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Does anyone find that their anxiety increases when they are sick?

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Posted 1/10/2009 10:18 AM (GMT 0)
Hello, my friends!  Just a question....  Do you find your anxiety worsens when you are ill?  about 4 days ago, I got the flu.  I've never felt so sick in my life.  I'm still pretty sick.  The one thing I've noticed is that I am getting MANY anxiety attacks.  The only thing I can think of is it's hard to feel "normal" on a good day, so when our body is ill, we are in a heightened state of awareness, feeling terrible, and over-analyzing everything.  I'm not sure what's worse right now.... the illness or the anxiety/panic! sad   Thanks so much for listening.  Blessings, Julie
Posted 1/10/2009 11:21 AM (GMT 0)
My anxiety comes and goes as it pleases...If i am concerned about what is wrong with me, it will rise because i worry it is worse than it actually is or that I am missing to much work ar that people will be judging me, blah blah blah. Anything anytime brings mine on. gillxx

Posted 1/10/2009 1:04 PM (GMT 0)
i feel worse when i am sick. I have been fine the last year maybe getting one attack a week which is not much, when i was at my worst i was having multiple attacks a day.

But now in December i was diagnosed with Cronh´s and have been really sick in and out of hospital and my attacks and panic are getting worse :S
I try to handle it the best i can and stay calm but it is much harder.
Posted 1/10/2009 2:55 PM (GMT 0)

Always for me as I do not do sick well.  So I get anxious and frustrated that I am not able to do what I normally do daily.

Once I feel better I can feel my spirits lift.

Kitt

Posted 1/10/2009 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
Julie,

Yes, I do have more trouble with A/P when I'm sick. My energy is lower, so I don't have as much to fight A/P with.

percycat
Posted 1/10/2009 3:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your replies. Sometimes it's comforting to know you're not alone! Blessings, Julie
Posted 1/10/2009 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
I am exactly the same. For example, when my crohns flare or I have a virus or whatever, I start worrying that I am putting others out etc. and start getting anxious. So you are definetly not alone.

Hugs,
Gail *Nanners*
Posted 1/10/2009 7:20 PM (GMT 0)
my anxiety gets worse with illness, too. i think it's because my health anxiety kicks in so bad when i'm sick. i convince myself that there something terrible going on with me, when in reality it's just a cold or whatever.

part of my new year's resolution has been to stop reading health books and looking up symptoms, and that really seems to be helping tone down my a/p a lot.
Posted 1/10/2009 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
Definitely. One thing in addition to what's been said, at least in my case: When I'm not feeling well, I find it hard to occupy my mind in order to distract it from the anxiety-inducing thoughts. If you don't feel well enough to get out of bed, how can you engage in mind-distracting activities? TV and reading only go so far.
Posted 1/11/2009 5:02 AM (GMT 0)

No, my Ap is not worse when i am sick- if you see my signature you will understand that i am physically, chronically ill on a daily basis and have been for nearly 15 yrs. I am so used to sickness being a way of life that my AP does not interfere. My AP has a mind of its own and will flare up in certain situations which ive leaned to manage as best i can, but im in and out of hospital, multiple surgeries etc and it doesnt phase me. of course i feel AWFUL when im really unwell, worse than usual, but it generally doesnt make me panic. I understand why it would for others though. i guess its a blessing to not have AP increase when im sick- as its basically a 24/7 situation, and i have come to accept that.

Maz XX

Posted 1/11/2009 5:37 AM (GMT 0)
I also feel it a bit more when I'm sick. . . This winter has been hard on me but I'm keeping my head up and am constantly striving to stay positive for myself and others that depend on me :)
Posted 1/12/2009 11:57 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I have lupus and lyme disease and when I have a lupus flare, my anxiety is through the roof.

I believe it's due to being more focused on the weak sensations I feel when I flare b/c I associate the weakness with panic.
Like when someone has anxiety attack and their heart starts to pound like mad (I don't get this), so when they, let's say, run for exercise and their hearts beat like crazy, they have a panic attack b/c the sensation of their hearts beating hard/fast makes them feel or reminds them of a panic attack.
Posted 1/13/2009 12:47 AM (GMT 0)
//>.>\\'... My anxiety got so bad when I was sick last time (it didn't help matters that I wasn't getting any sleep at all) that I had to go into a stress center....

Interestingly enough, now that I'm well, I'm feelin' pretty good emotionally... :)
Posted 1/13/2009 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
No, mine does not get worse when I am sick... in fact, it's a bit the opposite... I hate being sick, but there's a tiny part of me that feels relieved to be taking a break and taking care of myself. It's weird... I don't know how to explain it. But I've decided that's one of the signs that I am not slowing down and taking care of myself enough. I shouldn't have to get sick to say, gee, isn't it good that I'm stopping to take care of myself... because if illness is what it takes to slow me down, then I'm NOT taking care of myself!

Sorry if it sounds like I'm talking in circles on that one.
Posted 1/13/2009 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
Nikki I have a chronic incurable bowel disease just like Julie1014 & Family Guy has. And I am one who did answer that yes my anxiety cranks up when I am ill. It isn't so much the illness that makes me sick, it my worries that I am putting others out because I can't do all that I want to. Plus like Jon said TV and reading can only distract you for so long.
Posted 1/13/2009 3:07 PM (GMT 0)
hey nikki,

i have fibro, gerd, and ibs and pretty much feel yucky all the time. i'm so used to having aches and pains and weird sensations, though, that none of those make me anxious anymore. however-whenever i have a bad cold or the flu, THAT'S when i get anxious! pretty silly, huh?
Posted 1/13/2009 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
 what's funny is when i'm sick it's actually the one time i don't have one drop of anxiety, not even any hidden in the back of my mind. it's almost like since i'm sick my mind is focusing on something other than the anxiety, odd as that seems.
Posted 1/13/2009 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
I am worse when I first get sick and I don't know why or what I have. If I have something that can be treated, like a sinus infection or strep throat, I feel better once I start taking antibiotics and start physically feeling better. I find that when I know what's causing me to feel a certain way, physically, it makes me feel better mentally.
Posted 1/13/2009 7:36 PM (GMT 0)
That's interesting, Nikki... actually, I was going in a slightly different direction there... the problem with having a chronic physical illness, especially something like Crohn's, is that it's hard sometimes to tell the difference between a flare-up and something more serious, like the onset of flu. So yes, there are times when I don't obsess over everything that I'm feeling b/c I can tell that it's related to the CD... unfortunately, there are also times when I turn out to be wrong and wind up really sick. But I do agree with you that people with chronic illnesses tend to get used to certain aspects of their diseases along the way. It bothers me, though, that it takes getting sick sometimes for me to pay attention to my well-being.
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