New here - corona fears are terrible

[rockettee88]

Hi,
I am new here but have suffered from health anxiety for over 18 years. I am on medication but it still consumes me everyday. I am a nurse so learning all about different diseases etc became my worst enemy. I live my life the best I can but this covid pandemic is hell for me, like my worst possible nightmare. I have been home with my kids since march so we aren't exposed but my hubby is a firefighter and in the field so that always worries me. He doesn't suffer from an anxiety so its hard for him to understand how scared I am of this but he does try. I think in the past 3 months, ive convinced myself that I have covid- although every time I of course was wrong. Finally decided to go to our best friends house on Monday for a BBQ- only 3 couples and we sat our distance but my hubbys friend hugged and kissed my five year old (people are so dumb) and of course now I think I have it again, starting with chills since last night. Funny how symptoms start 2-14 days aftger exposure and last night was 2 days. smh. I am going to be a mess for another 11 days.
Anyway, just wanted to say hello and have somewhere to vent with people that understand what I go through everyday. Also hope I can help some people with my medical knowledge and what I have been through.
Thanks for listening

 

[Matticus1983]

This is coming from someone who does not work around the sick everyday, so I can only imagine. And I'm absolutely a hypochondriac and have panic disorder. Oddly enough since this all started it has been the least of my worries but it does subconsciously bother me and has made my hypochondria worse.. It's Health,Health,Health 24-7. We're told to watch out for a virus that is only dangerous to some may or may not have symptoms etc. Make sure you don't have a fever, check check check. Make sure you don't have a cough check check check, watch out for shortness of breath check check check, get were I'm going with this?. It's given millions of Americans OCD and anxiety. But this gets me through it.....It is all one huge contradiction after another! So I literally got to the point we're frustration over fact or fiction overcame the anxiety toward it. I got mad mostly because I believe, and I know many disagree maybe even you, I have no doubt the virus is absolutely real but it is absolutely the perfect time for politics and power to play and smear one another. They own information. But again I'm not a nurse but have a brother and sister in law who are. With that being said, there was a point we're I washed my hands dry and was scared. But it never panicked me. It will all come to an end, I promise very soon. Don't watch the news!!!!! Pay attention to the health of your peers and statistics considering population densities. I'm from Ky. 10,000 cases out of 4.6 million people. That's like 0.02%. Either " social distancing did the trick" which I believe it didn't, cause no one here listened or the virus is very specific to who it harms most. Old and sick, just like pneumonia ya know? I also understand, my wife totally doesn't get the extent to which my mind races and wonders and nobody does. That's what makes it hard. We bottle it all up and put a cork in it and bam. Adrenaline has to release. So stick with caring for others! It takes you away from yourself. Thanks for being a nurse!!!!!!