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Hi everyone. I just came across one of those fear articles that we see too often that can trigger those of us with HA. I found this author's email address and sent this email to her today. If she responds I'll share it, but I'm sure none of us will be holding our breath: Hello Alyssa; You might not be aware of this, but you are amongst a growing number of what I call “health scaremongers” online today. One of your photo slide articles was just featured on MSN about cancer symptoms that men often ignore. I could pick it apart one by one but let me just give you one example; brain tumors. Persistent headaches, watch out, could be a brain tumor! The reality of the situation is that, according to renown neurologists from the most prestigious of universities, it is highly, highly unlikely that a headache will be the first symptom one gets when suffering from a BT. Briefly, here is the reason. The brain feels no pain. When a tumor grows large enough to impact the skull/nerves adjacent to the skull, that is when pain will be felt. However, by the time a tumor has grown to the point where it can cause such pain it has undoubtedly caused havoc during its growth, resulting in other symptoms first, such as seizures, vision loss, and a host of other presenting symptoms. Your article equates persistent non-migraine headaches as potentially being a BT. In fact, between migraine and daily tension headache, you account for the vast majority of causes. Then, there are numerous other headache types, such as ice pick, cluster and many others that occur. Articles like yours scare people. They cause vulnerable people to march to their doctors demanding scans, some with damaging radiation involved. I guess that’s your aim; it generates more “clicks” and hence more advertising revenue. But at what human cost? If you’re going to write about health issues, write intelligent well thought out articles that show you researched and were serious about your work and not just out to grab the last buck for your employer. Bob - Canada

In 2014 my father passed away, a couple months shy of his 98th birthday. Other than the final few years, he was alert, happy, always joking and sharing his so called wisdoms. Even in the last years, most of the time he just suffered from normal memory issues. So, what helped him make it well into his 90's? It sure wasn't his genes. His father died at age 46 and his mother at 60. For a good part of his life he was slightly overweight; not obese but say 10-20 pounds above his norm for height. He had an awful 1st marriage; his wife actually lied to the War Department in 1944 saying he was not supporting his kids. It worked and they drafted him. He served in Okinawa just before the end of the war in the Pacific. He did have, for a while, strained relations with his kids from that marriage. Lots of stress. Oh, and he worked in a chemical plant knee deep in God knows what concoction of crap, until he was drafted. So, why was he a happy guy who lived a long healthy life? One word more than anything summed it up: positivity in life and in himself. After returning from overseas, he seemed to adopt a new outlook. Shortly afterwards he got a low level position with the Veterans Administration. 30 years later he retired as a GS 15, the highest grade in government not appointed by the President. He met and married my mom. Theirs was a true love story. His attitude towards health was simple. He went to the doctor for his regular checkups, but otherwise you had to drag him to go to a doctor. He had 2 health events in his life; an enlarged prostate that got to where he couldn't urinate. He had surgery and that was that (his next room over neighbor was Ted Knight of Mary Tyler Moore fame). Then at age 82 he had a heart attack. The doctor told me it was a bad one and he'd likely live another 5-7 years. I have no idea what he told my dad, but he wasnt phased by his heart attack. He thrived in rehab, and in months was back to doing everything as before. He lasted another 15+ years. He was told in his late 80's to have his carotid Artery cleaned out. He refused. It never mattered. So what does this all add up to? Well, for him it seems being positive, being a jokester, being content with his life did the trick for him. It's true he didn't smoke cigarettes or abuse booze, but he did love his cigars. Me? I'm 180 degrees opposite of him when it comes to being content, being positive and happy. That makes me really sad. He had personality quirks, and we didn't always have the best relationship, but his attitude towards life was one thing he did right. That's one way I'm still trying to emulate him, and I'll keep trying to the end. Maybe I'll succeed one day. Thanks for reading this long post. We all want to live a long healthy life. He had the recipe and played it out to perfection. Are any of us willing to try to change our outlook on life like he did?

Why is it in anxiety that so many have it over and over and never seem to resolve why. They try all sorts of remedies and take all sorts of actions and get some respite but back it comes. This is not always the case obviously. Some do recover completely and seem to have few setbacks, but so many don't. In fact the vast majority don't. Anxiety, or a neurosis, because that is the technical term for it, is always the result of inner conflict. It has to be. The outer manifestations, GAD, OCD, PTSD are all the result of an unresolved inner conflict. This may not be conscious, in fact it's usually unconscious, but either way it needs resolution for inner peace. Inner peace is the lack of conflict. When you are at peace with yourself, (what a wonderful thought!), then you are at peace with the world. The inner manifestation is reflected in the outer. You care more; are no longer self centred. This is why talking things out through counselling or therapy is so important. There may be hidden reasons for the anxiety that can be easily resolved by seeing them in a different light, from someone who can be objective; who is not caught up in the emotional turmoil. Prescribed drugs suppress the feelings, but perhaps in doing so we lose the lesson that the pain may be teaching us. 'Hey there, there's something wrong in your life, let's put it right'. The surface pain is what it is. A warning that something is wrong; unresolved. Unless this is dealt with we become in danger of 'getting used to' how we feel. Of accepting that we may always be like this and that medication is the only way to obtain relief. If your anxiety keeps recurring ask yourself if there is a deeper underlying problem that you may have overlooked or felt was not important. Anxiety never stands alone. It has to have support from fear and the source of that fear needs to be investigated. I appreciate the difficulties in getting the sort of help I suggest. But if you are ready for it it is often surprising how it appears. Jon.

Hi all. I went to my second therapy session today. Wow love my therapist. I wish I could take her home with me lol.. how nice would that be. But anyway she had me fill out a few questions/tests today.. one was rating where I'm at with anxiety and an entire page was anxiety symptoms.. ex: do you have chest pains, chest tightness, lump in throat, jelly legs, muscle fatigue/weakness, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, dizziness, light headed I wish that I had seen that sheet back in Feb when I had jelly legs, weak and fatigue muscles.. Bec I thought ALS not anxiety!!!!! Wow y'all.. I know we see it here there is a list on the forum but actually seeing it today as part of a test by a Dr it made me realize anxiety symptoms are really real!!! I hope this post brings some comfort to people that have some of these symptoms and have a hard time seeing it for what they really are.... anxiety ❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️

I ran across this on Pinterest and it hit me like a ton of bricks. It sums up HA so well We drink the poison Our minds pour For us And wonder Why we feel sick -Atticus. So so so true. Can't believe everything our minds tell us.

