Again With the Health Anxiety

[meganeveryday]

I'm so sick of this health anxiety. One day, I think I'm getting better, and then I have a night filled with anxiety. So far, my symptoms:

Chest pain/tightness
Back pain
Occasional leg cramps
Headache
Pinching pain on the left side of my neck
Left shoulder pain
Occasional fast heart rate
Lump in my throat
Swallowing a lot of mucus / thick saliva
Cough (I don't usually cough anything up, though)

I've been losing a lot of sleep over this. Sometimes, I'll sit up and it helps with the reflux feeling, but I still toss and turn at night.

It's especially bad at night and in the morning. My body continues to ache throughout the day, but a lot of the other "symptoms" come and go. I've been trying to think more rationally: acid reflux; allergies (I worked outside yesterday and probably inhaled a lot of dust); or maybe just an upper respiratory infection... but my mind keeps going elsewhere. I know I'm probably just tense and bringing these "symptoms" upon myself, but I can't help but think worst case scenario.

I've taken medicine: Zantac for reflux; Aleve for aches and pains; and Klonopin for anxiety, but the Klonopin is only a temporary fix that makes my "symptoms" feel worse. I've been to the ER three times in the last ~6 weeks, and I've been to my primary care physician a couple times, but I'm still not reassured. Sometimes, I can pass the "symptoms" off and go on about my day, but during the night, I have a hard time doing so.

Any suggestions?

[Lee Grant Irons]

Hi megan!

I would suggest a good laugh followed by a good sleep prep.

Here is something you can laugh at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-vDYOpkoWE

Here are some ways to prep well for sleep:

1. Don't watch any TV/video, play any computer games, or surf the internet within an hour of going to bed.
2. If you don't want complete silence, before bed, play soft, soothing music.
3. Turn down the lights within 30 minutes of going to bed, to help you start relaxing
4. Drink some warm milk or take a calcium supplement within 30 minutes of going to bed. Calcium is a natural relaxant and could help relieve headaches.
5. Turn on an air purifier or a small fan to create some white noise.
6. Sleep in as dark a room as you can.
7. Turn off your thoughts. Stop thinking.
8. Fill some socks with dry white rice and microwave them to heat them up. Then sleep with one around your neck and one across you stomach.

[Enduronman]

Subconciously freaking out because the day has ended, it's quiet, and you're (1) day older....
Do you then contemplate the entire day, events, issues, experiences?
Take some prilosec for reflux, every day for the next 14 days.
Break the klonopin in half, it's ok to do that if a whole one is too much..
Schedule to see a therapists, to talk about these issues...
Take some melatonin at night, 1 hour before bed..start with 1mg...see how that works.
The night time is when you "process" everything,..quit over thinking it....take some melatonin to shut you off.
If you're concerned with allergies, take a zyrtec tablet each day, or claritin, or if you want some sedation take benedryl, minimal sedation take chlortabs...

All those "symptoms" are just anxiety. ALL of them.....control the anxiety, control the symptoms.

E-Man :)

[Enduronman]

I ALWAYS sleep with a fan on...white noise exactly! :D

[meganeveryday]

I sleep with a fan on. When I take Klonopin, I usually take 1/4 or 1/2 as needed... but I took it for about four nights in a row last week at the peak of my anxiety (and after a trip to the ER); then I stopped taking it this weekend, and I felt HORRIBLE for a couple days as it was leaving my system. I took Melatonin the other night, but it really increased the mucus in my throat... Or something did. I wasn't able to sleep until about 4am. (I've taken melatonin in the past and never had problems with it.) I'm not really a fan of medication. Before my panic attacks, I rarely took medication... I was also rarely sick, so that's why all of these "symptoms" scare me so much, I think. I even took an epsom salt bath the other night, but it made my aches and pains feel worse, and the mucus production was very high for several hours after. I've tried Andrew Johnson's Don't Panic app before bed, and it helps sometime, but not when my anxiety is extremely high. The mucus is what really gets to be because it makes it feel like I can't breathe very well.

I'm planning on starting CBT, but the earliest appointment I can get is after the 1st of the year. I know it's not too far off, but with anxiety, it feels like so far away...

