OP123

ok, so very long post but I think it could help you. also I didn’t mention that I struggled with ALS, Pancreatic, and Colon C word. Cheers. ——————————————————————————— I’ve long used message boards as a way to help me cope with HA. I was a frequent poster at an old forum called Anxiety Zone but I started to make some headway on my HA just before it shutdown. For some reason I’ve been thinking back a lot lately on my journey with HA during the past two weeks. Even to this day I’m as unsure as to how it started as I am as to how it ended. Yes, I did receive counseling but I still struggled afterward. Yes, I did pick up some new hobbies but that didn’t help in the moment. Yes, I started being more social with those around me but I still broke down at the slightest twitch of my eye or unusual bowel movement. and yes.. over the past 3 years I have had very brief moments of slight panic over a weird pain or eye twitch. It’s easier now but that should never discredit how hard it is to battle HA in the moment. It’s a battle every day with your mind and body. It consumes us and takes away a part of us that we think we’ll never get back. but you can get it back. All I can do is share what I know helped me (even if it was just a little) on my journey. - Note: these might not help you it really depends on the person (minus the first). 1. No Goog... YEAH YEAH YEAH WE GET IT. 😉 2. But seriously I (with every ounce of mental fortitude I had left) got to a point where I stopped googling symptoms and it did wonders for helping me. Notice I didn’t say, “just stop googling man it’s bad” no, I got to a very dark place where I just had no more emotional energy and in that dark place and in that place I stopped. It took a few times but you really can do it. 3. I made some friends. Ok so this one was very hard for me because I’m a weird guy that struggles socially but it was huge for me. Did making friends make me stop worrying about “symptoms”? No, but what it did do was put me in a situation that when I was with friends and had symptoms I sat with it for a while. Guess what... they go away. This was awesome because over time I began to see those “symptoms” for what they are.. nothing. And most went away with time. 4. Last one I’m almost done. I sought counseling. This was hard because at the time I didn’t have much money do I had to set it aside to go and my visits were spread apart because of that. It took me 3 tries to find a good one that I connected with and 3 sessions. I had 5 total sessions over 3.5 years. It was counseling that dug up moments in my life that I hadn’t fully dealt with but had forgotten. Some of these things, in a roundabout way, connected to my HA. Now this might not be the case for all but I’d say it is for most In the end, never discount what you’re going through right now because it’s hard as hell. But you can get though it. It’s going to be hard and it might take some time. You might even visit some very dark places, but you can get though it. Even when you think it’s such an impossible a task to stop googling, just keep trying. If you mess up don’t hate yourself for it just try again. And when you succeed celebrated it. Message me if you have any questions I’m here for you.

I too have struggled with Colon c****r thoughts in the past. It's an easy anxiety target because it doesn't show any symptoms. Doctors are extremely good at noting the signs and symptoms of colon c****r. A lot better than us. I've addressed your questions below. 1) Checking weight daily has been proven to be a poor indicator of true weight loss. Weight naturally fluctuates by 2.5 pounds a day... their are many natural causes for this occurrence. 2) Yes, anxiety is notorious for raising our heart rates. Also, many who have anxiety claim(as do I)that anxiety disrupts the bowels causing all sorts of problems. Although no direct link between all of those listed and anxiety has been proved(yet)many have claimed to have your same issues and these phenomena have become accepted as part of anxiety. 3) Bright red blood, which is the kind you spoke about in your post, is caused by hemorrhoids. blood associated with Colon c****r is usually much much darker, or even black. This is because Colon c****r usually forms farther up the GI track and is not usually near the opening, like hemorrhoids. 4) The effects of anxiety can last way beyond the initially "feeling" of anxiety. Hope this helps. It sounds like you have anxiety, not c****r.

I don't say this often to people on anxiety forums, but you really need to go to the doctor.

I too was an off and on member of AZ. I noticed its disappearance two days ago. I'm saddened to see it gone, and a little puzzled to why it has vanished. It seems as though the site had a lot of traffic and ads all over the place. I struggle less with my health anxiety and have not had an episode in about six months.