Leaderboard

Finally got to sleep a week or so ago and the mental block was gone from there.

Good question.. I fear not being in control. I always have to be. Even simple things like work.. I don't work well with others Bec I want to do it all so that way I know it's right. I was like that all through school. I hated pairing up, I'd always do it myself. I hate the idea that if I get sick I can't control the outcome. I am also scared of death. I like knowing what's at the end of everything I do. I can't know 110,%sure know there is an after life. Hugs.

ive been out with the family all day! It was pretty fun but at the same time it has been a blur, which seems to be a side effect of depersonilization, seconds ago feels like hours or days but its whatever! The good news is I had fun today, i had some issues with me believing I'm getting taken over by a demon, ive come to the conclusin I might have OCD cause I'm obsessing over this lol but I'm sure it will be better when I talk to my therapist on Tuesday!

Have any of you who have been on SSRIs or SNRIs ever noticed that you’ve been clenching or tightening your jaw as a side effect? I have read that jaw clenching can be a side effect, and as some of you may have seen from my recent posts, I’ve been having what I thought were sinus related issues with left sided ear and upper tooth pain. I’ve been on various SSRIs for years now and am currently on Cymbalta. When I stop and think about it I notice my jaw and cheeks feel totally tense almost constantly. Sometimes I even get those horizontal lines on the inside of both of my cheeks, almost like bite lines from tensing and cheeks.

Do you think that health anxiety stems, in a way, from death anxiety (thanatophobia)? Do the people who constantly are afraid that they might have an illness fear the symptoms and the treatment of said illness or do they actually fear the possibility that said illness would turn out to be incurable and, therefore, result in their early demise?

I've been doing so much better and trying to be a good person and come on here and help others and now I'm just lost again. My dog is my everything. We don't have children (not by choice) and sometimes I feel like she's the only thing between me and...I don't know...getting lost in total anxiety. She's the best, kindest, sweetest being in the world...someone who loves me unconditionally. I love her intensively. She's been with me through so much. Anyway, my hubby noticed a scab on the back of her ear last night (not underneath near the ear canal)..on the back. Of course, I googled and it could be nothing or something really bad. I have to wait til tomorrow to take her to the vet. I'm just so sad right now. If you have any wise words to calm me down I could use them right now.

This has so much truth and good advice in it! Exactly how I felt last year. And what you are saying Bin is what my counselor had explained to me. Funny, how it becomes a non-issue then? Thanks for helping!

Anxiety and stress are not always the direct cause, but rather it (shortness of breath) is a side effect of stress or anxiety. Those of us with anxiety have a tendency to get into the habit of "manual breathing". That is, we take control away from the body and initiate each inhalation and exhalation, mindfully. It's also extremely common to catch yourself holding your breath. I do both of those things often, and I've not had an episode of notable anxiety in a few months. I talked to my uncle about this once, and his response was "if you're observing, you're participating." Meaning if you're aware of your breathing and observing, chances are you're also participating (e.g. making yourself breathe). When this happens, try taking deep breaths. In through the nose for a count of five, hold for a count of five, out through the mouth for a count of five or seven - repeat several times.

I have been to the Dr a couple times absolutely convinced I had a raging ear infection. My ear was perfectly fine...it was TMJ. It’s awful!!

Hi Bob! Thank you for that...I have heard that trigeminal neuralgia is god-awful shooting and stabbing pains in the face...you’re right...I don’t have that type of pain. My discomfort is primarily throbbing pain in upper left teeth and mild pressure like pains in my ear. I’m going to make an appt tomorrow with my ENT, and she had actually mentioned TMJ disorder last time I saw her. I guess I’m realistically thinking it’s sinus related plus some TMJ thrown in from tensing, anxiety, and clenching my jaw. What I did with consulting the online doctor, hearing the mention of trigeminal neuralgia and then googling it, only to see reference to multiple sclerosis and tumor, is the textbook example of why we cannot and should not ever google such things!!!! I literally felt that awful sensation in my stomach and the room spun around me as soon as I saw those mentioned on google (MS was a fear of mine many years ago). It is such a comfort to come on here and chat with people who understand how our minds work and can provide realistic reassurance!!

