Hypochondria

For no reason at all that I can fathom, I've become obsessed with the idea that I've got some horrible disease and that I'm dying. This has, of course, produced all kinds of symptoms which I know are purely from the anxiety. Chest pains, dizziness, nausea, shakes and an overwhelming sense of fear, of something horrible about to happen. Telling myself that it's all in my mind doesn't help at all - my logical self seems to have gone into hiding.

I was briefly on tranquillisers/antidepressants last year having been through a load of work stress, but don't want to go onto medication again. Does anyone have any recommendations how I get back to being me? Are there any herbal remedies which actually work? Should I seek counselling? If so, what type?

More than anything, I think I'd just like to know that I'm not alone in this.

Thanks.

Hi, I definently can relate. I have been in and out of the emergency room with horrible physical side effects due to restarting my medication.....they can find nothing wrong with me, but Im creating these actual physical feelings out of my anxiety.. My arms are tingly, I have migranes and I have blurry vision in my right eye. I still am convinced that I have either a tumor or a nuerologial disorder. You are not alone.

Are you also convinced that you want this to stand in the way of you leading a full and happy life?

Challenge your believes. Sometimes we tend to feel safe when we create this anxiety safety net around us. I am also doing it, and occasionally break out of it. And then I experience how free I can be. I want this beaten, and the way to do it is to disempower it.

You get anxious, and you get these sympthoms. This is a walk past the panic attack grasslands, and if you find the grass to be inviting, you even camp there for a while. If it gets too bad you end up in the ER room of the hospital. Then you get out again, all back to normal, and nothing happened to you, except you got out alive on the other end.

Distraction is the keyword. Don't even walk past that landscape that you 'love' so much. It's your habit to take that route, change course! You want to think you simply don't have the time for those thoughts. They are not worth it.

Greetings, Peter.

Your definately not alone. Mine isnt a strange life threatening disease though, its fear of stroke or heart attack, and the symptoms fit the bill.... numbness chest pain tingling... its really scary. My only remedy is to try and calm myself down.... mind over mind... but sometimes my logical self cant fight the fight or flight or the adrenaline coarsing through my blood, and i jump up and go somewhere... I dont even know where... but i go.

Hi, new here, comforting to see that there are others who have had similar experiences to my own.

My current belief is that I am suffering from MS. For a couple of weeks, I've had a frequent need to use the toilet, and the feeling of not quite having 'finished the job', and having to return minutes later. Not so unusual, and a symptom of a variety of harmless conditions.

Unfortunately, my job is one where I am constantly reading other people's medical history's. Last week it was an MS sufferer. The frequent need to urinate is one of the many early symptoms of this condition.

Needless to say, in the days since looking at this case I have also developed pins and needles and numbness in my left arm and leg. Today I found myself constantly using my left hand, and monitoring myself for 'clumsiness'. I'm now terrified that by the time my 18 month old son is old enough to start school, I'll be in a wheelchair. Even while writing this, I'm convincing myself that I really do have MS, and contributing to this forum is simply a form of denial!

In the past 12 months alone, I've been utterly convinced that I've had bowel cancer, testicular cancer and so on.

My wife is supportive, and her reassurance helps my logical side to win out. The problem is, it never lasts and I need more and more reassurance until I find myself at the GP's surgery again, discussing a vague array of symptoms.

Anyway, sorry about the long post. I just had a real need to talk to anyone in the same situation as me.