jonathan123

Hi. Ms Honey. No, they haven't missed anything. I had check after check and none of them found anything wrong. It's the good old anxiety fear and the continuation of that fear keeps it going. We 'stoke the fires' with all the worry. These symptoms can be seen as anxiety related once everything has been ruled out. Believe them. IBS is fairly easy to diagnose once all else has been tried. But it is painful at times and I do know. Try and take it easy. Well, as easy as you can. Stress will just make it worse. Take care.

Hi Sallyhart. It sounds to me very much like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). No one as yet know what causes it, but it's generally accepted that stress is the main factor. I get it now and then and always when I get uptight about something. Actually it's harmless. I take Mebeverine or Colofac which can be bought at any pharmacy. (In the UK). Anyone with HA will be really upset by it because it has some nasty symptoms. If everything else has been ruled out, and it has, that's what it will be. When I get it it lasts from days to weeks and patience is required. Spending half the day in the toilet is great fun. IBS is certainly stressed based as I have had it on and off for many years and it does flare up if I go through a bad patch over something. So give it time. Did they suggest any medication? With IBS the bowel goes into cramping spasms which can be really painful. You have been checked out so give it time. Relax as best you can. It's the tension and worry that keeps it going. Best wishes.

Hi. There. Now you have been told that there is no heart problem. An ECG would show that up. And 64 to 68 beats of your pulse is in no way abnormal. 70 beats is the average. Mine is usually around 60 depending on how I am. Anyway it depends on so many factors. One way to increase your heart rate is to worry. Anxiety can cause the heart to palpitate, miss beats and beat faster, and while all this is to be expected we still get uptight about it. A slow heartbeat is to be preferred to a rapid one. But you must believe the medics. Yes, we all overthink from time to time. That's anxiety. Take care and try and get things into perspective and remember, NO GOOGLING!!

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.

It appals me when I see the richest country in the world treating it's people in this way about health. We have had many on this site who have been denied help when badly needed because of insurance problems. All the time profit comes into medical care then there will not be the kind of caring people need. What happened to Obamacare? I thought it was going to help, but I imagine the insurance companies would fight like hell to stop it. It's not for me to be critical of another country's health policy, but it does affect us on this site because so many are from the US. All European countries have health care free for its citizens. It does vary in what can be had or not, but no one would be left without health care because they have no insurance. OK, so no system is perfect and we moan about ours very often, but by and large we are very lucky here. Sad! Millions of dollars spent on going to the Moon or Mars but not enough to give health care. Crazy world.

Hi. Sallyhart. It's more than just a step forward. WOW!! I'm so pleased for you. It's so good to get a good post showing such advancement. You highlight once again the dangers of going to Dr. Google. I am sure half the problems in HA are caused by googling. I have talked about suggestion before and it may not be realised enough how powerful it can be. When in a negative mode the slightest thing can trigger an anxiety spell. A sound, a picture, a book, TV and so on. Anything to do with illness, and boy, don't we get it all the time, and it's difficult to get away from it. Don't anticipate your next 'thing'. It will only happen if you allow it to. Two steps forward one back. But the movement is ever forward. Yes, and read your own post again. Copy it and keep it with you. And no thanks required. We are all here to help each other through sometimes very difficult times. Take care. Be kind to yourself and proud of your achievement.

There are words that come up that really say it all and what causes so many problems. 'Fight'. 'Struggle'. And as Molly has said 'force myself'. Now to fight means 'To enter into combat with'. Right? So we turn our minds into battle grounds. If you look under 'Articles' on the site there are some messages from 'lonesailor' that are relevant. She talks about giving in to the feelings and emotions. NOT giving up, oh no! Let it all happen. Give in and stop trying to 'control' it all. Buddhists talk about 'action in non action'. The best action in anxiety is no action. Whatever you do won't stop emotions and feelings, so give them permission to come. But when they do examine them. See them for what they are. Thoughts in a tired mind. Acceptance is still the key. Whatever happens we need face our feelings and not run away or seek diversions. Meet them head on. Remember the man and the Tiger? He ran and ran to get away from the Tiger which was gaining on him. He stopped from sheer exhaustion and turned and faced the Tiger, which began to diminish in size and became a mouse and scuttled into a corner. All that pain and effort when he could have done it in the beginning.