What about: Mongolian Swamp Fever. Mississippi lurgy. New York Acne. Trumpitis! Brexit phobia. (Found in the UK only. Very nasty.(Can drive you mad if not treated!). Inflammation of the wallet. (I get this badly!). Not making enough money. (moneyitis). Inflammation of the workplace. Miserable sods disorder.( MSD. People that make you miserable) Weatherphobia. Asking too many questions disorder. (ATMQD. Nasty complaint!). Temperitis. (Losing your temper unnecessarily). And so on. I'm sure you could find some more fictitious ones. That's what most of our problems are, fictitious!!!!!!

I Just wanted to give everyone an update on how things are going. Sorry this is long, but if you give this a chance and read it through, I think this will help a lot of people with some things I learned along the way. So after almost 3 months of random symptoms, I'm finally on the mending path from this wicked bout of health anxiety. I had my MRI last Thursday of full Brain and Spine and the results came back exceptionally normal. Here is the list of things I've learned through this process that may help some other people out. 1. Symptoms feel real and it's normal to be afraid, but don't get too invested and pay attention to the likeliness of what your fearing actually happening. Sometimes just by thinking about something we assume that it's more likely to happen because we're thinking about it. This is called Thought-Action-Fusion. It's the same reason why when we imagine what we could do with millions of dollars we go out and buy a lottery ticket, but our chances of winning are no greater than if we never had that thought at all. It takes an incredible amount of stress and mental power to create and amplify symptoms, and an even greater power to stop them. Through the last month, I've had: pins/needles/numbness in my hands and feet, sore lower legs, dizziness, vertigo, trouble concentrating, night sweats, extremely dry mouth, palpitations, hyperventilating and not even realizing it. Sore muscles, feeling like I have pinched nerves, cold feet and hands, sucky memory, twitches, jerks before falling asleep, random tingles, burning skin, insomnia and weight loss. Now I'm just left with a bit of numbness in my hands (worse on the right) and my legs are sore but significantly better. (Tongue gets a little sore when my mouth is dry at night too, but that's pretty normal in winter dryness). I went from a lot of symptoms to very few in a short time by simply not thinking about them anymore. It is actually shocking how powerful the mind can be. 2. Listen to your doctors. They've perfected their crafts through rigorous studies and practical application. They know what to look for, and they wouldn't let anyone go through something terrible if they truly thought anything was wrong. When I was in my spiral, I wouldn't believe a word that anyone told me. I was so convinced that I was dying, I was the most bull-headed human being on the planet, and my anxiety monster wasn't letting anyone tell me any different. Now that I'm on the other side of this Tornado, I just feel like an ass. I let myself get to a place where rational thoughts and actions were simply broken, and going forward through therapy and CBT I'm not letting myself get back to that place. I actually have a follow up appointment with my doctor tomorrow and I plan on apologizing because he was right 2 and half months ago. 3. Seek reassurance, but know when to quit. When you are asking questions about what you're going through, remember that typically people who have been through similar experiences are quite honest. If someone is telling you that your fine, and 20 more people also tell you that you are fine, you are probably fine. There's no bets taking place around who can keep you from seeking proper medical care the longest. People have just been there and don't want you to spiral down as hard as they did when they might not have had the same reassurance resources. 4. Seek professional mental health resources. When your doctors, friends (or group of people in a forum) tell you that your anxiety is getting the best of you, don't wait while your having physical tests to start the help seeking process. Do it in parallel, it's never too early to start seeing someone who can help you with what you're going through on an emotional and mindful level, regardless of the situation. It's a big factor in feeling better. 5. When it comes to health anxiety just pretend that Google doesn't exist. Feeling better? Want to get sucked in to a black hole and repeat the same process you just fought tooth and nail to get out of? Just type in your newest symptom into that oh so familiar search bar and watch as your mental health is thrusted into a blender and set to purify. Unless you're having a heart attack, try out the three week rule. If something is bugging you, give it three weeks, and then go to the doctors. Don't ever Google a symptom ever. PERIOD. Like I said, sorry for the length of this post. But I learned quite a bit in this particular battle with HA (worst it's ever been since I was diagnosed with anxiety over 10 years ago). Hopefully you will use some of the advice above and remember that you are never alone. -Matt

You have dropped into the old anxiety cycle. As soon as one symptom is explained, another crops up. This happens to so many anxiety sufferers. It's because of the mindset you're in. It's introspective, it's analytical and it's source is planted in fearful anticipation. As soon as you feel a new symptom, anxiety launches and jumps on it, the first thought is a catastrophised statement, the worst case scenario which a negative mindset instantly creates a belief of. The searching for answers then starts. It runs like clockwork. The thinking errors occur around the reaction to the symptom and the self diagnostics you give yourself. You then need this belief to be disproved by someone but if you look back to the beginning, nothing has been diagnosed, you create your own traction based on a normal everyday sensation. The pain in your inner thigh will certainly be a tweaked muscle but your mind has diagnosed cancer (that's the usual conclusion) You need to work on the initial reaction to the symptom as thats where this all stems from.

I'm sorry but there is no need to be condescending. This is a place to help ease one another's fears not to make someone who is obviously dealing with something feel like they're crazy or acting in a stupid way. Not to put words in anyone's mouth but by saying "of course I've been reading stories" I don't think she's actively trying to make herself upset. Anyone with health anxiety knows how it can affect your mind/body/actions. Sometimes by googling symptoms we're hoping against all hope that we find something on there that will in fact ease our minds. In fact, it was because I was googling my symptoms that I found this website and I couldn't be happier that I did. If you don't suffer with HA than I know you couldn't possibly know how our minds work but please when leaving comments to people take into consideration what they might already be going through. They don't need to read negative comments towards them when they're only feeling scared.

