I'm 19 years old in my second year of college. My problems with health anxiety started a few months ago when I got light headed and dizzy, I immediately thought I was having an aneurysm and freaked out. It eventually subsided but my heartrate was quite high and this lead me to thinking i have heart problems, Cardiomyopathy to be exact. I also had a weird pain in my left chest area, and after that I became convinced I was having a heart attack. I could barely sleep at night without getting up to pace around the room, constantly thinking my heart is beating abnormally and there'd be a blockage in my artery at any second. At the time i was on a hormone pill because I have cystic ovaries, and the doctor told me the pill was most likely causing my high heartrate and pain in the chest. I had a blood test at that time and everything came back clear.
Fast forward a few months and now I'm convinced i have cancer, breast, colon and lately, brain tumour. A few years ago I was diagnosed with epilepsy and so every 6 months I go for an EEG which basically monitors your brain waves, so I keep trying to convince myself that the one I had in June would have picked up any abnormalities such as a tumour in my brain. I also have acid reflux and suffered for a while with a clenching sensation in my stomach which subsided once I took stomach ulcer medication prescribed my by doctor.
Lately, my muscles in my neck, shoulder and back of head feel really tight and sore. I had a mild headache yesterday that cleared once I took a painkiller, but of course my stupid mind has convinced me that its brain cancer or spinal tumours. I also have itchy lungs and pains in the side of my body which feels like a muscle ache, but i think its lung cancer. Overall I would say my muscles are pretty tense and it doesn't help that I slouch and sleep in bad positions at night.
As of late I've been having dysphagia of sorts, on monday I was fine until mid morning when I was drinking hot chocolate, i kept thinking about choking for some reason and then suddenly my throat felt closed and I struggled to swallow for a few seconds. Of course I freaked and thought the hot chocolate got into my lungs and started furiously googling which led me to believe I have a problem aspirating tiny amounts of food. Later that night i was eating dinner and every few bites I struggled to swallow, its like I cant make a bolus properly and my throat/tongue just doesn't know how to work and spasms. I thought I had throat cancer or a perforated oesophagus, but mostly I just think food and liquid is somehow getting into my lungs, and it doesnt help that I've been experiencing pain on the sides of my body. I'm really just angry because I want to eat food and enjoy it but now I can't because I fear my throat closing up and that I'll choke. My sister and mother think I'm being ridiculous and that if I go to my doctor with all my issues he's just going to give me anxiety meds. I guess deep down i I know its all in my head but I can't help it and constantly think I'm dying. It also doesn't help that my grandpa passed away a month ago after a short illness, i feel this has made my anxiety worse.
In general I am a very anxious person. I have bad social anxiety and have been diagnosed with aspergers as well. There was a time when I accidentally swallowed a prawn shell and after that developed a phobia of eating, I also had a period out of the blue where I was convinced I was going to just randomly die and it made me super depressed. So yes, anxiety is not a new sensation for me. I'm basically just so so sick of being like this constantly on edge and examining every bruise or pain or mark on my body and convincing myself its some disease. I just want to be normal!!!!
pls help and give some advice, thanks in advance xx
Fast forward a few months and now I'm convinced i have cancer, breast, colon and lately, brain tumour. A few years ago I was diagnosed with epilepsy and so every 6 months I go for an EEG which basically monitors your brain waves, so I keep trying to convince myself that the one I had in June would have picked up any abnormalities such as a tumour in my brain. I also have acid reflux and suffered for a while with a clenching sensation in my stomach which subsided once I took stomach ulcer medication prescribed my by doctor.
Lately, my muscles in my neck, shoulder and back of head feel really tight and sore. I had a mild headache yesterday that cleared once I took a painkiller, but of course my stupid mind has convinced me that its brain cancer or spinal tumours. I also have itchy lungs and pains in the side of my body which feels like a muscle ache, but i think its lung cancer. Overall I would say my muscles are pretty tense and it doesn't help that I slouch and sleep in bad positions at night.
As of late I've been having dysphagia of sorts, on monday I was fine until mid morning when I was drinking hot chocolate, i kept thinking about choking for some reason and then suddenly my throat felt closed and I struggled to swallow for a few seconds. Of course I freaked and thought the hot chocolate got into my lungs and started furiously googling which led me to believe I have a problem aspirating tiny amounts of food. Later that night i was eating dinner and every few bites I struggled to swallow, its like I cant make a bolus properly and my throat/tongue just doesn't know how to work and spasms. I thought I had throat cancer or a perforated oesophagus, but mostly I just think food and liquid is somehow getting into my lungs, and it doesnt help that I've been experiencing pain on the sides of my body. I'm really just angry because I want to eat food and enjoy it but now I can't because I fear my throat closing up and that I'll choke. My sister and mother think I'm being ridiculous and that if I go to my doctor with all my issues he's just going to give me anxiety meds. I guess deep down i I know its all in my head but I can't help it and constantly think I'm dying. It also doesn't help that my grandpa passed away a month ago after a short illness, i feel this has made my anxiety worse.
In general I am a very anxious person. I have bad social anxiety and have been diagnosed with aspergers as well. There was a time when I accidentally swallowed a prawn shell and after that developed a phobia of eating, I also had a period out of the blue where I was convinced I was going to just randomly die and it made me super depressed. So yes, anxiety is not a new sensation for me. I'm basically just so so sick of being like this constantly on edge and examining every bruise or pain or mark on my body and convincing myself its some disease. I just want to be normal!!!!
pls help and give some advice, thanks in advance xx
. If it makes you feel better getting routine blood work and continuing to "debunk" them will help you greatly !
