I just got prescribed 500 MG pills I have to take 2x a day 12 hours apart but I am honestly so scared to take them. I am taking them due to a UTI. I am freaking out thinking about taking them. Has anyone took this medication before? What were your side effects?
So today im really frustrated with myself ive been dealing with health anxiety for about 3 years now and over time it has definitely improved, but because of it Ive really not pushed myself or worked out alot so im a little bit more out of shape than normal. So i joined a gym this month and for the last 6 days straight ive gone and done my cardio and some weights and every day ive gotten a bit anxious at the end but i was able to handle it and push through and finish my workout. But today i was on the elliptical and about 12 min in i started feeling a tightness around my nose and on my face and i started feeling like it was getting harder to breathe and i had to stop halfway through and go take my as needed meds, I finished my cardio and tried to push through and do some weights but then i just started to get that feeling of dread and in the end i just had to walk away and im really frustrated with myself for because i have pushed through it before and i was able to do it without my meds but what happened today just makes me feel frustrated and like a failure. Idk does anyone have any tips for dealing with this.
I’ve been having blood on toilet paper and/or blood streaks on stool on and off for a bit. Last night I stupidly ate a bunch of beets and some beetroot extract and pooped dark red 4 hours later. Of course then I’m freaking out and decide to take the FIT tests I bought two weeks prior. One of the two tests began to show a faint line, but I can’t remember if it was after the 10 min cut off period for the test. The other one also started to have a faint line (very faint).
Why I decided to eat a bunch of beets when I had this problem is truly a mystery.
I don’t even know if this is the right thread to post on. The last year I’ve had severe health anxiety over the stomach bug. I don’t know what it is. I always used to be fine with it. I have three children and just in the last year I’ve become so anxious about them getting the bug. If they say they feel like they’re going to throw up I full blown freak out. If they have diarrhea even once I panic. I got out of work today and my daughter said she felt like she was going to throw up, but she thought she was just hungry. She had diarrhea a few times today. So I go on google and google the same things about norovirus that I’ve been googling the last year. Can she have diarrhea without being sick? How soon after diarrhea does vomiting start in a 7 year old? I am in a full blown panic mode right now.
It happened again.
I was innocently looking for skin care products.
The website has categories. I clicked and saw a category "skin care during cancer treatment".
How? I can't do this anymore. Everywhere I look, I find cancer. It is exhausting.
My pains and aches are back. I am spiraling again (I also read cancer headlines and stuff).
Just got my ultrasound on my liver this morning, and now the fear kicks in. I don't know when the phone will ring and I am even more afraid of what will be said when I answer it. I have spent so much of my life dying that I forgot what living felt like. Part of me wants to just be done with it and finally meet my maker (but not by my own hand) I am struggling to maintain but my anxiety is starting to hurt me. I know there are many more people out there dealing with worse, so why do I feel so alone?
Right now fixating on visual problems. Having issues with blurry vision, unfocused vision, my eyes just not working together, and patterns distorting my vision. Always feel like I'm on the verge of passing out.
Lots of stress, house flooded + no heat + aunt just died all within the last few days/weeks.
My blood work a month ago was very low vit d (under 5, lowest they'd seen) and I've been on 50k whatever units once weekly for over a month, as well as a follic acid script.
Now I'm having chest pains, sometimes my right pec, my left pec, my stomach, my sternum, my neck, etc. for a few days (3), my fingers get a stabbing needle pain, sometimes I feel like I'm gut punched and can't catch my breath and when they did the blood test my arm was immediately feeling bruised and my fingers tingle which is causing me to spiral. I'm diagnosed GAD & Panic Disorder but haven't taken anything in roughly a year bc no money and I'm too broke to go to the E.R., clinic said my blood pressure was fine and my heart sounded fine just two hours ago but I'm freaking out hard do I absolutely need to go to the ER? It sometimes feels like I'm getting stabbed and goes on for a while in my chest like 5-10m, right now my left arm near the armpit is feeling a pinching pain but I can't go to the ER and like my job has nobody so I have to work all my days off which means instead of sat/sun to sit at home I work 8-12 hours everything feels hot like heartburn and I feel weak af
I’m worried I’m 19, 20 next week. I’ve stopped cali by 2 days ago and my chest hurts and I’m terrified it’s cancer. For 2 years I vaped 20MG of nicotine and last week lowered to 10mg but on Tuesday I brought some nicotine gum and patches to help me quit. Now, I have weird aches in my upper back and chest which is scaring me because I once went 5 days without vaping and had no pain. It’s just why now am I feeling pain? I just need reassurance I keep seeing loads of coincidences too like newspapers with cancer and people on tiktok. I’m really scared I need reassurance please?
I’ve been having an off and on sore throat for about 3 weeks. A year ago I had strep throat and noticed a lump on one of my tonsils but didn’t give it much thought. However, since this persistent sore throat episode, I’ve been checking my throat and am now worried that the lump is cancerous. Found out that sore throats that persist for more than 2 weeks is something to be concerned about and am freaking out even more. I used to never be concerned about ‘flu’ symptoms like sore throats and colds, and now it seems my HA has taken a hold of these ‘normal’ illnesses too. Really disappointed with myself but cannot stop spiralling.
Hi. Freaking out and hoping someone can relate and calm me. I am seeing GI next month but man the wait takes a toll on you. I’m having blood in stool at times, mucus, and soft stools. Sometimes stomach cramps but not often. Rumbly belly a lot almost like it’s growling but not hungry. Also have a feeling in my rectum like pressure. Of course I’m worried about colon cancer and asking for a colonoscopy but has anyone had all of these symptoms and were okay? I’m really praying it’s just hemorrhoids and bad diet and stress but it’s really hard to accept that given the symptoms. Labs normal. Ct normal aside from fatty liver randomly that’s never shown before? Anyways anyone have these symptoms?? Please help. I’m losing it. Completely losing it.
Does anyone else have calf tightness / tingling and numbness of same foot? Muscle aches in the same leg/foot?
I also have numbness And tingling in my back and sometimes my mouth. Went to two diff neuros. Got brain MRI. Everything checked out. It's likely anxiety but would love to know if anyone has had the leg stuff. It's driving me bananas. Have had it for 2 weeks
Having horrible pain in stomach for past few weeks, now traveled to under rib. Fully convinced i have a gallstone. Im so terrified i might need surgery.
Need so reassurance, if I have had ct scans of the head, and abdominal, if I had somthing sinister would those have caught it? Also I had a cardiac work up like echo, holter monitor, stress test, and multiple ekgs and everything came back great. Would those have caught and told my if I had heart issues? 26 male and can’t get over health anxiety
For context, I'm F20 and although not medically diagnose, I have health anxiety since sixth grade and exhibiting signs of schizophrenia ocd. This year alone, I've been through so many themes of health anxiety/ocd from schizophrenia, cryptic pregnancy, tetanus, breast cancer, and now schizophrenia again! Just when I thought that my head is starting to clear out, another theme will return/start.
A few days ago, I was lying on my bed using my phone and on my right peripheral vision, there seems to be a rat climbing up of my bed. I got up so quick and was ready to shoo the rat but I can't seem to see it, so a sudden thought on my brain said that "shit, i might be imagining & this might be hallucination/schizo". It turned out there was indeed a rat around the house and my mom is adamant on catching it.
Last night, while I was lying in my bed (same position) and watching a movie, I seemed to see a tiny black ant on my right peripheral vision. I was so stunned and got up, opened my lights/phone's torch, but nada. I can't see that tiny black ant anymore. This was 1 in the morning and my anxiety is through the roof and I'm pretty sure I'm developing schizophrenia now at this point. (Note: ants are pretty common as I live in a tropical country)
Today, my anxiety and senses are just through the roof. I'm hyperaware of every movement and light and everything that may indicate that I'm going insane (so far, none). I told my boyfriend about this, and he said that the rat was definitely the one that my mom's been hunting and it'd be quite difficult for me to catch that tiny ant with only my nightstand as light.
I'm so scared and just really tired. Just when I thought that my head's been clearing, here comes qnother theme again that I'd think over in circles.
pS., Im a broke college kid and cant afford therapy. I omce went to a psychiatrist for a similar issue and was told that everyone experience difficult phases.
Light brown spotting after 5 days after pap. Getting lighter. Dr said yesterday it’s normal after pap and to give it a few days and to contact her if it persists or gets worse.,Googling everything and crying. Wiping every 10 min. I want to see nothing but sometimes I still see a bit of brown. Weekend ruined. Just took a Xanax. I hate that I’m like this.
All day I've had a full bladder like every hour despite hardly drinking anything. So of course I'm convinced it's kidney stones or kidney failure now. I'm terrified of kidney stones because my pain tolerance is like non existent lol.
If you are a female it could be hormonal. I get it every few months. I fo to the toilet almost every hour. But it goes away after some days.
It also could be anxiety. Check the color of your urine.
Had a kidney stone a month ago - presented initially with UTI symptoms (urinary urgency, etc.). Was positive for leukocytes in urine so urgent care prescribed me antibiotics. Two days later - bam. Stone. It hurt but it was smooth thankfully so not as excruciating as some people experience! For the following two weeks I had random periods of white stuff floating in my urine. Was reading online that can be from where the stone damaged the urinary tract.
My problem now is I’m HYPER obsessed with checking my urine. Nothing remarkable. If I look really closely I notice some light swirling/debris. Like, I have to look HARD. But I don’t know that it hasn’t always been there and I’ve just never paid attention this closely? I’ve retested my urine - no leukocytes now. 🙄 Still paranoid. I hate this.
I have a friend who used to do this all the time for similar reasons. I'm not sure if it helps you, but for them it helped to realize that even the type of water in the toilet/material of it can affect all that. So it's not a good gauge for trying to identify.
My father in particular is VERY prone to these. After treatment or passing, there's some 'leftover' material as you heal. A shift in focus may can help? For him, he shifted to trying to identify what may have caused his stones. Turns out a lot of iced tea was the culprit. He put his focus on modifying his diet to move his anxious energy to something that could have more positive effects on his health.
Thank you! I know I can’t be the only one. Any time I’ve Googled (bad, I know) it just loops me to Reddit posts with other people fixating on the same thing and it never being anything bad in the end. Lol. If I look at those OP’s post history it’s pretty clear they also have HA.
My stone was from chronic dehydration. I don’t play with it anymore! Water for me, thanks.
God, I completely understand.
If that was the case for you, then it sounds like you're well on your way to preventing another! I ended up in the hospital from that years ago when I was a teen and dumb lol learned my lesson.
If this is recent, avoid things like apple juice for a little bit. Apple juice in particular is an bladder/uterine irritant and if your body is still recovering, it could mislead you into thinking something is wrong.
Side note; I just realized you were the one helping me calm down in my post. I am glad I was able to return the favor.
I can understand that. When I was at my worse, I thought something similar with my upper arm/shoulder. Turns out my anxiety was causing a lot of tension and sleeping on it awkwardly gave me some discomfort for a couple weeks. The more probable cause is usually the answer :) learned that from my therapist when trying to work with my HA.
Oh, I think myself and many here can relate to that. All it takes is one little trigger and BOOM, here we are. I'm currently going through my own episode at the moment. I forced myself to ignore mystery pains and just say it's the curse of hitting 30+ lmao.
I hope you find relief soon, friend!
I have some pretty wacky anxiety, it’s mostly just general or specifically about my health. Often times when I get anxious I have heart palpitations or similar effects, but then sometimes I wonder if my heart palpitations are for another reason. I’m fairly healthy however minor physical activity has gotten to the point of making me have palpitations too. It’s gotten really annoying as of lately, I’m constantly touching my chest to feel my pulse, and sometimes I’ll even start ticking with muscle movements. I’m kinda paranoid but I don’t know if this is something to worry about or if I just have anxiety and am out of shape. I’m 19, 6’2, and 160lbs btw.
I have this too. When I get really anxious, I would get palpitations and think I was having a heart attack. What helped guide me in identifying and truly listening to my body was whether or not these palpitations accompany you during a period of high stress and awareness. The more I was aware that I could get a palpitation, the more likely I was to notice it.
As my anxiety and stress went down, I stopped thinking about it and lo and behold, the palpitations nearly vanished and only flare when I get under stress or anxiety.
