1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Anxiety Disorders

Health anxiety ruining my life looking for advice/help can't cope

Posted , 97 users are following.

nicola_57830
nicola_57830

I'm 25 years old and for the past 3/4 weeks i think I've been suffering from health anxiety. First I was having night sweats and google made me think this was the start of a serious illness. Next I had chest pains which I thought were strained muscles but it lasted for a few weeks and I convinced myself this was serious. I now have a pain in my left breast and now I'm convinced I have breast cancer and I'm loosing the plot. I have two small children (aged 2 and 10 weeks) this is running my life and my partner thinks I'm mad. Every little symptom I get I google it and it makes me worry so much more. I've had my left breast checked and it's okay, also had an ECG and that was fine. I go from being fine one minute to panic and google searching the next.

I don't know what to do. I'm so upset and keep thinking about my children now growing up with a mum.

The pain I have is like a lingering pain from the back of my breast, sometimes i feels hot and the pain travels to my back. I'm also now worried about my other breast because the nipple has inverted tonight so I'm thinking this is serious šŸ˜Ÿ

Please is anyone having the same symptoms. Please help me x

7 likes, 122 replies

122 Replies

Prev Next
  • nicola_57830
    nicola_57830

    Posted

    Hi everyone and thank you for the replies. Kirsty Bradley's mummy - are the symptoms becoming easier to cope with or do they become worse over time? Have the doctors done other tests to rule out your worse fears? I get night sweats, chest pain, sharp pains in my back and the main symptom is my breast pain. I keep checking my breasts looking for changes and I'm now focusing on the right one and think it looks different. I'm calling the doctors tomorrow morning to get a check up so they can check my breasts again. I'm so paranoid and scared. I have no idea how this happened and it's totally ruining my life. I keep searching for new symptoms I worry myself about. I've even started to avoid seeing friends and family because I feel down about this. Do you do the same? It's horrible šŸ˜Ÿxx
  • kirstybradleysmummy
    kirstybradleysmummy

    Posted

    Hey chick, this got easier after my bloods came back clear, up until last Saturday when I received a letter that never explained what it was and I couldn't find out until the Monday when I could phone my doctor to see where and why I had been referred so as you suffer with anxiety yourself you can imagine how I was feeling waiting 2 days to find out what this letter was severe anxiety came back - sweats, feeling sick etc!

    Iv only had one set of bloods which tested my lymph nodes that all came back clear.

    Until I received this letter which I fount out was to if with further bloods after seeing my doctor on Monday I asked why I had been referred and he said it wad because I was so worried about them and it was to put closure on it although anxiety plays a huge part in my pain I think now. I didn't until I joined this page tonight.

    I get the sweats day or night mainly when I'm thinking about it and googling which s***s me up!

    But now iv read about health anxiety sweating is part of it and iv also 'heard' suffering health anxiety you magic your own symptoms through Google and thinking the worst!

    T feel a stinging sensation through my neck in my lymph nodes and in my collar bone I keep thinking I've got some sort of tumor that's spreading through my body from my lymph nodes! I feel like if I tell my doctor he will just laughrolleyes it's not a nice thing to live with being so young and having my 13 month old!

    I just want to feel my normal happy self :-(

    I even might take myself for a massage to see if any pain is due to having knots in my muscles from pregnancy and holding my little one!

    Hopefully none of us have anything serious and it's our anxiety playing up on us

    Good luck I look forward to your reply xx

  • nicola_57830
    nicola_57830

    Posted

    My doctor said the same thing I me about further blood tests because I was worrying so much. I've also had an ECG and I'm getting a chest X-Ray this week to rule anything else out. It's so scary! I'm finding it so difficult to sleep at night and really need my sleep with my 10 weeks old waking for feeds and having my toddler to look after on top of that. I can imagine your also very busy in day to day life. I will message you tomorrow once I've been back to my doctors, they will think I'm mad but I new constant reassurance or I might tip myself over the edge! Night for now chick, your not alone xx
  • kirstybradleysmummy
    kirstybradleysmummy

    Posted

    I'm so glad I'm not alone and other people know exactly what I'm going through does constant reassurance help you? Because that's starting not to work for me now, I'm even worried the doctors are missing something I should know about! Last night I felt much better after reading the same kind if stories on here but this morning iv woken up and it's all back to panicking again:-( I would love to know if it's a lymph node or a cyst in my neck as the doctor has said it could be either one but I don't think it's a cyst because I have 3-4 of them.

    Let me know when you've been to the doctor today! I'm going to make my appointment for my further bloods today that's just going to make me worse until I get an appointment and my results! The things life does to us ay!rolleyes I've only been like this since I had Bradley I think it's the thought of dying and leaving him behind! Sounds like I'm taking it extreme but it's just what this anxiety does to yousad

    Speak to you soon honey x x x

  • nicola_57830
    nicola_57830

    Posted

    Hi chick. So doctor checked me over again yesterday and said I'm fine but I told her I will still worry and she's referring me to the breast clinic. I feel I need the reassurance to help me get through this. It horrible constantly worrying, I feel better sometimes and then like you said the next morning/night it's back to worrying sick again. Such a vicious circle.

    Did you get bloods taken? I had a chest X-ray yesterday and doctor told me they would call if anything shows up and they didn't call so that's something atleast.

    Don't you feel like your hassleing the doctors? I've been so many times recently but what can we do to make ourself feel better other than go to the doctors.