Most of the time when we post, we are struggling with anxiety. Today I wanted to post when I am not in the midst of it, to describe it and more importantly describe what led up to feeling better. Like sleep, it just happens,. Anxiety just ends on its own. This sounds silly right. How can it just end on its own? Well, the fact is when anxiety ends it always happens just that way, on its own, with no involvement from me. In fact the lack of involvement is the key to it. When we just step back and allow it to end, it just does. The opposite of trying to make something happen is to be stoic, to just let things happen and ignore it for a period of time. It begins with reducing worry. Worry is so bad, when we worry about something, we are engaged in an activity that hurts rather than helps. To stop worrying about how I feel, to stop reacting to it, is what we call acceptance. This involves actions in the present. We engage in the hear and now. Our mind is not lost in the past with regret or obsessed with the future with worry. It is dealing with what is happening right now. It is not regretting or worrying, focusing on the very instant of time we are living pushes out regrets and worry and is calming. For example, let's say I am stuck in my car in a traffic jam. What am I thinking about. Am I just listening to music, focusing on the moment, chilling out, or am I lost in worry. Worried I am trapped. What if something happens, worried about being late. Worried about getting sick in a public space. Worried about losing control,. It's all worry worry worry. This example pertains to many other things, if I feel dizzy, I worry do I have a disease , is going to get worse. what's next, what's next, worry worry worry. If am unconcerned with what is next, I am calmer. When I am calmer I sleep better, and live better. I enjoy the day, the sunshine,the air I breathe, the work I do. Calmness is the absence of worry, it is acceptance of my circumstances, it is not fighting it, not trying to change it. Change is always a proactive exercise . It is not reactive to my circumstances, reactive actions are anxious actions and are the result of worrying. Anxiety ends when I cease to worry. But I do not try to not worry. It has to just happen. Negative thoughts are simply replaced but positive ones. The fear that is worry is a reaction. The lack of this second fear eliminates the first trigger entirely. It simply goes away on its own. Acceptance is the absence of reacting . It is the elimination of worry. The way it works is that the sensization goes away. The nerves calm down, the internal mind impulsive that trigger physical sensations calm down,. The cycle breaks, and life calms down and all is good. This is how anxiety ends. I wanted to write during a good period to describe how this happened to remember it and share it, to show the way. The way is the absence of trying to step off the thread mill and let the calmness happen on its own, because trying and trying is the same as worrying and worrying, it is feeding the very thing that triggered it, it is keeping it alive. when it ends. And yes it does end. It is because I have ceased to try to make it end, and thus allowed,it to end.

I've been here before but I thought I would come back and see how much mayhem I have caused and what attempts you are making to get rid of me. You have a fight on your hands and I don't give up easily. I know I have problems too. I am a liar, a trickster and a fraud but I can't help it. In fact I rather enjoy making people suffer; it gives me a boost. I notice there are some silly articles on here about control, acceptance and such nonsense. Now this worries me a bit because if sufferers stop trying to control me I suffer. It is the fact that as they attempt to get rid of me by fighting and struggling that gives me more power. If they accept me it derives me of my drug, adrenaline, which keeps me going. I get severe withdrawal symptoms if I don't get enough. Another thing that worries me is that a lot of you seem to be doing well and diminishing my power over you. By getting together and swapping tales about me, (which are not true of course), you increase the knowledge of what I am and that is not good for me. I like to work in the dark and the less you know about me the better. Ignorance is my best friend and we work well together. Our arch enemy, Understanding, keeps popping up now and the and we do our best to counter his nonsenses but some of you still listen to him which is a pity from my point of view. My advice to you is to give up trying to get rid of me; go on fighting and struggling and trying to control me. Boy, you should feel the power I get from such action. I have another good friend, Ignorance. He has a son, Lackofunderstanding and we are training him along so that he can cause some real problems in the future. We have a club. The founder members are myself as Chairman, Panic, Fear, Dread, Ignorance and despair. We get along fine together and have regular meetings to see what further chaos we can cause. So my advice is this. Go on struggling and fighting. Don't get any medication and for goodness sake never seek medical help. In fact never seek help at all. It hurts us deeply when that rogue CBT appears on the scene. Nasty piece of work. Does so many people so much good he is a real menace. I am sure you would not want any of my committee members to suffer so keep up the good work and keep fighting. All the best. Anxiety.

Thanks @Iugrad91 Als worries are hard to break. The ALS forum is toxic. I promise. You think it will help but it hurts. You really have to stop going there. If the people on the ALS forum says no and to go away.. listen!!!!!!!!!!! They know what they are talking about. You have zero symptoms. I had a sweet yet firm man on the ALS forum tell me he wished Google wouldn't put twitching as a listed symptom he said it should be paralysis only. You have to get your mind on something else. It's hard but that's how I recovered. My husband actually took WiFi off my phone so I couldn't Google and boy did that help! I read books I enjoyed to keep my mind busy and I walked twice a day and rode bikes to keep my mind clear. Try a week cleanse from Google. Hugs. This worry will ease. But you have to work at it.

