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Severe Health Anxiety
Hello everyone,
New here. A little nervous and scared, but here we go, long story short, I just turned 49 a few weeks ago.
I’ve dealt with anxiety and panic attacks for as long as I’ve been alive – or so it seems – I remember being in kindergarten and having anxiety so bad.
it got to the point that I started misbehaving in school so I would not have to be in a classroom and face being called on to answer questions, or give reports, or do something on the chalkboard, etc.
Start of pandemic, I started having the first symptoms of high blood pressure.
The beginning of the pandemic was the worst time to start having symptoms of anything.
Of course I was blown off and told I was just “anxious“ until I arrived one day, bright red, dizzy, heart pounding in my ear, and my top number was over 160 and my bottom number was over 100. Can’t remember the exact number.
Needless to say, they gave me a pill on the spot, wrote me a prescription, and kept me there for nearly 2 hours to monitor me.
I became obsessed with taking my blood pressure at home.
But the cuffs were often inaccurate, or I was inaccurate with how I used them.
Probably a little bit of both TBH.
Now Whenever I see a blood pressure cuff I immediately freak out.
As they are taking the reading, I pray that everything will come out normal. I even make bargains “please God if you let this be normal I won’t do XYZABC.” Etc.
I don’t even want a bp machine in my house because I will became obsessive.
now that I’m older, this has created an obsession with trying to diagnose every ache & pain. thinking that I can find something early enough so I can prevent passing away from it for as long as possible.
This has made me hypersensitive to every sensation in my body & I become very obsessed with anything that is wrong with me. Just waiting for worst case scenarios.
I try to be proactive to the point that it’s not very healthy.
Sometimes aches and pains are just that.
Even though I can see the logic and the flaws, at the moment, it’s an all consuming fear and anxiety.
I don’t even know what I’m asking here lol
I guess I’m just trying to share how I’m feeling and seeing if anybody Can relate to this in anyway
and what you all do when this type of anxiety comes up and is mighty close to overwhelming you
If you made it this far, thank you so much. I really appreciate you
☀️
* I’ve been on various psychiatric drugs throughout my life, I currently have a 0.5 mg script for Klonopin to use “as needed” and Lamictal and Lexapro, but my doctor wants me to get something different. That is a little more friendly to blood pressure.
So we are reevaluating all of the medication stuff.
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Sounds like you have been dealing with this your whole life. That’s harsh. Very hard and distressing in itself. Sometime sleep is a way to put it to bed. Though I toss and turn most of the night. Meds help. Therapy or self aids help. But anxiety is a monster unto itself. Hard to control. Meditation or mindfulness can put you in a relaxed state. Slow things down. Hear your breath rate lower the tension. I’ve battled this too but not the extent you have. It’s a good sign reaching out. Express yourself so others. People you dont even know can reach out lend a hand and say we are here to help.
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5 ReactionsHi. I deal with this same thing on the daily. I am worse case scenario all the time with every feeling. I don’t know what to say but I do know how you feel.
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5 ReactionsI can relate. I do feel for you because health anxiety can be very distressing. Mine was due to some actual health issues that snowballed into more. I was prescribed Klonopin too on a temporary basis, as needed. Fortunately, I haven’t needed it in several months. I never did start on Lexapro.
I began talk therapy and found it extremely helpful. I feel so much better. I learned to maintain an internal dialogue within myself that helps keep me away from the health anxiety. It’s one of the reasons I came to this site. It’s helped too.
I hope you can find some things that will help you.
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8 ReactionsAnother sufferer here..
Started in third grade when I threw up in school and then missed most of fourth grade because I was so afraid of getting sick.
Fast forward to 2020 and Covid fears and a cancer diagnosis... Any little ache or pain sends me running to Google,and I wake up every morning in fear.
I talk to a therapist and also have been prescribed meds but I'm afraid to take them...Possible a side effects scare me.
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7 Reactions@starbryte
I deal with depression and anxiety/panic attacks (in my 50s). I take sertraline and bupropion and work with a psychiatrist to manage medications. Have had symptoms since I was young. Perimenopause and Menopause can cause many new symptoms (I have really struggled the last few years due to these hormonal changes). My teenage son and his father have ADHD, anxiety/panic attacks and OCD.
My son also has a heart defect and blood pressure/circulation issues (and Raynard's) and hates getting his blood pressure taken and hearing heart monitors beeping (he needs to have his blood pressure monitored regularly due to ADHD medications). He won’t let me take his blood pressure at home.
I have gotten my son a counselor who helps him with breathing and calming techniques to use when he starts to get anxious and panic. He is so afraid of this happening at school. He has needed to leave class to go to the nurse because he is afraid of passing out (gets lightheaded when he stands up too fast).
His cardiologist suggested he drink at least 50% of his weight in water with electrolytes added (like LMNT brand) plus eat a salty snack to keep his blood pressure stable. He needs to make sure to eat so his blood sugar doesn’t drop. He is very sensitive to changes he feels in his body and then obsesses about those feelings (gets more anxious when he feels his heart beating harder).
He gets migraines, too, and his neurologist suggested taking magnesium and omega 3 supplements plus take a pain reliever at the first sign of an aura/vision change to manage the pain before it gets bad (he throws up after the pain sets in following the aura).
I hope you are able to get the help and support you need. You are definitely not alone.
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6 ReactionsHas anyone ever talked with you about ocd? It is an anxiety disorder, stemming from anxiety. Not saying you have it but I used to struggle with it.
Are you seeing a counselor? The best thing to do is work through these anxieties and obsessions with someone.
You can definitely feel better if you find a good partner to work with.
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4 ReactionsThis is something I’ve considered. OCD. But I always had a stereotype of what it was/look like and I’ve learned that I definitely cannot discount it
I just called a few therapists that my insurance will pay for.
My mistake was assuming that medication could take care of almost everything.
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2 ReactionsI’ve been looking at different apps that I can use to help with breathing and to help regulate thoughts in these stressful times
Sometimes is definitely worse than others, but I do find that “talking myself down” helps to get me out of the scary/obsessive thoughts that can come with anxiety and panic attack attacks
Thank you for your kindness 💜
I appreciate that. Sometimes a friendly & empathetic person means soooo much.
Thank you 😊
I’m looking into a few therapists now.
Medication alone is definitely not going to be enough.
There are times when I feel good for a long time and then BAM 💥 .
I’ll be honest I’ve never given therapy and honest chance and I feel like now is the time