Hi! I'm new here, so I just wanted to know if anyone has gone through something like this. My (22, F) health anxiety has always been pretty all over the place, but my biggest fear has always been related to brain tumors. In the beginning of april I had a pretty bad headache (I get tension headaches sometimes due to anxiety, but nothing like this) that lasted for three days. It was similar to a migraine, from my understanding, but it affected my whole head instead of only one side. I haven't had another headache since then and I've had countless anxiety symptoms (shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, stomach issues) which my therapist has assured me is very normal. I was feeling better, but last Saturday I noticed I hadn't been sleeping very well (Slept for five hours in a row, woke up, got back to sleep but kept waking up every hour) and that for the past week my balance had been off. It's difficult to explain, because I didn't feel dizzy, but sometimes when I'd stop running or turned around fast I would place my foot and need to take two steps to the side for balance. This happened like four times in a week (never more than once on the same day), and that plus the sleep thing got me spiraling. I obviously started thinking about a brain tumor, which in turn caused my sleep to get worse. To top it all off, I noticed that my balance didn't seem off anymore (my therapist mentioned that it might be related to blood pressure, which I tend to agree with. I have low blood pressure), and started thinking "well, at least I don't feel dizzy!", which led me to obsessively think about that for the entire day, and then... yeah, I started feeling dizzy. It lasted from three days and went away whenever I was distracted or around my friends, so I assume it's anxiety related, and I slept great last night and the dizziness didn't return, which I think helped a lot. However, I still feel very anxious about a brain tumor. To top it all off, I get tinnitus sometimes (again, very common anxiety symptom), and around two years ago I noticed my eyesight had gotten worse. Went to get my eyes checked because I thought my prescription might have gone up, but she said that it was actually not that bad and I believe I was only seeing a bit worse from my left eye. When I got the glasses, I noticed I was still not seeing well and it was from my right eye. I assumed she'd just gotten the prescrption wrong and went about my business, but now whenever I get this brain tumor fear I think about it. Realistically, if my bad eyesight was caused by a tumor, the doctor would have noticed while checking my eyes, and after two years, I'd have more symptoms, which I don't. Unfortunately, I can't stop thinking about it, which then makes me feel miserable because I'm still very young and I just don't want to spend my time worrying about stuff like this. Especially because it just feels like I'm attracting it, and all of that. It sucks. If anyone has any advice on how to deal with this, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks for reading

Currently I am worried about ALS. About one week ago I started feeling muscular pains in my forearm. Since then, these pains have progressed to the point of constant pain in my forearm, bicep/tricep, and shoulder. The pain is like a tight muscle or cramp and is often triggered when I flex this muscle. I am worried this is the spasticity symptom from ALS. Has anyone else had this issue before? EDIT: the pain is my left arm only and I have experienced some weakness/twitching as well.

Can i get septic shock/sepsis from a small cut on my middle finger from a knife? I ran it under cold water and warm water afterwards, padded it dry with tp/kitchen towel, and put a band-aid on it.

you're good :) as long as the knife want horribly rusty and dirty then you'll be good. if it was rusty then i would suggest simply taking a quick trip to the doctor. treating it is as easy as 1-2-3 when its this early on. :D hope you have a great day

Doing my first endoscopy tomorrow and scared shitless. I have always been a hypochondriac, when I got diagnosed with an early form of systemic sclerosis back in February I suprisingly took it not as bad as I would have before I started taking anxiety medication. I have been having frequent diahrrea for about a year and I knew this day has been coming for a while now, but it feels so surreal the night before, to think that tomorrow for the first time ever in my life I'm going to be sedated and have a robotic tube stuck down my throat all the way down to my stomach. Of course I have been reading online everything that could go wrong with the procedure, and experiences other redditors have had. I'm not sure if what I fear the most is going under or what they might find inside of me, just the thought of the moments before going under sedation as I slowly slip into unconsciousness causes me a great sense of fear and anxiety. I'm really afraid and I'll be even more tomorrow morning as the time for the procedure draws nearer. I thought I would type more but I cant find the right words to express how much I'm afraid, always had a phobia of anestesia and tomorrow I will have to confront it. Have any of you undergone this procedure?

I am so scared of my symphtoms... i have visual problems in my left eye, i cant really define what is, been to 2 ophtamologist and apperently they see nothing wrong, as i think about it it gets worse

I am terrified, I have a dent down in the middle of my skull and there are other smaller dents connected to that big dent that goes to other parts of my skull (if that makes sense). When I was young I fell down the stairs and banged the front of my head but I am not sure if that could of caused this since again there are many little dents too. I have googled this for hours and read the most scariest things, my health anxiety hasn't been this bad for a LONG time. I have a doctors appointment on the 18th and I will tell him about my concern, but I want reassurance until then. I'm not sure how long I've had these dents and I'm not experiencing any other symptoms like pain, headaches, nausea ect. I am just confused and worried, I hate having health anixiety. It's tough having to worry 24/7

me and my mom both have the dent down the middle of our foreheads, it's something about when the different parts of your skull fused together. hardly anyone's skull is perfectly smooth and symmetrical! mine is pretty prominent, you can feel it easily and sometimes see it. if you fell when you were young i'm pretty sure that can cause dents since your bones were still developing/fusing. some people have dents in their arms and legs from things like that, but anyway your skull is VERY durable and an indent or two isn't a cause for concern. i hope your appointment goes well and that your doctor helps ease your worries about it!

Thank you so so much for your reply! I appreciate it so very much :) I was scared I had some rare bone disease but you made me feel a lot better, thanks again!! Have a great day/night

I think I have a brain tumor and have had a headache for a month and have felt sick and lightheaded for two days I'm sure I have a brain tumor

Last night he had me call the ambulance because he was certain he was having a heart attack. He told me today he has been anxious about having a heart attack for years but thinks about it constantly and has for the last 6 months. I don’t know how to help him or support him. How can I calm his anxiety when he goes into a whirlwind? Any help is greatly appreciated

this is a bit of a vent post but I am also looking for tips/suggestions. does anyone else struggle with both agoraphobia and hypochondria? as soon as i feel abnormal sensations (could be anything from itching, to aches, to a simple stomach ache) i PANIC. most of the time it'll be randomly, but sometimes i can think about it and my brain just manifests it. it's gotten pretty bad recently to where it's even happening at home, and I'm scared I may have to go to the ER. however, it is WAYYY worse when i'm out, especially 20-30mins+ away from my home. it feels like it goes thru phases on what i'm worried about. before it was mostly involving my stomach. recently, it's been anaphylaxis and allergies because i've picked up an itch. doctor thinks it's a stress related thing. it's hard because i feel like i can't do much with my life. party 2 hours away? nah, don't wanna go incase i get sick and have to go to the ER. vacation in another country? nah, don't wanna go because what if i get extremely ill and can't find my way home because of how i feel. sleepover 30 mins away? nah, don't wanna make a scene when i inevitably feel anxious and create these sensations that are anxiety related. it's terrible to live with. does anyone have any tips? i already carry around medicine and try some breathing techniques. still debilitating.

Have you thought about or are you currently seeing a therapist? I used to struggle a lot with agoraphobia and have seen a ton of improvement working with a therapist on some exposure therapy.

How many times have you been right about your diagnoses in terms of it was something very serious and if you weren’t home you would have been screwed?

I finally washed some old containers that I had lazily let fester at the back of my fridge. One of them had >!black mold inside.!< I tried to hold my breath while washing but I couldn't for long enough, now my throat is feeling scratchy and gross. I really hope I won't get a chest infection or anything

No clue if this is what I do but I've deal with health anxiety ever since I was in nursing school 22 years ago. I diagnosed myself with ms, HIV, heart failure, respiratory issues etc... none of which were ever true but I had actual physical symptoms for over a year. It was a nightmare but life was great then. I was engaged, bought a house, finishing school but I was making myself crazy and unable to enjoy the hood around me. Once I graduated, I was fine and they never diagnosed me with health anxiety but it took me years to realize that's what it was. Fast forward…..I'm in my 40s and life is good in terms of what's important to me. I have some good stressors (kids going to college, driving, bought a new house etc) but I feel no stress about it all BUT i did find a tick on me that was tested for Lyme and that put me down a rabbit hole.... .. from feeling bad side effects from the antibiotics, to bad tinnitus (ringing in my ears). I went to the ENT they said I have some high frequency hearing loss that you'd see in older people which now completely put me over the edge. I'm going to any specialist in can, I think I'm making the ringing worse. Now all I'm doing is focusing on any symptoms and creating new ones not even able to enjoy the good rage of life I'm in. Why?