When my first wife left me I was very upset and cried a bit. We had just got back from vacation in Toronto and as she was handing me my dinner plate, she said, by the way, I am leaving you. Talk about a bolt out of the blue. She stayed a while and I finally said, you have to leave. So on a Sunday I left our apartment while she moved. When I came home, the whole apartment was cleaned out except for the kitchen set and the living room sofa, which money was still owed on. The first thing I did was to get a roll a way bed to sleep on from a rent-a-center, then I went to buy a TV and then I bought a bedroom set. Like I said earlier, it will be bothersome at first, but time will heal all wounds and you will meet someone new and better for you. Try to remember, if I can do it, so can you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone, just came back from my pcp appointment and let me tell y’all. Note: IVE BEEN FEELING ALOT BETTER ON MY OWN THINKING RATIONALLY, TRUST ME IVE BEEN THERE WHERE I FELT LIKE I COULDNT USE MY HANDS, LEGS. FELT LIKE I COULDNT WALK OR DRIVE, EVEN TEXT. LOST ALMOST 20 POUNDS DUE TO THIS HA. IVE ONLY GOTTEN 30 HOURS OF SLEEP IN A MONTH, SEEN MULTIPLE DOCTORS. I WAS 140, NOW IM 160 I FEEL LIKE I OVER SLEEP NOW HAHA AND ITS GETTING BETTER EVERYDAY. She was getting mad at me because I wasn’t focusing on the things I need to focus on haha. (I go to a university hospital and If you read my past post I’ve seen a lot of pcp just wasn’t mine cause she was on medical leave but she knows about my information since it was noted” Well to sum it up, she knows that I’ve been going through many ALS fear for some months now and she knows about my fasciculation's in my left calve (my hotspot) and all over. she said, “you don’t have ALS, we don’t look for twitching in ALS, we look for real clinical weakness.” She also said “you’re 25 years old, your muscles are probably telling you... hey I need to move.” I told her I haven’t been exercising or anything at all just labor work. She also explained, if you’re working out and you can barely curl a 5 pound weight come see me. She then asked me if I wanted to see a neurologist and I was kinda caught off guard, I told her “I do but I feel like I’ll be feeding into my anxiety. You don’t think i have ALS right?” She looked at me like I was crazy cause she just explained everything about ALS to me haha she said “NO.” she said “well I’m going to put the referral in and it takes months to see one anyways so if you feel like you don’t need to then don’t.” its funny because the doctor was telling me I should be worried more about diabetes and heart diseases because of my family. My parents also see my pcp so she’s very familiar with my family and she knows that diabetes runs in my family. So now she wants me to eat more healthier and work out more. i actually have an appointment with a neurologist on Monday cause someone canceled, I was kinda happy. so next Monday I have an appointment with a neurologist and I’ll keep y’all updated but just wanted to share my follow up.

Stop liking online period. Let the doctors, who know what to look for, handle that. It will only make you stay in the anxiety spiral which will make your symptoms worse.

You Google, saying "what's the other alternative"? How about seeing your doctor? Let her/him hear all of your ailments and let them decide if any tests are necessary. Then, put your trust in your doctor's acumen, medical experience and knowledge and choose to accept what you are toid, not what a money-driven advertising based computer scheme spurts out as your problems. Dr. Google never met you as he/it doesn't exist. It's a computer program. Your doctor knows you as a person and you need to build a relationship with that doctor and trust them.

So to sum it up, this week I’ve survived...breast cancer, oral cancer, 2 blood clots, and currently am in the middle of a brain aneurysm. I’m one tough cookie.

I wonder if we realise how much we value the body and pay little attention to the Mind? When we are sick it's the Mind that's sick which is projected onto the body. Oh YEAH!! I hear you say! OK, so it's very controversial, but if you have the patience to listen on, well, who knows! All the world and all the institutions in regard to health are related to bodies. In the UK we have the NHS which is all about bodies. In the USA you have people making millions of dollars out of sick bodies. Right? Let me ask you a question. How much time effort and money is poured into the Mind? In the UK we have to fight to get the barest minimum of money from the government for mental health, when so much physical sickness could be avoided should more was put in. On this site you find that the majority of people complain of bodily symptoms. OK, so it happens and that fine, because that's what we are here for; to help each other, compare notes and, where at all possible, to give comfort and reassurance. You guys all do that and bless you for it. But maybe a different approach is needed. The realisation that what we think and believe in becomes our reality. We create 'idols' to worship. Yes, our bodies we do indeed worship or why would we pay them so much attention? If you idolise something you place great reliance on it. Religion in the orthodox sense is such a reliance. People kill in the name of their religion. They believe in it as much as we believe in ill health. Now OK, you may say, so what do I do about that? You begin by realising the problem does not lie in the body but the Mind. So you need to retrain the mind. Therefore, the physical ailments that are associated with the body begin in the Mind. The very realisation of that fact can help. SOME self help books and SOME therapies can help here, but caution is needed because many of the authors have no idea what anxiety is and talk from theory alone. Meditation can help but many find it difficult. An untrained mind will go off in all directions. The Buddhists say it's like a 'mad monkey, swinging from branch to branch, sampling the fruits but abiding nowhere'. The 'monkey' has to be calmed down and taught how to behave. Now what is it that is going to do all this? You? But you are in an anxiety state so how can you? 'The blind leading the blind' comes to mind. But fortunately we all have a Higher Mind, a force way beyond any understanding, but which can be harnessed to bring us good because that is its purpose. When you say, OK, I will sort out my mind, it's what is doing it. Something beyond your normal thought levels. We have all surely felt that something is there to give relief if only we could find it. That 'something is your real self, buried beneath layers of wrong and negative thinking. It's like a blazing light in an attic covered by all the rubbish thrown up there over the years. We need to remove the rubbish and let the light shine because it never went out. The Higher Self; the real YOU is hardly ever given a chance to express itself because we block the way with negativity and our total attachment to our body. The next time you panic or have symptoms sit down take deep breaths and think about it. Give it some thought and try and allow reason to enter, because reason is a message from your Higher Mind. Your primitive mind is telling you that you are ill. Your Higher mind refutes that suggestion and tells you you are not. It's your choice who you believe.

I've got you all beat. About 15 years ago, I got my first cell phone. I was driving home one night and started hearing this brief, odd beeping sound. I'd never heard such an odd sound. It sounded like it was coming from inside my car but I wasn't certain. A search of my car found nothing. i started to panic. After all, I read on Google that people with brain tumors (acoustic neuromas) have reported hearing sounds that aren't really there. I drove the rest of the way home in a panic. I seriously thought of going to the ER asking for a scan. Got home, told my wife. After she stopped laughing, we went to my car. She found my cell phone in between the crease of the seat. The battery was low and the sound was telling me that. she still mentions tat just to needle me every so often

To give you another example, I have grabbed my mug of tea/coffee before in a hurry. Because I did not grab it properly/at a weird angle, I felt compelled to put it down, feeling like it was going to drop. You can be sure that, at the time, it caused me great clammy, light-headed panic However, had no subsequent problems picking up the mug, and if I look at it logically, it had happened many times in the past when I did not grip it properly. When you are in ALS anxiety, everything, all the minute things, are analyzed and interpreted as a possible ALS symptom. The only way to break the cycle is to let it go gently and focus your attention elsewhere. My neurologist told me to stop strength testing and being on the lookout for ALS symptoms. She said ALS patients don't need to go looking for them; they are wacked over the head when they cannot do a basic daily activity that they could do before. Translated to your hypothetical: I would only be worried if you could not pick up the stack of papers , and find yourself repeatedly unable to do so (and that is ASSUMING that it is really a reasonable amount of papers to pick up, and not some type of ridiculous strength exercise devised by an anxiety sufferer ).

