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Hi guys, i've not been around in a while and i'm not likely to be back in earnest for a while yet. I'm having the mother of all setbacks to the point where full therapy is required again. I have demons and they need to be found so i can accept them and move forward with my recovery. I feel that i cannot offer advice at the moment whilst my mind is in such turmoil, i hope you can all understand. I will be back however, mark my words. Much love to you all Mark

Missed everyone! Hope you're all great!

OMG I have missed everybody SO much!!!!!!!!!!! I have so much to vent about LOL.....

Please remind yourself daily that - stress - makes you twitch.

This happened to me brother. He had a swollen really hard lump in his armpit and was sent from the GP to a hematologist. I went with him and the doctor wasn't concerned at all.... his blood work was normal, no night sweats, etc... so he was set home... it took about 6 weeks for the lymph node to shrink but it did. The oncologist said it would be a concern if he had several swollen lymph nodes but that one is not a problem. Good luck!

I have had this. I’m male, but there are times when, if I wait too long to go, it’s hard to get it started and takes effort to finish. My doctor told me this is anatomically normal, and in fact he had a patient recently who held it in and then literally couldn’t go. There was nothing physically wrong of a serious nature. Presumably, you sleep all night and there’s 8+ hours for the urine to build.

ty Bobnnat, Gilly and Ellebel....i really appreciate the support...I got the letter today...my scope is Nov 12th....i'm going to try very hard to stay calm until this is done....I'll also remind myself of all you have said, as you know HA isnt a very logical disorder so it's a struggle to listen to logical information....

Thank you Gilly and team

Hi KG. I had a relatively similar situation many years ago. I had been dx with Barrett's Esophagus by a local gastroenterologist. I decided to be seen at Johns Hopkin and met with one of their gastro doctors. Bottom line, he told me I do not have BE and despite my insistence, recommended strongly against having yearly scopes. My fiance accompanied me to my Hopkin visits. She read me the riot act when I questioned what a doctor from this prestigious facility was telling me. That doctor ended our conversation by saying to me "Have a good life". over the years on rare occasion I think about it, and mention it to my wife. She gets angry and repeats the doctor's parting words. You have the same situation. A doctor at a prestigious facility told you in essence, to go and have a good life. You, like me at the time, wouldn't accept it. Thank God for my wife, who is much more level headed then i am. She would have nothing to do with my hypochondria over that issue. KG, you need to get to the point where you can move on. It's the only answer. Google doesn't have a clue about you as a person, as a patient. The MC doctor now knows you as a person and patient and has given you all the appropriate tests. Regardless of what you might have read, obviously the MC knows your specific situation 1000x better than Dr. Google, and if they aren't concerned about your test results, then you should be happy as a lark. I've never really studied a lark, so i don't know if in fact they're actually happy creatures, but you need to be. 🙂 Bob

That is what small ulcer or hernias can feel like. They are usually not serious and can be fixed easily enough.

I find that fear like that is a distraction from some thing or emotion you don't really want to face so then the physical symptoms become an easy distraction. It doesn't matter if it's something you want or not - it takes your mind off of things. And it becomes first one thing, then another and it becomes hard to distinguish what the root cause is. You don't fear the mass shootings or the car accidents because your mind truly believes that these things are rare and very unlikely to happen, but your mind is not convinced of this in terms of illnesses, and that's why illnesses are your focus. Recognizing that the body always makes "noise" in terms of physical pain or sensations will help you slow down the fear (as might seeing the chiropractor who can help with that), and only once the fear is slowed down enough, you can begin to consider what you may be subconsciously distracting yourself from. I have found that so much of my anxiety comes down to distraction from some thing or emotion in my life. Hope this helps.

First, you don't have sepsis. You have anxiety about infection from a root canal. A legit worry. I just had a root canal done about two months or so ago and the tooth STILL bothers me from time to time. They stay sensitive to touch and biting for some time. There was an infection present and it takes a while before it is 100%. A blood test would show whether or not you are suffering from anything major, yes. But I feel it is unnecessary. Anxiety has you spinning the worst case scenarios where there is nothing pointing to that. Rest easy, you are fine. I am confident.