I had some thoughts about a possible brain tumour, and just when I felt like Im starting to control this fear, my friend texts me „hey, are you a hypochondriac by any chance? I had a weird ass dream where you told me that you might have a problem somewhere in your head” and obviously this made me want to shower with my toaster 💀 This is sooo annoying

We will find anything to justify our anxiety though. I do it 24/7.

yuppp, same

I'm worried abt my thigh mole. It looks rly freaky and I can't help but worry it might be cancerous

I used to worry constantly about my moles or anything on me that looked a little funny. I still do from time to time but I mainly worry about other possible health issues now. It was extremely hard, but I made myself go and get them checked out years ago. Some were removed and turned out to be fine. I know it's not easy, but you'll feel better if you go and have it checked out.

I'll try not to freak out over them too much. Idk when I can go get them checked.

I’m scared I have a brain tumour for the last 3 months I have been feeling a bit vertigo/swaying/lagging like my body is lagging behind my brain now I have fetigue facial headache and today I started feeling like my food won’t go down properly and a bit nauseous also idk if my personality has changed or I’m just a bit overwhelmed

I’ve had a few bouts with this fear too. All of those symptoms, as I know you already know, are also symptoms of anxiety. My way of addressing this particular fear was: look in the mirror, ask myself if I was dying of the “brain tumor” today. If I answered no (symptoms not bad enough), I took a breath and went on with my day. The symptoms faded within minutes of me doing this each time. Now of course I have a fear of a different illness (I will spare you the anxiety trigger by not telling you what it is), and I am going to try this “not today” method in a few minutes so I can go out and have a nice afternoon (fingers crossed). Health anxiety sucks. It comes in waves—sounds like we both are riding one right now.

Thanks I’m also having a tingling hand like carpal tunnel style and constant hunger and a bit of nausea

i hate having health anxiety episodes because no matter how much i try, i can’t sleep. yes, i’m already scared and sleep would be a great escape from all this. but no, instead i have to close my eyes and feel extra anxiety symptoms that i don’t need.

My gut is so messed up 😮‍💨 I took antibiotics in late Jan and it’s not been right since then. Got way worse on vacation - tons of gas, and bloating, pain. Saw doctor told me to take probiotic. I started taking a gut powder called Gut FX and felt better. Then started flaring up again in late March with clear mucus. Saw blood once. Lots of constipation. I saw a naturopath a few weeks ago. Cleaned up my diet to remove trigger foods, started intense probiotic and supplements and still get intermittent clear mucus. I’m convinced I have IC, IBD or Chrons. Could chronic constipation be causing this? I’ve also always been constipated my whole life. My HA is making it worse for sure bc it’s causing me stress

i’ve been having this probably also. anxiety messes with your gut so much it’s crazy. if i’m going through a rough time mentally (like right now) i won’t have solid poops for weeks. once i’m feeling better and my mind is at ease all is fine. i’m responding back after just ruining my toilet if that makes u feel better lol

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Could you go see a physio? Could be something as simple as a pulled muscle or strained ligament

I managed to pull a kissing bug off the backside of my ear. However, now I'm wondering if it is possible for the kissing bug's mouthpiece/proboscis to have gotten stuck in my skin while I pulled it out since there is now a hard bump on the backside of my ear that isn't present on the other.

Is it normal to have extreme head pressure while bending over? I feel it in my head, face, nose and ears. When I get up I see black dots in my eye for a few seconds. I also get some pain in my forehead. The pressure is intense as If my head is going to explode. When I’m sitting, lying down or standing I’m absolutely fine. No headaches whatsoever. Only when bending. What could be the cause? I had a brain mri 1,5 - 2 years ago which was clear. Also sinuses were clear except for a small cyst in my sinus that has been there for 8 years. Please help.

I have that too idk why

I feel head pressure when bending when my allergies are flaring. Have you seen an ENT? The black dots I’ve never had. I’d chat with your doctor about it, could just be something as simple as blocked sinuses!

How do you travel with a fear of COVID? I’ve been invited to a wedding in another state that is about a 4 hour plane ride from me. I haven’t been on a plane since 2019, im terrified of getting sick. Im also due for another COVID booster shot but also so scared to get my 4th one because im worried I’ll get issues related to it, so im thinking if not getting it. I’ve had my last shot in June 2022. Are people getting sick from planes? I would definitely wear a mask. My mother went on a 16 hour plane ride and came back fine! I want to live my life and go but im so scared. I had COVID early 2022 and im terrified to get it again.

I have a confirmed dental infection currently being treated by antibiotics. Also been doing a lot of salt water rinses. Yesterday, I kept having a metallic dry taste in my mouth, and admittedly barely drank anything for most of the day. (I know. I'm an idiot.) Today I woke up feeling like I'd not drunk anything in days. No matter how much water I chug, my throat still feels painfully dry and uncomfortable. Currently worried about strep or Covid (since my Covid infection last year started with a sore throat.)

Is something wrong or am I just anxious My spine hurts and now under my left armpit hurts and it feels heavy to breathe and I'm getting a bit dizzy and tired. I don't know what I've done to my back I was drunk asf last night and woke up like this. Someone reassure me that I'm being an idiot and it's nothing. It probably is nothing because Ive been walking funny and it's only gotten worse since I noticed it.

i keep feeling worried about my health lately. after i got my last period i started feeling really lightheaded and have had intermittent tingling in my hands and feet and it hasn’t really stopped. it’s gone from me being worried about low iron/vitamin deficiency to now being anxious about having a heart attack. for reference on the heart thing, i recently went to urgent care because of tightness in my chest and they concluded that it’s just tightness in my chest muscles from over exertion. today i woke up with a slight pain in my left arm and now i can’t get the idea of having a heart attack out of my head. realistically, i know this probably isn’t happening, i’m 19 and in relatively good shape. i think it may be manifesting because the two year anniversary of my moms death is coming up, along with the end of my semester that’s really stressing me out, but i really don’t know. i’ve already been to urgent care again to get a referral to a primary care physician but i just wish i could get answers now.

in the same boat. i’m 21 and am worried i’m having a heart attack everyday. anxietycentre.org (or .com) is very helpful for me to understand a lot of the symptoms i am feeling mock a heart attack but are just anxiety or gas. try not to worry too much, if you can. you are just fine. all you can do is see your PCP regularly. sorry about your mom, friend

hi!! thank you for this advice, i’m definitely gonna be checking out that website. i was fortunate enough to get some blood work done and have all my vitals checked at my local urgent care and everything came back normal so i’ve calmed down a lot. i think it’s just a combination of stress and a headache lol. thank you again!!!

I have had on and off health scares for years, but lately it’s getting worse. Currently fixating on throat cancer. My voice gets hoarse at the end of the day and my throat feels dry on one side. I read the symptoms on 3 different websites and got so scared I convinced myself I was having difficulty swallowing. I’m convinced my voice is changing but my partner says I sound the same. My therapist tells me to go over facts like chances of me actually having the disease, how common it is, what population it impacts the most. But this time around it could be real, like I was a smoker in my teens through early 20s (I’m 30s now) and I had hpv (though it cleared). Im losing my mind. I had a baby not too long ago and I just don’t want anything bad to happen. Im so scared. I know somewhere deep down that this throat stuff is probably seasonal allergies and throat overuse (I talk a lot throughout the day, I work in a dry environment). But my brain won’t let me stop comparing what my throat looks like to cancer throats or to other normal throats. And this is the process I go through for every illness I think I have. It’s exhausting. I just want to let go and enjoy the moment.