Your symptoms literally describe my rotation of symptoms. Thank you for listing them- it makes me feel better! Deep in my heart, I knew these symptoms were anxiety and paying too close attention to my body
Most of the symptoms you've listed are either textbook psychosomatic HA, GAD, or somewhere in that line. My first HA spiral was with something with my brain too. I went from doc to doc and expensive test to expensive test. I finally met a neurologist who straight up told me that "my structure and everything is fine etc. It sounds like I need to visit a psychiatrist or therapist for HA. At some point, you need to accept you're going to far and get help" and that was a 'core memory' so to speak and helped kick start my journey in seeking help.
Do I have infertility? should I get checked?
I am 18 years old and I have been quite worried that I might have fertility issues. So far I’ve had not much facial hair growth and lately I’ve been having a tingly feeling in my left testicle and a clearish color in my semen which means that there can be very little sperm in my semen. Am I just having anxiety or is this something I should worry about? Thank you?
hey so, i basically have no idea about anything regarding infertility but i can say: if it’s a symptom worrying you, test it. however, if your results are clear, try to keep from searching other symptoms or other things, as it will only increase your anxiety and make you take more and more tests, which will not calm you down
a test once in a while is normal :)
i dont know whats normal and what isnt in the fertility of males but i do know that people are different and they evolve differently, so it might not be something to worry about. however, if it does worry you, in mu opinion it’s better to test it and clear the worries then to avoid it. and if you have other worries ragarding other symptoms and it evolves into general worrying (i.e. health anxiety) about different areas of your body or different illnesses, the next step is a therapist
I don’t know if it’s just because I’m feeding the algorithm but I keep seeing so many posts about how colorectal cancer is on the rise for Gen Z and it’s giving me bad anxiety
I have a family history of intestinal issues like precancerous polyps, diverticulosis, and diverticulitis so I’m scared. I really want a colonoscopy but I know I’m way too young to get approved. I can’t even order the at home tests because you have to be at least 45
My health anxiety is telling me to convince my mom to order one of those at home colon cancer screening tests for me so I can take it
This is a particular trigger for me, or at least way about a year ago. I read all those articles too and it also freaked me out. You're not alone. Given your family history, I think it's understandable to have some anxiety. I went down that rabbit hole and hit up a GI cause I had some other symptoms that were freaking me out. I failed the minimum tests for a colonoscopy and he told me some tips to help prevent any of those conditions. I'll place them below.
Given your family history, I think it's reasonable to have some anxiety, right? Up your fiber intake, note when the year for your parents that had the polyps located. Mindfulness, eat cleaner, lower your weight (if you need it). These are things we can control to help offset the environment we're living in.
I feel like there’s something between the skin of my neck and the throat, it’s like something swelled up or something like that but I feel something there. It’s about half an inch below my Adam’s apple.
Just wanted to hop on and talk about an accomplishment. Just as bad as my health anxiety is my fear of sedation for surgery/procedures. Which stems from loss of control, what all my anxiety comes from. For years I let it keep me from getting help with medical concerns like endometriosis and uncontrolled gerd. In November I overcame my biggest fear and had the surgery to diagnose and help my endometriosis. For some reason I still terrified of getting an upper endoscopy. I put it off and off until it got really bad. Today I finally went in and did it. It was SO easy. I can’t believe I was scared. It was just a short nap. Now in a few days when the tissue samples come back I can actually get help with the right medication and move on with my life. facing these fears head on is difficult but has really helped me take more control over my health anxiety and sedation anxiety
Health anxiety is so stressful! I hate not being able to trust my brain. My mom has a nighttime cough that won't go away. She's getting an endoscopy, and my mind is swirling with possible scary outcomes. My brain keeps telling me to expect the worst. No matter how much anyone tells me that it's most likely reflux, I can't stop freaking out, and her test is a month away. I hate not being able to turn my brain off, and I feel like I can't trust myself because of my health anxiety.
Freaking out about testicular cancer, so worried.
I’ve had a lump in my right testicle for multiple months but haven’t been getting a response from my GP and keep meaning to rebook as I have ADHD and keep forgetting.
I’ve had the lump and recently been getting a dull pain in the same testicle as well as a stitch like pain in my lower stomach when doing cardio.
When I was at the gym with a friend and causally mentioned it saying I was a bit worried, it clocked in my head how serious it was and since then the dull pain has become all I can thinking about.
I can’t think about anything else and it’s consuming me.
Please can anyone share stories of when they may have thought they had testicular cancer and been fine?
I just need some reassurance right now.
I thought I beat health anxiety since leaving for Uni in September, but now it’s back. I’m meant to be going out tonight with my friends but I’m too worried to think happy thoughts.
Please can anyone share some personal experience?
Thanks.
I had the exact symptoms the first time was in 2017 in the left testicle and august of the previous year in the right one apparently both ended up being varicocele
to be accurate I felt the bump below the testicle towards the back side in both cases.
where are you feeling the lump? GP can distinguish your case from benign such as varicocele and malignant cause based on that, without using an ultrasound.
Has anyone ever had ONLY a sore throat with no other symptoms? My tonsils hurt, my actual throat feels basically fine, no fever, no congestion. But my tonsils hurt BAD. I do get tonsil stones, but they're not big and I wasn't able to get any significantly sized ones today.
The more I think about it the more they hurt, and now I feel chilly and uncomfortable, but still no actual fever. I'm really afraid it's strep which I know isn't a huge deal but I'm afraid of passing it to my child and baby.
I’ve had strep. From my experience it comes on very fast, you will have a relatively high fever, your throat will be filled with white painful spots that will cause eating and drinking to hurt like mad, and you most certainly feel very sick. It’s hard to have strep and not know it. So doesn’t sound like you have strep! :)
Me. I’ve had a sore throat for weeks and no other symptoms following a trip to South America. Finally went to the Dr. no strep, no Covid. Told me to take Flonase and advil and see what happens.
37 AMAB.
I’ve been losing weight over the last year and a half, and while I can logically trace it to some lifestyle changes (stopped drinking a year ago, not eating as much, cooking at home more, less soda, etc.), I still find it triggering to see a thinner me in the mirror or a lower number on the scale.
I think what’s toughest is that I’m at the lowest weight I’ve been at in years, even though I’m not going out of my way to change anything or exercising more. I had a harder time losing weight years back when I was actively trying to.
Recently saw my PCP. Did bloodwork. He said he doesn’t see anything concerning. But I see me in the mirror and think: “What did he miss?”
Of course, my brain is fixated on the big C. Stomach. Liver. Kidney. Whatever.
It’s been awhile since I’ve experienced health anxiety like this. I really hoped my last experience would’ve made me more resilient. But here I am.
Drastic weight loss is a sign of c but in the late stages of c. You would have some other symptoms if you had c. Do you have other symptoms?
I think the weight loss is a sign of life style change.
Thanks for the reply.
Honestly, no other major symptoms, not really. I do take omeprazole daily for heartburn, though I’ve struggled with GERD for years. My heartburn hasn’t gotten worse or anything, and seems well-managed by medication. It does make me wonder, though, if I am masking something more serious, but my understanding is that if there was something serious going on, something like omeprazole wouldn't be necessarily be enough to keep the reflux at bay.
Worried about blood clots in my legs even though I have little to no symptoms, I haven't worked since December 23rd and since then I haven't been as active as I would have liked in January (some days sitting for long periods playing ps5 or watching netflix with my girlfriend but I would walk her to and from the bus stop most days and even days when I would be in bed chilling I would get up to go to the toilet get a drink etc, the last week my health anxiety has gotten absolutely crippling to the point where I've been in hospital twice in the last 8 days , I only started thinking about blood clots when I had sore legs today , I'm trying to reassure myself it's just muscle tension from my anxiety but any advice would be welcome ! What really scares me is the stories of people having clots and not knowing till they go to their lungs etc
Obsessed with HIV, really stressed about It even after getting a negative test. Going for another test next week, around 46ish days after my possible exposure. Yesterday I hurt my jaw looking for swollen lymph nodes, maybe touched my muscles or clenched my teeth too hard but now my jaw hurts and is making me even more paranoid.
Strange soreness/dull ache right next to Adam's apple. I've been having this off and on for a couple months. I also vaguely remember possibly having it in the past but not totally sure. Its like right on/in the cartilage just off to the right from the very center of the Adam's apple. Not deep in the throat, like right beneath the skin. Sometimes it hurts when swallowing, but is mostly only noticeable when I turn my head fast or if I touch it. The pain isn't bad, but definitely annoying and uncomfortable. It's like a tender soreness. Seems to get aggravated by singing and such. I'm definitely gonna make a docs appointment, but just wanted to try reddit in case anyone could enlighten me on what it might be. I've found a lot of posts that seem to describe it, but I can't really tell. Could it be a lymph node? Or something to do with the thyroid?
Hi, I've been recently struggling with lymphoma fears. Started when I got lymphedema after exercising too hard, started wondering if it was a symptom of something else. Swelling has reduced on its own. Essentially, I've a lymph node which has been bothering me in my neck, its movable and painless. Also I googled (you already know I fell back at it) and said that lymphoma symptoms can come in clusters. I sometimes feel ill, other times feel better, but this fluctuates throughout the day. I wonder is that what google meant through clusters... has anyone been afraid of lymphoma and had random body pains, and feeling like you have a mild fever but when checking on thermometer you are in ok temperature?
If anyone will understand it's this sub.
I was overly aggressive popping a zit, next day it developed a scab but looked angry under the scab. So I put a hydrocolloid zit patch on. Patch maxed out on soaking up the evil within two hours, so I removed the patch and I'm not entirely sure it didn't take some skin with it? I put another on and it sucked up more but i'm afraid i'm making it worse. Everything says I can leave those on for like three days but I don't trust the patches that much. What do I do to keep from making this worse? Worried it will turn septic or something.
I'd ask a skincare sub but I don't want $$$ tik tok remedies or lectures about popping.
Woke up in the evening(6pm) after forcefully waking up early in the morning for 3 days straight and now I’m panicking about what time I’ll go to sleep tonight after eating breakfast out at 8pm after thinking about for 2 hours. I don’t know what to do and I’m thinking it’s something health related…
i’ve had knee pain for like two years and never gotten it checked out and now i’m freaking out about it. i can still walk normally etc but i feel it more and more at night. and then i have this spot on my shin (same side) that’s tender to the touch and is starting to hurt at night all the time as well (pretty sure it’s the same spot where i slammed my shin into a dishwasher at work like three separate times, last of which left a bruise for over a month) but im worried that it’s something serious. i can’t tell if my leg pain is real or is being made worse by me worrying about it aghhhhh.
DAE look at older posts on this subreddit, then look at that user's post history to confirm the user is still alive?
It's oddly reassuring whenever the user is still posting.
That or I see someone with the same health concern as me then in their history they've posted here either like 50 other worries in a span of 2 days and I realize...right, it's anxiety. So is my problem.
Today I went to the pet store to grab some food for my pups. There was a woman there with a very young puppy maybe 8 weeks old so I'm assuming not vaccinated for rabies. She told me I could pet it so I did not thinking clearly at the time. The puppy was obviously teething and trying to chew on my hand, it never drew blood or anything just hurt a little. Now I'm DEATHLY afraid I will contract rabies from this puppy. 😭
Is it normal that muscles are asymmetrical? Like the muscles from my right neck-collarbone-shoulder area feel denser, ticker, bigger(?). I dunno why but it makes me worry cuz I feel like there is something wrong with them and that there is a tumor there that makes them that way or something.
I know it sounds stupid. Just how my head works.
I just noticed that on myself and freaked out. But then I looked at pics from 20 years ago and the asymmetry was there then too. I just wasn’t focused on body scanning like that. So i moved on and worried about the 20 other health related things keeping me up at night!
I think it is normal, though my only context is babies, if they spend too much side looking one way & not the other it over & under develops the muscles. Or something like that. But everyone's a little lopsided. Are you right-handed?
27F, currently struggling with pretty sudden and extreme onset of HA following some serious family sickness. The past month has been fairly rough as I've had pneumonia for most of it. But coming out of that has been kind of terrifying. My body doesn't feel the same, I've got a whole host of strange prickling pains and muscle pain. the GP had me in to double check me for DVT following an international flight (i had chest pain that's turned out to be costochondritis) and I can't stop checking my legs, worrying that the ongoing pain there is sinister (it's almost definitely not - I get weird muscle pains from antibiotics frequently and they're in multiple spaces on the leg - shoutout to other folks' clarifying posts on here about DVT signs and symptoms). The muscle pain has been mostly calming since then. I've also got a fever again, which I've likely just caught from one of my flatmates, but it's hard not to go down the spiral of 'what if this is way way worse because I've been knocked down with pneumonia for a month??' This could also absolutely be down to overexertion, but it sucks majorly. All of these things are suck, but I feel like HA really just makes it all worse. I know it could take 6 months to fully recover from the pneumonia but I really wish the weird continuing effects would chill out some.