Cowboy, cut out the coffee if you can, there is a direct link between caffeine and heart rate as it's a stimulant. You have a belief that your heart will not be able to cope with exercise, anxiety has placed this belief on you. I had the same belief last year, i wouldn't do much for fear of it causing heart issues. During my therapy, i learnt how misconceptions turn into beliefs. You think that exercise is bad for the heart. This is a misconception, the heart NEEDS exercise yet that belief you now have is your safeplace.. "if i don't do anything, it won't beat harder and i will be ok". This is a belief trap and is entirely erroneous. When i came to this conclusion via the help of a therapist, i was told to get up, get outside and go for a walk and test this belief.. lets see how much truth is really in it. I walked and i walked and my heart rate raised......but i'm still here, the belief was nonsense, just a fearful response to possibility. I would suggest getting up one morning Cowboy and go to the gym! Why let a false belief dictate what you do?

Just wanted to hop in and say what an incredible thread this is. Lots of beautiful, honest emotion, communicated in such an intelligent and caring manner. Hugs to all.

Every intrusive thought it ' the worst'. We think this is 'stronger than before' so that makes us think something really IS going on this time, even though it never did before. I also think the more time we get away from intrusive thoughts the more they seem stronger when they come up becuase we haven't had them in so long. Imagine being somewhere it never rains and when it does , it seems like a LOT of rain because it has not rained in a year. That doesn't mean it's more rain than anywhere else on earth but it only ' FEELS" that way to the person who hasn't seen rain in a long while.

Hi Camilla Your therapist was dead wrong in saying stop seeking reassurance or relying on others. I really questions his or her qualifications but that is besides the point. Your hubby is the one you should be able to seek reassurance and support from. I have had my health anxieties in the past and thankfully the hubby would be able to comfort me . When I was younger I suffered greatly with health anxiety. I was not married at the time but I relied a lot on my friends and my family doctor. Never once did she come hard on me. She always took my concerns seriously. Yes you are going through a setback but you will get through this. Have you tried to relax yourself on a regular basis. Maybe once you are calmer you can start to challenge your thoughts by writing them and asking yourself what is the evidence I have c****r? Keep writing them out if you have too and counter them till it gets ingrained in your brain. Go back to your doctor and if he is a good doctor than he will hear you out otherwise find a more sympathetic one. You have kids just like I do all the more reason to say I will get through this. I will be happy and anxiety free for them one day ...BELIEVE in yourself. Lastly you are not a failure !!! I have had many setbacks lost track... I am still in one piece for the most part Take it one day at a time ... You can do this and you can see so many here care. So keep coming back if you have too whatever you feel will help you get through this. I read your post and felt I had to respond. Take care and ((hugs)) amber

Not at all Amber. I know Mark feels as I do, that the suffering has to have some purpose painful as it is. If that purpose is to help someone over a problem then OK. This is a fantastic site. I have experience of many others and this is the tops. So many are badly managed and allow all sorts of nonsense to be posted. It's good to see the Mods on here keep an eye on things. It struck me when going to the other anxiety sites that more harm was being done than good. So many got upset by what others had said. I don't remember one incident like that here. Well, not on the Forum anyway. So folks, give yourselves a pat on the back, and a personal thanks to you all for helping me at times too. Jon.

hi there i agree with JJ and Mark, last year my specialist said i should go on a cholestrol pill since my mother died at the young age of 47 from a massive heart attack, but there were underlying issues that trigged that... " the dumb specialist" said don't you want to see your kids grow up".... that one thought set me off into a tailspin... and i kept obessessing about it. he has been after me to take it for the last 2 years and i refuse to take it because i have been checked out my GP and she said my cholestrol is fine... sometimes I feel these doctors just want to make more money by writing a prescription and than feeding your body with unecessary drugs. maybe more doctors need to be also trained how to be show more compassion to their patients and this doctor knew i was taking anxiety meds !!! just my 2 cents

Hi. Siobhin. One doctor gives you a pill and the other tells you it will make it worse. No wonder you are confused and frustrated! There is no doubt that anxiety can make a migraine worse. I suggest you tackle the anxiety. If you do the migraines will rectify themselves. You know the procedure. Acceptance. Now not only migraine can make you dizzy and sick, so can anxiety. The combination of the two could make you feel bad and that's what's happening. Calm down as much as you can. Getting in a tiz won't help. If you have to rely on others then do so. It won't always be this way. Accept help willingly. Don't feel you are putting people out. A lot of good genuine folk like to help out so let them. Try not to stay in bed too much. It gives you too much time to think and that is a real problem in anxiety. We overthink. We go round in circles. Distraction is helpful but I know you may not feel like 'doing something'. Give it time. You came out before and can do it again. This is a setback so treat it as such. It WILL pass. Jon.

I've had the very same fear before. How I got over it was with a bit of logic. Everyone is afraid of having a heart attack. Everyone. No one wants one and everyone would be scared if they thought they were having one. I balanced the liklihood of me actually having one vs me just having anxiety. Its more likely, like 99.9% likely that it's anxiety. Next I decided it could happen one day or it might not. I don't know and neither does the next guy. Worrying will not stop it happening. I can worry until my teeth fall out but if I'm going to have a heart attack, I just will, whether I worry or not. It's up to fate. I gave myself permission to worry when it is actually happening. When I'm in the back of an ambulance strapped to the machines. When I feel the pain. When it is actually happening and not before. Sometimes anxiety would give me heart palpitations and chest pain. So I'd wonder 'is it time to worry?' I'd then way up the liklihood that it is anxiety related palpitations and pain or an actually heart attack. It's very much more likely it's anxiety. I'd then promise myself if it got worse or didn't end in a set amount of time, I'd get it checked out, but until things got worse, there's still no point worrying or even paying it attention. Try to live in the moment. Accept it is up to fate as it is with every single human alive. Worry when it is actually happening, not before. I hope this helps. It takes practice but it can be done.

