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How can I control health anxiety?

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tiffany815
tiffany815

So for about 3 months now I have been suffering from "health anxiety" I have had blood tests for 8 different things and everything came back normal and an ecg which also came back normal including an ecg I had mid panic attack when I went to A&E after deciding 2 hours of a severe panic attack was enough, my bpm was 116 which wasn't as bad as it could have been. I normally get feelings of panic in the evening/night and every so often in the day. But I put myself to bed at around 10pm if it's an intensely bad night. I'm 19 years old in university and going to bed at 10pm is having a major affect on my social life, the anxiety is also affecting my relationship as I am worried all the time. I think pain in my fingers are blood clots heading to my heart, a pain in my side is my appendix bursting or kidney failure, a headache is bleed on the brain, it's bad, but it all centres around my heart, I am scared that it is just going to give up on me and stop, I hate being alone incase I die alone, I am debating therapy or hypnosis but I don't know if it will work, does anybody else have or has had this and has any tips on dealing with it? I've already worked through a huge book of self help modules and hasn't seemed to help

0 likes, 20 replies

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  • katep
    katep tiffany815

    Posted

    Have u been to your doctor?,therapy could be really good for you xx
    • tiffany815
      tiffany815 katep

      Posted

      I have but not about therapy, I have an appointment next week in which I am going to mention it, thank you xx
    • katep
      katep tiffany815

      Posted

      That's good just be as open as u can be and hopefully they will get something sorted for you

      It isn't all hopeless honestly xx

      Take care

  • rawb
    rawb tiffany815

    Posted

    Sounds more like. Generalised anxiety rather than health anxiety. Yes try therapy, hypnotherapy really doesn't work. I know a few people who had tried the only way to get over it is to deal with your fear of whatever makes you anxious. Sometimes some people get better when they realise what anxiety is and why it happens but some people don't, you'd need to do some CBT or exposure therapy.

    I know it's easier said than done, but relaxation, sorting your breathing out exercise and some therapy will help you loads. Speak to your GP (try not to take serotonin boosters before you've tried therapy.)

  • charlotte82836
    charlotte82836 tiffany815

    Posted

    Anxiety period is hard work and draining. I think thearpy is a good starting point. Medication will help some depending how bad ur physical and emotional symptoms are.

    I have health anxiety all about my heart. Chest pains left arm.pain shortness of breath all day every day. I'm.on meds which do make me a little calmer. I tried self help books which gave me a good understanding of anxiety but didn't help me deal with my fears. I've also tried cbt which unfortunately didn't work for me and now I'm in counselling so I'm hoping that will.improve how I feel

    • lisalisa67
      lisalisa67 charlotte82836

      Posted

      Have you checked your b12, magnesium and vitamin D levels? Also i dont know your age but maybe a low dose co enyme q10 or ubiqinol would be helpful im wondering if you calmed your heart if your anxity would calm as well. Not sure which is triggering which. But i get anxious and get weird arm and leg issues along with the heart beating fast too.i have learned the mindfullness breathing which helps. I have a mvp and b12 deficient and my doc told me to go on a low dose of co enyme q10 to help the heart. He feels anxiety exists but so does malnutrition or poor absorbtion and he is seeing it so much he feels many peoples diet are lacking and they need suppliments if they cant or dont acquire it from foods. He himself is healthy and does triathlons and takes suppliments so i do trust he knows what he is talking about. So i thought id pass it on to you. It took a while but i do believe this stuff makes a difference . I have a cold right now so feeling a bit off in general. Sickness throws me off kilter as i get scared it will effect the ailments i already am dealing with. Sickness tends to be my trigger. If i feel good im usually content and can use breathing and cbt to function nicely. But if im sick im not really so good at all.i kind of dislike doctors as they love to diagnose me and try to medicate me with some pill or another and i metabolize medicine slowly so i get a

      l kinds of side effects which annoys the doctors and myself so i end up sick then anxious. I Like theta wave meditations to calm myself  but many people arent familiar with that.

    • charlotte82836
      charlotte82836 lisalisa67

      Posted

      I'm not sure if they checked for any low levels of vitamins apart from anemia. I'll have time check with gp. Might be worth a look in to though could explain some lot thank u for the reply
    • rawb
      rawb charlotte82836

      Posted

      If you go in with anxiety symptoms and they do blood tests they'll test for all deficiencies. GPs aren't stupid. They don't do years and years of med school to be upstaged by someone on an anxiety forum who read something somewhere once, give them credit.
    • lindathepinda
      lindathepinda rawb

      Posted

      Unfortunately GP's rarely have any knowledge on nutrition and vitamine deficiencies. It's NOT part of their medical training. In the medical community the consensus rules, that people in first world countries don't have vitamine deficiencies. If you happen to have a GP who knows otherwise, you're lucky. it must be one who educated himself.

      The standard blood panel doesn't include B12 ( not to speak about active B12 and methylfolate), other B's or vitamine D, which are all relevant considering anxiety.

      IF these tests are done after you explicitely requested them, often you will get are 'normal' results. Considering B12 though, the bottom value is much too low, B12 should at least be 350 pmol/l to be sure of no deficiency symptoms. Even if the B12 is at this level, there could be a metabolic deficiency, since you need sufficient methylfolate in you body to metabolize the B12 present. So if yo take B12: always take folic acid with it, otherwise it could be of little use. Also take a high dose B vitamine complex with it, since many B vitamines are eachothers' co-factor, which means they need eachother to be fully functional.