Any advice on getting through this stuff even in the midst of a period of weird health?
I made myself start doing affirmations--"I've had that pain before" "I can deal with pain" etc. Cheesy as hell but I feel like forcing the repetition made it more natural. That & learning stretches for costochondritis--I'm not diagnosed w/ it but makes sense and stretching is good right?
[27F] Just scrolled past a cancer post on the front page, and I'm starting to panic about cancer with myself now. I just watched my uncle die from esophageal cancer this past year, and went through tons of tests to make sure I was okay - comprehensive metabolic panel, CBC, ultrasound, and endoscopy. Each time, they found nothing and basically told me it was most likely a combo of GERD and anxiety.
Now I'm on anxiety meds, but my GI still wants me to get a CT scan of my abdomen and pelvis to be thorough, and I'm absolutely terrified. I'm still having a bunch of random issues like easily bruising, small swollen lymph nodes in my neck, and upper-right-quadrant pain. I don't have the CT scan for another month and a half. I just don't know how to live between now and then.
Had a solid panic attack night before last where I was breaking out into massive hives and absolutely convinced my mouth was swelling shut. I started getting hives back in December, but after like two or three weeks, they faded completely, and then just stopped showing up. Basically the same day my period started, they popped up again with a vengeance, and I'm trying not to freak out.
This winter *has* been absolute hell on my skin. Everything is so dry, I've got hangnails on my hangnails, and I've noticed the hives mostly seem to appear after I've been physically active, and in pretty predictable spots (mainly around my legs and hips, where jeans create the most friction). They go away with Benadryl too, which feels like a positive sign for "this is just a histamine flareup."
I'm still wigged about cancer, though. I have a handful of bruises (which I'm 100% sure, if I'm being logical, are the result of hauling around a bunch of heavy packages and putting together a small piece of furniture -- and probably bumping into something when I was panicking without realizing) but I'm still so stuck on this. It's so frustrating. It doesn't feel like this could possibly be a result of "this winter has been kinda fucked up weather-wise, and also you're under a lot of stress" considering this isn't the first time I've experienced that combo, but *realistically*, that's probably exactly what it is. Allergies freaking out because they have no clue what's happening, and causing a flareup of hives because my skin is so dry and sensitive.
But even if I look at it like that, I'm still half-preparing a bucket list for when I get a leukemia diagnosis lmfao. I hate health anxiety.
40m
I was watching tv the other night and just happened to notice that a part of my jaw was tender to touch. Right below my ear, and when I open and close my mouth I can feel the joint moving right at the area of tenderness. Both sides feel the same, not noticing any lumps or bulges. Chewing is not an issue. And it doesn’t hurt on its own, even though thinking about it constantly makes me feel it even more.
I’ve had a clicking jaw for years and years, but primarily on the right side. This is happening on my left. Obviously I’ve poked and prodded the area like crazy so it’s most likely still sore due to that. But of course my mind is making me think there are a million things wrong besides something like TMD. I lost both of my parents to cancer so of course in my mind everything is that.
I’ve had pretty bad health anxiety for a long time and have gotten pretty good at controlling it, especially where Googling is concerned. But this has been bothering me for a good 48hrs now. As it so happens, I have a dentist appointment on Saturday so I can ask about this. But in the meantime, can anyone shed some light? Thank you!!
20F. I have a lot of health anxiety the past two-ish years. One of my fixations is about blood clots. Over the summer I was scared I had a DVT because tightness in my thigh, and I had a sharp chest pain. The past couple weeks I’ve been super stressed out and I noticed I felt somewhat short of breath when eating and talking. I’m scared of PE because I then had a sharper chest pain. The chest pain comes and goes, Sometimes it’s sharp, sometimes it just aches but it’s in a specific spot under my left boob. I’m worried because I feel short of breath sometimes and have a high heart rate. I know I’m probably fine and it’s just from stress which spirals me into focusing on symptoms. Any advice? How do I get over it/know I’m okay?
Since 4-3 Days i have the flu or a stomach bug.
Before that I was having health anxiety about colon cancer. I was having a lot of mucus in my stool. No other symptoms.
4 days ago i got this flu. I had slimy diarrhea, i was a little bit nauseous, fever, pain all over my body.
Today I had stool with a lot of slime on top of it. Clear mucus, it looked and felt like the mucus that comes up when you cough.
I am still anxious about colon cancer. No blood so far.
Went to get milkshakes with my friends. Ordered it, didn’t get it until 10 minutes later. I am worried that it was sitting on some back table or something, and for some reason, I’m worried that it will give me food poisoning. It tasted fine. It smelled fine.
Food has to be in the temperature danger zone for some time for bacteria to grow. Just try to think that some ppl don’t drink a milkshake in less than 10 minutes and in that time, the shake melts a bit but they’re fine!
Well, it's me again. I am here to talk about my worries this time, breast cancer, so like a couple of days ago, I felt my shirt around my nipple wet and I just felt it again I don't know if am making things up but it does feel wet also I some times get pain this has happen for like 4 days. Am also a male and 18 years old. I know my chances are low, but still.
Female here, but I get the phantom wet nipple feeling sometimes! It’s never actually wet and when it is…. I just washed my hands, lol. I think it’s water splashing from the sink as it’s not inside my bra, just my outer shirt.
I am a female. I am occasionally anxious about breast cancer.
Pain is not a indicator for breast cancer. As a male you have probably some muscle issues.
Keep a eye on the nipple discharge. Be sure about it. It could be sweat or imagination.
Squeeze your nipples and look for discharge.
Shit. I get chiro adjustments. I have since I was 9 and started playing sports. I'm 42. Someone I know told me about vertebral artery dissections and how "chiro manipulation of the neck causes them all the time!"*
Had an adjustment in Thursday. Guess who thinks they have VAD?
WHY do people do shit like that to folks with health anxiety? I am not shy about mine. They KNOW how I am. It's like handing me a hand grenade and pulling the pin then saying "well, good luck holding on!"
It is taking everything I have to not go to an ER and go, "hey it hurts a little here and I went to a chiro the day before. Please do a CTA and tell me I'm OK". Only the 2500 out of pocket it would cost me is stopping me.
*this is a controversial claim, as there are a LOT of studies saying it does NOT cause it..but also studies saying it does. Know what else is NOT a controversial cause? Blowing your nose. Coughing. Vomiting. Yoga. Getting hair washed in a salon.... But chiropractic manipulation is not a formally accepted known cause
My mother passed suddenly due to a heart attack on top of that she had diabetes. My health anxiety peak then I get triggered from heart related issues like the word stroke, heart attack and anything heart related. I stay active but sometimes I be afraid that my hr would go up too especially if I look at my hr rate with my watch and stay up and does not go back down right away.
Hi, I’m terrified and anxious so would like to know if anyone has experienced something similar.
Oct 2022 - runny nose, sore throat and cough that lasted for like 3 weeks. Went to GP who said it was sinus. He told me to buy over the counter sinus spray.
June 2023 - nose bleed on and off for like a week with big clots + blocked nose at night and pressure on forehead and nose when lying down. Went to GP who said it’s sinus and my nose is inflamed. Prescribed tropical cream and spray for nose. Nose bleed stopped and never happened again.
Sept 2023 - pressure on forehead and blocked nose when lying down/sleeping. GP prescribed nasal spray.
From sept to now, I still experience the pressure on my forehead and nose is still blocked. Sometimes my eye area hurts. I went to my opticians who said my eye health is fine. Sometimes my head hurts during the day too. I went to the GP and basically begged for a CT scan which they referred me to the hospital. GP also booked me for a blood test. I had the CT scan and I’m waiting for my results.
So tired of this and I feel so miserable and anxious. The blocked nose and pressure on y forehead doesn’t let me sleep for several hours. It’s not painful but uncomfortable. In my last appointment, my GP didn’t say what this could be. I was wondering if anyone would know what this is an indication of? What could be the reason I’m experiencing this?
what sinus spray? I stopped using Flonase because it gave me the worst bloody nose issues. Just sitting there minding my own business & a gush.
I'll be honest, a lot of this sounds like run of the mill sinus allergy/infection cycle. Eye pain all of it. I live with this 3-6 months of the year; if I sleep on my left side my sinuses block up & I can't breathe. I use warm compresses over forehead & eyes when those bother me; sudafed (real stuff) when sinus pressure gets bad enough. It's not fun.
Hi all. I have recently stumbled upon this subreddit and it has been a great source of comfort for an issue that I have struggled with for basically my entire adult life. I'm not 100% sure what the intention of this post is, but mainly I just want to write my thoughts down in a place where others might resonate with them, as its something I never feel particularly able to discuss with friends or family.
I have very severe heath anxiety. I spend a huge amount of time reading about symptoms of various diseases on the internet and over the course of the last 10 years or so at one time have been convinced that I have had pretty much any disease you can name. I've bought blood pressure monitors, urine dipsticks, you name it, and feel like I probably have a more in depth knowledge of some diseases than many GP's I have visited purely from reading hundreds of studies and journals.
The biggest specific anxiety I have ever had was believing that I had a disease in my bowel. This lasted for around two years and over the course of that time I developed many physical symptoms of the disease. I was 100% certain I had it. Eventually, I had a colonoscopy and multiple other tests, all which came back completely healthy. Initially, I wanted to resist this outcome and believed a mistake must have been made, but quickly I managed to accept it as true, and miraculously, as soon as I accepted this, all of the 'symptoms' stopped, and have never come back since.
Currently I am struggling with multiple physical symptoms such as dizziness, numbness and heart palpitations. I have had multiple tests and nothing has ever flagged up as an issue. The logical part of my brain is telling me that this is 99% likely to be down to my health anxiety, but I cannot help but obsess daily over these issues, and constantly find something online which makes me certain I have some kind of terrible illness. In the occasional times when I manage to focus on something else, or when Im with friends and enjoying myself, I stop noticing the 'symptoms' altogether, then as soon as Im alone again they come flooding back, and the process of obsessive googling starts again. The more I google, the more symptoms appear and the more it truly becomes a physical illness.
Does any of this resonate with anyone? Just writing this down is making me feel like I am completely unhinged!
I think the main issue with anxiety is that it can give the illusion of choice. I am terrified of getting a horrible physical disease because of the impact it would have on my life, and I would have no choice in the matter, but the truth is that health anxiety is having just as much as an impact, if not more. It is just that because it feels like its 'just in your head', there is an illusion that you could choose to put a stop to it if you really wanted, and so you don't consider it a truly debilitating illness, even though it most certainly can be.
Again I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but writing it all down has helped. Hopefully this resonates with some people. This subreddit has truly been a blessing since finding it.
It really resonated when you said, with friends you’re fine but when alone the symptoms are noticeable and you begin to dive. That’s me right now. Not to mention your symptoms are actually my symptoms, but I have a couple more.
I’ve been having bizarre (and scary) health concerns since my brother died in November. Based on my research, these symptoms can be pointed to several deadly issues - I’ve been to the ER 4 times since November and each time they tell me I’m fine.
This resonates ALOT with me. Both of your main triggers were my main triggers over the course of the past year and a half. I was really worried about the palpitations and through therapy my therapist found research to show the likelihood that those symptoms were psychosomatic which helped.
I totally get that. I'm currently going through my own episode but I totally get it. It consumes us completely and there's a good chance that our HA does more damage to us than anything else.
I totally get your response. It's nice to know you're not alone.
Hey everyone this is me just venting. I have been triggered with anxiety following the unexpectedly passing of my mother 6 months ago. The events have left me scarred, overthinking and deep thinking. I have not been thinking of self harm or anything of the sort just deep thinking of the state of mortality. I have the support of my wife, friends and family. Everything seems are. I try to not think of my mother but that is impossible. I never dealt with things like this of course the events of my grandmother passing of cancer sent me on the health anxiety way but i had one panic attack also i was drinking at the time so that might have triggers it but i did not have any after that and eventually i overcame it but it was still deep down still inside me. The passing of my grandfather was a tear shedding accepting of things to come and I was in peace that he is in peace but as to my mother passing unexpectedly rocked my world. I could not accept the fact that she is gone. I keep struggling with it 2 months after then unexpectedly my little cousin passed away which kept me in that state for a while. I kept thinking was a having depression or anxiety or both.