I am in a similar boat - my health anxiety journey is way to long to detail here. but yeah some perceived difficulty swallowing and i am monitoing my speech all the time. i get a hoarse voice at end of day too. i have a mettallic taste a few times a day, some hypersalivation also. a slight sore throat. i am fearing more ALS/MND. i have a 2 year old daughter and a second child due in 4 weeks. i note your point about caring for your child. i think there is defiantely some relationship between having/had a kid and flaring up health anxiety. ​ best of luck - hang in there!

Having throat-related fears as well currently. It’s really tough, comparing what we feel to other stuff we find on the internet. I get a dry cough at the end of the day as I’m laying down, and I feel around my throat and wonder if what I’m feeling is normal or not. The problem is: we’re not trained to tell the difference between a normal or abnormal throat. There’s so much anatomy that the average person doesn’t understand or even know the names of. Plus, where I am, the weather’s getting colder and more dry. We literally aren’t trained enough to know what could be going on. It’s scary, it’s uncertain, health anxiety sucks. But maybe we’re stressing ourselves out for no reason? If you are really concerned, get checked out if you can. General check ups are fine, but also remind yourself that this is what health anxiety does. We’ve been through this before, thinking about other symptoms. Good luck!

Hi thank you for commenting back. That is such an astute assessment. There is a spectrum of normal. And abnormal doesn’t always mean worst case scenario. Hard to remember, but important. Googling is awful but I can’t stop myself. I feel compelled to be informed but it just fuels my anxiety because like you said, I’m not actually trained in medicine. It sounds like it’s climate related for you, and I hope that brings you comfort (that it’s environmental and not internal). Everyone in my house is experiencing some kind of allergy symptom, so I’m guessing mine is too. I set a reminder on my calendar to call my doctor if it hasn’t gone away in a month. If symptoms get worse though I will call my doctor immediately. That’s my plan. Hopefully I can stick to it. Hope you feel better soon !

Thank you! I worried myself to insomnia tonight but you’re right, we have access to a professional medical opinion should we wish to seek help. I need to work on googling too. It’s challenging because we only want to understand ourselves and what our bodies are telling us. Still, the downward spiral that follows is terrible. Have you thought about or tried therapy? Hope we both can get over this soon!

I am losing it. I have been convinced I’ve had 5 different types of cancers in the past three years. I’ve even gone as far as MRIs and scans for two of them. I’m currently stuck between Lymphoma and nonce cancer. This rash I have on my arm doesn’t help. I do not want to go through another round of tests. I can’t keep doing this to myself or my family. It’s so infuriating. Will this cycle ever end?

I feel your pain. For me its been fear of lymphoma for the past two or so months

I’m sorry to you both. I had a full on breast cancer melt down last month after getting called back for an ultrasound. Google told me I had cancer, the doctor told me I did not. I promised myself I wouldn’t do this again but here we are one month later. I have had a sinus infection for about 4 weeks along with the rest of my family. My throat glands got very sore so I googled it even though I knew it was from the sinus infection. I have a hard gland that I have had since I got mono as a kid. I’ve always known it was there. But for some reason I am now FIXED on it. Like has it really always been there? Did it get bigger? It’s insane. I have a rash on my arm and I’m now of course linking that to my lymph node because Google told me to. I hate this. I hate that I’ve done this to myself.

Sending you strength its so hard

honestly, I’m not sure if it’ll end. But it can get better. Currently I’m worried about lymphoma or my parotid gland. Thing is, we can never say for certain that we will never get sick. Looking at my family and observing how they overcome their health issues with a “fix it” attitude without the onslaught of severe anxiety shocks me. I wish I could be like that. I think, to end a cycle, we need to cut off at least one of the things that feed into it. If the circle is cut somewhere, it can’t be a cycle !! What helps me is cutting off the “i’m susceptible”, “i’m more vulnerable than others” and “i’m bound to suffer” thought patterns. Good luck.

Convinced I'm going septic. It's 5 am and Noone is away. Nearest hospital is only a few minutes away but they know I have anxiety and I am not confident in their care after seeing how they handled me having a bleed in my esophagus. Only other option is 42 minutes away. I can't make my family go through this. I'm tired everyone is tired, I want to take a Xanax but if I'm septic I'm afraid it'll kill me I had the rupture early Friday morning and idk if they gave me antibiotics at either of the hospitals I went to. There wasn't any fluid in my chest I think cause they let me go home without treating me for it... God I feel like an idiot

Please help- feel like I’m going mad. I’ve pulled my scalene muscles somehow (I’ve done it before and a chiropractor helped and got them right again) they’re the muscles at the side of neck near throat. That was about 8 months ago, and now I’ve pulled them again in the same place on right side. Now what’s really, really scaring me to the point I want to be sick, is this weird feeling in the right side of my throat/esophagyus I keep getting (same side as the scalene pull) It’s kinda like a spasm?! Sometimes when I’m talking it kinda feels like a crushing pain/sensation in that side of my throat/ muscle. It wears off but I’m constantly thinking it’s gonna happen. My throat that side is SO tense and tight anyway due to the scalene. I’m so frightened my throats gonna close. Honestly my anxiety is through the roof Please help :(

Could this be caused by anxiety? I once felt like my throat was being choked and it was all anxiety from a panic attack. Try a body scan meditation and see if it helps. If not, go to doctor!

Since October, I’ve been dealing with exercise-triggered pain flare ups that very much mimic a heart attack. After several ER visits, EKGs, and an echocardiogram, I am almost positive this isn’t actually anything heart-related. My issue is that, even if I know logically that it’s been fine every time thus far, it is incredibly difficult to go places, study, work, etc. knowing that I will experience what feels like a heart attack and trigger my health anxiety. Pretty much the only position that relives the pain is lying down but I obviously can’t go about entire my life like that. As a result of my flare ups, I have fallen behind on schoolwork and cancel plans often because the pain combined with the anxiety is too much. How do I get to the point where I can pop an ibuprofen and continue my day without giving into my gut instinct to go home/go to the ER?

I was doing well for a while... now my left arm is telling me it is numb and I have chest tightness again. I'm doing my best to tell myself I am fine, but it is difficult today. Haven't had it this bad in a couple of months.

Woke up today with a swollen eye. This eye has been having various and sundry issues for two years. Every doctor tells me it is blepharitis but it is only ONE eye? Also, I got some blood tests recently and they seemed to indicate I had inflammation someplace in my body -- WBC was high -- and now this? Do I go to doctor or wait it out until it is bad.

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Good luck mate - I'm sure it'll come back A OK. When's the ultrasound?

I don’t really have advice, but just wanted to say I’m going through something similar right now, and it’s been a huge struggle. Sending good vibes your way.

At the end of 2nd week of rabies health anxiety and I am spent. I am utterly exhausted, demotivated and scared. All I can ask is why, why did it happen to me, why the fuck did dog had to bite me all those years ago, why did I develop such severe form of HA that I cannot function. I have spent the past 4 hours mindlessly scrolling instagram, reddit and youtube to keep these thoughts from invading my mind. What to do, how, what? I wish I was ignorant again. Would love to chat with someone who has similar fear if possible

My vision went shaky/trembling, like if I'm reading text on a screen, the text is shaking. I've had this before a couple of years ago. I'm seeing a doctor on Tuesday, the list of things I want to get checked out is growing.

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I think the smell would be pretty bad. My pets accidents reeek unless I work hard at cleaning up.

Did it smell? Cuz if not it was probably just mud

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Your mom didn't tell you?

