Any other very anxious hypochondriacs out there?

Oh my goodness. You sound just like me. I have had this since I was a kid and it has progressed as I have gotten older. I just had a baby July 28th, since then it has been worse then it's ever been. In addition to having panic attacks and hypochondria it had turned into full blown post partum depression/anxiety. I don't really have a solution for you, I deal with it on a daily basis. Most of the time I am anticipating a neurological event. Just know that your not alone and everyone is here to help you through it. I have found a lot of comfort here, I have only been a member for a month but have received some very kind words and advice.

Sending you lots of hugs.

Jill

Jill I'm sorry to hear of your issues as well! I am also always awaiting either something neurological or heart related. I'm scared and get so anxious to be with my daughter alone incase something happened to me! I know that everyone worries about their health to a certain degree..but I just wish I knew what degree to stop at. I guess how I feel is that the one time that I feel something and think "ah it's nothing!" Then it will be something big! I just wish I knew how to worry about my health in a normal way. I also feel like there's always SOMETHING wrong with me..it's very very rare to have a day where I feel totally fine and normal. Right now my legs are feeling a bit crampy (I have bad knees though and those are aching as well) so of course blood clot in my legs is on my mind..although I'm not obsessing over it (yet!)

Pretty sure we can all relate! There is a ton of people that suffer from health anxiety on this forum. I Think pretty much all of us has had it in some shape or form. For me, it's just something that I learned to live with (after spending lots of money on tests and doctors visits). I know I'm always going to jump to conclusions when feeling symptoms (I have since I was a kid), but I do recognize that pattern of thinking and most times can turn it around.

These symptoms are very real, I agree! But for most, it ends up just being our body tricking is. I think that's why it makes it so hard to believe when people say that we are physically fine. Because we don't feel that way. it is indeed a hard pill to swallow.

Congratulations on the new baby!! I can understand how having a little one can add to your health anxiety. My fear of dying was definitely more prevalent after having my two girls. it is something I'm still working on in therapy. I think it takes a lot of patience to get through these situations. But there is hope! You will get through this.

GMoon- I think you must be my long lost sister! I have had health anxiety since the age of 7 when I was hospitalized with Rheumatic Fever and the little girl in the bed next to me was diagnosed with "cancer". And although i may not have known what cancer was, i knew it was bad and ever since then thought i had it. I'm 67 years old now and have battled with health anxiety on and off all during my life. It's part of the whole anxiety spectrum and a very prevalent one. After I had my second son, I had the worst bout of it in my life because it probably was brought on by post partum depression (which in those days they didn't even recognize as a condition, just called it the "baby blues") Well it's alot more serious than that and can make your anxiety level even ten times worse. You WILL get through it however if you use all the resources suggested above. There ARE ways to find a therapist for free or at least were inexpensively and I strongly suggest you explore those. You may need to be on meds for awhile but they will definitely help you and get you through this. I stopped taking meds once I started to feel better and I had no side effects. Then I went through years being anxiety free, but did get them back again when facing some big change or trauma in my life. That is normal for those of us who suffer this anxiety monster but we do come to understand what it is and use the tools to overcome it. I know you will be fine if you take the steps needed to get better. I feel for you though, as it reminds me so very much of myself and recalls to me how painful those feelings were. We all understand your pain and want to be here for you whenever you need us. Good luck to you.

Thank you for all the kind and sympathetic responses everyone!! It does make me feel better to know that I'm not alone and crazy (although crazy hasn't been ruled out yet by a professional) lol. I haven't been on anxiety meds at all mostly because i'm scared to! I'm scared of side effects and not having control of myself once I take them. It's a vicious cycle! I really would prefer a more holistic, natural approach to anxiety if there is one? Although I will say that in the ER last week they gave me a dose of some kind of anxiety medicine..and although I felt good and calm w/it..I was kinda out of it & woozy & thinking back my memories are blurry once they gave it to me. I'm just afraid of having my daughter & feeling like that & I fall asleep or something. Does this happen to anyone?

No. GMoon, don't worry...they won't give you anything that would make you incapable of caring for your daughter. And if it makes you feel more comfortable, start by taking half the dose prescribed. I have been prescribed .5mg of Xanax three times a day but I have NEVER taken that much. I take half the dose in the morning when my anxiety level is at its highest and it's just enough to take the edge off. Only once in awhile do I take another half dose later in the day if I'm having a particularly anxiety filled day. And I've gone off it entirely for months and years when I was feeling anxiety free with no side effects. You may feel slightly tired when you first start taking it but quickly you will adjust. I'm not saying that that is the medication your doctor will prescribe but whatever it might be, start out with half and see if it helps you. Sometimes we have to change meds until we find just the right one. There are also vitamins advertised for anxiety but I have only found that magnesium helps me sometimes. Just do what you need to do by talking to your therapist and following the resources mentioned on this website. Good luck to you.

The stuff they give you in the IV at the hospital is usually quite a bit stronger than what you get orally. I took care of a whole room full of kids while on anxiety meds, so I don't really think it would be a problem. Part of what you may have been feeling was exhaustion from being so amped up for a while & then when your body finally got a bit of a break (when the medicine kicked it), it kinda went into zombie mode. Remember that people in general go into that mode when they are really overtired (just look at any mom with a newborn & you'll see it! they look like they're on autopilot, but the baby still gets cared for). I've found that when I take my anxiety med earlier, I tend to be more alert.

I sorta agree in the smallest possible way that anxiety meds do make me slightly less alert (and I emphasize SLIGHTLY), but the thing is that my anxiety was making me hyper-vigilant. I was so attentive to certain things that it caused me to be less safe overall. When I'm in that super anxious mode, I am giving a lot of my attention to my anxiety rather than giving my full attention to the kids. I had people in and out of my room all the time & even when I felt the most "out of it", there was never one complaint about me missing a single beat with the kids. When I would get nervous and decide not to take my medication, more than 25% of the time someone would tell me I had missed something important with the kids. So I guess I would encourage you to find someone (family, friend, neighbor) that could observe you both with and without the medication to see if what you think is true, actually is.