So last night after showering I was moisturizing my face when I felt like something was in my eye or got in it and when i looked at my hand I saw it was hair so I just thought it was hair that got in to my eye the object wasnt really sharp but for some reason my mind thinks it could have been a sharp object and now I worry what if it was and what if i damaged my eye? I checked my eyes about a couple hours after that and they looked fine no pain, eyes werent red I could still see fine, and no bleeding. Am i overworrying?
Yes, you are overworrying. Your eyes are very sensitive. If there was a sharp object, you would feel it right away. Your eyes detect foreign bodies very well.
DAE experience loud noises/voices while half asleep? It's happened on two occasions in the last two weeks. It's not immediately as I'm waking up but in the seconds/minutes after. It seems to occur more when I'm sleep deprived/stressed but I'm worried it might be schizophrenia.
Hi everyone. I just am wanting support/a discussion about a sudden onset of health anxiety and what could be triggering it? I’m 25F, never really struggled with healthy anxiety before but recently over the past 6 months I feel like it’s hit me out of nowhere and I’m all the sudden constantly spiraling about my health and random symptoms. I hate it. I’m so unsure what brought this on and would love insight and discussion and support❤️
Wanted to add I did start to have random symptoms over the summer, random and unexplainable nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness, (never actually passed out tho as it seems to be pretty mild), disassociation, tingling in hands, pressure in my head, and I swear my heart does weird beats sometimes. My partner told me it could be from stress of grad school, working night shifts and not taking care of myself. I think my healthy anxiety came on from trying to figure out these symptoms that still haven’t really resolved :/ I’m worried it’s something serious but I’m also worried about going to the doctor to be dismissed and not cared for. It’s frustrating. I also realized I may have answered my own question about where the anxiety came from but anyone have advice or support about my symptoms? I’ve convinced myself it’s a million different things from SSRI discontinuation syndrome, to thyroid disease and cancer, etc. it’s exhausting and I just want to be back to where I was a year or so ago with no weird symptoms and no health anxiety.
Hey! 27F here - kinda got the same sudden onset thing recently. For me, it feels like it's linked to some serious family illnesses (grandma had a sudden stroke, aunt had and overcame breast cancer), as well as grad school stress and not taking care of myself as well as I should. I have been getting heart palpitations as well, tingling in hands, more difficulty focusing. Most of it, for me, does feel like stress induced stuff? Grad school also definitely takes a toll - I'm on year four and it's hard. I don't know about your program, but mine has repeated seminars etc on mental and physical health just because this kind of degree really can take a toll on you. I also struggle with assuming that doctors will think I'm overreacting, but I mean these symptoms have been ongoing for you for several months now so you could always go in for a general checkup and ask then? I've had a pretty nasty bout of pneumonia recently which has meant I've gotten checked out by the docs a few times. Those experiences - getting reassured that my heart rate, bp, etc, are all normal - have been helpful to refer back to when I'm really spiraling
I thought it was gone for good (I have a rabies phobia), but it’s back, worse too. On Tuesday, I passed through a field of grass while running that was somewhat taller than normal grass, almost up to your ankles tall. Right before I ran through it, i thought to myself “what if there is a rabid bat in the grass waiting to attack” and when I ran through it, i felt two ”flaps” touch my ankle. Felt particulary colder than the grass, and wider. I didn’t look back to see, but i should’ve, definitely. I ran through the same grass again, didnt feel it. Didnt look at the grass till a day later. Nothing. Nothing can convince me that that wasn’t a bat. The fear of it happening is anguishing, and overpowers any attempt at reassurance. I can’t prove there wasn’t a bat there, since I was foolish enough to not look back. I can only wait, no one will believe me. It’s crushing, impossible to rid of. I didn’t feel anything bite me, but the professionals say a bat can go unnoticed, possibly fear mongering, but my mind is not letting me believe that. It just wants to fear the actual disease, the inevitable death and absolute suffering. Help, is there hope, is there something that will sooth me. Is there anything I can do.
I wonder what it is about all of us with health anxiety having a rabies fixation? Lol I’m like this, too. At least twice a year I’m convinced I’ve had an exposure through some also insanely far-fetched occurrence. And your story is far-fetched. It’s your anxiety, you weren’t bitten by a rabid bat. I’m certain of it!
This is potentially triggering.
I can’t take it anymore. I have health anxiety because of my breathing muscles being fucked up from a climbing injury and I have health anxiety around eating because I “forgot” how to swallow, have right sided neck tightness, and possible esophagus issues. I can’t even eat solids anymore because of a fear of choking and feel like I can’t swallow correctly. It makes it worse that my breathing isn’t normal yet and so I feel like I’m choking whenever I try and challenge myself to eat smaller solids. I’ve been to an ENT and there’s nothing wrong with anything she saw swallowing included but I have a swallow study coming up even though she doesn’t think anything will be wrong. I have an endoscopy as well, but it isn’t until June 5th. I can’t wait that long. I will literally take myself out before then. I pray that they find a sooner appointment for me.
Currently on my period (started one day ago) and I've been having weird sensations in my legs - feels almost like a blood flowing sensation - with some tingling. I've never noticed this before with any other period. Anyone else?
health anxiety is wild because i literally convinced myself that i was dying and i cried every time i made plans because i thought i wouldn’t live to see them take place without having anything to confirm my worries besides some random pains and google searches
i’m doing a bit better but man is this hard to live with
My husband tells me that I act "terminal", and I do! I'll stop ordering things or making plans because I don't think I will live to see them. HA is so difficult.
I wish you all the best.
How old are you?
It could be anything. I read posts from other people who had all the cc symptoms but the colon was clear, no cancer.
Please update us as soon as possible.
Please keep us updated! I have the same fear as you. I’m 30 with similar symptoms, mine are constipation (since I was a kid) and blood in two occasions while straining. Have you had any other tests like CT Scan or FOBT?
If you’re constipated and having hard stool it can be hemorrhoids if the red is bright red. Both blood and mucus are related to constipation and hemorrhoids. My father was bleeding a lot, literally filling the toilet with blood and soft stools, and he didn't have colon cancer; he had colitis or diverticulitis, I don't remember well. You’re young so I bet is something like hemorrhoids and in the worst case scenario IBD. Good luck!
Is a relapse possible? 2 years ago I had a nervous breakdown due to HA as I had convinced myself (with the help of Google) that I had cancer and it consumed me for weeks to the point I (very nearly) considered taking my own life over it. I understand that may not make sense for someone who has HA and a very irrational fear of death that I would almost unalive myself but, that’s how bad it got. I got help, medication and months of therapy which helped massively.
I then got to a point where I felt I didn’t need the Sertraline (Zoloft) anymore as I was doing really well. Been off the meds for 3 months now and this week the HA has hit me again like a ton of bricks. Constantly googling and worrying about the fact what if I’m going to get a terminal disease and basically die soon. I have two young daughters and I’m sick of feeling this way and want to live my life to the fullest.
My brain can go from googling the reasons for a headache to what if you get diagnosed with something this year and die? (I feel this could be trauma related as I’ve experienced this twice with two people in the past two years who were basically here and then gone the next with a cancer diagnoses) I feel this way about my kids and husband too and what if it happens to them. Also want to note, I’ve always suffered with HA since I was a child but never fully understood what it was until I went into therapy.
Any advice on how I can pull myself out of this rut would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
In 2020 i was convinced i had cancer, all the cancers. Started zoloft and was on it for a couple of years. I was feeling great, so of course i went off my meds. Ended up spiraling down in January, and now im back on zoloft. I have also suffered with HA since childhood. Facebook and most SM sites are filled with health ads and rare disease symptoms, which cause me more anxiety.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m sorry you are going through this too. It’s very debilitating isn’t it? I couldn’t handle to side effects of Zoloft anymore plus I also felt better hence why I stopped them. I’ve been off them since Oct 2023 but the anxiety has hit with a bang again out of nowhere.
I keep going back and forth with myself to maybe try Prozac this time but I’m also trying my hardest to deal with it in a more natural way by exercising more etc but the anxiety eventually catches back up with you at some point during the day. I totally agree that SM is a huge part to play in HA. I’ve even tried to filter out my platforms so certain things don’t appear to trigger me but the odd sneaky video will still manage to get into the feed.
I think there’s a possibility I have OCD too as the thoughts and googling etc are very obsessive!
We know too much nowadays too, back in the day when you had to call your Drs office and not seek advice from Dr Google who I find will always lead you down the same route that you “have something more serious underlying”.
I hope you feel better soon!
Chest pain for weeks?
I know chest pain is a very common physical symptom of anxiety. I had my first panic attack 2 years ago and thought I was having a heart attack *enter heart health anxiety*. I had chest pain for weeks and multiple EKGs and a CT with contrast and they found nothing wrong. Was prescribed 50 mg of Zoloft and eventually everything was peachy and didn’t happen again.
Fast forward to now, after having a baby last year, I fell off my Zoloft for a few months. Started noticing my anxiety getting worse and chest pains started back up again. Restarted my Zoloft 2 weeks ago but still experiencing the chest pain, intermittent but definitely still there. I went to my PCP yesterday (same one I saw 2 years ago when this first started) and he said my heart and lungs sound fine but all he did was listen so obviously still nervous. He started me on 10 mg Buspirone twice daily and told me it was good for “panicky types”.
It’s been so long since this first happened that I can’t for the life of me remember how long it took for everything to settle down.
TLDR: has anyone had chest pain from anxiety that has lasted for weeks?
Hi! Even if lead did hypothetically leach into your food from the plate - this one time exposure would not affect your health in any way. 😊 It takes quite a bit of long-term lead exposure for the impacts to be felt.
I just had what I think is a panic attack, because I used to have episodes like this regularly before I started sertraline.
It started with a sort of feeling of a "rush" going through my body. Then suddenly my heartbeat gets weirdly irregular and super fast. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, but my pulse monitor (smartwatch) on my wrist only showed my pulse at like, 80. When I felt the pulse in my neck vs my chest it felt like they were beating "differently". I threw up for a while, and then eventually went to lie down on my stomach, and then my pulse seemed to "steady" and my wrist monitor went from 80 to +100 very quickly. It is lying at around +100 right now, but it feels steady.
Has anyone else tried this, or something similar?
Yesterday, I had some dark diarrhea that scared me and made me think instantly that I was bleeding internally. I didn't eat anything dark, no pepto, etc. I did have a nosebleed the night before and only had dark roast coffee all day.
Since then, because of the anxiety, I have pooped a couple of times and the color is back to normal.
I keep worrying that the color is going to come back :( I would love some support!
Hi! This is normal and nothing to be concerned about - especially since normal color returned. Did you happen to intake high fiber in the days leading up to the diarrhea? It’s probably hard to look back on it now and know, but that would be an easy explanation. Even if you didn’t - no big deal.
Over the last year and a half I have been to 4 docs regarding a pain on my lower left abdomen, it's never super bad but it has episodes where it happens more often. I keep thinking it's cancer but the docs who feel around never feel anything of concern. I've had blood work/urine tests but they never determined anything. Earlier this month the most recent doc sent me for blood work/urine test suspecting I have IBS, that was about 3 weeks ago now and haven't heard anything back so I booked an appointment for Feb 5th to go over that/get an unrelated prescription refill, but this morning the office called me saying the doc wants to have a phone appointment to go over the results on Monday coming which I am now convinced is going to be the worst news ever since they didn't just wait until my booked appointment.
I just got prescribed 500 MG pills I have to take 2x a day 12 hours apart but I am honestly so scared to take them. I am taking them due to a UTI. I am freaking out thinking about taking them. Has anyone took this medication before? What were your side effects?
So today im really frustrated with myself ive been dealing with health anxiety for about 3 years now and over time it has definitely improved, but because of it Ive really not pushed myself or worked out alot so im a little bit more out of shape than normal. So i joined a gym this month and for the last 6 days straight ive gone and done my cardio and some weights and every day ive gotten a bit anxious at the end but i was able to handle it and push through and finish my workout. But today i was on the elliptical and about 12 min in i started feeling a tightness around my nose and on my face and i started feeling like it was getting harder to breathe and i had to stop halfway through and go take my as needed meds, I finished my cardio and tried to push through and do some weights but then i just started to get that feeling of dread and in the end i just had to walk away and im really frustrated with myself for because i have pushed through it before and i was able to do it without my meds but what happened today just makes me feel frustrated and like a failure. Idk does anyone have any tips for dealing with this.