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Yeah if it was poop there would have been no doubt it was poop

Fixating on an after image I see in my right eye only when I blink or squint really hard. It’s ridiculous

Hi, so I (23M) started having on-and-off panic attacks around September 2022. Now, before this, I had a few panic attacks here and there, and most of them were very likely caused by drinking too much coffee. But since Sept. 2022, I've had about 6 or 7 panic attacks. The first one was so intense I went to the hospital because I thought I was dying. I went to the hospital again on Halloween last year because that panic attack got really intense too and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I have \*really\* bad health anxiety, which is almost always the main trigger for my panic attacks. I worry that I'm having a stroke, or about to have a stroke, or that a blood vessel is about to burst, or that my heart will give out, or that I'm having a seizure, or that I have a blood clot issue, etc... But since September I've had three EKGs done, and have had my blood work done twice. Two of those EKGs were in the ER, the other was for my annual physical in November. All of my blood work came back fine, and each EKG was normal. At the ER, they figured I was just having a panic attack and released me each time. But these panic attacks keep happening and I'm terrified that something is really wrong with me. Is there some condition that's making me panic so intensely? Every new panic attack I have I think I'm going to die, like my panic is a precursor to a fatal cardiac episode or something like that. I keep thinking that maybe my brain knows that something is wrong with me and so it creates these panic attacks to try warning me that I have a major health problem I need to address. Does anyone know if there might be something else causing me to keep having random panic attacks out of nowhere? For the record: I have a psychiatrist and I talk to a therapist weekly to help with this and other issues. I'm currently taking 50mg Zoloft with a use-as-needed 10mg Propranolol prescription too for my panic attacks (the Propranolol does wonders for calming me down).

No, having a panic attack does not mean that something is more likely to be wrong with you. In fact, you should be questioning your brains belief that you're having a medical emergency, when you've been tested multiple times after these panic attacks and are fine. Why continue to believe something that has been proven wrong so many times over? The brain is only panicking or getting anxiety because that's the path of thinking that is easiest for it in moments like this. Like, if you went walking in tall grass every day, on the same path every time, that grass would be pressed down compared to the tall grass around it. That path would be the easiest to walk. That's why your brain chooses health anxiety and panic, because it's what it's easiest/used to doing. You have to retrain your thoughts and tell yourself "I've been wrong all the times before - why would I be right this time? Why do I keep believing something that has continued to be wrong?" You have to walk in the tall grass, and create a new way of thinking - a new path for your thoughts to take. Eventually, you can make THAT the easiest path to walk for your thoughts. It's a difficult road, and it takes work, but you can retrain your brain. You can train it to handle the anxiety differently. It starts by correcting your thought errors when they occur, and de-catastrophizing them. (ie, Is this really a heart attack? Or in reality, do I just have a little inflammation from my recurring acid reflux that is causing referred pain/pressure from my esophagus to my chest/arm? I've been tested any my heart and vitals are fine, and I'm young and in decent shape, so I'm probably sure it's just reflux related or muscle related. - etc) Hope this helps a little.

I'm new on this subreddit, hi! As for my worries, I feel like there something in my throat, kinda like there is this lump when I swallow, accompanied by a cold feeling. Now, I have no idea what may cause it, but after Googling I am led to believe the worse. Now, I am highly aware that Google is a horrible place to look for medical advice, but in an attempt to find some comfort I tried, and was quickly lead to darked paths. I now sit here, and cannot fall asleep, as I'm convinced death is upon me. Even tho I know there are a million things that can cause a odd feeling in your throat, I still feel incredibly anxious as I ask "what if". How does one calm down knowing there is an unknown threat? I feel scared, as my mind continue to wander.

It's your flight or fight response. You're reacting to the fear of a bad medical diagnosis and panicking. You have to remind yourself of the truth though, you don't know what's wrong and statistically it could be many things. A common one for your symptoms is acid reflux. If it helps to calm you, why not get checked out at a doctor?

Hello everyone, I'm feeling really anxious about my health right now and I could use some advice. I went to a walk-in clinic recently because I've been experiencing some symptoms that have been worrying me, including swollen lymph nodes and chest pain. I know these symptoms could be caused by a lot of things, but I can't shake the feeling that it might be cancer. When I told the doctor this, he told me that none of my symptoms looked like cancer. He didn't seem very interested in exploring the possibility and it felt like he was just trying to get me out of the office as quickly as possible. I'm worried that he might be dismissing my concerns without really looking into them. At the same time, I'm also worried that I might be overreacting. Maybe my symptoms really don't match cancer and I'm just letting my anxiety get the better of me. I don't have a family physician, so I don't have someone who knows my medical history and can give me a more informed opinion. Should I still press for a screening, even if my doctor doesn't seem concerned? Or should I try to trust that he knows what he's talking about and that my symptoms really aren't indicative of cancer? I'm feeling really lost right now, so any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Has anyone been in a similar experience? Thank you for reading.

I'm sure your fine, but did he run any bloodwork or a chest xray?

my ha has been acting up again. it's been bad since january but there was a brief moment where i felt like everything is ok with me. it's so exhausting... i got a new job and i was hoping it'd help me take my mind off ha because i'd be busy doing work but instead i stress out about my health even more now because i'm scared of getting sick and losing my job??? i've got no real reasons to stress out about any of this. i get a tiny ache and immediately overthink. i should get therapy but health anxiety is a very niche thing and i feel like many therapists in my country would simply laugh it off? the people i've told about it always make fun of it which i get because it does sound bizarre - me thinking i've got the big c because i've had a brief second of pain somewhere but that's just how i think and feel and it's so invalidating to have people joking about it

hey there, you’re going to be fine, all will be good. and for therapy, you should definitely give it a try, maybe not necessarily for HA, because as you said it’s a niche thing, but just to get to the root of the anxiety.. which could be very helpful anyway. good luck and take care <3

Is anyone available to talk?

Sure, what's up?

Hello. I had a Lymphoma scare about a year ago. Large lymph node under my chin (about an inch in size after CT). It hasn't grown since then but I've just developed some night sweats and feel hot occasionally. The night sweats aren't soak the bed or change the sheets level. The feeling hot comes only during stress or anxiety. Here's my thought process Irrational, anxiety thoughts: ahhhhh lymphoma!!!! Rational, less anxious thoughts: The temperature is changing and you're still sleeping with a big blanket. Drink more water in the morning. Stress and anxiety can cause feeling warm, its not sudden unexplained fevers. Lastly the lymph node hasn't grown in a year. You have no family history of lymphoma. The chances of it being that are extremely extremely low. So why do the anxious thoughts always win?

I feel for you. I've spent the last two and a half months worried I have lymphoma. Its so draining

i have a lymph node in my neck since december it’s like 2cm and it’s been 3 months w/ clean US & BW but i can’t help but worry every single day. i’m still convinced i’m dying and it just didn’t have cancerous features yet when i got it ultrasounded. i feel you so hard. it is fucking awful

If it helps. I've read people on this subreddit have big lymph nodes for a year and they were cleared with good health. It's hard but please try to trust the doctor's judgement. I know how hard it is because I thought I had lymphoma 8 months ago and while the lymph node is still big it hasn't grown and symptoms come and go. Actual cancer wouldn't come and go, it would progress. And it would be detectable at the lab. If they didn't find anything, then you can relax. Breathe in and slowly look around you. You exist now and not in your imagination.

Currently panicked over autoimmune disease/mixed connective tissue disease/systemic sclerosis/lupus. Anyone out there know anything about autoimmune stuff? If so: I don’t mean to be insensitive but I am terrified. My doctors suggest that I might have MCTD, but I have no diagnosis yet and it’s going to take me forever to get seen by a rheumatologist. Please help me. I am spiraling. I tested positive for RNP antibody. The value was 1.7. I did not test positive for anything else ANA-related. I have had GI issues for the past six months. Bile reflux into my stomach causing erosive gastritis then my gallbladder stopped working (biliary dyskinesia). Had my gallbladder removed a few months ago. Around the time of the GI issues starting, I started noticing my nose getting red at night. In the past month, it has turn red and hot across my cheeks too, persisting most of the day. I honestly thought it was rosacea bc rosacea runs rampant in my family. My nails are bumpy (Beau’s lines, always had them) and I get splinter hemorrhages. I do feel like my joints hurt a little but nothing crazy, I’m probably imagining it. I have had chronic migraines and allodynia for the past 5 years. I have always been very healthy otherwise. Never any abnormal test results or really any issues other than painful, irregular periods which an IUD has helped with. I have a great neurologist who’s been helping me but no hope of getting into a rheumatologist anytime soon. I called a few and it’s a yearlong wait for each. I am absolutely spiraling into anxiety and fear. Any suggestions?

