Kidney stones health anxiety
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi, Please can anyone help. I have server health anxiety. I had a hospital stay about 6 months ago due to kidney stone being stuck in urethra. I am due for ct scan next week but have waited all this time to see if it's passed. I don't think it has as I'm still having pain in right bottom of my back. Since reading these pages about kidney stones I have seen people write about sepsis. Thus has sent my body in complete shock and if I over think things my health anxiety leaves me bed ridden my body does not handle stress at all due to a breakdown I had two years ago. What are the chances of me getting sepsis if it's been stuck in my urethra for over 6 months? Thanks
0 likes, 11 replies
Luna_Sea verity56501
Posted
Sepsis is symptomatic. Fever would be one of the first signs. Flu-like symptoms. You would know something is wrong. Mental confusion. I know with anxiety, we can create physical symptoms if we let it elevate and go into full panic attack. But do some breathing exercises to calm yourself so you can fairly evaluate what is going on. I know all about catastrophic thinking. Going from a 1 to 100 in terms of terror and physical response because of the worst case scenario taking hold of the mind. But I don't think we can create a fever with our anxiety, so take your temperature if that helps put you at ease. But if you do develop a fever and flu-like symptoms, get to the hospital.
Stones can sit around for a long time with no problems. Or they can become problems. Everyone is different. If you haven't passed it, chances are it has probably grown from sediment attaching to it and may need a procedure. If that's the case, they should be able to go up and blast it into pieces. Not a big deal and fairly simple. And it will bring this long running kidney stone issue to a close. I had a big one in my kidney for at least six months and the doctor said it could have been much longer.
verity56501
Posted
Hi Thank you for your help. I don't have A fever just a tendency to Google everything 😭 and yes I have gone from 1-100 in seconds I keep thinking once I get rid of this one I could have another one and not no and get sepsis. Or get an infection from when they remove this one. I try to do meditation etc but the feeling is so real it terrifies me. I'm now at the point where I'm about to get life insurance in case I go very soon from sepsis and leave my children with nothing. I no it's so depressing and I feel like I can't tell anyone as they are sick of hearing it . I am sick of it to I used to be a positive person but this has completely took over my life. Thank for your response you have put my mind at ease for a bit 😉
Luna_Sea verity56501
Posted
I don't know if you are on medication or have a problem with taking it. But Zoloft seriously saved my life eleven years ago. I had panic attacks one after another and it was always related to catastrophic thinking and immediately assuming I was on the verge of impending death. I was looking up my symptoms and sure I was dying all the time. At one point, I begged my husband to admit me to a psychiatric hospital because I thought I was going crazy.
My GP put me on zoloft. Within a week I was back in her office twice because I couldn't turn off the fear. And then one day, I was a little less fearful...and the day after that even less. Before I realized it, I wasn't having panic attacks several times a day. I mean, it was bad and about a week or so of zoloft, I was significantly improved. After that, I started therapy and yoga. Learned how to disable a panic attack and take the strength out if it. I'm one if those that can't seem to get off medicine without the panic taking over, so I've accepted it's a lifelong issue. Zoloft isn't the greatest. It saved me, but it had side effects that weren't ideal. My husband was almost living with a nun. Now years later, my psychiatrist finally found the perfect balance. Wellbutrin XR and 0.5 mg clonazepam once a day. No panic attacks and no noticeably side effects. I say all this because there seems to be a stigma about taking meds, like we failed if we go that route. Quality of life is so important and if that means I have to take pills everyday, I'm happy to do it.
Also, unless your anxiety is under control, I would avoid medical websites. They are triggers that only made things worse until I was able to read them without jumping to a nightmare conclusion. My therapist says you need to grab the catastrophic thought and really examine it. What are the chances I'm actually dying? What are my actual symptoms? Which symptoms came on when I started panicking? (I specifically recall a time that I had a sharp twinge in my head and thought I was dying of an aneurysm. That was the first time I tried her technique and disabled it before it could go full blown. It felt amazing taking back control.
verity56501
Posted
Thank you so much I am yet to find anyone with similar problems. I am really struggling to find help I have been waiting for a psychiatrist on the bus for over a year. I self diagnosed myself through research as I was bed ridden for over a year with the hospital knowing what it was. I was so close to death it scares me looking back that I could do that to my lovely children. But every time I get a trigger from another "illness I think I have" it brings all my symptoms back from my breakdown and the feelings are just horrendous and makes you scared of everything in life and it's just the worst feeling in the world. And I am so scared that one day the illness will beat me and I will take my own life. I have lost my job through it now which is just another added pressure. What is Zoloft? Is it a anti depressant? I take one called citralapram which I also no saved my life I was at breaking point with intense body rushes fear and my bottom half of my body would not move for 6 months. The citalapram stopped the physical feeling but i am left with this dreaded feer of life but scared of dying at the same time. The doctor said i need to higher the dose but by law i am not allowed as they are linked with heart conditions. Just feel like I'm going solo on this and not getting the correct help. This page has really helped me though and feeling I am not alone .
