J
jaboop35
Guest
Hi everyone. I think this might end up being a long post, but I'll try to keep it as short and to the point as possible. Basically I'm a 24 yo, relatively healthy male, normal size, and in pretty good shape. Just a history of allergies, slight asthma, slight reflux, and a little bout with anxiety about 4 years ago. I graduated from college about a year and a half ago, and worked as an IT support person after my graduation for about 6 months. I've since taken another job in an office, but only because my other job had to let me go, and I plan to go back to grad school next fall. Anyway, I had a little bout of anxiety and stress when I was back in school a few years ago, that I've since overcome, but for some reason I'm going back into a bad pattern.
In the beginning of summer I injured my right groin and couldn't get a solid diagnosis until about 2 months ago due to other things such as fluid sacs and stuff throwing doctors off. My leg has since healed, but for some reason I became very panicky about my health, fearing for the worst. Then about a month or so ago, things started to really go downhill for me. I started feeling short of breath on occasion, dry cough occasionally and post nasal drip. I attributed it to allergies, and tried to ignore it. It got worse, and added chest pain on occasion and a strange sensation of stretching/gurgling throughout my rib cage also only on occasion. I went to get it checked out and the doctor thought it was asthmatic bronchitis, and told me to come back in a week. So I did, still wasn't any better, he then thought it was acid reflux related since I constantly feel now like there's something in my throat on the one side. Went to my allergist last week, took a chest x-ray, listened to my chest, everything was normal. Still having all these symptoms on and off, and he said that it also might be reflux and to go see my GP. I have an appt scheduled Friday with him. But I guess all of this may be besides the point I'm trying to make. I've taken up sitting on the computer for hours searching for my symptoms and reading stuff that basically has me scared to death. I'm afraid of getting the flu, and I've basically talked myself into every possible lung/digestive disease out there. I've tried to stop doing this, but it really has me concerned. I don't want to end up seriously ill from something. Now, I do feel like there is something wrong, but hopefully nothing serious, and hopefully something I can get taken care of without too much trouble. I guess my question basically is to anyone who has experienced anxiety about their health, how do you get over it? And how do you not let it scare you half to death most of the time? Before this summer I was happy and only cared about things like finding a job, or stuff like that. Now it seems to be pushing my family away from me since they're all tired of hearing about every little symptom I have. What do I do? Any advice? Any replies would be greatly appreciated.
In the beginning of summer I injured my right groin and couldn't get a solid diagnosis until about 2 months ago due to other things such as fluid sacs and stuff throwing doctors off. My leg has since healed, but for some reason I became very panicky about my health, fearing for the worst. Then about a month or so ago, things started to really go downhill for me. I started feeling short of breath on occasion, dry cough occasionally and post nasal drip. I attributed it to allergies, and tried to ignore it. It got worse, and added chest pain on occasion and a strange sensation of stretching/gurgling throughout my rib cage also only on occasion. I went to get it checked out and the doctor thought it was asthmatic bronchitis, and told me to come back in a week. So I did, still wasn't any better, he then thought it was acid reflux related since I constantly feel now like there's something in my throat on the one side. Went to my allergist last week, took a chest x-ray, listened to my chest, everything was normal. Still having all these symptoms on and off, and he said that it also might be reflux and to go see my GP. I have an appt scheduled Friday with him. But I guess all of this may be besides the point I'm trying to make. I've taken up sitting on the computer for hours searching for my symptoms and reading stuff that basically has me scared to death. I'm afraid of getting the flu, and I've basically talked myself into every possible lung/digestive disease out there. I've tried to stop doing this, but it really has me concerned. I don't want to end up seriously ill from something. Now, I do feel like there is something wrong, but hopefully nothing serious, and hopefully something I can get taken care of without too much trouble. I guess my question basically is to anyone who has experienced anxiety about their health, how do you get over it? And how do you not let it scare you half to death most of the time? Before this summer I was happy and only cared about things like finding a job, or stuff like that. Now it seems to be pushing my family away from me since they're all tired of hearing about every little symptom I have. What do I do? Any advice? Any replies would be greatly appreciated.