Both the last posts use the word 'struggle'. Now there lies most of the problem. Fighting and struggling with 'IT' has not got you far has it? The first thing to realise is that with HA you are so very vulnerable to suggestion. Seeing all the medical stuff that is put out by the media, usually to sell some remedy, can be frightening. Being frightened brings fear, obviously, and fear perpetuates fear. It's like a mouse in a maze, looking for ways out and finding none. In the UK there is no profit in medicine or treatment, but it doesn't stop doctors putting posters all over surgery walls asking do you have this or that and giving the symptoms. No wonder there's an upsurge in HA. TV and the rest of the media can't leave it alone. Let me ask a question. If you had never read anything about any disease would you worry about it? Our ancestors had diseases, but they took it as part of life. Suppose I tell you the symptoms of 'Mongolian Lurgy'. (Don't look it up, it's not there!!!!). But I bet you would have looked it up. There is a theory that Googling can become obsessive. Or even worse, an addictive. Why do we Google? Reassurance. We need to be told our symptoms are nothing to worry about. But what do we get? Negative stuff that we have no means of verifying because we are not doctors. Does your doctor look up Google for advice? You don't have to shut the world out and hide in a hole. Would you eat something that you knew disagreed with you? Or take some action that you knew would harm you? Then why allow poison into your mind? We need to exercise mental as well as physical hygiene. Be discerning in what you read, what you listen to and who you talk to who may be negative in outlook. Another thing to guard against is constant analysing. Why! Why! There is not always an answer to everything and we need accept that. I have a good doctor. I'm lucky. So I go there for a diagnosis not Google. And I believe her when she tells me something!!

Ah yes. Past relationships!!! The big mistake we all make is that we tend to think we have forgotten past traumatic events. Abuse, bereavement etc. can all play a major part in subsequent adult life. Emotions come 'out of the blue', or so it seems. But events that caused these emotions as a child are not brought back to memory, only the emotions. That's why anxiety is so difficult to understand. There's no mystery about it. You may have been hurt badly and, as a child, your brain safety mechanism comes into play at the time and you 'forget' what happened, or seem to. But nothing is ever lost. From the moment you are born the recorder is on. Medication and talking about it won't cure anxiety. PTSD is a good example in adults. You are involved in a nasty accident. But you remember up to the accident but not the actual event. The brain has protected you from trauma. But the symptoms will arise again in the form of dreams and nightmares. Soldiers who have seen comrades injured or killed often have no memory of the events, but all the symptoms of extreme stress and anxiety. Good counselling is so often helpful. Short term medication is too, but only that prescribed by your doctor. Getting to the cause and the root of the problem can take time and be expensive. But unless past traumas or upsetting events can be brought up and looked at as adults, then recovery can be difficult. So many begin some form of therapy then when the going gets tough, drop out. This is so common. They are the 'four week clients' that counsellors talk about. Few actually stick it out because bringing up past events is painful. But going through pain is essential rather than trying to forget or medicate it away. We avoid emotional pain. Of course we do, who want's to suffer? But it's so often that avoidance, not facing emotions, that perpetuates the problem.

I agree MARC. But as this is an anxiety website I think it may be best to stick with that. Almost everyone on here has been checked out and mostly found to be ok. There is only one way to eliminate all the things you suggest may be the problem and that's see your doctor. Once told we are physically ok then we can drop the rest and concentrate on dealing with anxiety. Anxiety uses so much energy. It's often difficult to believe we could be so tired when we have done nothing. But this is not a physical problem. The tiredness is a symptom of anxiety not it's cause. That lies much deeper.

It's all about energy. Lets's look at anxiety because that's what this site is about. We all have a certain amount of energy. Some a lot and can climb Mount Everest. Others may struggle to get to the end of the road. I'm not talking a bout a physical illness but about tiredness as in HA. or agoraphobia. When we worry and fear our metabolism speeds up. That's the way our body uses energy. Assuming one is eating normally that energy is soon consumed in anxiety so we begin to feel drained. Dr. Weekes' called it ' tiredness beyond tiredness'. Normal energy release like a workout is fine because the body soon regains its energy. But the energy loss in anxiety is not easily regained. It goes on because we FEAR how we feel. So what little energy we have left is soon used up and we feel exhausted. Many physical problems can cause fatigue and if it's constant tiredness for no apparent reason then get checked out if not already done so. It's a very unpleasant symptom but, once again so typical of anxiety.