Many stress & anxiety sufferers report this symtom. Indeed I myself found this to be one of the most unsettling of tools used by stress to undermine its victims. One cause is that hunched shoulders confuse your brain into thinking its a few millimetres away from the position in space that it thought it was. The Brain and its balance centres are accutely aware of movement and spatial positoning. It relies on muscle tension, sight and the inner ear to compute its whereabouts like a GPS sytem. If muscles in your neck conflict with information from your eyes and ears then you will feel dizzy and weak at the knees. Another cause is the tendency for anxiety sufferers to hyper-ventialate and screw up oxygen levels in their blood. Yet another reason is a sensitivity of the brain to cell-phone and associated HUBS and antenna towers. Hospitals do not like these transmission and nor do airlines like customers using phones on planes as sensitive electronic devices can be effected by them . Your brain is a sensitive electronic device and it can be effected in the same way. Fear of becoming dizzy itself causes tension in the neck which in turn does make feeel you dizzy. I used to dread attending stand-up functions at work and would have to find a wall to prop myself up against to avoid falling over. Relax your shoulders and let them fall. Take a deep breath using your diaphragm to inhale. Hold it for 7 seconds and breath out slowly whilst thinking the word R-E-L-A-X. Do this 3 times and then continue breathing in a shallow manor again from the diaphragm. As for avoiding electro-smog..........none of us can I'm afraid but you could buy a professional signal strength monitor and try to avoid hot spots.

It's almost as if he has shifted his concentration to swallowing and breathing. That's supposed to be subconscious - pulling it up into the conscious is going to make you freak out more than you should be.

I'm working here on the plane with my in flight wifi. I'm proud of myself for getting on the plane and managing take off and landing with moderate anxiety. I cried but levelled out eventually. 4 hour flight to go!

Dear all, First time poster here, 22 year old male living in Australia, I've been following this forum for a while and it has been a great source of comfort to see that I am not the only one going through this horrible experience with health anxiety. Mine has been going on severely for about six weeks now, starting IMMEDIATELY after I googled the symptoms of that dreadful disease - funny that! Immediately all of the symptoms, which we all know are both generated by our anxious minds and EXTREMELY REAL, started happening. Just thought I'd share something that has been helping with my recovery and made me, ironically, laugh about the mess our irrational minds can make of us! I'm lucky enough to have a father who is an extremely experienced critical care doctor, specializing in neurology and respiratory medicine. He is also an ex-bodybuilder. Immediately he told me I'm not sick, he said any doctor could spot it a mile away if I was, and after I kept on bugging him he put me on a workout he used to do, something from a book by Arnold Schwarzenegger, that involved every muscle group. Push ups, dips, sit ups, leg lifts, pull ups, squats, calf raises, everything. It was hell, but I COULD DO IT, even though it was only three pull ups or ten sit ups. And as long as I COULD DO IT, there is no reason to be worried. "You don't have a**, you're just anxious and unfit" he said. He also said that any serious disease will progress, and if it stays the same or gets better, there is very little reason to worry. My anxiety hasn't stopped after that, but now every time I do a strength test to prove I'm ok, I think about what he said and I get a little boost of confidence. You often feel like you're going crazy - I recently tried testing myself with a one legged squat, on my toes, in the shower, and then got anxious about the cramps and perceived weakness I felt afterwards! Hope this helps anyone even a little bit. Remember that the mind is so so powerful and can convince you of anything. Remember that it will get better, the panic will go away, trust your doctors, don't Google ANYTHING specific that isn't just "health anxiety" because that's the real beast we're dealing with, be grateful every day for the gift of being alive, and sometimes even laugh at yourself - half the things we try to test ourselves with, even very fit people would struggle! Wishing everyone a beautiful day, Matt

As I'm sure you know, color is based largely on what we eat. I suggest you eat a ton of blueberries and follow that up with a dose of pepto-bismal. See how dark it becomes.

Felt really good reading that. Thank you, happy holidays.

Louise, Of course I agree with the others if only for your peace of mind. Pediatric melanoma is sooo rare. Stats are your friend here. Your daughter is 7. In those aged 1-4, the incidence is 1.1 per million. That's basically 1 in a million. In those 15-19 it's 10.4/million which is roughly 1 in 100,000. Being 7, the incidence at that age is much closer to the 1-1,000,000 than the 1-100,000. Both those incidence rates are way, way rare. The chance that your daughter is say 1 in 750,000 is incredibly unlikely to say the least. Many of us w/HA of course say well yes, but in MY case it's that "1". That's called magical thinking. Your daughter being the "1" is no more likely than any other 7 year old. Also, my educated guess is that in those unfortunate young ones who are afflicted, they for some reason literally bake in the sun, day after day after day, likely in warm climates. Please bug them for the results just so you can relax. After you receive the negative result, please also realize the affect our HA has on our families. I'm always nervous that my HA will affect my children. I've seen some evidence of that, and my wife has to counteract the damage I've done, simply by them watching and listening to me, even when I'm not aware they are (because I'm in a panic state). Bob

First of well, sorry to welcome you here, but welcome all the same. Loads of wonderful and understanding people in this forum. Second of all, our anxiety is not silly, don't let yourself feel that way and don't dismiss it. The anxiety, whether misplaced or not, is very real, and some people have a hard time understanding why "we can't just get over it." The truth is, if it were that easy, none of us would need a forum like this. I can say therapy did me a lot of good. I still struggle with HA now and then, but I am much better off than I was 20 years ago. I view my HA as a chronic condition that flares up once in a while. The difference is I have put it in a place where it flares up now when there is a real medical issue to deal with. Back in the day, I would be able to pretty much conjure up symptoms from nowhere and obsess about those. I now know a headache can be a headache, it does not have to be a brain tumor. A new mole does not have to be melanoma (though I have so many moles, they drive me nuts once in a while). The basics that have helped me in my struggle with HA: 1. I never google. My recent flare up with my wife's health issue started because in a deeper, genuine effort I thought I could google perimenopause without issue. Whoops. Was I wrong. Right down the cancer spiral to the bottom. So, stay away from google. 2. Try to live in the moment, and when the anxiety comes up, get busy, do not fold into myself. 3. Exercise. Even if it is just a short walk, exercise helps me burn off that extra adrenaline. 4. Eat well, even when I don't want to. Eat healthy food, and make sure I eat enough. Stay away from extra sugar and caffeine. The last part is rough, I am a Starbucks addict, so I don't live what I preach too well there. ? 5. Something my councilor told me, "it's only anxiety." It is a self mantra, when I feel the anxiety come up, I repeat that to myself, and it is amazing for me that it takes a lot of the power anxiety has over me and calms it. It really worked for me, your mileage may vary. Anyway, sorry you don't have understanding at home, I can only imagine how rough that would be, but we are a good sounding board, so welcome!