Hey everyone. I'm suddenly feeling anxious tonight. I've been feeling a bit on edge this week, so I'm not really surprised. I just figured I'd jot all my thoughts down here, as that tends to help. So here it goes. I don't know how to describe exactly how I feel, to be completely honest. I can just say "I feel anxious / panicky." I thought earlier that my chest felt tight, but then I realized it's classic tension - I can feel the outer muscles burning. This is quite common when I'm stressed or panicking. I keep feeling a burning sensation in my left shoulder, presumably from mild injury or overuse. Again, not unusual. My heart rate and rhythm feel normal, and my blood pressure is normal as well. I know I probably shouldn't check these things, but I occasionally check them when I feel panicky. It seems to make me feel a little better that at least my heart doesn't seem to be having a real problem. I guess it helps me accept that it's only panic, but I also know that I should ultimately remind myself in other ways that don't involve self testing. That's something I'm working on. I haven't had a panic attack in a long while. Maybe a mild one here and there, short lived, but nothing severe. Even this is not severe, but it felt like it was working toward that point. Many of you have learned through therapy (I did as well) or through others here that we should learn to welcome the anxiousness or the panic attack in order to cope with it. I felt that way about it earlier. I sort of felt like "bring it on, I'm ready for the energy boost!" Haha. But now that I'm sort of in the middle of an attack, it's really difficult to maintain that attitude, but I'm trying. I'm also experiencing other symptoms I tend to get with anxiety: a bit of reflux, a runny nose, a tickle in my throat. I've not found any solid answers as to why anxiety can cause the allergy like symptoms, but some things on Google suggest that it's just another physiological change the body experiences with anxiety, and that makes sense to me. I don't like this feeling, but I'm doing my best to push through it. This is no different than any other panic attack I've had in the past. If anything it's much less severe. That's not something to complain about, right? LoL! I'll be okay. I do feel a little better just typing this out. I'm going to continue practicing the breathing techniques and other techniques I've learned on my own and through therapy. Thank you for reading this far, if you made it. 😛 I hope you all have a good evening. Take care!

i have to see an allergy specialist because wants to know what my allergy triggers are and how i can avoid them. she prescribed amoxicilin and epi-pen if however i am severely allergic to something. i should find everything out but. my ears were red and inflamed my throat was inflamed and they did a spit test and a nose and throat swab to check for any viruses or bacteria's.however these allergies are bothersome. i told her about the rashes and how my skin gets prickly and she rather me be safe than sorry.

Those kinds of days are definitely hard. It can feel like things just pile up. It seems like you have a lot on your plate. Are you able to compartmentalize your day? That often helps me when I'm feeling overwhelmed. It also helps to break down the day into smaller portions: minutes, hours, and so on. I focus on staying positive for an hour or so. It makes the day seem less oppressive.

It's another case (like the somewhat recent blood pressure medication recall) where they suspect there may be some amount of impurity which can cause cancer. The medication has not been recalled, but is being voluntarily removed from some store shelves until they figure it out. Doctors also aren't advising patients to stop taking it. I personally doubt there's any risk in the interim, if you currently take it on occasion, but I'm no doc.

After a bit of panic this morning, I made an appointment with my Chiropractor. She talked about the inner ear crystals and gave me instructions on the Epley Maneuver. She said it could also be related to tension in my neck. Hopefully the Epley helps. I’ve been dizzy all day.

I was pointing out the fact that he had numerous factors for cancer and that the severe symptoms weren't present until later stages. In the later stages, and lacking prior diagnosis, you wouldn't be questioning it. Losing a tremendous amount of weight in 6mos without any reason / conscious effort, suddenly unable to properly eat because of the cancerous mass, etc. Had he not been diagnosed ~1yr before the awful symptoms began, he probably would've diagnosed himself; that sh*t is no joke. Anxiety makes it difficult to deal with uncertainty, but the truth is nothing in life is certain. I could have a terminal illness right now and not know it. Chances are much greater that I don't, but it's possible. I've learned to accept that uncertainty, and I think that's extremely important to get over these irrational fears.

That's normal, been there. Checked my prostate, bladder and everything is fine. If i guess right you are 35, i'm 38, we are young but getting older, your muscles just don't respond as quickly as they used too and when you just wake up they are "sleepy", any doctor will explain you this with specific words. Chill out.