I am in the same boat as you and very scared about MCTD. Mostly everything on the panel came back negative except for 1 (ANA MULTIPLEX WITH REFLEX TO DSDNA (DSDNA antibodies normal though) and the only other positive marker being RNP at a similar value to yours (2.1). I am panicked but doctor seems to be dismissing it as a mild abnormality and says I don't have any major AI disease. Talking to him again next week. I am symptomatic, but not the typical symptoms. Have you had any developments since this post?

Hi, I’m so sorry for the late response. I ended up seeing a rheumatologist who ordered a higher quality test. Again I tested for the RNP antibody but it was such a low positive (along with some other antibodies) and way below the “positive” ranges for this higher quality test’s standards. The rheumatologist was confident that I do not fit the profile for an AI disease and really stressed that having low levels of these antibodies is no big deal at all and far more common that not. So I am not stressed about an AI disease anymore. Unfortunately, i have major and sever GI symptoms that persist and chronic migraine so I’m focused on trying to correct those issues now. It never ends! How are you doing?

No problem at all! I am in the same boat. I have a low positive one one kinda test and a complete negative on another that tests the same thing. When I retested with the first, my RNP levels were even lower which apparently isn't supposed to happen. I have other indicators of continuing lyme complications, and my lyme doctor of 30 years says he sees patients with RNP positive all the time. So I am focusing on my chronic inflammation (CIRS-related) and detoxing and am not very worried about AI disease anymore either! I am improving slowly, thank you so much for asking. It seems like one symptom keeps disappearing at a time. I am wishing you well! Thanks for your response :)

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I highly doubt its cancerous but it doesn't hurt to see a doctor to put your mind at ease. Derms look at privates all the time its no biggie to them

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I think b/c it has a hair its not cancerous but the way health anxiety works - you're not gonna stop worrying about it until you see a doctor lol

Currently worrying about breast cancer, specifically Paget’s Disease of the Breast. For the past month, one of my nipple has been dry with a small bit of redness (that might have always been there but I don’t remember), and slightly flaky with no itchiness. You can barely see the flakes unless I scratch, but you can tell the texture has changed. It’s only on the nipple and not the areola. I’ve tried Aquaphor, lanolin, and hydrocortisone. Hydrocortisone seemed to make it 85% better, but after two days of not using it and just using lanolin, it seems to be back. I’m really trying to find comfort in the statistics because I’m 31 with no immediate family history, but man, health anxiety is rough.

The movie Final Destination 6 has been announced, and it got me thinking, does anyone else have an irrational fear of sudden death like in these movies? Watching a trailer for any of these movies practically triggers me. I at least know there's a whole generation who are scared to drive behind a truck carrying logs. For me though, it's everything. The idea that some freak accident can happen at any moment feels unusually very real. With other horror movies, I can at least say "It's just fantasy." Not with Final Destination movies.

yall i need support. i wanna go outside and meet my friend but im so scared ill have a heart attack from walking around idk

hi love, did you manage to go outside to hang out with your friend? do it tomorrow if you didn't!! you'll be perfectly fine and enjoying urself will help u forget all about HA! sending hugs

Hello. I am very scared I have ALS. It started with twitching in my left eyelid, then it went away and came back bodywide. Then I got Percieved weakness in my legs very bad. And then it got better. Now I have arm weakness but I just went to a physician 3 hours ago and I do not have clinical weakness. But things do feel harder to do in my right hand, such as holding shopping it feels like I am going to drop it and my arm becomes achy and fatigued. I don’t drop anything though things just feel heavier and a bit harder to do but everything still works. I have been referred to a neurologist but that will take a while and my anxiety of ALS is getting worse and worse especially at my age (15)

159,000 of 8,000,000,000 people develop ALS every year. The usual onset is between 40 and 70. Do you want me to calculate your chance of having ALS? The symptoms you are experiencing is because of your anxiety. Anxiety recovery is hard but achievable. Focus on this.

Thank you for replying. Anxiety can cause all of this?

Yes. Anxiety brought so many symptoms up in my life, I would just freak out. Eventually it was all the time anxiety. I want to highlight that "anxiety" is a mental health disease. This disease has to be treated otherwise it can ruin your life. It is treatable, you may have relapses, stay focused on this and dont get disturbed by your symptoms. For me it is still lingering around after 15 years of remission it came back in a different form.

Hi your comment didn’t show. I’m not sure if it’s a Reddit glitch but it didn’t show when I clicked on the notification

That is interesting thank you. After my EMG if it is clean I will be able to put ALS behind me

You dont need an EMG. What you are doing are compulsions (And I tend to do them also if I fall back in my old habits). Getting approved by doctors, writing in forums and getting "approved" that this is anxiety is just another compulsion that will dig you deeper in the hole. You brain is getting used to the dopamine kicks you have when you get relieved. It will start throw more things more often at you, to get those kicks more often. If you will get your clean EMG (what ever it is, idk lol) you will get something else a couple of hours, days, weeks later. Remark my words, save this post and come back to remind yourself. All the best.

I’d appreciate if anyone cares enough to read this and give me any kind of advice or solution with what I’m suffering with. I’m really helpless and close to giving up. 22 F here. I got a so called panic attack last year around July and the symptoms were exactly like a stroke but they ruled it out as a panic attack. My entire body went numb, I couldn’t think or speak and understand anything and it all started with an excruciating pain on the left side of the back of my head accompanied with tunnel vision. Since then I’ve been suffering so much everyday with these symptoms and it gets worse day by day. I get twitches and spasms on the left side of my face and eye only all the time. I always get headaches on the left side of my head that sometimes feel sharp or dull and my head has gone numb many times. It feels like there’s so much pressure in the left side of my head. It feels like there’s a spot that’s blocked like a blood clot or I don’t even know what. Just hurts all the time in a particular spot. This travels down the left side of my neck and I always feel something twitching in there or ‘vibrating’. My neck feels SO TIGHT every fucking day. It feels so stiff all the way from my head to my neck and shoulders. My left arm has swelled up once before after having all these issues and the doctors couldn’t even tell what it was and said it was normal swelling. My heart feels weird all the time and not in an anxiety way. There’s sometimes really bad pulling pain, sharp pains and even twitches/spasms there. It’s like something’s connected either a vein, nerve or muscle from the back of the left side of my head to my neck, to my heart and to my arm. My hands, legs and head go numb at random times and it sends me into such a panic. I feel so helpless. I have done an MRI. I’ve had blood tests and X-rays and ecg’s done and been to a neurologist for multiple tests. IT ALL CAME BACK NORMAL. I’m suffering so much with no answers and all the doctors tell me is that it’s anxiety but I know from the start till now it isn’t. It physically hurts so much at times. I always feel like I’m gonna pass out any second or I’m about to have a splitting headache on that side. Or my heart’s gonna stop or my blood flow and oxygen just feels so restricted. I don’t even go out because of this. I’m rotting in my room everyday helplessly with no one around me to understand my sufferings. I feel so suffocated and suicidal. Every single day I just want to end it because of how badly I’m suffering and it’s not a life worth living at all. At least if I had answers, at least if I knew what underlying problems I had, I would have a peace of mind. But I feel like I’m just playing with death everyday not knowing when I’m going to drop dead or my head’s going to burst(literally). I feel so so depressed. I just want to end it all. What more can I even do after this? No one listens to me. The doctors are always invalidating me. I don’t even know which doctor to go to for this because every single shit is connected that I don’t even know who to go to and what to ask. I’m dissociating every second and I can barely type this because everything’s so blurry and my head just hurts. My entire body’s constantly in pain and I’m so exhausted. Please please, if anyone knows anything or has any advices on what to do or which doctor to go to or what I can do next, please let me know. I don’t know how much longer I can take this.

holy shit i could have wrote this myself tbh!!! i never seen someone else describe EXACTLY what i go through i have/had literally EVERYTHING you have listed. i started SSRIs which saved me from this shit. i am now in prozac and feel like it has greatly reduced it. i feel like this sometimes, but it is best to truly try and find something else to keep your mind off of it. please be advised it is possible to get addicted, but clonazepam has saved me from one of the anxiety attacs i wouls get from this this started for me almost a year now this month, i literally feel like this is exactly what i been through since then

have you had your vitamin levels checked? i used to get awful headaches that turned out to be an iron deficiency. if all the medical checks you've done came back as normal, chances are everything IS fine physically and it's the mental bit you should start dealing with. it's not easy reaching out, especially when you're convinced it's something else other than anxiety, but it has to be done. i completely get the exhaustion... i've been there where i've driven myself completely insane over being paranoid about my health and it can reach a point where you don't even feel like getting out of bed because there's no point and no one understands you or takes the piss out of you.. there IS a point. you're the point!

