How to cope with Anxiety after being diagnosed w/something?

[ButterflyGirl82]

I have been battling anxiety, sometimes panic attacks for the past 3 or so months, because I have been having tension headaches, neck and back pains etc. I believe this happened after being stressed over my mothers depression/MS and having to drop out for a semester to take care of her.

I have had a CT that came back normal. I sorta have high blood pressure for someone my age (25) , so I was put on atenolol , but mainly for my mitral valve prolapse palpatation symptoms. I am seeing a cardio this friday to make sure all is well there, as I haven't seen one in five years.

I just saw my neurologist for the first time. He believes I am suffering from tension headaches, muscle spasms from tension, and the problems I have with these headaches or neck pain is brought on by my birth. I was born naturally, when I should have been born by C section. I had temporary paralysis on my face from the bone pushing on the side of my face, one pupil is smaller and my eye is a different color from the other. He says under stress and not moving around as much as I used to is causing myself to lock up/tense up.

He gave me a pain blocker in my neck yesterday. I am on muscle relaxant, an anti inflammatory , and a tension headache medicine with codiene. He's given me some physical therapy exercises to do.

My thing is Im suffering from so much anxiety and have panic attacks almost everyday, because I still think I am going to die. I can't sleep and he suggested tynenol pm.

I start school this coming tuesday, and I am really hoping this will be the distraction I need.

Does anyone get anxiety because they are concerned about their health conditions that aren't anything to be upset about? How do you deal with it?

Thanx

[Alexcambridge]

I get that all the time it's the worst. Sometimes I think I have a brain tumor because of my tension headaches. Other times I obsess about skin cancer for some reason. I'm also traumatised by this one swollen lymph node on the back of my head. I keep thinking it means something terrible.

I deal with it be distracting myself with my education mostly lol. That and dosing up on valerian anti-stress pills haha (probably placebo but they seem to help).

[BlueSkies]

I recently was diagnosed with Gilbert's Syndrome. This is a disease that my doctors assure me should not worry me as it will not harm me. Either way i still think about it all the time and try to search for reasons it could be bad. Im 22 and I just started my 2nd last semester at school and it tends to distract me a little here and there but hopefully for you it will allow your mind to think about other things. I always get chest pains and have been checked for problems numerous times but i am never satisfied i always think it could be something that was not checked for. I doubt i will ever be satisfied with anxiety causes my chest pains but i have learned to try and deal with it at times :roll: I have been taking about 2-3 hours a night to fall asleep but i dont believe in taking a pm medicine to get me to sleep is good. Whenever i take tylenol pm it makes me wake up very bad and i feel more tired sometimes.

My advice would just be to keep yourself distracted and try and learn some breathing excercises for when you are having anxiety about your health.

Good Luck! :D

[ButterflyGirl82]

I get that all the time it's the worst. Sometimes I think I have a brain tumor because of my tension headaches. Other times I obsess about skin cancer for some reason. I'm also traumatised by this one swollen lymph node on the back of my head. I keep thinking it means something terrible.

I deal with it be distracting myself with my education mostly lol. That and dosing up on valerian anti-stress pills haha (probably placebo but they seem to help).

Thanx for responding.

Yeah, I hope my schooling will distract me too.

[ButterflyGirl82]

I recently was diagnosed with Gilbert's Syndrome. This is a disease that my doctors assure me should not worry me as it will not harm me. Either way i still think about it all the time and try to search for reasons it could be bad. Im 22 and I just started my 2nd last semester at school and it tends to distract me a little here and there but hopefully for you it will allow your mind to think about other things. I always get chest pains and have been checked for problems numerous times but i am never satisfied i always think it could be something that was not checked for. I doubt i will ever be satisfied with anxiety causes my chest pains but i have learned to try and deal with it at times :roll: I have been taking about 2-3 hours a night to fall asleep but i dont believe in taking a pm medicine to get me to sleep is good. Whenever i take tylenol pm it makes me wake up very bad and i feel more tired sometimes.

My advice would just be to keep yourself distracted and try and learn some breathing excercises for when you are having anxiety about your health.

Good Luck! :D

I'm sorry to hear about your problem. Yea, I don't think Ill resort to Tylenol PM yet...This not sleeping thing has only been a few days this past two or one week. Ever since I started these medications I worry about it, and plus the conjested nerves in the back of my head keep me up too.

I know I have a really good doctor, and I keep telling myself that etc...try to fill my mind with good thoughts, but it is still hard. And I can't keep calling to ask him about things, because he will rightfully get annoyed. He's just a really busy doctor and right now with my anxiety it is hard...

[BlueSkies]

I know what you mean-I actually get nervous to call when i really am sick with a cold or something because everytime i think i am experiencing something its nothing and i am wasting his time to a point even tho i pay for it. IF i would allow myself to i could find something to call everyday about but i try to work these things out on my own. Its a never ending story i just try to relax and tell myself everything is ok one thing i would tell you to stay away from is self searching. I feel it only makes my anxiety worse as the sites like web md can be very generalized and make things more stressful for people who suffer about their health or are diagnosed with something. I can search for hours a day about my disease and attempt to read all articles but it tells me the same things over and over and you never really know how true the information you are reading is and how many people are actually affected by what they are talking about. I hope it all works out for you and i would really try to stay away from the pm medicines even when i was just working overnights before i had anxiety they made me feel worse even tho i got more sleep.

-Feel free to message me if you have any more questions about my experiences. Just know that your not the only one because that has given me great comfort since i joined this board. :D

[ButterflyGirl82]

I know what you mean-I actually get nervous to call when i really am sick with a cold or something because everytime i think i am experiencing something its nothing and i am wasting his time to a point even tho i pay for it. IF i would allow myself to i could find something to call everyday about but i try to work these things out on my own. Its a never ending story i just try to relax and tell myself everything is ok one thing i would tell you to stay away from is self searching. I feel it only makes my anxiety worse as the sites like web md can be very generalized and make things more stressful for people who suffer about their health or are diagnosed with something. I can search for hours a day about my disease and attempt to read all articles but it tells me the same things over and over and you never really know how true the information you are reading is and how many people are actually affected by what they are talking about. I hope it all works out for you and i would really try to stay away from the pm medicines even when i was just working overnights before i had anxiety they made me feel worse even tho i got more sleep.

-Feel free to message me if you have any more questions about my experiences. Just know that your not the only one because that has given me great comfort since i joined this board. :D

Yeah, I know what you mean. I made a regular doctor appt in a panic yesterday. I am still trying to decide if I need to go or not , it is for Monday, since I did see my neuro yesterday. Yeah, I too think my reg doctor appointments are useless. The doctor doesn't really give medications out, and if I hadn't seen the neuro I would have assumed like he said it was just "anxiety." I'm like um no. Yes, I have anxiety, but I also have a birth injury, which btw I didn't even know could affect me out of the blue at 25...So to me reg. doctors are only good for flu's, ear wax removal, taking ur vitals , and super minor general stuff. Now the specialist are real doctors imo.

Yes, I am trying very hard not to search any medications or diseases. It is very generalized with a lot of symptoms matching loads of things.

Thank you, if I do I'll pm you.

Right now I am just trying to get comfortable taking my medications, sleeping, and dealing with anxiety.