Penny!! My dog has a black scab on her ear, right at the tip. My girls brought her to me and said mom she has a marker on her lol. It it's a scab. I have no idea how she got it. I rubbed some Neosporin on it. It's slowly, slowly clearing up. I understand. My dog passed Sept 5. Biscuit was 18 and my first baby. He was old and stubborn as hell lol he hated everyone but me. He would growl if the kids came in the room lol. He couldn't walk the last yr of his life so I picked him up and carried him everywhere. I was even feeding him baby food and giving him water in a syringe. That's what we do for our fur babies. He was terrified of the vet so I didn't want to put him through that during the last few days. He passed while I was getting the girls dressed for school. I hugged him real tight and kept saying I love you over and over. It was peaceful. We had him cremated and he is always with me. I carry his little box from the living room to the bedroom at night. Having an animal is the best and hardest thing. You baby will be fine.. and you will still have a lot of memories ahead of y'all. I didn't say all of this to add to your anxiety but to tell you that I got to hold my guy and be there while he passed it was a precious moment for me. I swear I hear his toenails clicking on the floor.. it has made me turn and look a few times and what's odd is he didn't walk for a whole year!! I feel that he is with me. Always following me like he used to. Hugs. Your baby is fine.

Based on my research over the years along with the discussions I've had with my therapist, yes, the deeply rooted fear of death seems to be a prominent characteristic / driver in health anxiety. The same idea has become apparent, to me, since being on forums like this one for several years. It seems that most everyone's anxiety about their health can ultimately be drilled down to a fear of death. Some have stated that their fear seems to be more about suffering from potentially life altering treatment, such as a case of a treatable (or "curable") cancer (e.g. chemotherapy, disfiguring surgery). But the fear of death is not a rule; it's just extremely common, IMO.

I'm starting to agree with Bobnatt you may be trolling.

Hi Lucien, For me, I think death anxiety is indeed the catalyst to the HA. If I have an ongoing pain but know for a fact it's say muscular, while it will put me in a bad mood, I won't still worry it's a deadly disease. That just me. I imagine others may respond differently.

That explains that guy, but I did see him show up on actual ALS sites too (a while back I was like "I wonder what happened to the ALS guy" and went Googling - something Google is actually good for!) so if he was trolling all along that's pretty shitty.

I know that others on here have used online doctors for help before but personally I would not. Think about your case. I assume the doctor knew only of your current symptoms and your test results. Nothing more. Your primary doc or specialist knows your medical history and would be much more qualified to diagnose something based on that history. Sounds to me like the online doc was grasping at something so he could give you a possible diagnosis. I wouldn’t give this another thought.

I have issues right now typing. I got used to it. It's not a sign of something sinister. My brain is just fine. Once I've learned it's not a sign of a disease and I don't need to be perfect, things got much better. But I do remember how blurry things were at one point and how I couldn't focus on getting a sentence together. I assure you I have been there, as so many of us and here are the best news: It will pass! And make space for the important stuff.

Oh Lily sweetheart.... I promise you that you are just fine! If ocular migraines pointed to a BT, believe me, I would have been gone a long time ago! We have all been where you are at right now, in the throes of health anxiety, in which your mind is just trying to keep you captive and focused on that particular fear you have. The more you focus and give credence to the thoughts, the more real and legitimized to you they will become. Just let them come and go and try not to react upon them and they will lose their power. I am sure every single one of us here have been at the exact point where you are right now, in which your mind will not allow you to dismiss that fear and believe anything other than what it wants you to believe. And I am sure that every single one of us was completely wrong with whatever terrible health malady or disease we had convinced ourselves that we had. And yet we all manage to get through it. I’m sending you virtual hugs because it breaks my heart to know how you feel right now! I promise you, these are nothing more than fearful thoughts you have....and there is nothing physically wrong with your eyes or your brain! This is nothing more than a suggestion, and I don’t know where you live, but maybe you can make an appointment online for a quick eye exam at LensCrafters for over the weekend...in my experience the opticians there are great and they even have a retinal scan machine where they can take and see pictures right to the back of your eye. I am completely confident that it would your eyes are perfectly healthy!!