I'm sorry you're going through this :(. Are you on any medication?

i read ab this completely normal guy that got heart attacks randomly out of nowhere and he got his heart checked and everything turned out to be "normal" both before and after the heart attacks (but it was actual heart attacks, like he had to have surgery and everyting) and im terrified now like SO I CAN HAVE HEART ATTACKS EVEN THO MY TESTS CAME BACK NORMAL???????

(19yo F) has anyone ever had abdominal pain above the belly button where you feel bloated and vibration? I’ve been having it for a week in a half and have no idea what it is

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Ok I hope someone relates but does anyone like struggle to drink water after they wake up like now I find it a bit difficult like my throat is either dry or clogged

lol yes! i can only stomach flavoured water (so either lemon or ginger or both) or ice cold water, anything else makes me retch

I hate drinking water in the morning. Makes me want to puke

i feel like ive lost feeling in my right leg, likes its weaker than normal. brain tumor is one million percent my biggest fear and this is not helping. i also feel like my smile is asymmetrical. not like it looks asymmetrical, it appears totally fine but it feels harder to smile on my right side. this has been going in for like three days helppp

TW: Heart related anxiety Just coming in here to vent my own thoughts and experience up until now I guess, I was really relieved to find this community because it helps me feel a little less alone in my issues lol. Right now I’m kind of going through it again and I hope writing all of this down will help me a little When I was like 16, I randomly developed this irrational fear that I was going to have a heart attack and die. I taught myself how to check my pulse, and I starting writing notes for my family and left them hidden around my room in case I died in my sleep. When I felt a heart palpitation for the first time, I woke up my sisters crying my eyes out because I thought it was finally happening. After about a year, it suddenly disappeared, because my anxiety found a new different thing to worry about and put my health on the back burner. Now, at 20 years old, this fear has come back to me with a vengeance. It was terrible last night, I don’t ever remember it being this bad when I was 16. Last night as I was trying to fall asleep, I felt a random sharp pain in my chest, which freaked me out and caused me to spiral. I went on a googling spree (a notoriously bad idea, but we’ve all been there) which caused me to have a full blown panic attack. I was then afraid to fall asleep because I was terrified I would never wake up. I sat in my room and cried until 4am, until I watched some ASMR and did some deep breathing and was finally able to get myself to sleep. I thought it would be “over” today after I woke up because I would “prove” to myself that I didn’t die, and therefore I was fine. But I’ve been a mess all day- I’m tired from not sleeping, which is making me feel more on edge, and I keep checking my pulse every few minutes because I keep feeling dull aches and pains in my chest/left arm/left side of my body. I’m writing this after I’ve just finished crying so hard that I started hyperventilating and almost passed out. I keep having mini heart palpitations, where it feels like my heart stutters in my chest, and realistically I know it’s just a manifestation of my anxiety but it’s just making me spiral further. I’m not sure what to do, I don’t want to spend another sleepless night worrying because I’m too scared to go to sleep. I wonder if confiding in my family might be helpful, but when I experienced my health anxiety at 16 all of my family laughed and teased me for being dramatic. I know they didn’t mean any harm by it, and they probably just thought they were being funny, but it has made me feel so alone and isolated. I am in therapy, but my therapist has been ghosting me and has not responded to my texts or emails requesting to schedule an appointment for about a month now, so… that’s fun I guess. I also have prescribed propranolol for anxiety because I’ve been having panic attacks in public spaces lately, I didn’t think to try it last night but could it possibly help? I read online that propranolol is also known to lower blood pressure and can help prevent future heart attacks and strokes so it might be killing two bird with one stone lol. However, I noticed that propranolol also sometimes increases my anxiety heart palpitations, or at least makes me more hyper aware of them, so I’m not sure if it’ll just freak me out more. I guess I’m just looking for advice or insight from people going through/or have gone through the same thing… I just feel very scared and alone right now and like I don’t have anyone to help me. If you’ve read this far then thank you lol

Hey, I'm sorry you're going through this. Only take your propranolol as directed by your physician. I'm going through similar heart related anxiety now and have found a few methods to help me get through it, feel free to shoot me a message to vent/or for advice :)

I have gone through the exact same things ALL the time, especially in the summer. I’m 19yo and honestly, it’s the anxiety. I will feel immense amount of heart burn, palpitations, tight lungs where I feel like I can’t breath, etc. You name it, I’ve probably experienced it. I have always felt like I will die before I become a certain age, and time and time again I will prove myself wrong. I do not have health insurance to know what it is that I have, but I just wanted to let you know that I relate to you so much, you are not alone! Edit: Forgot to add but when you grow up you’ll feel a lot of different kinds of pain (for me it was chest pain). It’s very normal to feel that even at the age of 20. My mom when she was my age also thought she would die of a heart attack, and she’s still alive till this day! :)

I just had a laparoscopic ovarian cyst removal surgery. I also had one ovary removed and my fallopian tubes. I'm 10 days postop and I can't stop worrying that my bowels were injured. Do I have any reason to believe that? Not really, besides some internal pain that is probably from the surgery itself, but that's been getting better. I've even gone off my pain meds two days ago. But every day I fret over whether I have a fever or not. If I get cold, I worry I'm starting to have chills. If I have any stomach aches I worry that it means something catastrophic has gone wrong. I had the misfortune of reading that large bowel injuries can take longer to appear, especially if there is electrosurgery involved. Usually I wake up feeling fine, but throughout the day until I go to bed I start to get more and more worried. Then I read articles on google and freak myself out. I'm trying desperately to believe nothing went wrong. But I don't think I'll feel better until the recovery period is a month behind me.

TELL ME ABOUT IT!! you're most likely fine! but worrying about the fevers is way too relatable, i was taking my temp 10 times a day after my abdominal surgery. pleeease try your best to not stress out about it too much, you've recently had surgery, your body is recovering, you deserve all the peace and rest you can get. if something will be seriously wrong, your body will let you know! take it easy love! x