@bin_tenn sorry about your dad, i lost mine to throat cancer (spred into his lungs). I understand @sTeaLth when he says your post is "scary", but i guess your main point was that he was an heavy smoker and drinker and that those seems to be general caractheristics of almost all esophageal cancer victims.

I twitch everywhere..... it's so annoying.... the worse are my eyelids... anyone else twitches there???? also my arms, legs, stomach, everywhere..... it's been 1 year and it's not getting better, if anything worse.

I understand your fear but keep in mind that lymph nodes can be swollen for SO MANY things. Most of which are not a big deal at all. As a doctor, she HAS to call for more tests to cover her butt. If she discarded it and then it did turn out to be something, it's her responsibility. That being said, I doubt she is concerned. Doctors see swollen lymph nodes and only a tiny percentage turn out to be anything bad. I'm confident you are not that tiny percent. Pregnancy does a lot of weird stuff to the body. Don't fear, trust that you are fine, enjoy your holiday and try to forget about it. I realize that is easier said that done. I will say a prayer for you this morning for peace and a good report. Seek out that peace because regardless of the tests in a few weeks, you can enjoy your holiday. You just need to find peace in uncertainty. We all need to learn to find peace in uncertainty. Health Anxiety is only as strong as the power we give it. For some, it is a big issue. For others, it is a small annoyance. I go back and forth. Shove it off, refuse to give it dominance over your thoughts, and allow peace to take hold. Praying now!

Swollen lymph node isn't always a cancer but she has to do the ultrasound to know what exactly is causing it to be swollen i know it's a worry thing but believe me i saw many many people including me from time to time it gets swollen there and it's a benign thing. So i hope it will be ok and nothing to worry about just let us know when you make the ultrasound ❤️

Awwww. I hope you feel better soon!!! Don't feel like you can't come here for support during set-backs. This site is for support and it sounds like you need it right now *hugs*

Mark, health anxiety is the worst. I wish you well and look forward to seeing you back on this site. You’ve been so helpful to me in the past. Thank you.

🙏

thank you, i just hate when anxiety takes over and makes me start thinking things.. the tight back muscles and neck muscles, and the shortness of breath feeling feels so uncomfortable... even my head muscles get tight and feel yucky..

Lymph nodes can also enlarge for ANY sickness in your body. Whether you are sick or not. I have had them get hard and swell for as much as a few weeks at a time before going back to normal. Also not an abnormal thing to happen.

Hey everyone!! So great to have this site back up and running!!! The past 4 months I haven’t even really come to the site, cause I was going to weekly CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) appointments to conquer my fear. HA is so tricky. Just when I think I have it under control, here I am back again lurking for the unknown. Its been 6 months of constant body twitching. It’s a quick singular twitch that pokes up everywhere on my body, and I mean everywhere. I went to a neuro who said she did not believe it was ALS. I asked for an EMG, but she said she would not recommend the pain of the test for simple twitches with no other symptoms. While this of course set my mind at ease, it has slowly crept back in due to a lot more twitching today than most. Is it most likely my anxiety? Sure. But my HA mind is wanting to google for more answers, more reassurance that I don’t have ALS. I am hoping to get some feedback from fellow sufferers. Love you all and thank you:)

Thankyou again! I really appreciate the help

Bfs recovery facebook is administered and run by the same people u saw a lot on aboutbfs.com. It is great talking to them. Really do join, even if temporary. It helps!

Since pregnant my left eyelid has been twitching for almost 2 months straight. Also have a history with twitching caused by anxiety and als fear. I recommend u join the facebookgroup bfs recovery, thousands with the same issues and it helped me through tremendously!

Yep. Dude, I get weird twitches and jerks and tingles all the time. They used to make my stomach drop and my nerves sky rocket. Now I just ignore it or slap the spot. No longer any fear. Our bodies are weird. 😆

So sorry mark. This health anxiety is awful! You’ve helped me so so many times. I’m sure you’ll get through this. I will keep you in my thoughts. ❤️❤️❤️

Wow, thank you so much for that reply @sTeaLth. Sometimes a pep talk like yours is just want I needed to get my head back into the game!!! I need to accept that my body is like a car, and sometimes doesn’t run as smooth as I’d like. But keeps on movin nonetheless!