Yes there is no betrayal going on. Your body is reacting to signals it receives, it's doing its job. The feeling of betreyal is a negative emotion so has its roots in fear and anxiety loves fear as we know. If you could accept that your body is ok, it's having a tough time but it's doing its best, then your emotion from it does not come from fear and hinders anxieties process.

It's not what this site is about. This is not a medical forum in that sense to push medical jargon.

I really think you need to do some research on rabies. Then you would have some peace of mind in your life. I understand this is a fear for you but a lot of it is created by questioning something you can research. The reason your family won't talk to you about it is because your fear is irrational. I'm sorry this is such a big fear for you but you are ok.

Holls gives good advice. The state of anxiety that you are in right now is SOOOOO hightened that your body is going to be responding in ways that it would not normally do, and you are going to be scanning an interpreting every little thing your body does. When I was in the throes of ALS fears, I spend several hellish weeks monitoring every sensation as I was engaged while in my yoga, step aerobics and weightlifting classes. I was positive my balance was off in tree pose; my quads were definitely weaker in warrior pose; I was certain that I was stumbling during my highly choreographed step classes. As I look back on that period, maybe I was really experiencing those things as a somatic response, or maybe I was imagining them. I am not sure, and really, it doesn't matter bc once the anxiety started to calm down, I quit focusing so much on my body and am aware that, in fact, my balance is good, my legs are strong and my coordination is just fine. Just like yours is! This past week in yoga, we were doing some weird pose and my inner thighs were shaking like crazy. The instructor assured me that was not abnormal given the stress I was placing on those muscles. All this to say that just because we experience or perceive something being "off" with our bodies does not mean it is indicative of a dread disease. Create a mantra in your mind to say to yourself when the irrational thoughts are looping in your mind; maybe something assuring that the neuro told you . . . and disable google if necessary. It is poison. If you are unable to sleep, and mindfulness does not help, take a sleep aid. You will get through this. Remind yourself that the state you are in as not fixed. You will move past it. It is temporary. Sending you good thoughts.

The best medicine for anxiety is compassion. The meaning of the word compassion is it means to suffer with. We can talk about it, and others who know and feel exactly the same symptoms more or less, can support each other. The best words are yes, I have that too. It's reassuring, because we all doubt when we get all these strange symptoms whether the doctors have missed something big., whether we are really ill.. support for each other is reassuring, that yes, we all get dizzy, have nausea, sleep poorly, have stomach issues, headache, chest pains. It runs the gamut, in fact just about every discomfort that could be caused by something really bad, is also caused by anxiety. in the first chapter of Hope and Help for Your Nerves, Dr Claire Weeks ago explains why this is the case, It's our nervous system, nerves deep in our subconscience, controlled by us alone, yet seemingly to us, out of our control, which are set off like a well oiled spring, the oiler it is, the more sensitized we are to everything, a loud noise , a poor nights sleep, a strained muscle, even a common cold, or an upset stomach becomes amplified for us from a common annoyance to something catastrophic. It's totally not catstrophic, if it were it would be an acute , I.e, sudden event, whereas what we feel is chronic, it comes back again and again, and each time it does, later on a few hours later, or the next day or even immediately after being sufficiently distracted from it, we forget the event, and move on, only to remember it deep inside the next time it happens, We remember how it felt, but we have forgotten the outcome. We've forgotten it because the outcome was nothing, Nothing happened, I felt bad for a time, really bad, and I remember how that felt, but I've forgotten that however horrible it felt, that nothing at all other than that horrible feeling actually happened. The outcome I feared did not occur. That's how we know it's anxiety. The lack of outcome gives us the answer, definitively. And so we should remember that if we can, I wish I could, but I'll b honest to share what I go through , that I don't always remember this,during the storm, if we could remember the lack of outcome each time our nerves attack, we could accept it, truly, and it would have no impact on us, I think it's possible. In fact I know it is. But that doesn't make it easy or allow us to claim victory. We live with it, and not let it subdue us, we are stronger inside than it and we talk to,each other about it, thankfully that does help. Suffering with each other does help, because there is greater strength in numbers, friends joined by the common thing we suffer with, so,we can build each other up to accept this, not fight it, as fighting it is futile,it fans the flames, we have to accept it, meaning ignore it, knowing what is real and what is not, because others have confirmed our doubts,and assured us, that it is ok, we are ok, so we can accept it without fear and live with it and not be impacted by it.

Honestly I wish I knew how. I try my best to keep rational thoughts in my head etc but even as I type this I'm sitting at work freaking out that I have a feeling of shortness of breath/choking etc. I have a cold most likely since I have some mucus/congestion but in my head I'm thinking Asthma or Pneumonia. It's pretty crazy. The only way I have ever been told to look at things that helped is to imagine the likelihood of different situations as slices of pie. One massive slice signifying the likelihood it is nothing serious and a small sliver signifying the likelihood it's as bad as I've made it out to be in my head.