Luna_Sea verity56501
Posted
Ah yes, citalapram is celexa here. I tried it for a while and it didn't do much for me. It's an SSRI like Zoloft. I have reached the conclusion that SSRI's are not for me. The only other medicine that was miraculous and made me completely normal was an epilipsy drug called Keppra. Unfortunately, one of it's possible side effects is hair loss. I have a ton of hair, but it was coming out rapidly. I was sad to quit that one.
Wellbutrin is not an SSRI and I use it to treat my depression. The clonazepam is for the anxiety. It is basically like Xanax, but much slower and longer lasting anxiety relief. Xanax is great if you are having a panic attack, but it knocks me out. The low dose of clonazepam (klonapin) keeps the anxiety at bay without causing too much sleepiness/fatigue.
I've also noticed that it's easy to confuse depression with anxiety. For the longest time I thought my anxiety was depression until the panic attacks started. If you are still having fear and severe anxiety, I think you need to try a different medication. I have been on at least a dozen different ones and some didn't work at all or had such bad side effects that they weren't worth taking. If you can't raise the dose on what you are taking for relief, something different might make a world of difference.
verity56501
Posted
Luna_Sea verity56501
Posted
I lead a normal life now. I have mild generalized anxiety, but nothing debilitating. I remember thinking I might have to take my life if things didn't improve. That thought was the driving force to get help. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Start with seeing the doctor about trying new meds because the current one is not helping enough. It helped what it could, but you are still struggling and you shouldn't have to...not with all the options available. Also, avoid triggers. I couldn't watch depressing/dark shows for a long time because they brought out my fears. If you think it could upset you, stay away from it until you have something in place to help you cope. You don't appear to have a strong coping strategy.
I have been through three bouts of kidney stones and had no fear of dying it anything. I was sedated multiple times, which would have terrified me ten years ago. Now I think of it as a decent rest. Par for the course. You can achieve a comfortable normal, but you have to be proactive in your healthcare and tell the doctor what is and isn't working. 9 meds out of 10 are not going to be a perfect fit for you. It can be disheartening, but they wouldn't have so many options if every pill worked the same for everyone.
verity56501
Posted
Thanks so much I fear of changing my tablets because the side effects of starting new Re so bad but I suppose not as bad as living in fear. I can't thank you enough for your help I will go back to the doctor . Glad you are feeling better 😁
sarah87162 verity56501
Posted
I am not medically qualified to answer your question I'm afraid. Have you friends or family who can support you during this time? Do not believe everything you read on the internet, it can be very confusing and
contradictary
I had my kidney stones removed at the beginning of December but had to wait a year.
Take care and keep in touch
Sarah
verity56501
Posted
Hi Sarah many thanks for your help. Yes I have my family around me but they have gone through so much looking after my children when I could not that I try to keep it to myself as I feels it brings everyone down and I don't want to pass it on to my children. I feel I have an anxiety disorder and not getting the proper medication. That's good to no "obviously not for you" that you had to wait over a year but for me as I thought they had to be removed straight away if not passed. X
erin28993 verity56501
Posted
Hi Verity56501,
I know this is an older post, and not sure if you are still reading it but just in case. I have been on here too because I think I have my first kidney stone and the whole experience has been painful and driving me crazy. I suffered from a pinched nerve in the back of my head a few years ago. It was excruciating pain for about 18 months before I was finally able to find a way to have it fixed. I had many doctors and a lot of crazy medications with terrible side effects. Due to the whole experience, I started experiencing anxiety and panic attacks for the first time in my life (I was in my mid-30s). I had no idea what to do. Months after my medical issue was resolved, I still had the panic attacks. I finally came across a book by Barry McDonagh about panic attacks. It was a quick read with basic ideas. It made a huge difference for me. Within a few weeks I saw my panic attacks stop and most anxiety gone. I went the next 18 moths without either. I have had a bit of general anxiety dealing with this kidney stone issue, mostly because I haven't had my CT scan yet to confirm, but it has definitely helped listing to his DARE app on my phone. There's even a section on health anxiety. I hope you are much better and your kidney stone problem has been long gone.