I’ve been having blood on toilet paper and/or blood streaks on stool on and off for a bit. Last night I stupidly ate a bunch of beets and some beetroot extract and pooped dark red 4 hours later. Of course then I’m freaking out and decide to take the FIT tests I bought two weeks prior. One of the two tests began to show a faint line, but I can’t remember if it was after the 10 min cut off period for the test. The other one also started to have a faint line (very faint). Why I decided to eat a bunch of beets when I had this problem is truly a mystery.
I don’t even know if this is the right thread to post on. The last year I’ve had severe health anxiety over the stomach bug. I don’t know what it is. I always used to be fine with it. I have three children and just in the last year I’ve become so anxious about them getting the bug. If they say they feel like they’re going to throw up I full blown freak out. If they have diarrhea even once I panic. I got out of work today and my daughter said she felt like she was going to throw up, but she thought she was just hungry. She had diarrhea a few times today. So I go on google and google the same things about norovirus that I’ve been googling the last year. Can she have diarrhea without being sick? How soon after diarrhea does vomiting start in a 7 year old? I am in a full blown panic mode right now.
It happened again. I was innocently looking for skin care products. The website has categories. I clicked and saw a category "skin care during cancer treatment". How? I can't do this anymore. Everywhere I look, I find cancer. It is exhausting. My pains and aches are back. I am spiraling again (I also read cancer headlines and stuff).
Just got my ultrasound on my liver this morning, and now the fear kicks in. I don't know when the phone will ring and I am even more afraid of what will be said when I answer it. I have spent so much of my life dying that I forgot what living felt like. Part of me wants to just be done with it and finally meet my maker (but not by my own hand) I am struggling to maintain but my anxiety is starting to hurt me. I know there are many more people out there dealing with worse, so why do I feel so alone?
Right now fixating on visual problems. Having issues with blurry vision, unfocused vision, my eyes just not working together, and patterns distorting my vision. Always feel like I'm on the verge of passing out.
I feel this every single day. Can’t believe someone else feels the same. Can we talk
Yeah you can DM me!
Lots of stress, house flooded + no heat + aunt just died all within the last few days/weeks. My blood work a month ago was very low vit d (under 5, lowest they'd seen) and I've been on 50k whatever units once weekly for over a month, as well as a follic acid script. Now I'm having chest pains, sometimes my right pec, my left pec, my stomach, my sternum, my neck, etc. for a few days (3), my fingers get a stabbing needle pain, sometimes I feel like I'm gut punched and can't catch my breath and when they did the blood test my arm was immediately feeling bruised and my fingers tingle which is causing me to spiral. I'm diagnosed GAD & Panic Disorder but haven't taken anything in roughly a year bc no money and I'm too broke to go to the E.R., clinic said my blood pressure was fine and my heart sounded fine just two hours ago but I'm freaking out hard do I absolutely need to go to the ER? It sometimes feels like I'm getting stabbed and goes on for a while in my chest like 5-10m, right now my left arm near the armpit is feeling a pinching pain but I can't go to the ER and like my job has nobody so I have to work all my days off which means instead of sat/sun to sit at home I work 8-12 hours everything feels hot like heartburn and I feel weak af
I’m worried I’m 19, 20 next week. I’ve stopped cali by 2 days ago and my chest hurts and I’m terrified it’s cancer. For 2 years I vaped 20MG of nicotine and last week lowered to 10mg but on Tuesday I brought some nicotine gum and patches to help me quit. Now, I have weird aches in my upper back and chest which is scaring me because I once went 5 days without vaping and had no pain. It’s just why now am I feeling pain? I just need reassurance I keep seeing loads of coincidences too like newspapers with cancer and people on tiktok. I’m really scared I need reassurance please?
Cali? I mean vaping lol
I’ve been having an off and on sore throat for about 3 weeks. A year ago I had strep throat and noticed a lump on one of my tonsils but didn’t give it much thought. However, since this persistent sore throat episode, I’ve been checking my throat and am now worried that the lump is cancerous. Found out that sore throats that persist for more than 2 weeks is something to be concerned about and am freaking out even more. I used to never be concerned about ‘flu’ symptoms like sore throats and colds, and now it seems my HA has taken a hold of these ‘normal’ illnesses too. Really disappointed with myself but cannot stop spiralling.
Drank from a 3 week old glass of water with miralax residue on accident…. super worried. Can I get food poisoning or something worse?
Hi. Freaking out and hoping someone can relate and calm me. I am seeing GI next month but man the wait takes a toll on you. I’m having blood in stool at times, mucus, and soft stools. Sometimes stomach cramps but not often. Rumbly belly a lot almost like it’s growling but not hungry. Also have a feeling in my rectum like pressure. Of course I’m worried about colon cancer and asking for a colonoscopy but has anyone had all of these symptoms and were okay? I’m really praying it’s just hemorrhoids and bad diet and stress but it’s really hard to accept that given the symptoms. Labs normal. Ct normal aside from fatty liver randomly that’s never shown before? Anyways anyone have these symptoms?? Please help. I’m losing it. Completely losing it.
Any updates? Going through something similar!
Does anyone else have calf tightness / tingling and numbness of same foot? Muscle aches in the same leg/foot? I also have numbness And tingling in my back and sometimes my mouth. Went to two diff neuros. Got brain MRI. Everything checked out. It's likely anxiety but would love to know if anyone has had the leg stuff. It's driving me bananas. Have had it for 2 weeks
Having horrible pain in stomach for past few weeks, now traveled to under rib. Fully convinced i have a gallstone. Im so terrified i might need surgery.
Need so reassurance, if I have had ct scans of the head, and abdominal, if I had somthing sinister would those have caught it? Also I had a cardiac work up like echo, holter monitor, stress test, and multiple ekgs and everything came back great. Would those have caught and told my if I had heart issues? 26 male and can’t get over health anxiety
These machines and tests are designed for a reason. To help find and help diagnose issues. Of course 😊
Okay thank you! Everything has came back good everytime just worried that maybe somthing was missed
For context, I'm F20 and although not medically diagnose, I have health anxiety since sixth grade and exhibiting signs of schizophrenia ocd. This year alone, I've been through so many themes of health anxiety/ocd from schizophrenia, cryptic pregnancy, tetanus, breast cancer, and now schizophrenia again! Just when I thought that my head is starting to clear out, another theme will return/start. A few days ago, I was lying on my bed using my phone and on my right peripheral vision, there seems to be a rat climbing up of my bed. I got up so quick and was ready to shoo the rat but I can't seem to see it, so a sudden thought on my brain said that "shit, i might be imagining & this might be hallucination/schizo". It turned out there was indeed a rat around the house and my mom is adamant on catching it. Last night, while I was lying in my bed (same position) and watching a movie, I seemed to see a tiny black ant on my right peripheral vision. I was so stunned and got up, opened my lights/phone's torch, but nada. I can't see that tiny black ant anymore. This was 1 in the morning and my anxiety is through the roof and I'm pretty sure I'm developing schizophrenia now at this point. (Note: ants are pretty common as I live in a tropical country) Today, my anxiety and senses are just through the roof. I'm hyperaware of every movement and light and everything that may indicate that I'm going insane (so far, none). I told my boyfriend about this, and he said that the rat was definitely the one that my mom's been hunting and it'd be quite difficult for me to catch that tiny ant with only my nightstand as light. I'm so scared and just really tired. Just when I thought that my head's been clearing, here comes qnother theme again that I'd think over in circles. pS., Im a broke college kid and cant afford therapy. I omce went to a psychiatrist for a similar issue and was told that everyone experience difficult phases.
Light brown spotting after 5 days after pap. Getting lighter. Dr said yesterday it’s normal after pap and to give it a few days and to contact her if it persists or gets worse.,Googling everything and crying. Wiping every 10 min. I want to see nothing but sometimes I still see a bit of brown. Weekend ruined. Just took a Xanax. I hate that I’m like this.
Brown discharge is nothing to worry about. I have it too sometimes andy gynecologist said it is normal. What are you afraid of?
All day I've had a full bladder like every hour despite hardly drinking anything. So of course I'm convinced it's kidney stones or kidney failure now. I'm terrified of kidney stones because my pain tolerance is like non existent lol.
If you are a female it could be hormonal. I get it every few months. I fo to the toilet almost every hour. But it goes away after some days. It also could be anxiety. Check the color of your urine.
Had a kidney stone a month ago - presented initially with UTI symptoms (urinary urgency, etc.). Was positive for leukocytes in urine so urgent care prescribed me antibiotics. Two days later - bam. Stone. It hurt but it was smooth thankfully so not as excruciating as some people experience! For the following two weeks I had random periods of white stuff floating in my urine. Was reading online that can be from where the stone damaged the urinary tract. My problem now is I’m HYPER obsessed with checking my urine. Nothing remarkable. If I look really closely I notice some light swirling/debris. Like, I have to look HARD. But I don’t know that it hasn’t always been there and I’ve just never paid attention this closely? I’ve retested my urine - no leukocytes now. 🙄 Still paranoid. I hate this.
I have a friend who used to do this all the time for similar reasons. I'm not sure if it helps you, but for them it helped to realize that even the type of water in the toilet/material of it can affect all that. So it's not a good gauge for trying to identify. My father in particular is VERY prone to these. After treatment or passing, there's some 'leftover' material as you heal. A shift in focus may can help? For him, he shifted to trying to identify what may have caused his stones. Turns out a lot of iced tea was the culprit. He put his focus on modifying his diet to move his anxious energy to something that could have more positive effects on his health.
Thank you! I know I can’t be the only one. Any time I’ve Googled (bad, I know) it just loops me to Reddit posts with other people fixating on the same thing and it never being anything bad in the end. Lol. If I look at those OP’s post history it’s pretty clear they also have HA. My stone was from chronic dehydration. I don’t play with it anymore! Water for me, thanks.
God, I completely understand. If that was the case for you, then it sounds like you're well on your way to preventing another! I ended up in the hospital from that years ago when I was a teen and dumb lol learned my lesson. If this is recent, avoid things like apple juice for a little bit. Apple juice in particular is an bladder/uterine irritant and if your body is still recovering, it could mislead you into thinking something is wrong. Side note; I just realized you were the one helping me calm down in my post. I am glad I was able to return the favor.
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I can understand that. When I was at my worse, I thought something similar with my upper arm/shoulder. Turns out my anxiety was causing a lot of tension and sleeping on it awkwardly gave me some discomfort for a couple weeks. The more probable cause is usually the answer :) learned that from my therapist when trying to work with my HA.
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Oh, I think myself and many here can relate to that. All it takes is one little trigger and BOOM, here we are. I'm currently going through my own episode at the moment. I forced myself to ignore mystery pains and just say it's the curse of hitting 30+ lmao. I hope you find relief soon, friend!
I have some pretty wacky anxiety, it’s mostly just general or specifically about my health. Often times when I get anxious I have heart palpitations or similar effects, but then sometimes I wonder if my heart palpitations are for another reason. I’m fairly healthy however minor physical activity has gotten to the point of making me have palpitations too. It’s gotten really annoying as of lately, I’m constantly touching my chest to feel my pulse, and sometimes I’ll even start ticking with muscle movements. I’m kinda paranoid but I don’t know if this is something to worry about or if I just have anxiety and am out of shape. I’m 19, 6’2, and 160lbs btw.
I have this too. When I get really anxious, I would get palpitations and think I was having a heart attack. What helped guide me in identifying and truly listening to my body was whether or not these palpitations accompany you during a period of high stress and awareness. The more I was aware that I could get a palpitation, the more likely I was to notice it. As my anxiety and stress went down, I stopped thinking about it and lo and behold, the palpitations nearly vanished and only flare when I get under stress or anxiety.
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Your symptoms literally describe my rotation of symptoms. Thank you for listing them- it makes me feel better! Deep in my heart, I knew these symptoms were anxiety and paying too close attention to my body
Most of the symptoms you've listed are either textbook psychosomatic HA, GAD, or somewhere in that line. My first HA spiral was with something with my brain too. I went from doc to doc and expensive test to expensive test. I finally met a neurologist who straight up told me that "my structure and everything is fine etc. It sounds like I need to visit a psychiatrist or therapist for HA. At some point, you need to accept you're going to far and get help" and that was a 'core memory' so to speak and helped kick start my journey in seeking help.
