Hello there folks!

[love_game]

Hey there people.

I'm new here, and also new to anxiety. I really think I'm suffering from health anxiety.

I wont bore you right now with all the details, but I feel like its taking over my mind ( all the obsessive thoughts about my health ).

Any one else here that suffer from health anxiety?

Looking forward to talking to you all!

Louise

[women coping well dot com]

I have never suffered from health anxiety except maybe in college and for about the first year out of college. I was taking twice the normal number of hours in college my senior year. I started having anxiety attacks but I had no idea what they were. I remember wondering what was wrong with my heart because it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. My heart beats became severely abnormal. I knew it was caused by stress, at least that was what I assumed because I was so young. But, a little voice inside of me wondered if there was really something wrong with my heart and if I was being stupid not getting it checked. I finally did go to a doctor about a year after I graduated. I had all kinds of tests and wore a halter monitor and an event recorder. The doctors were able to tell me that the irregular heartbeats were coming from an area of my heart that was not "bothersome" to them, medically. The freaky irregular heartbeats continued for quite a while but I didn't allow it to worry me. Eventually, it all went away. 25 years later, I still have an irregular heartbeat once in a while (like once a year and it only lasts a few seconds). I don't worry about it.

If your health anxiety is a general anxiety about your overall health in which you feel like something is definitely wrong with you and it may be serious and/or it may be fatal, please go talk to your doctor. It may all be in your mind, "just" anxiety (which is definitely powerful stuff), but you should make sure. Don't tell the doctor you think it is in your mind. Simply tell him you have concerns and you cannot put an exact reason with your concerns, but get a really good physical anyway. If you do not feel like your doctor is taking you seriously, see another doctor. There is no need for you to suffer needlessly with anxiety when your concerns can be addressed fully.