escalated when I had excruciating lower back pain. Over the christmas period my lower back was very painful but due to my anxiety I started to get breast pain, I went to the doctors and she sent me to the breast clinic, all my tests were clear. 

I have this annoying habit of searching the Internet and always stumbling across the worse possible diagnosis! And then I start to panic! I have finally got my doctors to understand what I go through. In the past I have found some doctors brush this off. I am currently taking propranolol which is helping but due to the lower back pain that I have been suffering from for the last 6 months I still struggle to calm my anxiety. 

I also referred myself to therapy but I found that they told you the obvious, about being on the hamster wheel! And that you need to stop the worrying to stop the attacks! We all know about that dreaded wheel! 

After nagging my doctor about my 'lower level back pain' (as he diagnosed it!) for a referral to the back clinic I finally have an appointment. Fingers crossed, if I can get the pain level down and know what's up with my back I can start to address my anxiety and reduce the tablets!!

i feel sometimes I have to be slightly forceful with the doctors to get my worries across. Sometimes doctors have asked me what I think is wrong with me and I have always replied with where do you want to start? 

I am trying so hard to not allow this anxiety to run my life, but feel that if I allow it one second it would take over. I did find that while I was concentrating on my NVQ work my anxiety would disappear but I can do that all day sad 

Does anybody else feel they have to be more insistant with their doctors? 

Zoe

 

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • amy75782
    amy75782 zoe40663

    Posted

    Hi Zoe, I'm going through the same thing with health anxiety. I have a very good doctor who picked up on it straight away. I'm getting a lot worse having panic feelings everyday. I'm at the doctors once a week with another symptom, she is fed up with me. I took propranolol for 3 months which helped and I'm still on citalopram. I stopped the propranolol due to weight gain. Counselling isn't helping me to be honest. I have a few referrals coming up with neurology and ENT. I'm getting chest pain and worrying it's my heart, but probably just anxiety. I have accepted how I am but still nothing changes. I stop worrying about one thing and move on to another. Do you have this problem?

    Amy x

    • zoe40663
      zoe40663 amy75782

      Posted

      Hi Amy,

      i do have that problem. I am constantly making doctors appointments on a weekly basis. If I feel okay on the day then I will cancel it. I also get worried because my doctors appointments are all booked for 2 weeks so I will make an appointment in advance in case I need it. 

      I am the same, once one problem is over and I can breath a sigh of relief then another one pops up. My doctor has been good to be honest, 

      It is a horrible thing to go through, you start feeling like your not in control. I've always been a strong person but this has just crumbled me. 

      Zoe xxx

    • amy75782
      amy75782 zoe40663

      Posted

      I'm exactly the same, nothing used to bother me now I'm a wreck. It all started after my daughter was born 3 years ago. My first symptom was a lump in my throat. I'm just convinced something terrible is going to happen to me. It's like living in fear as silly as it sounds to other people. I've currently got pins and needles down my left side panic is creeping in but trying to tell myself it's a migraine like the doctor said or anxiety.

      I'm going on holiday in a week I'm so worried.

      Do you let it all out at the doctors because I don't x

    • natashaloo
      natashaloo amy75782

      Posted

      Hi Amy. I lost my baby boy in January . He was born with wings. I had lump feeling in my throat,chest pains . Got the all clear from ENT . it's called globus sentention . I'm good at giving advise but I'm the same as everyone else. I've been fearing I got cancer in my mouth or something . I've Been having tingling on my right side of my face along my jaw and chin area but it's only when I touch that area . I'm freaking out sooo much. It's controlling my life :-(
  • zoe71021
    zoe71021 zoe40663

    Posted

    Hi zoe

    My name is zoe lol, like you i live my life at the doctors but not with loads of different things but with just chest pain. Iv been suffering with chest pain, pains in my arms neck and jaw for 8 months and have had 3 different diagnoses but cant help thinking this has got to be to do with my heart. My doctors refuse to send me for tests just because im only 28 so it couldnt possibly be my heart (rubbish).The only thing we can do is keep pushing iv finally managed to get an appointment at a pain clinic and i think thats only because they want rid of me lol.

    Stay possitive x

    Stay

    • zoe40663
      zoe40663 zoe71021

      Posted

      Hi Zoe, 

      i hope you get to the bottom of your chest pains. It does start feeling like you live at the doctors. My practice has a online booking app and I must visit it nearly everyday making appointments or moving them and then cancelling them because I feel okay. Occasionally when I have cancelled the appointment I suddenly feel panic!! 