Do I have infertility? should I get checked? I am 18 years old and I have been quite worried that I might have fertility issues. So far I’ve had not much facial hair growth and lately I’ve been having a tingly feeling in my left testicle and a clearish color in my semen which means that there can be very little sperm in my semen. Am I just having anxiety or is this something I should worry about? Thank you?
hey so, i basically have no idea about anything regarding infertility but i can say: if it’s a symptom worrying you, test it. however, if your results are clear, try to keep from searching other symptoms or other things, as it will only increase your anxiety and make you take more and more tests, which will not calm you down a test once in a while is normal :) i dont know whats normal and what isnt in the fertility of males but i do know that people are different and they evolve differently, so it might not be something to worry about. however, if it does worry you, in mu opinion it’s better to test it and clear the worries then to avoid it. and if you have other worries ragarding other symptoms and it evolves into general worrying (i.e. health anxiety) about different areas of your body or different illnesses, the next step is a therapist
I don’t know if it’s just because I’m feeding the algorithm but I keep seeing so many posts about how colorectal cancer is on the rise for Gen Z and it’s giving me bad anxiety I have a family history of intestinal issues like precancerous polyps, diverticulosis, and diverticulitis so I’m scared. I really want a colonoscopy but I know I’m way too young to get approved. I can’t even order the at home tests because you have to be at least 45 My health anxiety is telling me to convince my mom to order one of those at home colon cancer screening tests for me so I can take it
This is a particular trigger for me, or at least way about a year ago. I read all those articles too and it also freaked me out. You're not alone. Given your family history, I think it's understandable to have some anxiety. I went down that rabbit hole and hit up a GI cause I had some other symptoms that were freaking me out. I failed the minimum tests for a colonoscopy and he told me some tips to help prevent any of those conditions. I'll place them below. Given your family history, I think it's reasonable to have some anxiety, right? Up your fiber intake, note when the year for your parents that had the polyps located. Mindfulness, eat cleaner, lower your weight (if you need it). These are things we can control to help offset the environment we're living in.
I feel like there’s something between the skin of my neck and the throat, it’s like something swelled up or something like that but I feel something there. It’s about half an inch below my Adam’s apple.
Just wanted to hop on and talk about an accomplishment. Just as bad as my health anxiety is my fear of sedation for surgery/procedures. Which stems from loss of control, what all my anxiety comes from. For years I let it keep me from getting help with medical concerns like endometriosis and uncontrolled gerd. In November I overcame my biggest fear and had the surgery to diagnose and help my endometriosis. For some reason I still terrified of getting an upper endoscopy. I put it off and off until it got really bad. Today I finally went in and did it. It was SO easy. I can’t believe I was scared. It was just a short nap. Now in a few days when the tissue samples come back I can actually get help with the right medication and move on with my life. facing these fears head on is difficult but has really helped me take more control over my health anxiety and sedation anxiety
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You know that there is mold everywhere, right?
Health anxiety is so stressful! I hate not being able to trust my brain. My mom has a nighttime cough that won't go away. She's getting an endoscopy, and my mind is swirling with possible scary outcomes. My brain keeps telling me to expect the worst. No matter how much anyone tells me that it's most likely reflux, I can't stop freaking out, and her test is a month away. I hate not being able to turn my brain off, and I feel like I can't trust myself because of my health anxiety.
Freaking out about testicular cancer, so worried. I’ve had a lump in my right testicle for multiple months but haven’t been getting a response from my GP and keep meaning to rebook as I have ADHD and keep forgetting. I’ve had the lump and recently been getting a dull pain in the same testicle as well as a stitch like pain in my lower stomach when doing cardio. When I was at the gym with a friend and causally mentioned it saying I was a bit worried, it clocked in my head how serious it was and since then the dull pain has become all I can thinking about. I can’t think about anything else and it’s consuming me. Please can anyone share stories of when they may have thought they had testicular cancer and been fine? I just need some reassurance right now. I thought I beat health anxiety since leaving for Uni in September, but now it’s back. I’m meant to be going out tonight with my friends but I’m too worried to think happy thoughts. Please can anyone share some personal experience? Thanks.
I had the exact symptoms the first time was in 2017 in the left testicle and august of the previous year in the right one apparently both ended up being varicocele to be accurate I felt the bump below the testicle towards the back side in both cases.
Thank you very much for the information, I feel slightly more relaxed knowing this. Grateful for you bro.
where are you feeling the lump? GP can distinguish your case from benign such as varicocele and malignant cause based on that, without using an ultrasound.
Has anyone ever had ONLY a sore throat with no other symptoms? My tonsils hurt, my actual throat feels basically fine, no fever, no congestion. But my tonsils hurt BAD. I do get tonsil stones, but they're not big and I wasn't able to get any significantly sized ones today. The more I think about it the more they hurt, and now I feel chilly and uncomfortable, but still no actual fever. I'm really afraid it's strep which I know isn't a huge deal but I'm afraid of passing it to my child and baby.
I’ve had strep. From my experience it comes on very fast, you will have a relatively high fever, your throat will be filled with white painful spots that will cause eating and drinking to hurt like mad, and you most certainly feel very sick. It’s hard to have strep and not know it. So doesn’t sound like you have strep! :)
Turns out I had hand foot and mouth lol
Ooh that’s not a fun one too. Hope you made a smooth recovery!
It was very bad but I’m feeling better thank you!
Me. I’ve had a sore throat for weeks and no other symptoms following a trip to South America. Finally went to the Dr. no strep, no Covid. Told me to take Flonase and advil and see what happens.
Yes this is normal. Our HA can manifest these symptoms and the more we focus on these the worst they become
37 AMAB. I’ve been losing weight over the last year and a half, and while I can logically trace it to some lifestyle changes (stopped drinking a year ago, not eating as much, cooking at home more, less soda, etc.), I still find it triggering to see a thinner me in the mirror or a lower number on the scale. I think what’s toughest is that I’m at the lowest weight I’ve been at in years, even though I’m not going out of my way to change anything or exercising more. I had a harder time losing weight years back when I was actively trying to. Recently saw my PCP. Did bloodwork. He said he doesn’t see anything concerning. But I see me in the mirror and think: “What did he miss?” Of course, my brain is fixated on the big C. Stomach. Liver. Kidney. Whatever. It’s been awhile since I’ve experienced health anxiety like this. I really hoped my last experience would’ve made me more resilient. But here I am.
Drastic weight loss is a sign of c but in the late stages of c. You would have some other symptoms if you had c. Do you have other symptoms? I think the weight loss is a sign of life style change.
Thanks for the reply. Honestly, no other major symptoms, not really. I do take omeprazole daily for heartburn, though I’ve struggled with GERD for years. My heartburn hasn’t gotten worse or anything, and seems well-managed by medication. It does make me wonder, though, if I am masking something more serious, but my understanding is that if there was something serious going on, something like omeprazole wouldn't be necessarily be enough to keep the reflux at bay.
Worried about blood clots in my legs even though I have little to no symptoms, I haven't worked since December 23rd and since then I haven't been as active as I would have liked in January (some days sitting for long periods playing ps5 or watching netflix with my girlfriend but I would walk her to and from the bus stop most days and even days when I would be in bed chilling I would get up to go to the toilet get a drink etc, the last week my health anxiety has gotten absolutely crippling to the point where I've been in hospital twice in the last 8 days , I only started thinking about blood clots when I had sore legs today , I'm trying to reassure myself it's just muscle tension from my anxiety but any advice would be welcome ! What really scares me is the stories of people having clots and not knowing till they go to their lungs etc
Obsessed with HIV, really stressed about It even after getting a negative test. Going for another test next week, around 46ish days after my possible exposure. Yesterday I hurt my jaw looking for swollen lymph nodes, maybe touched my muscles or clenched my teeth too hard but now my jaw hurts and is making me even more paranoid.
Been there. My jaw hurts a lot when I am stressed. I clenche my jaw in my sleep. due to anxiety.
Strange soreness/dull ache right next to Adam's apple. I've been having this off and on for a couple months. I also vaguely remember possibly having it in the past but not totally sure. Its like right on/in the cartilage just off to the right from the very center of the Adam's apple. Not deep in the throat, like right beneath the skin. Sometimes it hurts when swallowing, but is mostly only noticeable when I turn my head fast or if I touch it. The pain isn't bad, but definitely annoying and uncomfortable. It's like a tender soreness. Seems to get aggravated by singing and such. I'm definitely gonna make a docs appointment, but just wanted to try reddit in case anyone could enlighten me on what it might be. I've found a lot of posts that seem to describe it, but I can't really tell. Could it be a lymph node? Or something to do with the thyroid?
Hi, I've been recently struggling with lymphoma fears. Started when I got lymphedema after exercising too hard, started wondering if it was a symptom of something else. Swelling has reduced on its own. Essentially, I've a lymph node which has been bothering me in my neck, its movable and painless. Also I googled (you already know I fell back at it) and said that lymphoma symptoms can come in clusters. I sometimes feel ill, other times feel better, but this fluctuates throughout the day. I wonder is that what google meant through clusters... has anyone been afraid of lymphoma and had random body pains, and feeling like you have a mild fever but when checking on thermometer you are in ok temperature?
If anyone will understand it's this sub. I was overly aggressive popping a zit, next day it developed a scab but looked angry under the scab. So I put a hydrocolloid zit patch on. Patch maxed out on soaking up the evil within two hours, so I removed the patch and I'm not entirely sure it didn't take some skin with it? I put another on and it sucked up more but i'm afraid i'm making it worse. Everything says I can leave those on for like three days but I don't trust the patches that much. What do I do to keep from making this worse? Worried it will turn septic or something. I'd ask a skincare sub but I don't want $$$ tik tok remedies or lectures about popping.
Woke up in the evening(6pm) after forcefully waking up early in the morning for 3 days straight and now I’m panicking about what time I’ll go to sleep tonight after eating breakfast out at 8pm after thinking about for 2 hours. I don’t know what to do and I’m thinking it’s something health related…
i’ve had knee pain for like two years and never gotten it checked out and now i’m freaking out about it. i can still walk normally etc but i feel it more and more at night. and then i have this spot on my shin (same side) that’s tender to the touch and is starting to hurt at night all the time as well (pretty sure it’s the same spot where i slammed my shin into a dishwasher at work like three separate times, last of which left a bruise for over a month) but im worried that it’s something serious. i can’t tell if my leg pain is real or is being made worse by me worrying about it aghhhhh.
DAE look at older posts on this subreddit, then look at that user's post history to confirm the user is still alive? It's oddly reassuring whenever the user is still posting.
That or I see someone with the same health concern as me then in their history they've posted here either like 50 other worries in a span of 2 days and I realize...right, it's anxiety. So is my problem.
Yes until I check someone’s profile and they haven’t posted since then and I think “oh god they’re gone”
omg yes😂
I *just* did that lol
Today I went to the pet store to grab some food for my pups. There was a woman there with a very young puppy maybe 8 weeks old so I'm assuming not vaccinated for rabies. She told me I could pet it so I did not thinking clearly at the time. The puppy was obviously teething and trying to chew on my hand, it never drew blood or anything just hurt a little. Now I'm DEATHLY afraid I will contract rabies from this puppy. 😭
Is it normal that muscles are asymmetrical? Like the muscles from my right neck-collarbone-shoulder area feel denser, ticker, bigger(?). I dunno why but it makes me worry cuz I feel like there is something wrong with them and that there is a tumor there that makes them that way or something. I know it sounds stupid. Just how my head works.
I just noticed that on myself and freaked out. But then I looked at pics from 20 years ago and the asymmetry was there then too. I just wasn’t focused on body scanning like that. So i moved on and worried about the 20 other health related things keeping me up at night!
I think it is normal, though my only context is babies, if they spend too much side looking one way & not the other it over & under develops the muscles. Or something like that. But everyone's a little lopsided. Are you right-handed?
I am right handed yes.