    Xx

    • kelly68563
      kelly68563 nicola_57830

      Posted

      Hi hun, how have you got on with all of this? I'm going through the same at the moment and I'm wondering how you are 9 months later xx
    • hayley2629
      hayley2629 kelly68563

      Posted

      Hi Kelly I think I'm going thru anxiety even thou I'm on meds already I'm a right mess how does it affect you xx
    • kelly68563
      kelly68563 hayley2629

      Posted

      Hiya Hayley. Nice to meet you. It affects me massively. I've only had it for a couple of months... but it has been really bad. To the point where i have paid for scans, ultrasounds, chest xrays, blood tests, a gynecologist, an ecg... the lot. I'm on Citalopram 20mg at the moment and i start to see a psychologist in january. It well and truly took over my life. I can't focus on anything else. I have weekly appointments with my doctor as she understands. She's been great. I don't feel too bad at the moment (i hope to god ive not just jinxed it) but i think thays because ive pretty much had all of my body checked. Except maybe my brain and bones lol. I think it's my brain that needs the seeing too not my body!!! I hope you are ok lovely. Email me if you fancy a chat or need someone to talk too. xxx

      Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the email address as we do not publish these in the forums. If users wish to exchange contact details please use the Private Message service .

      http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages

    • ruby05
      ruby05 kelly68563

      Posted

      Hi Kelly, Are you suffering with hypochondriasis? I'm 25 years old and have had it on and off and have suffered with it on and off for 2 years. It's really bad at the moment and I find it hard knowing who I can talk to about it. I would love to hear yours and others stories. x
    • ellie36182
      ellie36182 ruby05

      Posted

      Hi Ruby, saw that you replied only 11 days ago. I have had health anxiety for about 10 years (I'm nearly 28) and I was on an anti depressant but have come off due to it causing extreme fatigue and can feel a bit of worry coming on and don't want it to go to a full blown episode. trying to avoid Google!! The absolute enemy! Am starting to worry about a smear I have next month despite having no symptoms. Would be great to chat xxx
    • kevin44786
      kevin44786 ellie36182

      Posted

      36, spinal tumor possible stomach disease or tumors after having a stomach surgery at age17 and just got out of icu from acute renal failure. Also high lipids and blood pressure. Stress and panic levels starting to really bug me! I have 3 sons and my wife and i just keep getting hit with bad health. On top of the tumor in my spine they found a fracture 3 blown discs facet arthropathy spinal stenosis and foraminal narrowing and my proffesion has allways been in landscaping. Alot to take in and wonder whats next and how long do i really have left with my wife n kids.
    • deborah301080
      deborah301080 kelly68563

      Posted

      Hi I'm new on here

      I've had anxiety and panic disorder for 20 years + now it's effecting my health very bad do any of you actually feel the symptoms or is it in your head as they say

      I have lip tingling/numbness on the left side and feel like my left arm and hand doesn't work properly and it scares me and I've had mri and nothing and my doctor basically without saying it thinks it's all in my head and it isn't else I wouldn't have these symptoms I'm so fed up of it

    • sarah13837
      sarah13837 deborah301080

      Posted

      Hi deborah301080

      You are not alone, I suffer with health anxiety witch has become obsessive checking my body for lumps and bumps and dreading the worst..I've had all test done and come back fine, I have now been referred to a psychiatrist and talking therapys and been put on venlafaxine and mirtazipine for mine. I get lip/tingling sensations, twitches, my arm feels funny I have been told it's my panic attacks. It can cause all symtems like that..when we suffer with anxiety and things our minds work over time and will always create something worse than what it is..I have been told it's in my head too but it doesn't make it any easier because the sysmtems are real for people like us..that's why I am now going to be having CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) they help you work on what's causing these problems and hopefully it works for me as I myself am very drained and tired of feeling this way, it's a constant battle everyday witch causes more stress and panic it's like it never ends. But u are not alone on this,have you spoke to your doctor about asking for some help from the mental health speacialist? It will probably be the best thing u could do I know it was for me. X

    • devin02830
      devin02830 sarah13837

      Posted

      Hi Sarah - I'm 25, and have been dealing with this on and off for the last two years. Over the last 6 months it has gotten so awful. I am constantly googling symptoms, convinced I have everything from cancer to HIV when I know I dont. I am going to start seeing a therapist and was curious about CBT. How has been working for you?

    • vanessa18582
      vanessa18582 devin02830

      Posted

      Iā€™ve been going through the SAME exact thing. Itā€™s ruining my life and my happiness. Every tiny new feeling or ā€œsymptomā€ makes me look it up and it makes me think I have HIV, hepatitis, or cancer. It makes me sick to stomach every day. Itā€™s been about a month so far. Iā€™m having a hard time shaking these feelings.Ā 
    • sarah13837
      sarah13837 vanessa18582

      Posted

      Hi Vanessa, I know how you feel last year I was exactly the same to the point I wouldnā€™t bath in case I felt something, I was down the doctors every day I was googling everything convinced I had cancer, couldnā€™t concentrate was feeling myself out in public witch I became ocd with..my doctor finally stepped in and got me the help I needed..I was referred to Talking therapie witch was a one 2 one for cbt (cognitive behavioural therapy) it took months to finally start working I was also referred to a physchatrist witch I did not have and personal dealings with they prescribe me the tablets I needed witch is venlafaxine in the mornings witch was increased weekly too the highest dose and also 45mg mirtazipine of a evening to help me sleep and I can tell you now from all of this help I have not had a panic or the need to worry about my health, I still get the odd thought here and there but I can cope and it doesnā€™t turn in to any panic. I donā€™t feel exhausted Iā€™m now working again I have a relationship with my son again. Go to your doctors or you can referre yourself to Talking therapies your self on line it really does help. You will get better I promise itā€™s a long road but u will get there I hope this gives you some piece of mind xx
    • sarah13837
      sarah13837 devin02830

      Posted

      It has worked great for me I am never going to be fully better menatally but it is now under control Iā€™m working again and I do not feel the need to google anything or check myself infact Iā€™ve had no bad thoughts or feelings for a long time, how are you getting on with cbt?Ā 
Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.