Hi. Grace. Irrational fears are common especially in health anxiety. It's ok to say stop it but how? First of all, when an irrational fear arises, STOP, don't let it take hold but ask the question. 'Is there any rational need for this fear'? The tablet thing you describe is typical. The answer must be, if it was in your home, 'why would anyone want to do that to me'? Then accept the rational answer. Stop arguing with yourself. It's not easy and takes a lot of practise. A mother and her sons. They overdosed and the ambulence got there fast. She begged them to give him that overdose reversing drug but it was too late even then. And some survive. But you don't are many of those, not at all.  Now you have obviously read that somewhere. I could recite to you so many such incidents it would take the whole website. You are 'catastrophising'. Making big issues out of stories that have no relationship to your condition. Do you google, if so STOP AT ONCE. I can't emphasise this enough. Your mind is sensitive and vulnerable to suggestion. Wide open! The more you analyse and doubt the worse it will get. The seeds of doubt grow quickly. Before you know it you have a forest of doubts. The word 'fentanyl' has stuck in your mind. I have never heard of it. You read it and it stuck. But why not all the other toxic chemicals but just that one? Because you heard about it. If you had not read about it how could it be in your mind? 'Free floating anxiety'. It will settle on anything the slightest bit negative. I just took it but I'm so scared And there you have the root of the problem. Being scared brings on more fear and more adrenaline and you get caught in the 'fear/symptoms/thoughts/adrenaline/fear cycle'. Break the chain. Ask questions. 'Why do I think that'?' What possible reason could there be for that'? Take care and give yourself time.. Thanks Haha Confused Sad

Hi. Dot. You are in a setback, and it does happen. You are in a good position, believe it or not, because you know you have a problem and are genuinely asking for help. You know anxiety can affect every aspect of your life, from social problems to eating. But in anxiety there is always a root cause that needs to be found. When you get counselling you may find it helps to unload and express your feelings to someone who understands. But any therapy needs sticking at. You may not see any initial improvement, but it will come. In the unconscious mind there are always memories that we have lost, or think we have, which can be 'triggered' by some event or happening that doesn't seem very important at the time. Look at your life and see if there are any adjustments you can make in regard to relationships and domestic issues. there is always a cause. Find it and the anxiety begins to lift.

I'm so sorry that your posts have remained unanswered. This letter counting compulsion and numbers can be frightening and disconcerting. But it's classical OCD. Therapy is often needed to recover from it and I suggest that would be a good idea if you have not already done so. Mild medication from your doctor can also help. But in itself it's not harmful to health, but can be very annoying when you don't seem to have any control over it. Have you seen your doctor.? It's nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. It's all part of anxiety's little tricks. Best wishes.

Hi. Zazz. I think we google not out of curiosity but from the need for reassurance. We hope to find someone who will say that it's ok, the symptoms you have are harmless. But reassurance doesn't help HA because you then go on to find something else to worry about. Answers don't lie in google but within you. Your therapist is right. You want others to believe your symptoms so you try to 'validate' them when you talk to your doctor. I am so sorry about your father. This does not help anxiety one bit. Can I suggest you look at 'The Sue Ryder' website. It's a community that has a forum where those in bereavement or who have terminally ill relatives can talk to each other. My wife died last year and I am very grateful for their help. I know far too much about this disease and many diseases like it. My therapist says I come into her office talking like a 3rd year medical student (I do). But you need ask yourself, does all that knowledge help? Too much knowledge in HA can fuel the fire. It leads to pondering and homing in on symptoms and testing yourself all the time. Ignorance is not bliss, but the need to know can become obsessive, as you have found. Unloading is so important. If you cry good. It's a catharsis, a relieving of pent up emotions. Man or women, it doesn't matter. I tried to be overly positive lately (it was a legitimate mental exercise for me), which feels like it didn't go very well... but after swinging the other way it feels like I'm finally finding center somewhat. Then, I guess that's something I have to keep working on because I keep getting that feeling and then just let myself go balls to the wall. 🙄 It's interesting you say that. My old counselling tutor used to say that we should see ourselves as the pendulum on a grandfather clock. We live in a world of opposites. The pendulum swings to and fro between them. Good, Bad. White, Black, Love, Hate etc. etc. The point where the pendulum is attached is the fulcrum. It doesn't move but watches the movement of the pendulum WITHOUT BEING MOVED ITSELF!! Can we do that? Can we just observe without reacting? Watch the movement of life and be unmoved? Now that's not meaning we should not love and be kind and compassionate. No way. But only when needs must and it's necessary. We may need to weep at someone's misfortune. We may need to feel angry. But not to carry unwanted emotions around with us when the need is over can be a big help. Caveman ran from the Tiger. But once having escaped he went about his business and the incident became only a memory. We don't drop it do we? We go on running even though the danger is past. Take care. Thanks Haha Confused Sad