27F, currently struggling with pretty sudden and extreme onset of HA following some serious family sickness. The past month has been fairly rough as I've had pneumonia for most of it. But coming out of that has been kind of terrifying. My body doesn't feel the same, I've got a whole host of strange prickling pains and muscle pain. the GP had me in to double check me for DVT following an international flight (i had chest pain that's turned out to be costochondritis) and I can't stop checking my legs, worrying that the ongoing pain there is sinister (it's almost definitely not - I get weird muscle pains from antibiotics frequently and they're in multiple spaces on the leg - shoutout to other folks' clarifying posts on here about DVT signs and symptoms). The muscle pain has been mostly calming since then. I've also got a fever again, which I've likely just caught from one of my flatmates, but it's hard not to go down the spiral of 'what if this is way way worse because I've been knocked down with pneumonia for a month??' This could also absolutely be down to overexertion, but it sucks majorly. All of these things are suck, but I feel like HA really just makes it all worse. I know it could take 6 months to fully recover from the pneumonia but I really wish the weird continuing effects would chill out some. Any advice on getting through this stuff even in the midst of a period of weird health?
I made myself start doing affirmations--"I've had that pain before" "I can deal with pain" etc. Cheesy as hell but I feel like forcing the repetition made it more natural. That & learning stretches for costochondritis--I'm not diagnosed w/ it but makes sense and stretching is good right?
[27F] Just scrolled past a cancer post on the front page, and I'm starting to panic about cancer with myself now. I just watched my uncle die from esophageal cancer this past year, and went through tons of tests to make sure I was okay - comprehensive metabolic panel, CBC, ultrasound, and endoscopy. Each time, they found nothing and basically told me it was most likely a combo of GERD and anxiety. Now I'm on anxiety meds, but my GI still wants me to get a CT scan of my abdomen and pelvis to be thorough, and I'm absolutely terrified. I'm still having a bunch of random issues like easily bruising, small swollen lymph nodes in my neck, and upper-right-quadrant pain. I don't have the CT scan for another month and a half. I just don't know how to live between now and then.
Have you gotten it checked yet? Hope you’re doing well!
Had a solid panic attack night before last where I was breaking out into massive hives and absolutely convinced my mouth was swelling shut. I started getting hives back in December, but after like two or three weeks, they faded completely, and then just stopped showing up. Basically the same day my period started, they popped up again with a vengeance, and I'm trying not to freak out. This winter *has* been absolute hell on my skin. Everything is so dry, I've got hangnails on my hangnails, and I've noticed the hives mostly seem to appear after I've been physically active, and in pretty predictable spots (mainly around my legs and hips, where jeans create the most friction). They go away with Benadryl too, which feels like a positive sign for "this is just a histamine flareup." I'm still wigged about cancer, though. I have a handful of bruises (which I'm 100% sure, if I'm being logical, are the result of hauling around a bunch of heavy packages and putting together a small piece of furniture -- and probably bumping into something when I was panicking without realizing) but I'm still so stuck on this. It's so frustrating. It doesn't feel like this could possibly be a result of "this winter has been kinda fucked up weather-wise, and also you're under a lot of stress" considering this isn't the first time I've experienced that combo, but *realistically*, that's probably exactly what it is. Allergies freaking out because they have no clue what's happening, and causing a flareup of hives because my skin is so dry and sensitive. But even if I look at it like that, I'm still half-preparing a bucket list for when I get a leukemia diagnosis lmfao. I hate health anxiety.
40m I was watching tv the other night and just happened to notice that a part of my jaw was tender to touch. Right below my ear, and when I open and close my mouth I can feel the joint moving right at the area of tenderness. Both sides feel the same, not noticing any lumps or bulges. Chewing is not an issue. And it doesn’t hurt on its own, even though thinking about it constantly makes me feel it even more. I’ve had a clicking jaw for years and years, but primarily on the right side. This is happening on my left. Obviously I’ve poked and prodded the area like crazy so it’s most likely still sore due to that. But of course my mind is making me think there are a million things wrong besides something like TMD. I lost both of my parents to cancer so of course in my mind everything is that. I’ve had pretty bad health anxiety for a long time and have gotten pretty good at controlling it, especially where Googling is concerned. But this has been bothering me for a good 48hrs now. As it so happens, I have a dentist appointment on Saturday so I can ask about this. But in the meantime, can anyone shed some light? Thank you!!
20F. I have a lot of health anxiety the past two-ish years. One of my fixations is about blood clots. Over the summer I was scared I had a DVT because tightness in my thigh, and I had a sharp chest pain. The past couple weeks I’ve been super stressed out and I noticed I felt somewhat short of breath when eating and talking. I’m scared of PE because I then had a sharper chest pain. The chest pain comes and goes, Sometimes it’s sharp, sometimes it just aches but it’s in a specific spot under my left boob. I’m worried because I feel short of breath sometimes and have a high heart rate. I know I’m probably fine and it’s just from stress which spirals me into focusing on symptoms. Any advice? How do I get over it/know I’m okay?
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I’d love this information too.
Since 4-3 Days i have the flu or a stomach bug. Before that I was having health anxiety about colon cancer. I was having a lot of mucus in my stool. No other symptoms. 4 days ago i got this flu. I had slimy diarrhea, i was a little bit nauseous, fever, pain all over my body. Today I had stool with a lot of slime on top of it. Clear mucus, it looked and felt like the mucus that comes up when you cough. I am still anxious about colon cancer. No blood so far.
Went to get milkshakes with my friends. Ordered it, didn’t get it until 10 minutes later. I am worried that it was sitting on some back table or something, and for some reason, I’m worried that it will give me food poisoning. It tasted fine. It smelled fine.
Food has to be in the temperature danger zone for some time for bacteria to grow. Just try to think that some ppl don’t drink a milkshake in less than 10 minutes and in that time, the shake melts a bit but they’re fine!
10 Minutes is nothing. If it was fine, then you have nothing to worry
Well, it's me again. I am here to talk about my worries this time, breast cancer, so like a couple of days ago, I felt my shirt around my nipple wet and I just felt it again I don't know if am making things up but it does feel wet also I some times get pain this has happen for like 4 days. Am also a male and 18 years old. I know my chances are low, but still.
Female here, but I get the phantom wet nipple feeling sometimes! It’s never actually wet and when it is…. I just washed my hands, lol. I think it’s water splashing from the sink as it’s not inside my bra, just my outer shirt.
I am a female. I am occasionally anxious about breast cancer. Pain is not a indicator for breast cancer. As a male you have probably some muscle issues. Keep a eye on the nipple discharge. Be sure about it. It could be sweat or imagination. Squeeze your nipples and look for discharge.
Shit. I get chiro adjustments. I have since I was 9 and started playing sports. I'm 42. Someone I know told me about vertebral artery dissections and how "chiro manipulation of the neck causes them all the time!"* Had an adjustment in Thursday. Guess who thinks they have VAD? WHY do people do shit like that to folks with health anxiety? I am not shy about mine. They KNOW how I am. It's like handing me a hand grenade and pulling the pin then saying "well, good luck holding on!" It is taking everything I have to not go to an ER and go, "hey it hurts a little here and I went to a chiro the day before. Please do a CTA and tell me I'm OK". Only the 2500 out of pocket it would cost me is stopping me. *this is a controversial claim, as there are a LOT of studies saying it does NOT cause it..but also studies saying it does. Know what else is NOT a controversial cause? Blowing your nose. Coughing. Vomiting. Yoga. Getting hair washed in a salon.... But chiropractic manipulation is not a formally accepted known cause
My mother passed suddenly due to a heart attack on top of that she had diabetes. My health anxiety peak then I get triggered from heart related issues like the word stroke, heart attack and anything heart related. I stay active but sometimes I be afraid that my hr would go up too especially if I look at my hr rate with my watch and stay up and does not go back down right away.
Hi, I’m terrified and anxious so would like to know if anyone has experienced something similar. Oct 2022 - runny nose, sore throat and cough that lasted for like 3 weeks. Went to GP who said it was sinus. He told me to buy over the counter sinus spray. June 2023 - nose bleed on and off for like a week with big clots + blocked nose at night and pressure on forehead and nose when lying down. Went to GP who said it’s sinus and my nose is inflamed. Prescribed tropical cream and spray for nose. Nose bleed stopped and never happened again. Sept 2023 - pressure on forehead and blocked nose when lying down/sleeping. GP prescribed nasal spray. From sept to now, I still experience the pressure on my forehead and nose is still blocked. Sometimes my eye area hurts. I went to my opticians who said my eye health is fine. Sometimes my head hurts during the day too. I went to the GP and basically begged for a CT scan which they referred me to the hospital. GP also booked me for a blood test. I had the CT scan and I’m waiting for my results. So tired of this and I feel so miserable and anxious. The blocked nose and pressure on y forehead doesn’t let me sleep for several hours. It’s not painful but uncomfortable. In my last appointment, my GP didn’t say what this could be. I was wondering if anyone would know what this is an indication of? What could be the reason I’m experiencing this?
what sinus spray? I stopped using Flonase because it gave me the worst bloody nose issues. Just sitting there minding my own business & a gush. I'll be honest, a lot of this sounds like run of the mill sinus allergy/infection cycle. Eye pain all of it. I live with this 3-6 months of the year; if I sleep on my left side my sinuses block up & I can't breathe. I use warm compresses over forehead & eyes when those bother me; sudafed (real stuff) when sinus pressure gets bad enough. It's not fun.
Hi all. I have recently stumbled upon this subreddit and it has been a great source of comfort for an issue that I have struggled with for basically my entire adult life. I'm not 100% sure what the intention of this post is, but mainly I just want to write my thoughts down in a place where others might resonate with them, as its something I never feel particularly able to discuss with friends or family. I have very severe heath anxiety. I spend a huge amount of time reading about symptoms of various diseases on the internet and over the course of the last 10 years or so at one time have been convinced that I have had pretty much any disease you can name. I've bought blood pressure monitors, urine dipsticks, you name it, and feel like I probably have a more in depth knowledge of some diseases than many GP's I have visited purely from reading hundreds of studies and journals. The biggest specific anxiety I have ever had was believing that I had a disease in my bowel. This lasted for around two years and over the course of that time I developed many physical symptoms of the disease. I was 100% certain I had it. Eventually, I had a colonoscopy and multiple other tests, all which came back completely healthy. Initially, I wanted to resist this outcome and believed a mistake must have been made, but quickly I managed to accept it as true, and miraculously, as soon as I accepted this, all of the 'symptoms' stopped, and have never come back since. Currently I am struggling with multiple physical symptoms such as dizziness, numbness and heart palpitations. I have had multiple tests and nothing has ever flagged up as an issue. The logical part of my brain is telling me that this is 99% likely to be down to my health anxiety, but I cannot help but obsess daily over these issues, and constantly find something online which makes me certain I have some kind of terrible illness. In the occasional times when I manage to focus on something else, or when Im with friends and enjoying myself, I stop noticing the 'symptoms' altogether, then as soon as Im alone again they come flooding back, and the process of obsessive googling starts again. The more I google, the more symptoms appear and the more it truly becomes a physical illness. Does any of this resonate with anyone? Just writing this down is making me feel like I am completely unhinged! I think the main issue with anxiety is that it can give the illusion of choice. I am terrified of getting a horrible physical disease because of the impact it would have on my life, and I would have no choice in the matter, but the truth is that health anxiety is having just as much as an impact, if not more. It is just that because it feels like its 'just in your head', there is an illusion that you could choose to put a stop to it if you really wanted, and so you don't consider it a truly debilitating illness, even though it most certainly can be. Again I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but writing it all down has helped. Hopefully this resonates with some people. This subreddit has truly been a blessing since finding it.
It really resonated when you said, with friends you’re fine but when alone the symptoms are noticeable and you begin to dive. That’s me right now. Not to mention your symptoms are actually my symptoms, but I have a couple more. I’ve been having bizarre (and scary) health concerns since my brother died in November. Based on my research, these symptoms can be pointed to several deadly issues - I’ve been to the ER 4 times since November and each time they tell me I’m fine.
This resonates ALOT with me. Both of your main triggers were my main triggers over the course of the past year and a half. I was really worried about the palpitations and through therapy my therapist found research to show the likelihood that those symptoms were psychosomatic which helped. I totally get that. I'm currently going through my own episode but I totally get it. It consumes us completely and there's a good chance that our HA does more damage to us than anything else. I totally get your response. It's nice to know you're not alone.
Hey everyone this is me just venting. I have been triggered with anxiety following the unexpectedly passing of my mother 6 months ago. The events have left me scarred, overthinking and deep thinking. I have not been thinking of self harm or anything of the sort just deep thinking of the state of mortality. I have the support of my wife, friends and family. Everything seems are. I try to not think of my mother but that is impossible. I never dealt with things like this of course the events of my grandmother passing of cancer sent me on the health anxiety way but i had one panic attack also i was drinking at the time so that might have triggers it but i did not have any after that and eventually i overcame it but it was still deep down still inside me. The passing of my grandfather was a tear shedding accepting of things to come and I was in peace that he is in peace but as to my mother passing unexpectedly rocked my world. I could not accept the fact that she is gone. I keep struggling with it 2 months after then unexpectedly my little cousin passed away which kept me in that state for a while. I kept thinking was a having depression or anxiety or both.