[Lee Grant Irons]

Try taking an over the counter allergy medicine, such as Alavert before you go to bed. If it is allergies, Alavert might relieve your symptoms pretty quick.

You should also know by now that going to the ER will do nothing for you except waste your time, give you more financial stress, and give you additional expectation stress when you expect the ER to do something this time for you when they have never been able to do anything for you before. Remember Einstein's famous definition of insanity, "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

I think for healthy people who suddenly start having lots of health symptoms, it can really mess us up big time. That was exactly the same as with me. Never really sick except for the occasional virus, and them BAM! Health crash. My entire world collapsed. I think much of this has to do with unrealistic expectations. We had the expectation of being healthy, and then we suddenly were not. We then have the expectation that things are going to get better, and then they do not. Expectations can be bad things to our mental health. So I recommend that we stop coming up with expectations, which is a forward looking to a different future than our present, and instead dwell in the moment. What can I do right now for myself and my situation. If I can figure out what I can do right now for myself that would be the best thing I can possibly think of, then the future will take care of itself.

I go into this in depth in my book, SANE. I have a method that I teach in the book that helps people learn how to do this. The address to my book blog is below in my signature line. My book is available free for anyone who wants to read it. Chapter 1 has been released to the public. Chapter 2 is in pre-release and is on a different website that I can give you access to if you wish to read it sooner. Just send me an email at [email protected].

[meganeveryday]

Well, I actually slept last night. Fell asleep on my couch around midnight... My husband woke me up and I came to bed and fell asleep again. Woke up around 7am, though, filled with anxiety again. Hoping it passes as the day continues.

[artaud]

...Any suggestions?

The following link is an antihistamine "Doxylamine Succinate" found in Nyquil that is an effective sleeping aid. It's available in many drug stores, the link that follows is just to provide an example of available products. I only take 1/2 a tablet and I'm out for the night.

http://www.amazon.com/Kirkland-Signature-Nighttime-Doxylamine-Succinate/dp/B002RL8FKM

Someone else mentioned a fan, we have always used one, a small one in the winter to prevent drafts. Electronic white noise generators are available, but some may eventually loop and you may start to listen for that to occur.

There are white noise generators that use air. My therapist's building has these all over the place to help with privacy. Again, the link was convenient, but they are available elsewhere.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KUHFGM/ref=s9_hps_ft_g364_ir02?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0ZMQBPHYP2EVQABBEMN6&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1636203342&pf_rd_i=1000880891

[StaceyK]

Hi Meganeveryday,

I'm the same constant health anxiety but worry all the time that my symtoms are that of an illness. I don't have as many symtoms as you, I've had many though over the last 6 months:

Headaches (now away) - at the time I was convinced I had a brain tumour, now I realise it was tension/anxiety

Racing heart - thought I had heart prob but had ECG and that was fine

Currently I have bad nausea everyday I wake up and think I have cancer. My appetite has also been low for months, but I make myself eat 3 meals a day. I've lost 1.5 stones since sept.

Are getting any therapy ? Maybe you should look into that . I've started CBT , I've had 6 sessions but still along way to go. Myself and the Therapist are exploring which of my symptoms can be anxiety explained and which might not be, but it also is up get me thinking more rationally about my Health.

I feel your pain, health anxiety is horrible as the symptoms are so real but you just don't believe they are caused by the mind. I would recommend looking yo 'cci psychological interventions' on google. Once on the site , go to 'workbooks' and there are 9 modules on health anxiety. I've worked through 4 so far and found them to be a bit helpful.

[Enduronman]

Oh yes, I know about doxy's too...they are strong over here for sure. In fact, supposedly as powerful as phenobarbital...WHOO HOOO!!!

Good post Artaud...

They're $4 for 25 over here..

:)

[meganeveryday]

Okay, so I now noticed I have these dark spots around my ankles. They don't itch or anything. I called my doctor, but she was busy and has to call back. I'm only 25, so I wouldn't expect to be getting age spots. Any ideas?

[StaceyK]

I'm 32 Megan and had age spots since my mid 20s. They are harmless, they are also called blood spots. Really, don't worry

[StaceyK]

Some people just get them. Don't give it a thought