thoughts of an illness causing symptoms?

[saintric]

I wanted to ask that is it possible that if you think of a serious illness that it can make you feel the symptoms of it?

I have strange pains in my chest in one specific place (next to my breastbone) pains shooting in my stomach,and my left calf spasms/pulses,also sharp pains randomly in the left side of my neck and on my right side just towards the back slightly (bottom of my ribcage at the back) These are making me convinced I have a blood clot in my body and I have an obsession with the words Pulmonary Embolism I dont know why but them 2 words terrify me and I think it in my head CONSTANTLY that I have one coming to me

I guess people who like to know the answer to this aswell as maybe they think of an illness or disease and it creates the symptoms/or the other way round.Anyone relate to this?

[Jeordie]

I do, when I think of something it comes. It's funny and ridiculous, but really what happens.
I think you have nothing, just go to your doctor and tell him what you experience, if you haven't done that. Then do something to forget about it.

[Daisy]

This is my first time on this forum and I must say, I agree with Jeordie. I was tried closing my eyes and concentrating on my right arm, then only a few seconds later, my arm went heavy and ached. doing this made me realise that it was mostly in my mind. Since that time I don't worry any were near as much. It certainly helped me, of course it did not cure me and that is why I am here. Please try that. wanted to ask that is it possible that if you think of a serious illness that it can make you feel the symptoms of it?

I have strange pains in my chest in one specific place (next to my breastbone) pains shooting in my stomach,and my left calf spasms/pulses,also sharp pains randomly in the left side of my neck and on my right side just towards the back slightly (bottom of my ribcage at the back) These are making me convinced I have a blood clot in my body and I have an obsession with the words Pulmonary Embolism I dont know why but them 2 words terrify me and I think it in my head CONSTANTLY that I have one coming to me

I guess people who like to know the answer to this aswell as maybe they think of an illness or disease and it creates the symptoms/or the other way round.Anyone relate to this?

[Daisy]

Saintric and Jeordie Sorry I messed up that message. I am new and not sure how to operate things. I think I have sorted it now. My message to Jeordie is still the same though.x

[Jeordie]

No worries Daisy, I got it.

[aloneinelpaso]

:cry: I think it is possible to feel symptoms if you think about stuff. It certanly happens to me. My fear is similar to yours, I think im going to have a heart attack. And everytime I have chest pain, or arm pain I think about going to the hospital. Thank God im still here, and besides ive had a bunch of test already done to me, that told me my heart was fine. But you know this anxiety stuff, its hard to comprehend sometimes. Hope you feel better. Ill be praying for all of us.

[aloneinelpaso]

:cry: I think it is possible to feel symptoms if you think about stuff. It certanly happens to me. My fear is similar to yours, I think im going to have a heart attack. And everytime I have chest pain, or arm pain I think about going to the hospital. Thank God im still here, and besides ive had a bunch of test already done to me, that told me my heart was fine. But you know this anxiety stuff, its hard to comprehend sometimes. Hope you feel better. Ill be praying for all of us.

[IWasAnxious]

I 100% believe anxiety attacks are often created by very physical symptoms and that people can often be made to feel anxiety attacks are somehow entirely psychologically generated.

By doing this, health professionals sometimes miss out the opportunity to discover what physical aliments or stimulant caused the episodes.

I am on this forum because I'm currently suffering again with bad dizzy spells , spaced out feelings, and have been close to blackouts on occassion. Ten years ago I was diagnosed with anxiety/depression and derealisation and depersonalization disorder. I suffered badly between the aged of 16 and 18 with blackouts and near blackouts, wooziness and a sense of spacey detachment like I'd taken LSD (I've never touched illegal drugs). I felt physically wiped out most of the time.

There were also loads of other anxiety symtoms that were also distressed - sharp, nervy pains could strike anywhere in my body like I'd been zapped by a raygun that would bleach me of any colour instantly and make my think I was having a stroke. I was in a real state.

Strangely, my 'anxiety' just seemed to disappear soon after starting college. For someone tagged with scary labels like 'depersonaliszation' that's pretty remarkable. Even in stressful situations I just wasn't getting anxiety symptoms!

HOWEVER, if i was run down due to flu or a bad cold or some illness, or had overdosed on caffiene or been eating crap for several days then - yes - 'anxiety' symptoms came back. The woosy attacks, the spaced out, unreal feelings. The only difference was I now linked these to the physical stimulants not to 'I'm going mad/I've got a brain tumor/heart condition'.

It was recently when suffering from an infection that's proven hard to clear up that I think I know what happened when I was 16. I'd been stuffed full of several antibiotics and my bowels didn't settle for a very long time. Food went straight through me, I had diarrea long after stopping the drugs, I felt shattered.

I now have little doubt that I wasn't processing food properly and what was dubbed 'anxiety' was really something more like the side effects of large amounts of antibiotics and what they did to my system. No wonder I felt spaced out, near fainting and detached. I probably had something akin to hypoglycaemia, a messed-up body chemistry.

I learned later that common antibiotics can sometimes trigger psychological changes. I once took very mild codeine painkiller. I was physcially shaking and trembling and freaking out in 20 minutes.

No doubt when I was a teen there was real anxiety there too - I was terrified at what was happening - but the initial trigger was physical, not self-generated psychologically.

I have a big-workload, high stress job but that doesn't give me anxiety attacks. But too much coffee, a virus, refined sugar, too much booze, a crappy diet, certain drugs certainly do!

If I had to self-diagnose myself, I'd say I'm a person hypersensitive to changes on my body chemistry and those changes lead to anxiety-like symptoms.