New guy here

[anxiousMike]

Hey all, my name is Mike. I'm 42 and I have anxiety. Mine is mainly health anxiety that started 20 years ago. I constantly think I have a serious disease. Just in the past week I have been convinced I have Diabetes, Malignant Hypertension, Lyme Disease, MS, and several types of Cancer. I always kept it hidden and never told anyone about it until I told my wife what I was dealing with about 5 years ago. I have frequent nausea and IBS, and many of the other symptoms of anxiety. Looking back, I have had many mild panic attacks. But this week I had a major attack where I thought I was dying. Very scary stuff! It prompted me to finally speak with a doctor about it. I just started an SSRI today and he also prescribed a small dose of Ativan to get me through until the Lexapro kicks in. I also scheduled an appointment with a therapist.

I have spent several hours today on this forum reading other people's experiences with anxiety and I can't tell you enough about how much this has already helped me just knowing that other people experience the same things. Thank you all and I hope to be a comfort to other people here.

[Anxiety91]

Hello anxiousMike,

Welcome to the forum.

Well everyone is experiencing the same trouble in different way, but all of us understand each other.

I also have Health Anxiety, but not about various diseases only one, and that is that I have a Heart Problem. When I experienced my First Panic attack, I thought I was dying and that I had a heart attack, and I was 23 when it happened, I am skinny, and with good health... After that I convinced myself that my time has come, I even thought that I have died that day when everything happened, and that this is the afterlife, and that I am trapped in a limbo of hell... Yeah it was pretty difficult for me to understand everything, mostly because I was all alone in it, if I had someone to stay by my side, and understand my problem, It would be much easier... After that, I went to the doctor, and did all health checks, most of them where for heart problems. Every single result came back fine, EKG, Ultrasound of Heart, Holter Monitor (24h)... I still get some skipped beats, and arrhythmia which I never had before the first panic attack. But the doctors say it is normal I really don't know what to think, but I am pretty fine now...

I wish you all the best, and I hope you will conquer this, and I mean to completely remove the negativity from you life, and not to learn how to live with it. There is a way out, it can be hard, and maybe it looks impossible, but I strongly believe there is a way out of this. If there is this state of mind (let say negative state), than there is the opposite of it, and we have to find a way to reach it...

I shared my story with you, and you are not alone... The one thing that keeps me calmed, is when my brother who trains football say to me, that some of his friends have some kind of heart problems and that they are advised not to play football, but they do, and they do it for years. They are mentally strong people, you may think it is stupid the way they think, but if you ask them, they will say, at least I live my life the way I want.

All the BEST!

[gypsylee]

Hi Mike and welcome :)

[Kuma]

Hey Mike. Welcome to the forum. I hope the Ativan and Lexapro helps. Have you considered some psychotherapy in addition to the meds? Maybe something like cognitive behavioral therapy, which is relatively short term and does well with conditions such as health anxiety?

[anxiousMike]

I do have an appointment with a therapist next week, but not a psychiatrist. I don't know much about CBT. Do I need to see a psychiatrist for that or can other therapists do it?

[Kuma]

I do have an appointment with a therapist next week, but not a psychiatrist. I don't know much about CBT. Do I need to see a psychiatrist for that or can other therapists do it?

You don't need a psychiatrist for CBT. Just find a therapist who is experienced with it, as it differs from "traditional" psychotherapy.

[Jimmy jr makhaya]

Hey,am sho also new on the forum and am leboke,i just went thru ya post and was a bit of kinda relieved fro knowing it aint no me alone in this game and i think u getting there cos your symptom do shift,mine too,do they,also got health anxiety that makes me think i got all sort of ill stuff and can only convince myself i dont after a test has been done,i observe what ever thats goin on in my surrounding,analys it and get scared then ask my why i even analys things,i give up simply,the more stressing things are less stressful and the happy moments are less too,even when someone snaps at me,i used to get really mad but now i even feel for them,sorry for the long post but we be fine,am 23 in s.a

[bizzle15]

Hi Mike,

You're not alone. It's good you're going to the doctor. Your fears are irrational. But sometimes you need someone to tell you that.