      It it does work if you push the doctors to refer you and I think my doctor is fed up seeing me! Lol

      Stay positive as well. Fingers crossed they get to the bottom of your chest pain.

      Zoe xxx

    • amy75782
      amy75782 zoe40663

      Posted

      Lol I use patient access too I'm always looking and reading what they say about me! Chest pain is just the lates thing. The list is endless really, but I feel bad that I'm moaning when there are people in a lot worse situations than me, but I just can't help it. I have had to visit the doctors numerous times to be referred to neurology. I'm hoping when they do a scan I will be calmer. Take care x
    • zoe40663
      zoe40663 amy75782

      Posted

      Fingers crossed for your scan. You will be okay on your holiday too. Try and relax a little on holiday. I always find if my mind is occupied then the anxiety goes away but when I get too stressed or uptight then it hits me with a bang. 

      I feel eel I am moaning too but I need the reassurance that all is okay. 2 years ago I nearly lost my husband, he had a heart attack at work. I think after that I just couldn't control my worrying.

      Take care Amy xxx

    • amy75782
      amy75782 zoe40663

      Posted

      Oh dear, that will be the reason your health anxiety has started then. I'm even worse, I don't have an excuse.

      I'm better when I'm busy so I'm hoping I can enjoy my holiday!

      I've started getting worried about everything not just my health which isn't great.

      Are you on any medication? X

    • zoe40663
      zoe40663 amy75782

      Posted

      I can relate to worrying about everything but I am calm if it's a major problem. It is always the small things that get me anxious. 

      Im on a lovely mixture of tablets! Pain killers for my back, a muscle relaxant to try and release my trapped nerves and propranolol for my anxiety. They do seem to work and calm my heart down.

      One doctor gave me an anti depressant but I refused to take it, I went back to see my own doctor and he prescribed propranolol. He also didn't force the issue, he asked me if I wanted to try them for a while. 

      Are you on any medication?

      xx

    • amy75782
      amy75782 zoe40663

      Posted

      Yes, I know what you mean I can handle important things too.

      I just worry what I'm turning in to sometimes, the old me seems like a distant memory. I just hope one day I can move on from all this, because I life like this will not be good. They say anxiety can't kill you, but it can't be good for you at all.

      I take citalopram an antidepressant. I used to be on propranolol which dud help, but I put weight on so stopped. Silly I know, thinking about going back on them.

    • zoe40663
      zoe40663 amy75782

      Posted

      I worry about that too and I tend to hide it from my daughter. She thinks I am a level headed Mum!

      I feel anxiety or any mental illness is auful. It starts to run your life and you are out of control of your thoughts. Just dealing with the symptoms that anxiety causes is bad enough without the daily panic or having to hide because you are about to burst in to tears. I hope I can move on too and be able to look back at this period with acheivement knowing that I beat it.

      However, for the moment my fight continues but it does seem to be getting easier, FINGERS CROSSED!! Haha!

      Zoe xx

  • amymay24
    amymay24 zoe40663

    Posted

    Heya Zoe, I know exactly what you're going through. I've suffered with health anxiety for a few months now and I'm always making endless apoointments at the doctors. In the last two months I've had going on 30 appointments with my gp. The latest health obsession I have started a few weeks back where I foubd swollen lymph nodes on the right side of my neck and instantly searched Google for answers. It came up with Lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) so I threw myself into a huge panic and booked another appointment with my doctor. I've had six different doctors tell me it's just a reaction to a throat infection I had but it's like their word means nothing as I'm that convinced it's the worst case scenerio. After pushing the doctors they finally gave me blood tests which I will be getting the results for tomorrow. It's horrible to live with and the anxiety makes you feel symptoms that aren't actually there.
    • zoe40663
      zoe40663 amymay24

      Posted

      Hi Amy,

      I canrelate to your anxiety. The worse thing you can do is search for your symptoms on the internet, The top search results is always connected to cancer. I've tried so hard to refrain from internet searches, and that's really hard as I work with a computer all day!!

      I have seen several doctors and yes! I never believe them either! Haha! I always think the internet has the answers. My anxiety is always convincing me that I have a medical problem and if I read a story of someone who has suffered with the dreaded C then within minutes I have got all the symptoms. When my anxiety is at it's highest then I ban myself from any social media websites or watching any news!

      I hope you manage to get your anxiety to a managable level one day.

      xx

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