Health Anxiety

[Mandy D]

I lost my mom suddenly to a heart attack 3 months ago. We were like sisters. Now that she is gone I have went through more emotions then I could possibly imagine. Since she died I have developed severe health anxiety. Every ache and pain I get, my body instantly gets tense and I have an anxiety attack thinking I am dying. I am speaking to a councelor. Today was a bad day. Anyone else going through this?

[Mark Coz]

Sorry to hear this mandy. and im sorry for your loss. I hope the councelor is workign for you and is there when you need the counselor. I find couselar good but its jus that you see this person like what every 2 or 3 weeks? 

[Peony]

So sorry for your loss Mandy,  I also lost my mum to a heart attack 6 months ago, she survived the heart attack but not the emergency surgery following the next day.  Shock and trauma have to come out in us somehow and for us it may be physical feelings like the anxiety of illness.  I can empathise with you, and just wanted you to know you are not alone in this.  Its good that you are seeing a counselor, I need to do that too.

[Makkus]

Hello, So sorry for your loss. I lost my mom last month suddenly. She was only 48. I have been having extreme health anxiety. The first couple of weeks I felt “fine”. We were very close but after she passed I felt it was up to me to be the ‘strong‘ one for everybody. so i don’t think I felt the grief like I should’ve. Now its hitting me hard and also causing very bad health anxiety. I had pretty bad anxiety attacks when i was younger but that’s been over 15 years. Ive had horrible aches and pains all over, couldn’t eat for days, felt like i was having a heart attack, felt dizzy, nauseous, constantly exhausted, feeling ‘spacey’, and now having eye problems.. I think eye strain... I just want to feel normal again so badly. I’m always worried something is wrong with me. Usually I’m pretty good at getting over anxiety and panic myself but I’m Considering seeing a doctor...  This is the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. All these physical symptoms combined with anxiety and grief is almost too much to handle. So yes, I’m definitely going though that as well. 

[computergrl]

On 7/14/2020 at 7:54 PM, Mandy D said:

I lost my mom suddenly to a heart attack 3 months ago. We were like sisters. Now that she is gone I have went through more emotions then I could possibly imagine. Since she died I have developed severe health anxiety. Every ache and pain I get, my body instantly gets tense and I have an anxiety attack thinking I am dying. I am speaking to a councelor. Today was a bad day. Anyone else going through this?

Hi Mandy, I'm also suffering from severe health anxiety. My therapist has told me this type of anxious thinking is called "catastrophizing" or "magnification", basically making a mountain out of a mole hill in regards to your health. I can experience the tiniest of pains and a moment later I will be googling symptoms and convincing myself I need to go to the emergency room. My therapist also said that this type of anxiety may be exacerbated by coronavirus, since right now we are all hyper-focused on our health and not getting sick.

Something I found that helps me a little is to write down a list of my thoughts and feelings, e.g. "What is the pain I am having?" I will usually rate it on a scale of 1-10 in terms of severity. More often than not, in reality I am magnifying the intensity of the pain by continuing to think about it over and over. Then I will ask myself questions like, "What is the worst case scenario regarding this pain, and WHY is this my worst case scenario?" Typically my worst case scenario is having to go in for a medical procedure, and the reason why that is "the worst" to me is because I am not in a good spot financially and don't have health insurance currently. For me, it does help to "get to the bottom" of these thoughts and writing them out is a way for me to do that.

Sorry to ramble on-- I hope you can find some support on this website. Best wishes to you

[Baenchen]

Dear @Mandy D, dear everyone,

I am new to the forum. My therapist suggested I look for grief-related resources IRL or on the Internet, so here I am. I was browsing through the threads, looking for topics which may be similar to my current situation, and how relieved and glad I was to find this post! It really makes me feel the proverbial "you are not alone".

First an foremost: it seems like it's been a while. How are you doing? Did you find help and support for your health anxiety? I sincerely hope you are doing better now.

I have had really bad health anxiety and somatization disorder since my little sister died from cancer in November of last year (2021). Well, to be honest, the somatization has accompanied me in previous stages of my life, but it has never been as severe as it is now. The only difference is that previously, I have never had the health anxiety component to the bodily symptoms. It was always just weird health-related problems, but not the fear of being ill. Now, almost every negative sensation in my body I interpret as cancer. And the symptoms are really diverse: I have had everything from lump in the throat to insomnia, to GI-issues, to eyesight issues like @Makkus, to headaches, to neurological symptoms like numbness,tingling and involuntary muscles twitching... You name it. Currently, it is muscle tension and pain - in the neck, back, hip, chest... The whole body, really. Have been hospitalized 3 times last year and checked from head to toe - the tests always came back fine. And it is a vicious circle of symptoms - cancer thoughts - more fear and anxiety - more symptoms...

It is getting a little bit better now, but I am not fit in the slightest. There is a whole story to my health anxiety, which I won't bother you all with. I can just say that every day, I live in the hope that this constant nightmare of a disorder will eventually go away. I am taking ADs and working with a therapist 1-2 times a week, but I guess it takes much longer than one would hope...

[Valerie Lockhart]

Dear Mandy D,

I'm so sorry for the loss of your mother.  But, you must be careful about being overly anxious. Being concerned about your health is one thing; being overly anxious is another. It reminds me of the saying, Anxiety is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. Anxiety can be likened to the static that sometimes disrupts a beautiful melody heard on the radio. If there is no interference with the radio waves, sweet strains can be enjoyed and can produce a state of calmness. However, the raspy noise of static can distort even the loveliest tune, causing us irritation and frustration. Anxiety can have a similar effect on our serenity. It can weigh us down so much that we cannot attend to vital matters. Whenever I'm burdened with anxieties, I draw comfort from God’s Word. It provides reliable guidance and gives me many assurances that I am not alone as Jehovah’s loyal servants. For instance, the psalmist David sang: “Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself, and he himself will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one to totter.” (Psalm 55:22).  I've found that regular heartfelt prayer is essential if I am to throw my  burden, including all of my anxiety, upon Jehovah. This will bring me inner peace, for the apostle Paul wrote: “Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that excels all thought will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6, 7). I hope that you too will find comfort and relief from all anxiety through prayer. 

[Traz]

Condolences here to everyone suffering loss and also the crippling anxiety that comes with life-changing events. 

I have had health-anxiety, severe panic attacks and catastrophic thoughts over bodily pain and physical symptoms going on 30 years. It is a vicious cycle of such anguish, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Trauma exacerbates these feelings as well as thought processes and it's not easy to just 'talk yourself' out of it. CBT helped me tremendously though (cognitive behavioral therapy) and I also take meds. Both were life-saving. There are also lots of great videos on YT about this topic and Amazon has a good selection of self-help books as well. 

You're not alone.