    • lisalisa67
      lisalisa67 rawb

      Posted

      Gps arent stupid but can. Only do tests alloted by insurance companies.
  • lisalisa67
    lisalisa67 tiffany815

    Posted

    It is extremly difficult to absorb and apply self help stuff if you are in a state of crisis. However i have experiencd and found audiobooks a lot more helpful. Even if the mind wanders you can replay them. Take a walk and listen to them. Clean whilst listening to them. Walk around your favorite area or campus whilst listening.Brainwash yourself kind of thing. Agoraphobia is a close friend of panic disorder which makes complete sense because your mind thinks its in grave danger and who would want to be alone facing that? You are 19 so you can jump on this and hooefully get a grip on all of it before it becomes a learned habit or pattern.  They even have cbt apps you can download to guide you. Dont give up just try and believe your mind is bullying you and any all symptoms that surface whilst you are in the throws of a panic attack are not real and will subside when you calm down and you will calm down. When you can get to a doctor and have him run some bloodwork its not uncommon to have b12 deficiencies at your age  and most likely vitamin d deficiency and or hormonal issues. If all that is good talk to you doc bout whts going on and im sure hell know what to do to help you. Best to never ever use alcohol or any drug from the streets to self medicate it will worsen deficiences and make everything worse. Feel better soon.
  • thuber
    thuber tiffany815

    Posted

    This is my struggle to a "T".  Except most of mine revolves around thinking I have cancer.  I get a headache and I think I have some sort of brain cancer.  My stomach hurts and I have some sort of stomach cancer.  You get the idea...whatever I can feel I think is cancer.  I've been struggling with this for a year now (I'm 32 years old).  I'm exhasuted from dealing with this stuff.  I have a hard time getting out of the house, which was never an issue prior to dealing with this anxiety, becuase I'm worried about something bad happening while I'm driving or at my destination.  I'm telling you all of this so you know you are not alone.  I feel so alone in this all of the time.  It's a sorry way to live a life if you ask me.  This anxiety has completely stolen all of my joy.  As I said, I'v been struggling with this for a little over a year and back in June I started Biblical Counseling (long story how I this all came about) but though I still have a long, long ways to go to dealing with this I would say I've come incredibly far in my dealing with it.  Research Biblical Counseling a bit and it will explain what it's all about.  My life has been drastically different since starting it but still a battle that I hope to overcome and get my joy and life back.
  • angelo01cruz
    angelo01cruz tiffany815

    Posted

    Hi tiffany815,

    Well the first thing you need to do is find out what is wrong with you before you start looking for treatments. Go to a doctor first, find out if you have any deficiencies. Then go consult a psychologist. It is essential that you differentiate the anxiety and pains you are feeling. There is a possiblity that your case is psychosomatic, meaning that the pains you are feeling is because you're anxious. Not the other way around where in you're anxious because of the pains you're feeling.

    Now for a treatment. I don't really like anxiolytic medicines so I woudn't reccomend it. But here are some things you may do:

    Therapy - there are many kinds of therapy, just follow what your psychologist will instruct you. He will know what therapy would be more ideal for your case.

    Meditaion - meditation is a great way to calm yourself and to find inner peace. Whenever you have a panic attack, make sure that you know how to properly breathe and concentrate.

    Natural remedies - in case that your condition is caused by deficiency in a certain mineral then what you ought to do is make up for it. Fruits and vegetables are necessary for maintaining vitamins in our body. You can also try new things that are hitting the market today.The legal industrialized hemp plants are supposed to have many beneficial nutrients,. It also have anxiolytic properties which can help lessen the anxiety.

    I hope you get well soon.

  • becky96
    becky96 tiffany815

    Posted

    It's like you are me a year ago. All the symptoms you described i experienced ALL THE TIME! I'm so sorry you are feeling like this. I've had a generalised anxiety disorder since I was 14, and it usually makes me experience different and all types of anxiety. Last year it was health anxiety. I could barely leave the house I was so terrofied of catching a bug! At night time it was usually worse, like you I would always get worried about my heart, my head, having a stroke, all kinds of stuff. It got to a point where I was lying in bed, and feeling tingling in my fingers, my arms, aches and pains all over my body, horrible pressures in my head. And you know what? It's all because of the anxiety as i'm sure you know. 

    I found it hard to accept that our body is just a bit of an odd one. Our bodies sometimes get odd symptoms like tingling, aches and pains. It's normal. It can be unexplained, but it happens. I know it's really hard to accept it, but it's true.

    Anyway, something really important that i want to point out is the physical symptoms of anxiety. When people think of an anxiety disorder, they just think of mental health. There are HUNDREDS of physical anxiety symptoms. I started reading up about them (i'm assuming you're also addicted to looking up symptoms online...?) and it's shocking how many of the symptoms are what I was experiencing.

    I can't tell you how to get rid of it. Mine went when I applied for counsiling. I had a phone interview with this really nice man, we were talking about my symptoms and what I was experiencing. We agreed I needed counciling. A few days after the phone call, the symptoms became less and eventually they stopped. I didn't even realise.

    Now, i still get worried about my health, but nowhere near to the extent of what it was. I don't really get symptoms anymore (only when i'm having an anxiety episode). 

    I think it was just talking to a proffesional about it that helped me. I really think it was the most benefical thing. 

    Click here to view image

    • tiffany815
      tiffany815 becky96

      Posted

      Thank you so much for replying, you don't know how much it helps to know that people out there have gotten over it! You couldn't by any chance refer me to the number you called for counselling could you? I feel a lot of things stop at the age of 18 in terms of getting help
    • becky96
      becky96 tiffany815

      Posted

      Heya, sorry its taken me so long to reply. I cant remember the number as i got reffered via my gp, however the company was called 'Positive Step'. They were so good and really helpful, it's good to be with people you can trust!
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