Extreme health anxiety

[Suzanne]

Anyone on here, suffer from this horrible condition?

 

[Misery]

All the time, yep.

 

[Suzanne]

All the time, yep.

Has any of your fears come to a reality?

 

[Slime_Punk]

I had this. My worst fears all came true and honestly, the procedures weren't nearly as bad as I thought they'd be. Really it's just the aftermath that I have to live with everyday that sucks the most.

In all honesty, it had gotten so bad that I just started wishing they'd come true so that I could escape the misery of fear I was going through. I got my wish, I guess, and I'm kind of thankful for that in the long run. Life is weird.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

No. i rarely am anxious over my health, instead taking things as my life unfolds. Though one time I was anxious was the lead up to my heart surgery. I had to wait until the plavix cleared from my system and was on heparin. Such a strong anticoagulant did not allow the bleeding into my bladder to heal which precipitated my being in the hospital in the first place which led to discovery of blockage in my left anterior descending artery..

 

[Misery]

Has any of your fears come to a reality?

Fortunately, no. Not any of the major ones.

Though some more minor ones can happen sometimes. Like, I have chronic pain, and I need to be careful of my movements and activities. If I make the wrong move at the wrong time, something like that, I can get a nasty "twinge". When this happens, it is almost always followed up, within the next 10 minutes or so, of that part (either my neck or lower back) getting "locked up". This typically lasts at least a full day, and is incredibly painful, and limits my movement, and can make it hard to sleep too.

When I get that twinge, I also get this nasty burst of immediate fear, because I know what is likely to come next. I always take Advil immediately when this happens (because the whole thing is the result of inflammation) but that usually does not stop it.

If it's happening, anxiety also follows, and will last until the effect wears off... I have a bad fear/anxiety/paranoia relating to insomnia, after a particularly nasty medication side effect gave me the super fun experience of paradoxical insomnia... one of those things nobody seems to have heard of... which lasted for an entire month. This was worse than it sounds. A lot worse. So... yeah. Sleep-related anxiety spikes up during those pain episodes.

There's also the whole Covid thing, that's been a constant anxiety during, well, all of this. I made a spectacularly stupid move right when the pandemic started, which was to go to the Walmart and stand in the biggest crowd of people I've ever seen in that store. I'm paranoid about germs, and we were low on soap, so I NEEDED soap and would not accept defeat in that regard... so, to the Walmart I went. I didnt realize the extent of the stupid until afterwards, at which point I got to have a big pile of anxiety that I would start showing symptoms of it within the next few days.

Nothing happened though.

 

[Ken]

Anyone on here, suffer from this horrible condition?

Hmmm.... Not sure how to answer that. I am obsessed with my health, but I no-longer suffer anxiety over it. I guess I did when my diseases started and I learned that my doctors had no clue and that I was not going to survive.

My "anxiety" became an obsession to learn about my diseases as I thought that was my only hope of survival (I now know that was indeed true). My multiple diseases all started in 1989. I often tell people to please not spread it around, because I have more diseases than the law allows.

So, my learning involved studying biology text books in the college library. I also experimented on myself. I started a mono-diet to find what foods did what. Also what activities did what, etc. My diet is rigidly controlled and I still log everything to keep on track, but I now enjoy greater health and vitality than any of my family and "friends" in spite of all my diseases. My health and vitality is now better at 71 years old than anytime before my diseases started in 1989 - at the age of 37.

At this point, I am no longer anxious about my health, because I know that I am in control. I guess that is the key. Leaving it up to the medical establishment is certainly reason for anxiety. Just like with any subject, feeling in control instills confidence, canceling anxiety.

Note; anyone can learn anything they want to learn. All that is required is the passion and diligence to learn it. A college degree does not guarantee knowledge.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Are you awaiting the results of a medical test? I get very anxious too, at those times.

 

[Judge]

Let's just say I try not to be. I don't want to be like so many of my peers complaining about this ache and pain or that. Though I have them too. As for Covid, for better or worse I hardly give it any thought.

