HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

New here!!!! :9

Support Forums
>
Anxiety & Panic Disorders
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/8/2010 10:55 PM (GMT 0)
hey im new here. Let me give you some back ground

I have had anxiety for 8 years. I took lexapro for 2 years and my dr and i agreed it was a safe time to try and go off it. well i havent had any problems for 4 years. about a month ago a friend was telling me about a guy she knew whos wife had died from a brain aneurysm a few years ago(she was only 30) Since then i am convinced i have one. I have been to the er twice with head aches, they did a ct with out contrast and said everything looked fine.

so i went to see my Dr and he decided it was probably best for me to get an MRI/ MRA even though he is pretty sure im just having headaches related to stress.

So now im waiting to hear from my insurance the see about when i can get the mri.

For the past week i have been pretty much been thinking im going to have an aneurysm any minute.

Today has been a pretty good day. I made i though work with only a few anxious moments.

My rational side knows that the chance of me having an Aneurysm are slim and even less of having one rupture bc i dont fit any of the risk category but my irrational side is so much louder and keeps saying well what if you rational side is wrong...

I just cant shake this WHAT IF
Posted 10/8/2010 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hello and welcome,

This is Kitt and I am glad to meet you.  You are right,  the "what if thinking" can control our thoughts so easily.  I have a tendency to do as you have done here but once the ball gets rolling on ordering tests I settle down as only twice has anything acutally shown up on test.  I had the Brain CT, MRI and MRA, MRA of carotid ateries and 2 TEEs after I had a very small TIA this summer.   Nothing was found on the scans.  Which is good.  :-)

My Pdoc once told me I tend to Catastrophize -  who me ????  rolleyes OK so I do but I have worked in medicine for 30 years so to much knowledge is my excuse.  Hee hee. I try hard not to do this anymore but there are times when it creeps up on me. 

Catastrophizing is all about blowing things up out of proportion, or alternatively, minimizing the  good things in your life.  Consider the coming up tests as a good thing as I suspect you will come out OK and then you can move on.  Also know you have joined a group that knows where your coming from and what your going through.

Again a warm welcome. 

Kitt

Posted 10/8/2010 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
hi! welcome!!

I too am new here......

But what caught my attention was that you started thinking that you had one too!!!
i did the same thing!!!! :( my cousin had one and died aswelll and then suddenly my headaches were what she had!! i went to the er aswell and they reasured me i didn't have one as if i did have one i could not be able to function normally etc... but still it pops up in my head GRRRRR!! i hope your test give you your reasurrance to move on..

they tell me to think positive as hard as it may be... we can try it together... :)

zombiemom
Posted 10/9/2010 12:16 AM (GMT 0)
Zombiemom, sorry about your loss.

i went to the er the other night and they refused to give me an mri bc it wasnt an emergency. I was hoping to hear from the dr today about when my MRi would be scheduled but i guess ill have to wait till monday. I even called the insurance company to make sure they weren't closed for Columbus day which is monday. And they are not. So hopefully i can get my MRI next week, im not sure how much longer i can go not knowing. But then again i thought that a week ago and here i am still wondering what if
Posted 10/9/2010 12:21 AM (GMT 0)
Kitt

I thought about going to nursing school but then i figured i would be the person who, after we learn about something in school, would immediately think i had it.
Posted 10/9/2010 2:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi and welcome. Yes, health anxiety...our nemesis! After you get your test results(which I'm sure show everything's fine) Try to take that as proof that your anxiety lies to you. It tries to tell you that something is wrong, but it's a liar. You wouldn't tolerate, or hang out with a friend who constantly lied to you-so don't allow anxiety to hang around! CBT is an effective therapy for health anxiety. I was able to recover to a great extent with it. Also try not to get into the pattern of taking on every disease that you hear/read about. If a friend won the lottery, would you automatically think "YES, I must be next! I know that it is difficult, I've been there and anxiey is a poweful thing, but you are stronger-you just need to find that strength and put it to positive use!
Take care, and keep us posted,
Scaredy Cat
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply