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Never ending Health Anxiety! Need Help!

Posted , 7 users are following.

g75183
g75183

Hey everyone...

Its been over 1 year, around 1 year and 5 months and I have suffered almost everyday from Health Anxiety. It has now got to the point were I experience very real physical symptoms daily and the doctors are still positive that I am healthy and I am suffering from stress.

As with everyone, I go from one symptom to another each time I get a clean bill of health from the docs....but I am now exhausted.....feeling very lost and very unsure what to do next.

I have tried to stick to a routine, it does not last long....

My current symptoms are mainly a sense of dizziness throughout the day....doctor confirmed it is not Neurological and its is stress related, explained that these things are clearly different without the need for MRI's etc....so I should feel assured...now we all know Health Anxiety doesnt allow that for long...after the visit it went away for around 1 month but now is back. Also, some lower dicomfort in the stomach area, just below the belt line....had ultrasound scan and bloods...all came back normal...so doctor said it is stress related.

I am only 30 years old....I know the likely hood of something being seriously wrong is very slim....and I know after 1 and a half years of doctors, blood tests, Ultrasound scans, edoscopies, anascopies, prostate exam, full blood analysis, urine tests etc that I am thought to be of good health....but I am panicing now that I will never get over this.....that these thoughts of death and leaving behind my recently engaged fiancee and my family and friends.....that they will not lose their grip of fear over me...

Right now as I write this, my head feels light and dizzy, my breathing is not normal, my body feels shallow.....

I just need someone to talk to who understands what I am going through, my fiancee tries, but she is heartbroken at the sight of me sometimes when I allow my anxiety to get out of control....

Right now, here are my current positives.... My weight has gone up in the past 1 and a half years since suffering from a severe food poising....from 65KG to 71.5KG, so no weight loss....I have good appetitie....I am able to workout when I wish to, I sleep pretty well....I dont have any aches or pains that wake me up.......my body temp is normal....everything seems to be ok...

However, I have pretty unrealiable digestive system....I have diagnosed IBS, now over the past year, I cannot say I have ever felt normal when it comes to my digestion, but I know that IBS reacts to stress, something I know I suffer with....

Guess I just need advice....I dont want to take medication, I am very determined to beat this, or co-exists with this through natural means and have recently started Yoga in the morning and will introduce Tai Chi in the evenings....but I just need some one to speak to about this.

4 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • kerry84946
    kerry84946 g75183

    Posted

    Hi I to suffer with extreme health anxiety so I know exactly how you feel! Have you tried CBT? It is very good at changing your whole thought process and I am currently on a course now, it really has helped me.

    • g75183
      g75183 kerry84946

      Posted

      yes I hear alot about CBT, but I have not had time to visit a therapist for this yet....I was doing some EFT, which I might get back on with....but other than that, I have to accept Anxiety is the cause of my problems in order to live with it
  • Lucyseven
    Lucyseven g75183

    Posted

    Hi

    I know how you're feeling. I could've wrote that post myself, for the most part anyway. I have similar symptoms to you and have also had all the tests which you have had, including an MRI scan. Nothing has been diagnosed other than anxiety and low vitamin D.

    I've suffered with this for years now and I had been doing well until recently when I came down with a virus, felt like I was right back at square one. Just starting to feel a bit better now thankfully.

    The only advice I can give is to try and take control of your thoughts and keep yourself occupied. If you have thoughts about illness etc, do something to distract yourself. If I get any of my symptoms now I reassure myself by telling myself that I've experienced this before and I'm still here so it will pass. I know how hard it is at times though, anxiety takes over and you're in a constant state of panic. It's awful sad

    Yoga is a good idea, I've been thinking about that myself, my doctor recommended that I give it a try. Another thing - talk about your worries and concerns as much as you can. Either to your fiancé or a friend, or even on here. It's not good keeping it all inside.

    Hope you start to feel better soon. Take care.

    • g75183
      g75183 Lucyseven

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply...really appreciate it smile

      Yes, I try to distract myself, I have some positive changes coming up in my life so I am trying to focus on that, moving with my Fiancee and will be moving back close to my family and friends....so there are positives...

      I think at times, although I know I am a healthy 30year old with Health Anxiety and some minor health issues such as IBS/Hemorrhoids etc....my anxiety speaks to me so loud :D I know the symptoms I have have been checked, however the more I try not to go back to the doctors in hope nothing was missed, the stronger the symptoms seem to get, and the more they stay and do not leave me alone......but I know, by giving in, it gives short term relief....by staying strong, trusting in my body and avoiding short term relief, I have a better chance of recovering long term with a stronger mentalitity at the end....but then I have to 100% trust in my doctors that nothing was missed and that these symptoms are indeed not caused by actual medical emergencies etc smile

  • Howll
    Howll g75183

    Posted

    Just think, If you've experienced these symptoms for almost 18 months, surely they would have progressed into something more by now.

    The doctors won't just discharge you, you don't have some secret illness that can't be detected by the usual tests, you have anxiety. It can't kill you, won't harm you and unless you let it take over your life, it won't.

    Instead of constantly fighting against the anxiety, you need to learn to live with it. It's definitely easier said than done, but it's helping me. I was reading online. It really put things in perspective for me. Instead of constantly battling against it, wanting to defeat it and "win". You need to train yourself to accept it, with acceptance comes the cure. Once you train your mind into knowing that it is just anxiety and nothing more; slowly you'll forget about it.