A disorder happens when the anxiety is out of proportion to reality and interferes with you living your best life. Thanks sailor. Every now and then someone says something that needs reading twice or more often because, in a few words it encapsulates what this thing called anxiety is about. when the anxiety is out of proportion to reality . Now that just about sums it up. Out of all proportion!! Things happen. Good things, bad things, but it's how we react to them that makes the difference. Only if you react inappropriately does it interfere with your life. OK, I hear you say, 'but I can't help the way I react, it just happens; takes me unawares'. Yes, it does; it does to us all and that's where something like CBT training comes in. But it has to be learned until it's firmly fixed in the mind. Just reading it once does very little. Acceptance is the same. There is a new kid on the block called 'Metacognitive Therapy'. Similar but NOT the same as CBT. I have only read a bit about it but, to me, it has promise. It suggests that two things perpetuate anxiety. Worry and Rumination. Worry is obvious, but rumination? We do don't we? We go over and over the same ground again and again and, like the dog chasing its tail, get nowhere. Cows ruminate! They sit looking into space while they chew the cud. How many of us sit looking into space waiting for answers. Invariably we never find them because there are none. It's a hard fact and one not many of us want to face, but it's all down to us. We can get help, advice, drugs and all sorts of help but none of that will do anything unless there is a WILLINGNESS to want to recover. We have to ask as painful as it is, 'Are we attention seeking'? Is it the only way we can find the love and attention we so badly need? Recovery can be daunting. It means responsibility for our actions. When we are well there are no excuses for bad behaviour. No 'oh I can't help it'. I would suggest that most of us with anxiety suffer because we have not been leading the life we should have. OK, so physical illness can cause anxiety. Of course it can, but how many with HA are actually physically ill? When I was in the middle of GAD I did some soul searching and realised that all was not well with my life and the way I was treating other people. That was only one 'wrong' aspect, there were many more. My anxiety was brought about by me being at odds with myself. Not living up to the standards I was so ready to impose on others. It goes deep, this anxiety. It's not a superficial thing that can be overcome by drugs or talks or books. There is a prayer that begins, 'Lord, save me from myself' !! We would do well to heed that plea.

I'm sorry but your reply to Jon was uncalled for, nothing he said was. He is the most helpful, kindest, caring, understanding, supportive and encouraging person there is and really knows what he is talking about. Condescending is something he is not and making people feel bad in anyway is something he doesn't do. In his whole three, almost four years of being on this site he has never been condescending and he has never made one person feel bad at all and no one has ever accused him of either things. He has helped so many people, and a lot of them have been in real trouble. I honestly would not be here today if it wasn't for Jon. I had been suffering from Anxiety and Depression continuously since i was 18, i am now 32. Last year i reached my absolute lowest point and i mean lowest point. He came along at exactly the right time and he gave me the help i needed and wanted so badly. Not even my psychiatrist of 14 years had ever given me the help i truly needed. He saved me, and thanks to him my life has already changed in a way i never thought it would. I hope after what Gilly, Mark and myself have said, you now have a better idea of what this man is really like because he is not that man you were talking about in your reply.

A pleasure Mark. "be a friend to yourself". Oh yes, yes. So important. You give a lot on here so give yourself as much. We all have to learn to love ourselves. Jon.

Hi. gale. No, you don't need a diagnosis you have one. Anxiety! Now I understand you have been to the docs because you are on medication. Everyone who comes to anxiety at first has problems realising what 'IT' can do. 'IT' can mimic any known disease and some unknown ones. It can go on and on if we don't take action. By action I mean make an effort to combat it. Now I suggest that does not involve fighting and struggling with 'IT'. 'IT' loves a good fight and feeds on the fear that fighting causes. 'IT' feeds on fear. Remember that because it's the whole key to recovery. Without fear there can be no anxiety. It's always at the root of the problem. So, how do you stop or turn off fear? You can't. Now that is not a note of despair. It's the realisation that you need to FACE and ACCEPT the way you feel for the moment. Stop adding 'second fear', the Oh my goodness, what's that?' and the constant 'What ifs'.‌ Does it ever go away? Yes, it does but it takes time and that's where the frustration comes in. We anxiety sufferers are an impatient lot. We want to get well yesterday, and that's very understandable. You have to give it as much time as it allows. Trying to rush or force your way out of anxiety is counter productive. It creates more tension. Go with it. Give up the struggle. Have you looked at 'The 100 Symptoms of Anxiety' under GAD on the site? You will find all your symptoms there and more. Now you don't have to have them all. We are individuals, and some get totally different symptoms to others. There is no set pattern in anxiety and that's what makes it so difficult to understand. Keep accepting and try and be as patient as you can. It won't last for ever; promise! Jon.

A setback. You did great though, you did your breathing which relieved the anxiety. An anxiety attack drains all of your energy, it's such an energy hog. Try not to get caught in the moment or think too much about it. Accept that it happened and the you managed to reduce it. Persistence

hi there, my 11 year old created this last year, today i came across it and it lifted me up, as i have had a rough couple of days .i wanted to share it all to you especially for those who, feel hopeless and feel like things will never get better. i hope you enjoy it.. i know i did Life How I live it.docx

Update... Hi guys, I'm still here! Sorry I haven't been able to help out and reply to comments lately. I'm doing great! Almost ready to go back into my original line of work, been putting applications in everywhere. Been driving heaps! Haven't had a panic attack since god knows when. I was certainly tested last week as I watched Cyclone Marcia head straight for my best friend on his yacht! My god talk about tense! Amazingly he and the yacht came through fine and I was able to drive the next day to go help in the recovery. Funnily enough, it was me who kept his family calm through the ordeal as we lost phone contact with him. I'm really noticing my health improving with my attitude, I have a lot more energy. I sometimes wonder if anxiety is trying to creep back in, then I stop and think "let it, bring it on!" I feel I could handle almost anything these days. Anyway, I'm still here guys, just a bit busy to post

Aloha from Maui! There have been some ups and downs but we are having a wonderful time and I haven't let anxiety stop me. It is harder to accept and fake it when away from home so admittedly there have been some moments when I have counted the days until we get to go home to where I feel most safe. But I don't want to wish away my vacation either and I am really trying to live in the moment and also remind myself that security comes from within and not from a place, situation or person. We have enjoyed some afternoon cocktails poolside. Coconut vodka with pineapple and guava juices. Very yummy! And I made a mental toast to my friends here. Sending you all sunny, warm thoughts and ocean breezes. See you all back here In a few days.