Too much Realistic symptoms...

[IslandHypochodriac808]

Hello everyone,
I am a 22 year old male living with hypochondria. It started when I was 18, I was fine throughout my high school life until my father had a “mini-stroke” after that I watched a video on YouTube to see what a stroke is and was traumatized.. after that day, I have been having symptoms..... some symptoms include: Numbness on left or right side of face and body, difficulty breathing on one side, chest pains, stiff neck, the feeling of upcoming death.. I am very terrified of all of these symptoms and it feels like no one believes me. I need to know I am not alone and I would like to know how you all cope with these types of symptoms...

Thanks

 

[Rinka]

Hello everyone,
I am a 22 year old male living with hypochondria. It started when I was 18, I was fine throughout my high school life until my father had a “mini-stroke” after that I watched a video on YouTube to see what a stroke is and was traumatized.. after that day, I have been having symptoms..... some symptoms include: Numbness on left or right side of face and body, difficulty breathing on one side, chest pains, stiff neck, the feeling of upcoming death.. I am very terrified of all of these symptoms and it feels like no one believes me. I need to know I am not alone and I would like to know how you all cope with these types of symptoms...

Thanks

Hi @IslandHypochodriac808 welcome to our forum.
The funny thing (well it is not really funny but anyway) with anxiety is that it has a lot of physical symptoms, such as the ones you have described.
The mind is very powerful and is able to simulate certain symptoms. I do not mean that one is doing it on purpose, but the anxiety leads to this and it becomes a downward spiral.
I do believe that you feel all those things, but it does not mean that you have an actual physical condition.
I do recall when my grandmother was diagnosed with a heart flap condition, that I started to exhibit certain symptoms myself hand had myself checked out. I am still concerned in regards to it because it might be something genetic. But thats why I get it checked regularly.
Please get checked yourself. Especially since you have family history.

 

[janemariesayed]

It certainly sounds like you are suffering from health anxiety. If you tell yourself you are sick, you will start to imagine all sorts of pains and link them to various illnesses.

When I worry about my health I decide if it is bad enough to check with a doctor or do my best to put it out of my mind. I get headaches all the time and many other symptoms but they are all the pains that come with anxiety and the meds. You did well to stop taking those meds but do talk with your doctor and get some different ones that you are happy with.

 

[IslandHypochodriac808]

I’m glad I’m not the only one dealing with this.. I have a bad habit of googling my symptoms, like if I have a pain I’m my neck, I see all these things about blood clots and stuff and it honestly scares the crap out of me. The other night on my way to work, I was feeling my neck on the right side and all of a sudden, some kind of rush went straight to my head and made my whole right side numb.. I was so scared, I couldn’t feel the pedal on my foot, I kept clenching my jaw but everything was numb. I tell doctors all the time, but they think it’s just because I’m crazy or something..

 

[Kelculator]

The mind can be extremely powerful. I have had realistic symptoms that caused doctors to be so confused, when it turned out to be, all along, my anxiety. I have had vertigo, a lot of palpitations, numbness and pain in jaw, difficulty swallowing... And more. It is very hard to tell real symptoms from fake ones, I know, but do know that it is very possible for your body to create very realistic symptoms. Try to get help on your anxiety problem, since my symptoms have subsided a lot since I started taking meds. Wishing you the best!

 

[janemariesayed]

This is why I find it best to stay away from the google doctor. I'm not a professional medic. I'm not even a medic so of course, it is best to leave it to the professionals.

 

[Floridagirl]

Yes, Yes, Yes! Anxiety has made me feel ALL kinds of symptoms. I think that hypochondriacs don't completely imagine symptoms. I think we take normal aches and pains, or a common problem, and turn it into cancer. My health anxiety has been awful for about 6 months and I am now contemplating therapy. For the past 3 months I've had one health problem after the other. And each time a new or different problem arises, the previous problem's symptoms are suddenly gone and I have a whole new set of symptoms. It's so very frustrating. I'm sick of these gloom and doom thoughts as well. I always catch myself thinking of my own mortality and playing out in my head how other people will feel/react. It isn't healthy!!

 

[XmasCarol52]

Hello everyone,
I am a 22 year old male living with hypochondria. It started when I was 18, I was fine throughout my high school life until my father had a “mini-stroke” after that I watched a video on YouTube to see what a stroke is and was traumatized.. after that day, I have been having symptoms..... some symptoms include: Numbness on left or right side of face and body, difficulty breathing on one side, chest pains, stiff neck, the feeling of upcoming death.. I am very terrified of all of these symptoms and it feels like no one believes me. I need to know I am not alone and I would like to know how you all cope with these types of symptoms...

Thanks

Welcome you have come to the right place believe me you are not alone here,anxieties can certainly do a trick on us and our brains,I will tell you one thing whenever I would get sick or a symptom of something i would immediately go and look it up not anymore because I would get panic attacks just by reading up on an illness I thought i did or did not have it was awful so now I stay away from that.It causes to much mental pain and anxieties let alone depression.I know how you feel with the gloom and doom thoughts I seem to have them all of the time lately .Like what if this happens and what if that happens it is terrible even though I do try to think of something else most of the time for me at least it doesnt work. I even try knitting and reading and it is still there the gloom etc.ugh Sometimes this illness makes me physically ill too.

 

[janemariesayed]

I’m glad I’m not the only one dealing with this.. I have a bad habit of googling my symptoms, like if I have a pain I’m my neck, I see all these things about blood clots and stuff and it honestly scares the crap out of me. The other night on my way to work, I was feeling my neck on the right side and all of a sudden, some kind of rush went straight to my head and made my whole right side numb.. I was so scared, I couldn’t feel the pedal on my foot, I kept clenching my jaw but everything was numb. I tell doctors all the time, but they think it’s just because I’m crazy or something..

Perhaps change your doctor or just get a second opinion. It may just be anxieties but it would help to put your mind at rest.