I think maybe seasonal changes, some people are quite sensitive to the seasons changing...isn't that funny! I have always had a change in health through Fall and Winter think I need to hibernate ike the animals do 🙂 There have been studies done on seasonal changes and how they affect people...interesting

I would eat more of your favorite foods. I think it is better for your A1C to be low then high, unless it is really low. My physician said it should be between 4.0 and 5.6. I have been told that protein bars and drinks provide a lot of nourishment. Stress as you know, because you a sharp guy, can also decrease appetite and motivation.

Hello Zelda, I noticed last night a small black line toward the very top of my index nail and of course fears of melanoma gripped me immediately. I was actually quite worried about it and didn't know what it was or what could be causing it. Then, I came across your post and not knowing what a splinter hemorrhage is, I googled the term. Lo and behold, it is very much like the small line that I have on my nail, the location of most of them on the pictures is even where mine is located. I don't remember hitting my nail or any kind of trauma that could cause it, but there it is nonetheless. I know you are worried about this, but take into account that the two of us saw a similar thing on our nails and both of us immediately got scared. Of course we imagined two completely different scenarios, but the fact remains that we both fell victim to our anxiety. I didn't even know splinter hemorrhages are a thing, I just went to the worst possible scenario. Relax, take a deep breath, this is anxiety clouding your perception. I'm taking a deep breath thanks to you myself. Your post inadvertently helped me and I hope my response gives you some comfort as well.

I also have.. (had) been dealing with crazy stomach issues, plus hemorrhoids, etc. All of it causing a ton of anxiety- I started seeing a naturopath and she told me to cut out all dairy. It has made an enormous difference!!! I always suspected I might be lactose intolerant but she actually said it’s the proteins in milk that I’m probably sensitive to, not just the lactose. Of course I still worry, but I also had a clear ct scan, which helps me get through a lot days.

I get all kinds of weird sensations in my legs and back, I have for probably 20 years. Of course in my mind I’ve gone through all the horrible possibilities for why these happen, but I have to be sure to remind myself a lot of it is “normal” and nothing has ever progressed. I think it sounds like yours is definitely posture related- if it gets worse, sure see your doctor, but I think the fact that it comes and goes should be reassuring to you that it isn’t anything sinister 😊

I second what Bob said. Also, realize that doctors are very good at what they do. If they didn’t find anything then there is a GREAT chance you really don’t have anything to worry about. 😊

Hi Nat, It sounds muscular to me. In 2012 what you describe happened to me. The whole area hurt. I couldn’t eat. Became nauseous. Docs said it’s nothing serious. Bottom line this turned out to be muscular. My anxiety and fear caused me subconsciously to tense up all day making it worse. Please don’t just dismiss this, practically all of my HA episodes over the years ended up being muscular made worse and prolonged due to the anxiety it created. id say get a massage, but if you’re still going to stress, it won’t help. You must let it go, then it will depart. You’re what, 23 years old? The type of cancers you’re worrying about are unheard of in one your age. Bob

Yay, glad to see this place back

The one thing that most of us find difficult is to understand that anxiety can cause REAL physical pain. It's why we Google because we just don't believe that fact even though told by the medics we are OK. People can become paralysed when there is no evidence whatsoever of a physical problem. The mind is powerful and suggestion can play all sorts of tricks. That's why it's unwise to Google. I wonder if none of us had heard of any disease and had no knowledge of physical problems would we worry? We are bombarded with all sorts of negative news about illness. My doctor's surgery has it all over the walls. 'Do you have this or that symptom'? No wonder the surgeries are full! Now I am not saying all physical illness is anxiety related. But if you have been checked out and found to be OK then believe them. No second guessing and certainly no Googling.

