Health anxiety is taking over my life

[leichsteadt]

The physical signs of anxiety make me believe I'm on my deathbed or that I have something seriously wrong with me. For the last 3 days I have had chest pain on the upper right portion of my chest. It hurts mostly when I take deep breaths. I have also had the feeling of tightness in my chest that sometimes makes me have a dry coughing fit. I don't want to see a doctor for it because I'm nervous that they'll tell me I have something wrong, but I also don't want to embarassed if it is just my anxiety. It's also a hefty deductible just for someone to tell me that I have anxiety if it's nothing serious. is it worth getting checked out or do you think it's just good ole anxiety playing with me?

[Careful1]

Have you had this happen before? The answer is yes it can be anxiety but it can also be something else and you won't really know unless you go to the Dr. I would say if you think it's related to anxiety you could wait and see what happens.

It's hard when you have health anxiety. I'm going through a rough time myself and I don't know what to do. I had my health anxiety under control for several years and I'm going through something right now that has brought it back with a vengeance. I have a numbness on my back that has been there constantly since the start of May and because I have health anxiety my mind has me thinking all kinds of scary things.

[leichsteadt]

Have you had this happen before? The answer is yes it can be anxiety but it can also be something else and you won't really know unless you go to the Dr. I would say if you think it's related to anxiety you could wait and see what happens.

It's hard when you have health anxiety. I'm going through a rough time myself and I don't know what to do. I had my health anxiety under control for several years and I'm going through something right now that has brought it back with a vengeance. I have a numbness on my back that has been there constantly since the start of May and because I have health anxiety my mind has me thinking all kinds of scary things.

I've had chest pain from anxiety before but it's usually more central, not off to one side. It just seems more sharp than usual.

[aml0017]

Short answer: it's anxiety. Just the fact that you acknowledge that you suffer from "health anxiety" pretty much confirms that. Maybe that is oversimplifying, but just the fact that you are questioning it makes me think it is anxiety.

Do the symptoms go away for periods of time when you forget to think about them? Do the symptoms suddenly appear or get suddenly worse as soon as you start thinking about them again? Does thinking about a specific sensation make that sensation suddenly happen? If you can answer yes it is anxiety.

I have suffered from anxiety most of my life, not health anxiety particularly, though I've had my moments with that. I have experienced the gamut of physical symptoms due to anxiety. I can tell you that anxiety really can mimic any symptom your mind can think of. It feels like your anxiety is caused by these symptoms you are experiencing but it is the other way around really. As soon as you become hyper aware of it, it becomes a vicious cycle, you can't stop feeling it or thinking about it. A good analogy is breathing. You never have to think about breathing, you just do it. The minute you start thinking about it too much it feels like you can't breathe normally. Then as soon as you forget about it again you are fine. You say you have pain when you breathe deep, so I guess you keep breathing deep a lot more than normal. You have dry coughing spells, which can make your lungs irritated, hence the sensation when you breathe deep. Then you get anxious again, leading to more coughing. You see how it goes.

Once, I was having heart palpitations (or what felt like that to me) and I thought I would have a heart attack. I knew it was the anxiety but I'd worry about having palpitations, which of course led to the palpitations happening, and more worry....and so on and on. Finally, I was at the end of my rope and I said "Whatever...if I have a heart attack and die at least this hell will be over". Of course, I didn't have a heart attack, I didn't die, I soon forgot about the symptoms altogether. Not too long after all this, I had my annual dr visit, I told her about the symptoms, also that I was having a lot of heartburn. Turns out I was having acid reflux, sometimes the esphogeal sphincter spasms and can feel like the heart.

If you really feel that a doctor visit is in order, then just do it and get over it, like pulling off a band aid. However, do tell your doctor about the anxiety you are experiencing, it does affect you physically whether or not you have something actually wrong. There is a small chance that there may be something wrong, but it is more likely you are just fine, or that it would be something minor or easily treatable. There is a whole area of possibilities between "it's nothing" and "omg I'm gonna die, it's the end of the world".