Bad health anxiety

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smurfy33

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Hello! I haven't posted on this board for quite a long time. My anxiety started 6 years ago and over the past 3 years or so, things haven't been too bad. I still worry day to day about little aches and pains but nothing that freaked me out too bad. In the past I've been convinced I had a heart problem, stroke, brain tumor, MS, cancer, and many others.

I'm under a lot of stress right now and I'm getting ready to take a 5-hour drive to the beach in a week with my kiRAB and my mom. I'm already worried about the trip as I am not very comfortable driving unless I know exactly where I'm going but now I'm having problems with my Jeep so I don't know what vehicle we are going to take, so this is stressing me, too. Anyway, about 2 weeks ago I was moving very heavy furniture, which I should have left for my husband to do, and afterwarRAB I noticed some tight feelings in my chest. I'm 36 and in pretty good health...no heart attacks/strokes in my parents (only bypass surgery in grandparents in their 60s). I tried to brush it off as a muscle but it still freaked me out a bit. I kept myself busy for a couple days but the worry kept creeping back. I couldn't help but worry that what if something is wrong and happens while we are at the beach. Since then I've experienced a feeling like I can't breathe right, yawning a lot, constantly taking deep breaths, fleeting chest pains, sore muscles in my upper back and chest, tingling in hanRAB, hot feeling in my face, nausea, no appetite, strange full feeling in my stomach...the list probably is longer but I can't think of everything right now. Pretty much all these symptoms I've had before, but they are really intense right now. I tend to focus on my physical symptoms so every day has been different. I'm pretty sure it is all just anxiety because when I'm busy with other things I feel fine but as soon as I'm sitting in front of my computer to work or in front of the TV, I start feeling panicky. This is probably the worst my anxiety has been in a few years. Can anyone relate??
 
I can totally relate. I have big time health anxiety and the computer is my worst enemy. Every little ache or pain in my body is felt and I'm convinced I have some dreadful disease. MS is the worst...I think that is the first thing that pops in to our heaRAB when the tingling/nurabing comes a calling.

I just came back yesterday after 5 days in Florida. Prior to leaving there was a few nights I woke up every hour. Then my joints started to hurt off and on....that started with my right arm just aching one night but went away. I could feel my breathing getting shallow. Then I had gastrointestinal issues (of which I've had most of my life), tingling feelings popping up here and there and a patch of nurabness on my left arm all when I was in Florida. Of course, these things caused me more anxiety which only fueled the fire. Needless to say, I tried to have a good time regardless. I believe I was anxious about the trip even though I was not aware of it and I have an ongoing GERD problem which is causing me great anxiety. I'm also in the perimenopause years (albeit early years) and have had many symptoms off and on for a while...could be these are related, don't know. But I've had all of these "weird" things happen to me before and when my anxiety settled down they eventually went away.

Your symptoms sound like classic anxiety from worrying about something that probably will never happen. I, too was worried that something would happen on vacation and you know what, it didn't. As a result I ended up worrying about my symptoms of anxiety! Worry, worry, worry.....Uggh! I hate that word. You are worried about the drive and worried about what so much sounRAB like a pulled muscle. Wow, I think I broke the record for the most use of "worry" in a single paragraph. :dizzy:

I know it's easy for me to say, but please try to think of how much fun you'll have at the beach and keep yourself busy until then. DON'T look up anything on the computer. It's a nasty habit we HA sufferers have.
 
Thanks for your response, Flyerfan. Today was a much better day for me...not nearly as many symptoms, but still a few. Hopefully they will keep diminishing as the trip gets closer and I can focus on that rather than my darn nerves. It is so reassuring to know I'm not alone. I suffer from GERD, too, as well as possible perimenopause. My GERD always acts up when I'm a nervous wreck and that causes a whole bunch of symptoms that cause me to worry.

I will take your advice and try to stop googling my symptoms! :D
 
Just found this board and had to respond!

I too had been doing fairly well until recently. There was a period of time that I had not taken a vacation for about 8 years, things were that bad! It was a chore to go to work every day, and my choice of where I would take a job was dictated by my "comfort zone". I would not take a job if it were more than a 4 or 5 mile drive. Fast forward, for the last 10 years I have been regularly taking vacations again, flying sometimes 3 or 4 times a year etc...

NOW, all of a sudden it's like a switch flipped and I am having issues again. I am forcing myself to continue on, but as of late I have been having pains, bad pains, on the right side of my chest. I know it's not cardiac related because IF I move a certain way it stops, but in the back of my evil mind I just know I am going to die! This has progressively been getting worse. I swear I will not go through all of this again. This is no way to live a life full of promise and joy. I don't say anything to my family because I don't want to bring them down, but instead I come up with damn excuses of why I can't do things. So I hear you loud and clear smurfy, and certainly sympathize with you. I do find it most beneficial to discuss it like this, so I hope you can get through it to enjoy your time at the beach. You deserve it!

Notice my username...I just registered and right now that is exactly how I feel (wrong spelling I know, the correct was taken :)

I too just returned from a trip to my favorite place, Disney World, but it was full of anxiety and "issues" for me. Riding one of the rides I had an awful feeling of anxiety and could not wait for the ride to be over, and would not get on another ride after that. What further exacerbates my issue is I get uptight and next thing you know, I get gas build up and this seems to trigger heart palpitations which if you have ever had "extra heart beats" or had a beat skipped, for us anxiety sufferers it is totally debilitating! Well that is exactly what happened on this ride and I could not wait to get back to the "unrealistic" safety of our room..thankfully it was the end of the night anyhow, but it was an awful feeling and has made matters worse since I got home. I am tired of complaining to my cardiologist and having him say I am fine and those "extra" heartbeats are benign. I believe him and know he is a great doctor with my well being in mind, but I can't help but let those dog gone doom and gloom thoughts creep into my mind.

Well you are not alone...There are many of us and all we can do is fight through it. Life is a wonderful thing, and we have to live it to all its splendor, for one day it will be over for legit reasons, and I for one don't want to get to that end and have regrets! I want to be one of those that don't just simply tip toe over that line, but rather come in flying, sideways hooting and hollering knowing it was one hell of a ride!

Enjoy your trip to the beach, and know we are all out here rooting for you! :cool:
 
I so can relate. Health anxiety sucks. I wish I had some answers. What else have you been doing to cope.
 
Still trying to cope with all these nerves before my trip...which is in 3 days!!! My symptoms have mostly been feeling like I can't breathe...obsessing over my breathing. I hate this!! I also obsess over this lump in my throat. So when I'm worrying about the lump in my throat, I don't obsess over the breathing and vice versa. My chest is so sore from all the over breathing.

I'm coping by just keeping busy. Even when I feel like I can't breathe, I still work, go to the store, took my kiRAB to the carnival, etc. I just can't let this anxiety win!

I'm interested to see how I feel after the trip is over. I wonder if all this will go away or not. I certainly hope so. It is so comforting to know I'm not alone!
 
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