Believe me ,I know just how you feel. I get the sciatica more than the back pain. It can cause a lot of weird sensations. And it can last awhile. But like you said , it’s nothing senister. I’m glad I could help! Back pain sucks! The older I get , the more issues I have. Hugs to you❤️❤️❤️

Hi penny, I have sciatica really bad , as well as lower back pain and si joint problems. I’ve had the exact tingling you’re describing , I’ve had it last for a few monthes. My doctor says it’s from the nerve. And that there’s not much you can do for sciatica. Sometimes I have pain , sometimes numbness, sometimes tingling. It’s soo annoying!! Hope it gets better for you

Every since my health anxiety began in November I always feel unwell. Yes I've diagnosed myself with everything but aside from that even when I do my hair and makeup I feel unwell. Not sick to stomach just keep thinking I don't feel like myself. I feel like maybe I've had cancer for a while and am going downhill. Although I know it's not rational. Any just feel like crap all the time

I’m in the burning skin club myself. It is horrendous. Feels like a sunburn. The kicker is, it mostly only bothers me when there is fabric rubbing against my skin. I can’t just go around in my underwear so I have to tough it out. Other bizzare thing: There are places on my body (lower back/left hip region) where, If I touch them, the skin feels nearly numb, but if another person touches the same areas, I have normal sensation. Can you imagine explaining that to a doctor? I’ve posted before that I am on the mend from an incredible anxiety period, but the stupid burning skin thing will not leave me. As a result, the burning fans my anxiety and keeps feeding itself. My main anxious thought is not that it’s caused by some horrific disease; but that this crazy feeling will never leave me. Left shin/top of left foot/left thigh are bad enough, but it also likes to live on my left forearm/bicep/shoulder/neck. Been through the whole neuro workup. The neuro concluded that I have some sort of sciatic nerve impingement thing going on, for which I am now receiving PT. It kind of helps, but I’m not really sure if I am progressing any more. The neuro basically addressed my left arm issue with “not sure what’s going on there, but it’s likely anxiety.” Believe me, I want to believe it’s all anxiety and that it will resolve, by my goodness that’s hard. The mysterious nature of the nervous system is both scary and incredibly amazing. Anyway, after having a string of very dark days again, and after trying very hard in taking other steps (CBT, mindfulness, no caffeine, better diet, regular exercise, stretching) I may be ready to try some anxiety medication to try to get my brain chemistry to a better place. I know the anxiety chemicals can hang on for a very long time and I’m not helping myself by continuing to have flare ups. Hoping medication may give my body and mind a rest to allow proper healing. I really wanted to avoid drugs, but I feel I’ve finally reached rock bottom.

Haha you're right there Joycicle!! We've been trying to eliminate anxiety which will never work. One because it's a natural emotion to have if you're a healthy human being and two because you'll always be looking over your shoulder to see if it's gone. This looking and checking creates more anxiety. This is a perfect method because it gives you permission to relax & let go. Every time you feel anxiety you can get excited instead of scared and depressed because you can go 'oh good here's my chance to practice letting go' & trying to let go is much more fun than trying to stay in control. Well I think so anyway. Once you get good at it, you have the perfect little off switch right there with you wherever you are. And that's what we need. We need to be able to handle any situation in any place at any time. It heals us to know that we are allowed to get anxious, wherever we are and we don't need to fear it because we know how to turn it off. I myself have been a little anxious today. A tiny weeny bit. I just have a little symptom annoying me. I notice the symptom and then I notice I am anxious. It's very slight and happens quickly so I have to be quick to catch it. Then I notice I am anxious and automatically add that second fear and think 'oh sh#t I'm anxious'! Anxious about being anxious. I then out if habit feel my body tense and my spidey senses become alert preparing to keep in control. Then I remember ' oh hang on I'm arse about face again, don't control, let it be'. So even though I found the switch and have been anxiety free for a few days, that habit still caught me out today for a second and i forgot the switch! Only a second though. I stopped myself controlling or worrying about it and "poof" like magic it was gone. I have a terrible memory sometimes!! The years long habit, anxiety auto pilot, keep control kicks in faster than my memory to use the off switch. But after a few seconds I remember and concentrate on letting go. Well actually I don't concentrate at all, I just think 'ah that's right, I don't need to do anything anymore' and get on with my day. Let it be, let it be, let it be oh, let it be, whisper words of wisdom, let it be! I hope that gets stuck in all your heads next time you catch yourself trying to stay in control.

I also have slight trouble swallowing and it freaks me out