    Try mindful meditation too, you can get the videos on YouTube or on certain apps (I've been using headspace). It really does help, for the sake of half an hour a day!

    • g75183
      g75183 Howll

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply....your right, I often think,....'i have to beat/win this' but its not the case....you dont beat anxiety....you learn to live with it and you learn to lessen its control wink

      I am starting up Yoga in the morning and some Tai Chi breathing in the evning along with a workout routine, hoping this will be enough to help me lessen some stress.... wink

       

  • ronnie27968
    ronnie27968 g75183

    Posted

    Hello,

    This is just like reading my own diary! I am on the same boat as you are currently on!

    I am 16... but I have the worst symptoms too, I get really bad heat waves, where I feel like my whole head is burning up, I get VERY dizzy sometimes, last week I didn't experience any, but today I did and I almost left school to go home.

    I have only had it for four months, but it feels like forever, I have forgotten what being "normal" is like...

    I can't exactly give you advice, because I don't know how to help myself... but I just wanted to let you know that you are SO NOT ALONE. I am exactly the same with the symptoms and stuff.

    Hope you feel better soon smile

    • g75183
      g75183 ronnie27968

      Posted

      Well, at 16 years old, you have a very mature attitude towards this, I applaud you for that! wink

      Your right, as are the guys above, learning to live with the anxiety by accepting everything happening is anxiety/stress related, thats the 1st step....

      I had Health Anxiety first when I was 18 years old, it took a while, but I got in control of it and I lived 10-12 years anxiety free so dont panic at 16, your whole life is ahead of you and it wont hold on to you forever wink it will pass soon and normal is what you make it wink

  • jalyn58868
    jalyn58868 g75183

    Posted

    I also can relate. I am a 21 year old and just recenlty started having horrible symptoms. I was at work december 18th and took some medicine and it made my heart papalate ... well I had a "panic attack" from it. I was sitting at my desk and I started to feel disconnected and light headed and my vision blurred a little bit. So I stood up and when I did i thought I was going to faint. I went to my boss and told her to call the ambulance , instead she got my father whom I work for and he took me to patient first. When I arrived they took me straight back without signing in. My vitals were good, my oxygen , and everything. My heart rate wa up to 130... But after being in there i was embarrsed because I started to feel normal again... they said it was anxiety reaction and that was it. A couple days later I woke up from dead sleep and my heart was pounding and I felt dizzy so I went to the emergnecy room with my fiance only to sleep in the parking lot becuase again , once we reached the hospital I felt relieved. I didn't feel completly normal and haven't since then. Christmas day was my last nad attack. It seems to last all day. I then became very sick to my stomach and stayed at my parents for a week. My mother to me to her doctor when they ran all kinds of blood test and and everything came back great, I am very "healthy" yet im still not convinced. They presribed me with celexa 20 mg and i have taken it for 20 days now. It seems to keep me from going into a bad attack but it doesn't go away. I feel disconnected every day. I feel like the doctors are missing something. I second guess everything. I am going to get an heart monitor next week for 48 hours... But I am sure they will say im fine. My fiance doesn't understand. It's so embarrsing. It affects my work and I don't want to drive .. I really don't like being alone since then. I actually just had an anxiety attack about an hour ago... my hands feel wierd i start to feel llight headed my heart starts to pound... I don't know how to make it stop. I'm going to see a therapist friday and see what they say...
    • g75183
      g75183 jalyn58868

      Posted

      I have the same experience with the bloods....I have been to the doctors 20 times in 15 months, seeing a total of 8 doctors, having numerous blood tests etc....so I can relate....my doctors have all been sure about my health, so its about time I try to be also....accepting that daily aches and pains and dizziness is for now, part of my life, and once accepting stress is the cause, the fear and anxiety I experience of missing out is the cause....I cannot expect these symptoms to go anytime soon, they will stay with me until I finally accept I am healthy and that I can let go of the fear....so we all have to trust our doctors and start living without fear smile I always think doing something unexpected would really help, something that seems so scary that your natural anxiety kicks in so you can see that just because fear exists, it does not mean, and rarely does it mean, your fear has any base for foundation smile
    • jalyn58868
      jalyn58868 g75183

      Posted

      I don't expect them to go anytime soon either. It really is disabling. Constanly worrying something is wrong with me. I get random pains in my chest? Do you? It sucks it's like im afraid of  my own body sometimes... 
    • g75183
      g75183 jalyn58868

      Posted

      in regards to chest pain, I dont get a lot....sometimes a little pain here or there, but those pains I am not actually worried about smile I get Rib pain sometimes, tender to the touch, think I sometimes workout when stressed so pull muscles that are already tense perhaps.....my issues are mainly with this dizziness sensation I have throughout the days....maybe 13-14 hours a day....doctors said it was stress and anxiety, so I am going back to 2nd opinion tomorrow....need to be 100% sure because its not nice to live this way...if they confirm again its stress and anxiety, then I will try going on some medication for a few weeks while I try to achieve some routine and balance to help live with the anxiety...put a good plan together.
  • jason_54837
    jason_54837 g75183

    Posted

    Would love to know how you're doing now. I feel for you. I have been suffering from this for 16 years now. It has basically robbed me of my youth. I hope you are much better. I will never give up and you shouldn't either. I will beat this. I know it.

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