Is anyone successfully coping with health anxiety/hypochondria?
Posted , 5 users are following.
I'm 20 and have been a hypochondriac as long as I can remember, although my anxiety didn't start until my mid to late teens. It started as just recognizable anxiety about health and has progressed over the years with various physical symptoms and manifestations. In 2018 I had my first panic attack which lasted 3 days and had doctors ready to call me out of a flight I had booked the next day because of my high blood pressure. Since then I've had recurring panic attacks (daily for about a year after, and on and off for about the last year) and been diagnosed with panic disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, emetophobia, and general health anxiety/phobias. My anxiety symptoms are very physical but it seems about once a month I get a new random health condition that I go to the doctor for, they run all their tests, and it is ruled as a harmless medical mystery that eventually goes away on its own. I am constantly mentally and physically scanning myself for physical symptoms and it just seems I can't catch a break. Every time I experience/overcome one health condition, another one mysteriously pops up. I've been in and out of therapy since early childhood but when I'm having good days it's hard to imagine what I feel like when I'm having a panic attack, which has led me to be inconsistent and (irresponsibly on my part) not always committed to constant treatment. I'm looking to start therapy again because for two years my conditions have been debilitating. When I'm anxious or having a panic attack, NOTHING makes me feel better, I just have to lie in bed and be alone until it passes whether that be hours, days, or even weeks, or go to a doctor. Even one of my pychologists said my panic attacks seem normal in every way except duration, as they're 'supposed' to last up to an hour but like I said mine have lasted for days at a time. As I'm about to start therapy again, I'm wondering if anyone else with severe health anxiety has come across a good balance of treatment or coping mechanisms (either with or without therapy). I'm young and (despite my many random health issues) am healthy and I want to live a good life. My anxiety is holding me back in every way and it's hard to see a clear path ahead... Any advice or words of encouragement would be appreciated. I just feel so alone in this condition sometimes, especially when I talk to my family about it. They try to be supportive (especially my mom who has hypochondriac tendencies) but it still feels so isolating and like no one understands that it limits my ability to do anything and everything on bad days. Btw I've had bad experiences with anxiety meds (specifically zoloft) and am very against taking them out of fear so please no suggestions about medications 😃
0 likes, 3 replies
zen819 roses.belair
Posted
Hello roses
i completely understand what you are going through.
I have sleep anxiety and it started after when i couldnt sleep for nights.
I am currently on 50 mg sertraline and propanolol 40 mg that i take in the evening.
Anxiety plays a havoc on your mind.
I remember getting multiple panic attacks in a day due to my fear of sleep and sertraline stopped them right in their tracks,
I have also gotten anxious on the smallest things related to the body,
It was eyes, swallowing , blinking you name it. What has helped is writing these down and checked on the improvement in it. Have you tried deep breathing and yoga? they are supposed to help as well.
What also will help is going for gentle walks in the nature.
Hope you feel better
cheers
MILAO roses.belair
Posted
Hey, I am 24, female and totally relate. I was diagnosed with a lung disease when I was 8. It never bothered me at all but when I was around 15 I began to slowly develop Health Anxiety. Any pain or slight tingle I would jump to the worst possible outcomes. I would be convinced my teeth were falling out, I had every type of cancer under the Sun you name it. It then lessened after I turned 20 but I had an incident when I was 23 that basically mimicked a stroke, It was absolutely traumatising and a Health Anxiety sufferers worst nightmare. I had to stay in Hospital and was taken by Ambulance and I was well and truly messed up mentally from it. I became convinced I would die of a huge stroke any second of every day which manifested into me having 6-8 panic attacks DAILY and in my sleep for months on end. I did not believe any of the Neurologists or Specialists that I did not have stroke and that it was just migraine and lived everyday believeing it was my last. This was over one year ago and although my fear of stroke has nearly completely gone I still have to deal with the panic attacks & anxiety! Recently I was prescribed Sertraline in hopes to reduce the panic attacks but I had a severe reaction to it which led me to the Hospital and told to stop taking the medication. In this time I developed ectopic heart beats (skipped or added heart beats) which then made me obsess over my heart and believe I would go into Cardiac Arrest any second. I am currently in the middle of getting my heart checked but it is just a good example of how Health Anxiety works, we always have to focus on something!! I have to be honest, my panic attacks MASSIVELY reduced after I got home from the Hospital 3 weeks ago, I think I iust got to a point where I accepted that Death was innevitable! We are all going to die one day, why am I ruining my life constantly worrying about death when there is nothing I can do to stop it. I also started viewing my body as strong other than viewing it as being weak and "diseased". The human body is strong, especially in young people and it is durable and can withstand ALOT! Panic attacks are awful, mine can last days on end too. Distraction is the best tool, when I feel it coming I try to do something. Other times I just lay down and accept it, wait for it to pass. It is awful but it doe get easier
kyle99 roses.belair
Posted
I can relate to the health anxiety although rather than worrying about my own health I worry about my loved ones getting an illness. I have always been reserved and anxious since I was a child and bullying made it much worse in my early-mid teens.
I am 21 now and my first (and worst) breakdown was September 2017 when I had a breakdown at University on my first day and had to drop out. I was bedbound for 4 month and in the first few weeks I lost so much weight from having no appetite for days on end. I would have my family pleading with me to eat anything as I was going two or three days without eating sometimes. The worst part was no medications were working... Citalopram, Fluoxetine, Sertraline and Mirtazapine - none provided relief and only aggravated my anxiety.
I have lost count of what various doctors and psychiatrists have diagnosed me with. From memory I have: Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Anankastic Personality Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder.
I can also relate to the dissonance when you have a good day or days if we're lucky. I can quickly relapse into unhealthy habits as when I feel good I feel GOOD. I cannot remember what my anxiety feels like sometimes and I can end up making ambitious plans and stopping some therapies only to rebound and beat myself up over not taking my mental health seriously when I am feeling 'better'.
I worry about the path ahead of me, that I will be alone forever, unable to get to university and pursue my passions and aspirations in life. I currently have coping mechanisms and part of it is helping out other people, as I always want to make other people smile. I get out of bed even when every part of my body is begging to lie in. I make my bed not straight away but I always make sure I put time aside to do it. I have also been decorating my bedroom to make it a more inviting place to be in. Showering is good and any time of the day is good, even if it is just getting a splash of warm water.
I know you said you did not want any medication recommendations but I was recently prescribed 40mg of Propranolol and I have had lower blood pressure (as it was always elevated) and my physical anxiety is much more manageable. I am personally noticing an improvement for the physical symptoms although the mental issues persist. As you have said though if you have apprehension about them, then not taking medication is a perfectly good thing to do too 😊
Always here if you need to talk
Kyle