Health Anxiety-anyone else?

[Charmbracelet81]

I don't know if there is anybody else out there that has health anxiety. I do, but only concerning my heart. I am not a hypochondriac becuase I focus only on my heart, not everything else. Well, in therapy session today I asked if my heart makes me anxious or if anxiety causes me to be anxious about my heart. She said they go hand in hand. I have agoraphobia becuase of the fear of my heart stopping. I was wondering if anyone else focuses their anxieties on health related issues. I have had a hard time finding someone like me :D

[PGM]

I know how you feel I have been constantly checking my pulse religoulsy

[tinkerbell]

Hi,
I have been told I have health anxiety. I check my pulse and blood pressure several times a day and am constantly worrying about it. I am convinced that I am seriously ill and cannot really think about much else. It is exhausting. :(

[newbie]

Yes yes yes thats me!! l focus constantly on my heart and any little niggle of pain, l wont exercise thru fear of something happening, but unfortunately l dont just focus on my heart l fear stroke too :( :(
I also take my pulse about 100 times a day, its so exhausting living with constant fear :oops:

[Charmbracelet81]

Thanks for the replies. I feel better knowing this heart worry isn't just me. I have had every cardio test possible, but it's not enough for me. I guess it's the reassurance we with anxiety need and it only works so long. My therapist asked for my cardiology report to be faxed to her so she can use it for my cognitive restructuring. I also won't exercise due to the fear; also now that I think of it, stroke is on my mind also. I have a new treadmill I got for my b-day in Sept. and have yet to use it. Next Tuesday my therapist is going to have me get on the treadmill they have in office for exposure therapy; boy I don't want to do it! I will let everyone know what happens. Thanks again for the replies. ;)

[lunalady]

You are so not alone!

If I had a heart attack or stroke or brain aneurysm every time I had those nasty palpitations and skipped beats, I would be dead and buried a million times over the years.

The adrenaline surge that makes the heart beat 'funny' for lack of a better word, is not going to harm you.

Blessings and take care!
Jill

[jamienicholas1]

I've self diagnosed myself with health anxiety through the internet and its amazing to see so many people doing exactly the same thing as me! Checking of the pulse, worrying about every twinge my body makes and the more i worry the more my mind plays tricks on me....
Mine started with one incident which was when i went on holiday in egypt on my own I had gastroenteritus and genuinly spent 3 days in my hotel room fearing for my life. I had lost my bank card to pay to see a doctor and had vomited bile which i believed to be blood at the time...seein this sent me into a deep shock...Ever since I believed it hadnt affected me and had mysterious episodes of panic, mainly when i was excited about something I would just have a funny turn i.e sweating, dizzyness, tingly and shaking hands etc...I thought nothing of it and then i hit the heart palputation stage and the jilts and jolts my mind gave me in my chest area...And here i am now 2 years from the start of my problem...With regular headaches and worry of it being something serious! The pain is real? or is it? I can feel it but no medicine can take it away, exept when im in a large distractive environment, but only too return when I even think "O i havent had a pain for however long" My doctor has misdiagnosed 3 times and My blood tests are normal minus a slightly low white blood count which im told is nothing to do with anxiety. So im on proprananol day 2 and I have a worse headache, Ive not felt panicy but its early days!
Just thought id share my story! Im 23 and Id love to know if it will ever disapear forever!!

[Charmbracelet81]

Usually anxiety strikes at any moment. Seems for you it was being on the trip to Egypt. For me, it was when I graduated college. I was "fine" until then. I was sitting there in the crowd waiting for my name to be called at graduation and had my 1st thoughts of, "I have to get out of here, would if I faint? I'm going to die here!" Every since then I have had the health concern and have been in CBT for 8 months now. I check my pulse at least 30 times a day, and always am aware of every twinge, pain and skipped/fast beat. It's a hard way to live. :roll:

[newbie]

It sure is a horrible way to live isnt it. :(

[palow]

CB81,

You know your heart is not the problem, right? It is the fear that your heart would stop that's the problem.

Your fear and your heart are two totally separate things. Your heart pumps blood and oxygen. Your fear pumps adrenalin. Have you heard people saying fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real?

How does fear maintain or increase itself with anxiety sufferers? Through avoidance behaviour. How do you cure yourself? By doing what you normally avoid and FEELING the fear as you do it. Be fully aware and then feel the fear, smell it, taste it, touch it. You can also do this by stopping your compulsions like checking your pulse. Cut down to 10 times a day and feel your fear when it comes up. It will eventually go away after a few minutes, I promise. Have faith, have trust. Believe that you have the courage to face your fear and master it.

It's not an instant cure. You practice this until it goes away forever. It could take a few days or a few months.

Patrick

[lorelei13]

That's really funny in a sad way. Just yesterday I was worrying if my heart was beating too fast. It's a very, very common anxiety symptom, likely due to the release of adrenaline that makes you nervous and your heart beat fast.