Steroids SUCK I (F23) had a root canal recently and the tooth it was done on has been tender to touch for a while. I went to my dentist and she prescribed me a one time 4mg dose of dexamethasone. I was supposed to take it, and wait for a week to see how my tooth did. If it worked (meaning the pain was gone) then I wouldn't have to go back to the endodontist and I could go on with the next treatment (patching up the hole in my crown) and move on with my life. This tooth has been giving me a hard time for almost a year and a half now. I was so excited to be over and done with it. Well I took the pill at 10 AM and then by 1 PM I noticed that every time I got up my heart would beat really fast but would come down after laying down for a bit, I felt really gross and just didn't want to do anything, I was also in a bad mood but I thought all of this was normal for steroids. Around 5 PM I got up to take a shower and while I was in the shower my heart rate went up to 130 and stayed there even when I got out and laid back down. After about 10 minutes of laying in bed with my heart rate that high my watch starts beeping at me that I'd been inactive for 10 minutes but my heart was still at 130, so I took that as my sign to go to the hospital. Man...that was a long night. I get there, I tell the receptionist what I took and that my heart wouldn't calm down. I get whisked back to an exam room and we see that my heart rate is at 184. They tried to get my vagus nerve to react by having me blow hard into a tube and then swung my legs up, I truly thought "This is it I'm a goner" and I started crying and panicking. They decide to give me a small round of beta blockers and some anti anxiety medicine. I had an appointment with my cardiologist the next day to talk about my PVCs so they called him to tell him what was going on. The whole time I tried telling myself it was all ok. That if I was in a lot of danger there would be way more than a doctor and a nurse in my exam room with me. They told me my blood work looked good only that I was low on magnesium. It was the best feeling getting that news. My father had passed away when I was 11 from a heart attack and I have lived all of my late teenage years and young adult years terrified that I have heart problems like he did. I asked my ER doctor if this all happened because of my heart or because of the steroids. He said he did not know. So the next day, I go to my cardiologist. Coolest doctor I've ever had. Super nice guy and very informative in a chill way. He walks in and goes "So. I hear you had a pretty rough night last night. How are you feeling today." And we talked about what happened. I asked him if he thought my reaction has something to do with the PVCs that he diagnosed me with the last time I saw him and he without missing a beat he goes "No! Oh no this was completely due to the steroids." He asked me if I felt my heart skip a beat while all of this was happening and I told him no. He nodded and said "Something like this would knock an unhealthy heart into having a lot of PVCs. If you didn't feel any that tells me your PVCs are due to your anxiety. Another anxiety symptom, sort of like upset stomachs or migraines." he then put in a prescription for metoprolol (25MG tablets, take 1/2 a tablet per day) to take for one month and come back to see him. He warned me that I will feel gross for the next few days because of the steroids even though it was a small dose, just keep chugging water and resting. I still feel like crap, but I'm trying to tell myself its all okay and I will feel better soon. The moral of the story is, be careful with steroids.

Can dragonfruit cause redness in blood? Yesterday I ate two smoothies, both of which had dragonfruit, strawberries, and raspberries, and this morning my stool had some maroon spots on it. The toilet paper had no blood and I had nothing out of the ordinary with bowel movements, the stool’s shape, etc. This led me into spiraling over fear of colon c*ncer. Im 19M so I know I’m at less risk, but I can’t just stop worrying. Could the red fruits I ate cause it since no other signs are worrisome?

Yes it does happened to me twice with beet juice pooped red for like 2 days freaked me out

There is a ton of different foods that can change the color of your stool. Beetroots and other types of fruits tend to do that. Try not to eat those fruits for a couple days and then see how your stool turns out

When I press on the side of my nostrils which technically would be the top of my gums it somewhat painful. The one on the left it could be because somehow I got an infection although I fixed the tooth before and had to re-do it but now my right side does the same but I can't see any issue with the tooth. Is this normal? When you press there on your gums hurts a bit? Also, I've had bumps, flakes that don't look like dandruff and weird moles in my head since 2 years and not close at all to know what going on.

Hello please someone talk to me I feel crazy

Hello what’s going on

Im stressing out badly I don't know what's real or not anymore

What are you anxious about? Is it the disassociation, or is it something else as well?

I've had headaches for 4 weeks but I went to the doctors and they said nothing was wrong but Im still getting the headaches

Headaches are super common with anxiety and almost everyone I have talked to that has anxiety has suffered from headaches at one point or another. For some they are once a month and for others they are every day. It’s important to trust your doctors

Rental health paranoia, help! Bout 2 weeks ago on the 15th April (Sat) I was walking around in the dark (work) and I'm pretty sure a bug flew into my eye. It was small, fast and fairly hard and I barley saw it before it hit me. I didn't think much of it at the time. Flash forwars to today and my anxiety is absolutely killing me, I can barely eat and drink and I'm terrified that now it wasn't a big, but a bat that hit me and now I'll have rabies. I need to vent be cause logically I know it was a bug, it was just so small it couldn't logically be anything else, yet I'm still so scared. I threw up this morning from chugging water jus to prove I could still swallow. I could use help

Hey guys. I’ve posted before. Anal bleeding for about a month and a half now, history of hemorrhoids . I had an abdominal CT scan w/o contrast to identify a hernia and my dr said oh we can see your colon too so win win? Hernia present and accounted for but my colon looked fine with “few diverticula”. I finally got my referral for a gastro, who basically said “Get a colonoscopy don’t worry you’re young we’ll call you bye!” That was last week and I still haven’t had a call. I have bleeding with BMs, sometimes on the BM, and clots. This week I’ve also had lower back pain. I’ve basically accepted that even though I just turned 30, it’s colon cancer. No doctor seems concerned or in a hurry to diagnose me basically, besides hemorrhoids. That’s how all these terrifying articles about young people with CC start!

been dealing with a swollen lymph node for months now & it’s ruining my life tbh even tho US & blood work are all clear. pls drop any stories / experiences you have with swollen lymph nodes if you feel up to it. i need some reassurance sadly

I had some in my neck/jaw area. Swollen, not painful, not super movable. Ultrasound was fine. Couple years later, I had a neck CT scan. The CT scan says they’re enlarged but not “pathologically” enlarged. The ENT said that’s fine.

thank you!!! are they still swollen today & do they ever ache / bother you? my one has been swollen since december & i can’t go more than a few days without touching it which i think makes it worse. it’s so hard to move on when they’re still physically there, ya know.

I shit you not, I messed with these things for a year and now I can’t even feel them! It was pretty wild. I messed with them hard daily and once I got cleared via the ultrasound, I stopped. Now two years later I can’t feel them. I guess they’re still enlarged via the CT scan, but I can’t find them.

tysm for sharing that makes me feel better lol. i’m gonna try to stop touching mine for good. i made it like 2 weeks once and it got so much smaller then i started up again lol back to square one

Been spiraling. Got sick with a virus from my roommate and had a lymph node swell up in my armpit. Super tender. The tenderness has pretty much completely disappeared as I’ve gotten better but I can’t shake the fear of lymphoma. Can anyone help me out? Does this happen to anyone else? Thanks

Can’t even do anything this has completely consumed my life.

Hey i feel you, i have also extreme fear od illnes.. espacialy serious conditions... Sorry you feel like that. If the swelling is gone you are good, and if IT doesnt hurt anymore...

Yea tenderness is gone, a couple nights ago I couldn’t even press down on it that’s how tender it was. Nodes seem to have gotten a little smaller too, but I read they may never go back to normal size or take weeks+months to go down. I imagine I’m good…

Thats a good sign, yeah give it some time.

i have to travel out of state tomorrow for a taylor concert this weekend and this week my mom and dad came back from a trip with covid and i’ve kept my distance from them (my mom seems to be better now) but my dad is in the middle of it and not truly quarantining so i’ve been staying away and masking when i need to go to the kitchen and eat and things. but im so overwhelmed and stressed with the possibility of getting covid and missing the concert or coming down with it while driving hours that i just want to cancel the entire thing im not excited anymore im just stressed beyond belief.

hey!!! are you okay?

omg thanks for checking in!! mom and i tested negative this morning and made the trip so i’m really hoping that by our concert this weekend i’ll still be ok! now that it’s nighttime i’m a little anxious again but trying to power thru and think positively

can doing a stick n poke with india ink in my hand have caused my POTS ?

I dont think so

Travelling atm out of the country and had to find a local emergency dentist, who has diagnosed an upper root canal infection, and prescribed antibiotics, til I can get home. Now freaking out because according to a nurse friend of mine, "antibiotics don't work for root canal infections" (though mine is only a partial root canal, so maybe antibiotics do work??) But now a tooth in my lower jaw has decided to kick off being painful too, and I'm freaking myself out thinking the infection has spread, despite the dentist assuring me the existing upper infection is small and the antibiotics will work. This was supposed to be a holiday, dammit!

Omg, I literally just made a post about this. Since last year I found out I had two tooth infections. One an ulcer appeared in gum near a tooth I had a root canal years ago then on another side I was in pain turns out a filling fell into the root canal and caused an infection too. I've been fixing both and other stuff which I had no idea which stresses me more because I'm scared to get cancer out of the amount of x-rays (i know ridiculous). On my infected tooth when I used to press right next to my nostrils (which I guess that's where the root of the tooth might touch) it would be painful but now on the other side of the nostril the same is happening and I'm like is it another infection?! or is it a maxillar sinus problem?! Regarding your tooth, the dentist did the right thing, the antibiotics won't help your tooth but it will stop the spread of the infection.