Frankly I'm more concerned with what is to become with medicare. That causes me more concern than my actual health at any given time.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Let's just say I try not to be. I don't want to be like so many of my peers complaining about this ache and pain or that. Though I have them too. As for Covid, for better or worse I hardly give it any thought.

Frankly I'm more concerned with what is to become with medicare. That causes me more concern than my actual health.

What do you mean by "what is to become with medicare"?

 

[Judge]

What do you mean by "what is to become with medicare"?

The unknown. Just as simple as that. It's no longer something that can be taken for granted.

 

[Aspychata]

I suffer from generalized anxiety. I have ongoing issues for 9 years. There should be answers in about 5 months. I am just mentally pacing. Health anxiety has to be a special place in hell because sometimes doctors or medications make the condition worse.

 

[Judge]

I suffer from generalized anxiety. I have ongoing issues for 9 years. There should be answers in about 5 months. I am just mentally pacing. Health anxiety has to be a special place in hell because sometimes doctors or medications make the condition worse.

Indeed, given that to find a medication that truly works for you, it's most likely for many people to have to cycle through a number of them to find what works.

Worse when some of such medications do more harm than good. -Which was my experience.

 

[Magna]

@Suzanne when you say "extreme health anxiety", do you mean fear that you'll get sick or contract a disease? Is it related to one specific fear or in general?

 

[Cloudracer]

Anyone on here, suffer from this horrible condition?

Almost unbearably so yes...

 

[Suzanne]

@Suzanne when you say "extreme health anxiety", do you mean fear that you'll get sick or contract a disease? Is it related to one specific fear or in general?

Yes, I always think of the worst case scenario. I tend to be a logical person, but that goes out, when I panic.

 

[Suzanne]

Almost unbearably so yes...

It is not almost unbearable for me, it IS UNBEARABLE for me. I go into overdrive panic.

 

[Suzanne]

I suffer from generalized anxiety. I have ongoing issues for 9 years. There should be answers in about 5 months. I am just mentally pacing. Health anxiety has to be a special place in hell because sometimes doctors or medications make the condition worse.

Me too. Ever since I was 7 or 8 now now 53

 

[Suzanne]

Are you awaiting the results of a medical test? I get very anxious too, at those times.

Not as of today, but seeing a dr tomorrow and then, it will happen. Currently, now for about 6 days, suffered bloating, then chronic period type pain; then colicky and scared to eat, because of this.

The most likely cause is lactose intolernace. However, I wonder if the vitamin I have started taking, could be the cause, because I take every other day, vitamin d3 and now, just a vitamin d each day. It is only 10 in strength, but if I think about it, it is since I started on it, that this nightmare journey has started.

 

[Suzanne]

Hmmm.... Not sure how to answer that. I am obsessed with my health, but I no-longer suffer anxiety over it. I guess I did when my diseases started and I learned that my doctors had no clue and that I was not going to survive.

My "anxiety" became an obsession to learn about my diseases as I thought that was my only hope of survival (I now know that was indeed true). My multiple diseases all started in 1989. I often tell people to please not spread it around, because I have more diseases than the law allows.

So, my learning involved studying biology text books in the college library. I also experimented on myself. I started a mono-diet to find what foods did what. Also what activities did what, etc. My diet is rigidly controlled and I still log everything to keep on track, but I now enjoy greater health and vitality than any of my family and "friends" in spite of all my diseases. My health and vitality is now better at 71 years old than anytime before my diseases started in 1989 - at the age of 37.

At this point, I am no longer anxious about my health, because I know that I am in control. I guess that is the key. Leaving it up to the medical establishment is certainly reason for anxiety. Just like with any subject, feeling in control instills confidence, canceling anxiety.

Note; anyone can learn anything they want to learn. All that is required is the passion and diligence to learn it. A college degree does not guarantee knowledge.

I used to suffer terrible health anxiety and nearly died a couple of times, from stupid doctoring, which caused me to take my health into my own hands and yes, obsessed too.

As soon as covid hit, I read how vitamin d3 wards it off and so started taking it and then, learned how vital vitamins are.

Since I am a homebody, and cannot cope with the sunshine, my vitamin d levels were hugely down and that is the source of good bones etc.

Sadly, though, my health anxiety has come back with a bang!