[billy7]

Guys I know what u r talking about, I've been there and I still am. I have a constant fear about having a heart attack, I know that's an irrational fear because I have been tested several times and they were all perfect! But I just can't help it!! Just a few days ago I had a presentation at the university and I got very nervous when I stood up in front of the class. Suddenly I realized that my heart was going about at least 200-250 bpm. And since then I stopped thinking about the presentation and I just concetrated on my heart beat and I got really scared! But the worst part was about a minute later! My anxiety was going up and up along with my heartbeat when I suddenly felt a major electric shock (like pins and needles) down my left arm!2-3 electric shocks on the left arm, then on the right and in my legs too! That was when I said " Oh my God, now I'm having it, it's time, my worst fear is about to become true". I didn't feel anything else though (no pain, shortness of breath etc. ). Anyway, I managed to finish my speech and the I went outside just to calm down. So I did and my arms felt immediatelly better and the numbness was over after 1-2 minutes. It was the scariest thing ever and since then I've been feeling pis and needles down my arm basically(and some other parts of my body) and I get scared that maybe I had a mild heart attack then and bla bla bla. I've been experiencing anxiety and panick attacks for about a year now, I haven't been under any medication. I used to have agoraphobia, irrational fears of any kind, feeling out of control, but I managed to overcome all of the "mind tricks" on my own. All of them except the heart fear. Some months ago I wasn't even able to go out or be in places like restaurants, clubs etc. Now I can basically do whatever I want without having any attacks. Anyway, I can't complain, I feel good enough now, except from some very stressful days that kind od take me down for a little while, then I become "normal" again. But the fear is always here.

[newbie]

I get the pins and needles and "this is it"feeling at least 20 times a day! It is horrible, apparently its a very common anxiety symptom according to the Psychologist

[Charmbracelet81]

I do want to prove to myself that I don't need to pulse check all day long. What would that do to help me, anyway? It's extremely hard to beleive a CARDIOLOGIST that nothing is wrong! I wish all I needed was his reassurance. I am going to try to not pulse check as much as I do today and see how I do. :roll:

[forwells]

Hi Charm :D

I do want to prove to myself that I don't need to pulse check all day long. What would that do to help me, anyway? It's extremely hard to beleive a CARDIOLOGIST that nothing is wrong!

Your addicted to it and you need to brake it. The only benifit if you can call it that is that you THINK it is helping your anxiety to keep a eye on it. In fact all you are doing is feeding your anxiety. The same way someone that thinks if they check the door 7 times beleives that it is helping there anixety. IT IS NOT HELPING but feeding and keeping your mind worrying about it . You dont need to prove to yourself ( you already know its a problem or you would not be questioning it ) You need to just brake the addiction of doing it . When you feel the urge get up and do something , change your settings.

Anxiety - checking heart - worry about checking heart -heart raisers from worry and stress - check heart again and the circle goes on

Anxiety - face addition - stop checking heart - thought slowly fades - forgets about doing it - rarely crosses mind as time goes on .

You cant believe your CARDIOLOGIST because of two reason , one because your brain is not working as it should , in the wrong order and two because you are not stopping and thinking logically about it . The Doc trained for what 15 years to know about the heart , Why would you logically question him , Well maybe you would but if that is the case then get a second opition and then face the fact that it is your anxiety that is feeding this way of thinking .

As Palow said you heart is not the problem . I have a friend , who has many heart attacks , many problems with his heart , could die any sec . Well you know where he is now . Driving across the Nullarbor here in Australia . Which would be one of the most remote places in OZ

It's not an instant cure. You practice this until it goes away forever. It could take a few days or a few months Good quote > Once you stop doing it your mind will move onto something else .

Cheers kev :D

[Charmbracelet81]

Thanks, Kev. I have loved all your posts. :D

[Lily89]

I'm very health-anxious.

My health anxiety is also quite unpredictable. Sometimes I'm focused on my heart (like you) and I also check my pulse several times a day & FREAK out if it's a bit slower or faster than usual. If it is slower I say to myself "it's getting slow because it's about to stop" and if it is faster, it is obvious that it is fast so the cardiac muscle is being exhausted and I'll have a heart failure :D Either way, a DISASTER must be on the way.

What follows the hysteria of pulse checking is another much severer one of googling. I confess, I have that googling compulsion. The problem with medical websites is that they MUST give you the "worst scenario" and for a hypochondriac, my mind is ALWAYS focused on the worst scenario and nothing else. I am always seeking reassurance but I end up feeling extremely panicky, on edge and unable to focus on anything but my expected tragic end. :roll:

I do waste a lot of time on anxiety.

Other times, my mind is more focused on cancer which (I discovered) is also another common phobia. Just seeing an ad for an early detection of cancer campaign could really ruin my entire day so I tend to avoid ANYTHING that could trigger my extreme anxiety including t.v shows, articles, talks with friends etc.

What has been helping to a certain extent is a diary. I write down all my obsessions about my health & try to analyze them and be more rational. However, this one doesn't ever work when I'm already in a state of "hysteria" as I like to call it :mrgreen: It only works when my mind is yet to be totally under the control of obsessions.

[penguino84]

So most people seem to be focused on the speed of their heart, so I'm curious if there is anyone else like me. My biggest thing is I am always aware of my heart beat, not that its too fast or slow but that I can always feel it and it feels like its beating hard(not fast). Just like every other beat or so is much harder then it should be. Anyone else do this?

[Charmbracelet81]

Lily-The worry forms my Therapist gave me to fill out when I am worried about my heart helps alot like your journaling. It shows me on paper how silly it sounds and how the odds of anything of catastrophe happening to my heart is is low in odds. I still worry about it, but it's getting ALOT better being in CBT.

Penguino-I never notice/care if my heart is going slow. I sometimes notice/worry when it's going fast, but my MAIN focus is the hard beats. I have premature atrial contractions (supposedly from anxiety :roll: ) and so I have what feels like a "skip." These are the hardest heartbeats to ignore! :oops:

[jma1024]

yes this is me most days my heart is 90-110bpm ive been to cardio docs. my family doc. ive had chest xrays ekg's ultrasound of my chest they all say your heart is perfectly fine and they told me im a healthy weight young teen that im not anywhere near the risk factors have good BP its just my heart will just go whenever it feels like it really does suck and wouldnt wish this for my worst enemy its tough to conivince yourself that everything is ok when your heart is telling you otherwise