Severe Health Anxiety

Posted by starbryte @starbryte, Apr 23, 2025

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.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

advisor25 | @advisor25 | Aug 25, 2025

Suffering from all of those health anxiety problems . Constantly worry and body check . It's ruining my life . I went to therapist for 6 months and couldn't work Up the nerve to tell her about my health anxiety. Due to this I have avoidance from anything anyone medical . I've told my husband but he doesn't know how to deal with me and he gets mad at how I act so I just don't tell him about it any Longer . Some days / night it's almost too much . I
Know the answer is to actually go to a Dr but I'm too frightened . What a vicious circle .

Steve | @lowesrs | Jan 2 4:56pm

hi
new too the group. how do bwe know if we a reading a professional medical persons response?

Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Jan 2 8:17pm

In reply to @lowesrs "hi new too the group. how do bwe know if we a reading a professional medical..." + (show)

@lowesrs Hi Steve. This is a patient support forum where we share our experiences and it is not staffed by doctors or medical professionals. But that being said, would you be able to share what is causing your anxiety? Have you consulted a therapist about it? We certainly can lend an ear in support.

I am a person who overcame my own medical anxiety about surgery and a bit of PTSD. This discussion may help you understand how to take apart and understand where fears come from. I changed my life for the better by facing my fears. It is a long process and I'm sure it will be different for everyone, and I didn't figure this out when I was a young person.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-can-i-defeat-my-anxiety-about-medical-tests-and-surgery/

celia16 | @celia16 | Jan 3 5:38am

In reply to @advisor25 "Suffering from all of those health anxiety problems . Constantly worry and body check . It's..." + (show)

@advisor25 , based in my experience, people know when someone has health anxiety without being told. It’s often quite obvious to family members, friends, co-workers and doctors. So, there’s no real benefit from not talking about it. Talking about it, confronting it and finding ways to manage it helped me a great deal. I am so much better. So, there is hope.

Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Jan 3 9:12am

In reply to @lowesrs "hi new too the group. how do bwe know if we a reading a professional medical..." + (show)

@lowesrs Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! That is a question I am sure others have asked, also. As @jenniferhunter explained, we are a non-professional forum, and there are members from all over the world. Some are Mayo Clinic patients, many of us are not. We share our experiences with others, good and bad. We lend support and let others know they are not alone in their struggles.

Do you have a specific anxiety that you would like to share, that I can help with?
Ginger

Steve | @lowesrs | Jan 3 9:33am

thank you. I am still trying to understand this group and how it operates. The info shows it is moderated by Mayo Clinic so I am still some what confused. How is it moderated by them?
Thank you

Steve

maryjjeandennis | @maryjjeandennis | Jan 3 10:28am

In reply to @lowesrs "hi new too the group. how do bwe know if we a reading a professional medical..." + (show)

@lowesrs When I respond it is my own personal experience which can help others. It helps me also to read about what others have had to say. I’m not asking for professional advice. I see that a as a community of support.
MJD

Susan, Volunteer Mentor | @grammato3 | Jan 3 4:35pm

In reply to @lowesrs "thank you. I am still trying to understand this group and how it operates. The info..." + (show)

@lowesrs: I get it, online forums like these can be hard to grasp especially when words like “moderated” are used as that can be confusing. In this case, the word moderated essentially refers to monitoring an online platform to ensure that its users and content abide by the rules.

This link tells you more about the moderators on board here, which includes a link to the mentors you may see responding (such as myself and two others previously here): https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/tab/moderators/

Information detailing Mayo Connect and its funding is explained here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/tab/aboutconnect/

Please let me know if you have additional questions about Mayo Clinic Connect, or if there is anything else you’d like some assistance with, or would like to share.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jan 3 5:31pm

In reply to @lowesrs "thank you. I am still trying to understand this group and how it operates. The info..." + (show)

@lowesrs, learn more about
- Why & How Mayo Clinic Connect is moderated https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/tab/moderators/

Mayo Clinic Connect is an online community, connecting patients and family caregivers with each other. You do not have to be a Mayo Clinic patient or caregiver to join the conversations. Community members share experiences, ask questions, find answers, give and get support and exchange information.

All information shared by members on the Mayo Clinic Connect, such as messages, images, advice, URLs, and any other material, is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the community.

For more information about how to use Mayo Clinic Connect, see the:
- Help Center https://connect.mayoclinic.org/help-center/