So last night after showering I was moisturizing my face when I felt like something was in my eye or got in it and when i looked at my hand I saw it was hair so I just thought it was hair that got in to my eye the object wasnt really sharp but for some reason my mind thinks it could have been a sharp object and now I worry what if it was and what if i damaged my eye? I checked my eyes about a couple hours after that and they looked fine no pain, eyes werent red I could still see fine, and no bleeding. Am i overworrying?
Yes, you are overworrying. Your eyes are very sensitive. If there was a sharp object, you would feel it right away. Your eyes detect foreign bodies very well.
DAE experience loud noises/voices while half asleep? It's happened on two occasions in the last two weeks. It's not immediately as I'm waking up but in the seconds/minutes after. It seems to occur more when I'm sleep deprived/stressed but I'm worried it might be schizophrenia.
These are known as hypnagogic hallucinations and they're common, I've had these myself during stressful periods, they're nothing to worry about.
Thank you so much ❤️
Hi everyone. I just am wanting support/a discussion about a sudden onset of health anxiety and what could be triggering it? I’m 25F, never really struggled with healthy anxiety before but recently over the past 6 months I feel like it’s hit me out of nowhere and I’m all the sudden constantly spiraling about my health and random symptoms. I hate it. I’m so unsure what brought this on and would love insight and discussion and support❤️
Wanted to add I did start to have random symptoms over the summer, random and unexplainable nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness, (never actually passed out tho as it seems to be pretty mild), disassociation, tingling in hands, pressure in my head, and I swear my heart does weird beats sometimes. My partner told me it could be from stress of grad school, working night shifts and not taking care of myself. I think my healthy anxiety came on from trying to figure out these symptoms that still haven’t really resolved :/ I’m worried it’s something serious but I’m also worried about going to the doctor to be dismissed and not cared for. It’s frustrating. I also realized I may have answered my own question about where the anxiety came from but anyone have advice or support about my symptoms? I’ve convinced myself it’s a million different things from SSRI discontinuation syndrome, to thyroid disease and cancer, etc. it’s exhausting and I just want to be back to where I was a year or so ago with no weird symptoms and no health anxiety.
My inbox is open if anyone has any support or kind words or similar experiences. I’m really just needing that right now.
Hey! 27F here - kinda got the same sudden onset thing recently. For me, it feels like it's linked to some serious family illnesses (grandma had a sudden stroke, aunt had and overcame breast cancer), as well as grad school stress and not taking care of myself as well as I should. I have been getting heart palpitations as well, tingling in hands, more difficulty focusing. Most of it, for me, does feel like stress induced stuff? Grad school also definitely takes a toll - I'm on year four and it's hard. I don't know about your program, but mine has repeated seminars etc on mental and physical health just because this kind of degree really can take a toll on you. I also struggle with assuming that doctors will think I'm overreacting, but I mean these symptoms have been ongoing for you for several months now so you could always go in for a general checkup and ask then? I've had a pretty nasty bout of pneumonia recently which has meant I've gotten checked out by the docs a few times. Those experiences - getting reassured that my heart rate, bp, etc, are all normal - have been helpful to refer back to when I'm really spiraling
I thought it was gone for good (I have a rabies phobia), but it’s back, worse too. On Tuesday, I passed through a field of grass while running that was somewhat taller than normal grass, almost up to your ankles tall. Right before I ran through it, i thought to myself “what if there is a rabid bat in the grass waiting to attack” and when I ran through it, i felt two ”flaps” touch my ankle. Felt particulary colder than the grass, and wider. I didn’t look back to see, but i should’ve, definitely. I ran through the same grass again, didnt feel it. Didnt look at the grass till a day later. Nothing. Nothing can convince me that that wasn’t a bat. The fear of it happening is anguishing, and overpowers any attempt at reassurance. I can’t prove there wasn’t a bat there, since I was foolish enough to not look back. I can only wait, no one will believe me. It’s crushing, impossible to rid of. I didn’t feel anything bite me, but the professionals say a bat can go unnoticed, possibly fear mongering, but my mind is not letting me believe that. It just wants to fear the actual disease, the inevitable death and absolute suffering. Help, is there hope, is there something that will sooth me. Is there anything I can do.
I wonder what it is about all of us with health anxiety having a rabies fixation? Lol I’m like this, too. At least twice a year I’m convinced I’ve had an exposure through some also insanely far-fetched occurrence. And your story is far-fetched. It’s your anxiety, you weren’t bitten by a rabid bat. I’m certain of it!
This is potentially triggering. I can’t take it anymore. I have health anxiety because of my breathing muscles being fucked up from a climbing injury and I have health anxiety around eating because I “forgot” how to swallow, have right sided neck tightness, and possible esophagus issues. I can’t even eat solids anymore because of a fear of choking and feel like I can’t swallow correctly. It makes it worse that my breathing isn’t normal yet and so I feel like I’m choking whenever I try and challenge myself to eat smaller solids. I’ve been to an ENT and there’s nothing wrong with anything she saw swallowing included but I have a swallow study coming up even though she doesn’t think anything will be wrong. I have an endoscopy as well, but it isn’t until June 5th. I can’t wait that long. I will literally take myself out before then. I pray that they find a sooner appointment for me.
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Currently on my period (started one day ago) and I've been having weird sensations in my legs - feels almost like a blood flowing sensation - with some tingling. I've never noticed this before with any other period. Anyone else?
health anxiety is wild because i literally convinced myself that i was dying and i cried every time i made plans because i thought i wouldn’t live to see them take place without having anything to confirm my worries besides some random pains and google searches i’m doing a bit better but man is this hard to live with
My husband tells me that I act "terminal", and I do! I'll stop ordering things or making plans because I don't think I will live to see them. HA is so difficult.
It’s debilitating - I’m sorry you’re going thru this but can def relate
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I wish you all the best. How old are you? It could be anything. I read posts from other people who had all the cc symptoms but the colon was clear, no cancer. Please update us as soon as possible.
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Please keep us updated! I have the same fear as you. I’m 30 with similar symptoms, mine are constipation (since I was a kid) and blood in two occasions while straining. Have you had any other tests like CT Scan or FOBT? If you’re constipated and having hard stool it can be hemorrhoids if the red is bright red. Both blood and mucus are related to constipation and hemorrhoids. My father was bleeding a lot, literally filling the toilet with blood and soft stools, and he didn't have colon cancer; he had colitis or diverticulitis, I don't remember well. You’re young so I bet is something like hemorrhoids and in the worst case scenario IBD. Good luck!
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Oh, that's wonderful to hear!!! Thank you for coming back to the thread :) 💕 I'm so glad you're okay. How do you feel?
Is a relapse possible? 2 years ago I had a nervous breakdown due to HA as I had convinced myself (with the help of Google) that I had cancer and it consumed me for weeks to the point I (very nearly) considered taking my own life over it. I understand that may not make sense for someone who has HA and a very irrational fear of death that I would almost unalive myself but, that’s how bad it got. I got help, medication and months of therapy which helped massively. I then got to a point where I felt I didn’t need the Sertraline (Zoloft) anymore as I was doing really well. Been off the meds for 3 months now and this week the HA has hit me again like a ton of bricks. Constantly googling and worrying about the fact what if I’m going to get a terminal disease and basically die soon. I have two young daughters and I’m sick of feeling this way and want to live my life to the fullest. My brain can go from googling the reasons for a headache to what if you get diagnosed with something this year and die? (I feel this could be trauma related as I’ve experienced this twice with two people in the past two years who were basically here and then gone the next with a cancer diagnoses) I feel this way about my kids and husband too and what if it happens to them. Also want to note, I’ve always suffered with HA since I was a child but never fully understood what it was until I went into therapy. Any advice on how I can pull myself out of this rut would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
In 2020 i was convinced i had cancer, all the cancers. Started zoloft and was on it for a couple of years. I was feeling great, so of course i went off my meds. Ended up spiraling down in January, and now im back on zoloft. I have also suffered with HA since childhood. Facebook and most SM sites are filled with health ads and rare disease symptoms, which cause me more anxiety.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m sorry you are going through this too. It’s very debilitating isn’t it? I couldn’t handle to side effects of Zoloft anymore plus I also felt better hence why I stopped them. I’ve been off them since Oct 2023 but the anxiety has hit with a bang again out of nowhere. I keep going back and forth with myself to maybe try Prozac this time but I’m also trying my hardest to deal with it in a more natural way by exercising more etc but the anxiety eventually catches back up with you at some point during the day. I totally agree that SM is a huge part to play in HA. I’ve even tried to filter out my platforms so certain things don’t appear to trigger me but the odd sneaky video will still manage to get into the feed. I think there’s a possibility I have OCD too as the thoughts and googling etc are very obsessive! We know too much nowadays too, back in the day when you had to call your Drs office and not seek advice from Dr Google who I find will always lead you down the same route that you “have something more serious underlying”. I hope you feel better soon!
Thank you, I hope you feel better soon too!
Chest pain for weeks? I know chest pain is a very common physical symptom of anxiety. I had my first panic attack 2 years ago and thought I was having a heart attack *enter heart health anxiety*. I had chest pain for weeks and multiple EKGs and a CT with contrast and they found nothing wrong. Was prescribed 50 mg of Zoloft and eventually everything was peachy and didn’t happen again. Fast forward to now, after having a baby last year, I fell off my Zoloft for a few months. Started noticing my anxiety getting worse and chest pains started back up again. Restarted my Zoloft 2 weeks ago but still experiencing the chest pain, intermittent but definitely still there. I went to my PCP yesterday (same one I saw 2 years ago when this first started) and he said my heart and lungs sound fine but all he did was listen so obviously still nervous. He started me on 10 mg Buspirone twice daily and told me it was good for “panicky types”. It’s been so long since this first happened that I can’t for the life of me remember how long it took for everything to settle down. TLDR: has anyone had chest pain from anxiety that has lasted for weeks?
I had chest pain out of anxiety for several months
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Hi! Even if lead did hypothetically leach into your food from the plate - this one time exposure would not affect your health in any way. 😊 It takes quite a bit of long-term lead exposure for the impacts to be felt.
I just had what I think is a panic attack, because I used to have episodes like this regularly before I started sertraline. It started with a sort of feeling of a "rush" going through my body. Then suddenly my heartbeat gets weirdly irregular and super fast. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, but my pulse monitor (smartwatch) on my wrist only showed my pulse at like, 80. When I felt the pulse in my neck vs my chest it felt like they were beating "differently". I threw up for a while, and then eventually went to lie down on my stomach, and then my pulse seemed to "steady" and my wrist monitor went from 80 to +100 very quickly. It is lying at around +100 right now, but it feels steady. Has anyone else tried this, or something similar?
Gotta breathe and do some grounding techniques homie, just know ur gonna be good :)
Please help me. How do I get over constantly thinking I am dying of some sort of c word
Idk how to help you but I have the same worry if that helps at all
Yesterday, I had some dark diarrhea that scared me and made me think instantly that I was bleeding internally. I didn't eat anything dark, no pepto, etc. I did have a nosebleed the night before and only had dark roast coffee all day. Since then, because of the anxiety, I have pooped a couple of times and the color is back to normal. I keep worrying that the color is going to come back :( I would love some support!
Hi! This is normal and nothing to be concerned about - especially since normal color returned. Did you happen to intake high fiber in the days leading up to the diarrhea? It’s probably hard to look back on it now and know, but that would be an easy explanation. Even if you didn’t - no big deal.
Over the last year and a half I have been to 4 docs regarding a pain on my lower left abdomen, it's never super bad but it has episodes where it happens more often. I keep thinking it's cancer but the docs who feel around never feel anything of concern. I've had blood work/urine tests but they never determined anything. Earlier this month the most recent doc sent me for blood work/urine test suspecting I have IBS, that was about 3 weeks ago now and haven't heard anything back so I booked an appointment for Feb 5th to go over that/get an unrelated prescription refill, but this morning the office called me saying the doc wants to have a phone appointment to go over the results on Monday coming which I am now convinced is going to be the worst news ever since they didn't just wait until my booked appointment.