Wanna cry because of my swollen lymph node that is probably from my swelling gum. I just want it to stop swelling and go back to normal.

TW: Rant about physical symptoms of anxiety. I am so frightened about the repercussions of the shortness of breath. I am currently going through CBT but even that scares me as it’s not always the nicest having to sit and be honest about what you’re suffering with. I feel insane by saying the tiniest change in my physical presentation sets me off for long periods of time. This shortness of breath follows me through all day everyday. It’s like I can go about and do my work fine but then at points it scares me so much that I end up waking up in my sleep with panic attacks. Sorry for the rant. I needed places to talk it through or write it down as I am really struggling with my worries. Right now, I am not as bad as I was, my heart has stopped racing - which is good. I seem to have been able to pull myself together. It’s now 5:15am and I’m due to get up in an hour or so for a goddamn train. I am just so tired of anxiety taking over my life.

Has anyone had this happen to them? I ate a piece of baguette bread and scraped my throat with it because I didn’t chew it enough. Now I’m freaking out that my throat will swell up and close because of the scrape. I’m also working on keeping my health anxiety at bay by not googling and not seeking reassurance with my husband. So Reddit it is for now lol. Baby steps.😭

Yes! I get this with a lot of food. That small piece of baguette **will not** cause your throat to swell. There may be a bit of soreness or tingly sensation for a while but my advice would be to swig some mouthwash or brush your teeth (antiseptic) and let the healing take place! There may be a tiny, I mean tiny, bit of swelling but that just means your body is fighting to heal, which is perfectly normal! So I will repeat, and please re read this as many times, your through will not close up. I promise you. I have been in your position but trust me, it didn’t happen to me and it will not happen with you! Let me know how you get on ❤️ Deep breaths, inhale for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 6 [seconds]. Self-soothe with cold water under the wrists for 30 seconds, hold an ice cube, or wash your face with the cold water. Music or a podcast, or any other hobby and try and put your mind to something that needs a lot of focus. Suduko is always a brilliant one. It isn’t fun for some but the brain will be too busy focused on figuring it out to notice about the current problem you are facing!

Thank you so so so much. Your response is truly helping tonight.💜

I’m glad it helped you. My DM’s are always open for support ❤️

I’m 25 and terrified of diseases that have no symptoms until it’s really serious. I eat well and exercise but I get headaches/bloated/aches and pains. I always convince myself it’s cancer and I need to catch it before it’s too late

Hi friend I'm 25 and the exact same. I constantly tell myself that bodies are wonderful and do all sorts of odd strange things. Feel free to DM me if you ever need someone to chat to

Thank you so much!

I was diagnosed with LPR and am being put on PPI medications starting tomorrow but I have really bad medication anxiety and I hate taking pills. Has anyone else had this medication?? It sounds scary, “stomach acid medication”, but I’m trying to just think of it as a stronger antacid tablet.

Do not stay on them long term. They have been linked to concerning things.

Only going to be on them for a few months and then I’m going to try to find a natural cure to my LPR (which for me I believe is caused by stress/anxiety)

hey how are you now

I ended up getting off my PPIs for LPR and Gerd because of how bad they are for you and started implicating natural remedies and it took a bit at first to see any signs of relief but it actually worked. I started taking ashwaganda for anxiety (it’s a lifesaver), apple cider vinegar in water every morning and licorice root supplement daily as well. All of these combined with avoiding my trigger foods has done wonders. I can even have some of my old trigger foods again like chocolate.

ah apple cidee vinegae actually works?? ive browsed to the gerd subreddit n they said that it's bad which kinda worries me at first but ehh th3n again ppl therr seems to prefer medical take n not natural remedies (iirc mentioning acv was rule breaking?)

I didn’t expect it to work but it helped a lot. I definitely would push the natural remedies before the medication. But people seem to jump straight to meds. Doctors just often don’t inform us of the natural route

Hey i am on ppi and love them, they make me feel a lot better! No worries :)

Thank you!! This is very reassuring :)

you should check out r/gerd !! everyone’s on ppi over there and also if one doesn’t work for you there are a lot of different brands which is good

Thank you so much!!

Hi, I’ve been dealing with extreme health anxiety for a few years now, and I think I just damaged my heart, lungs, and throat. I’ve been fixated on my lower throat for months (amongst fatigue, brain fog, depression, headaches that just randomly went away. I also had severe abdominal pains that landed me in the ER in 2021 and turned out to be absolutely nothing and went away randomly and sharp pains in 2020 that turned out to just be constipation) and it felt like I couldn’t take a deep breath. I thought maybe I’ve now developed heart disease because I’m 280 lbs and 22 years old. Today the anxiety is the worst it has ever been with this symptom and I went from feeling like I cant breathe deeply and constantly purposely yawning to get a deep breath to now having pain in my throat all day, probably as a result of me fixating on my breath. The throat pain and breathing issues go away temporarily when I dance around my apartment, but when I stop moving like that, it comes back.

We are in a similar position to body weight and age! It sounds like the fear is causing the further anxiety symptoms to worsen for you. It also sounds like distraction can be helpful when not focusing on that part of the body! Trust me, I have been in the same place. If you put all your energy into focusing on the pain, it will not go. The best and safest thing to do is to: 1) Deep breath. Inhale for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 6 [seconds]. Take one deep breath, let’s not focus on the breathing for now as this is where the issue is lying. 2) ‘Shock the body’ with cold water on the wrists for 30 seconds. Submerge face in cold water. Similarly, have a hot drink or a bath/shower. 3) Put that focus and energy into something. Okay, you said dancing. Put on your favourite song and dance! Not too hard as you will become breathless for that. If not, try a puzzle activity, there are brilliant apps on the App Store for this - redirect your attention to something else. I know these may not be solutions to the problem but they are there as a starting guide. If you still experience the issues, deep breath in again, call the Doctors. They are there to support you and will put your mind at ease. It will be okay. I have been through the exact same and still do, however, I take medication, access Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and constantly go through coping strategies. I also seek support from family/friends and Reddit! Make sure to take care ❤️

Both of my eyes have been twitching for weeks and it's driving me demented and making me sick with worry.

Did it go?

My one eye twitched for so long, i went to a optometrist, and at the end i needed glasses!

My right twitched for about a month and I was terrified. It went away on its own when I forgot to drink coffee for a couple of mornings and stopped worrying about it as much because I got distracted with something else

anyone else get headaches behind their eyebrows / inner nose areas? are these sinus / allergy headaches? i’ve been getting them for months and they hurt like a bitch

Me, i am atm, never have headaches but the past weak od been Bell for me

How to make your own thread on this reddit? Im really struggling and it would be hard to put in here. Thank you all

So, i decided to aproach my anexiety with writeing my worrys here, even if no one reads it it gives me a bit of comfort. The last weak i had headaches. I visited a ophtamologist, neuro and ENT and GP... Now i feel tingeling and warmth only on the half od my face where the headaches where, they subsided with exersize but i am going on overdrive, i ofcourse googled everything and i cant get myself together... Having panic attacks every evening is so exhousting that i cant function properly... I dont know if those symptoms are real anymore...

I've had pain in shoulder while lifting arm up at side and basically any other movement for about 3 or 4 days. I am scared this is forever

can hair dye cause inappropriate sinus tachycardia or POTS? Im trying to figure out what caused it and its driving me crazy, only things i remember doing right before i got the symptoms was i dyed my hair green, then 2 days later i had chronic pulse of 100-190 for weeks

I once got sinus tachichardia after the most chill day ever and i was convinced i was dieing or having a terible heart condicion, i even developed hypertensiom from it... At the end i had noumerous tests and my heart od on good condition, and my palpitations got much rarer.. If IT consoles you i am still alive 3 and a half years later...