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Hi All, Warning: this may be long I'm new to the website, certainly not new to health anxiety (I'm a 20 year 'survivor'). I have gotten through a MS fear in my 20's, which cost me several years of enjoying life. I was fully functional, just constantly fearful and symptomatic during that time. I found medication helped with the anxiety but not the physical sensations. I had a blissful 10 year hiatus from HA during my 30's, then by brother in law got esophageal cancer. I was having mild heatburn at the time, and it ballooned to a full bore panic about my having EC (2011). I had testing done, and all was good. It took about six months to get over that and I was back on my medication unfortunately (effexor). Fast forward to February of last year thereabouts, I was feeling a little off, some myoclonic jerks happening while I was sitting at work and stuff like that, then the twitching started around the second week of February. Within a few weeks what started in my calves spread and I was, thanks to Google, back in full panic mode on an ALS tear. Now, I'm an old hand at HA, I've got this right? I went like four years with unexplained symptoms in my 20's... I got this! So I thought. The reality is, this time, I cannot shake it. Not at all. I've changed medications due to the side effects. But the twitching, the pain and now the cramping continue. I'm on the BFS group on Facebook and that has been very helpful but it doesn't completely do the trick. I can't medicate the anxiety away (nor do I want to) and like my 20's, these physical symptoms appear out of nowhere and really don't seem to have any correllation to being stressed or not which, just like back then, is keeping my HA mind fixated on having this horrible disease. I've had counselling before, and CBT has been recommended. I've half heartedly tried it with the thought record, but always thought... I don't see the point of this. I'd like to know people's experiences with CBT. I'm going to restart the thought record (I just did one for a back spasm I had this morning) and go from there. Thanks, Chris

Hi all... My name is Mark and Ilive in the UK (south west)... Fairly recently I started experiencing panic attacks, which have become more and more severe, until now I am agoraphobic... have done some CBT and taking sertraline (and occasionally diazepam), which has helped, but i am far from "normal" and live in fear of it getting really bad again. I have found it quite difficult to talk about these issues with my partner or friends, not least because I don't think they can really understand how I feel... hoping to find some people on here who will listen (and I will happily reciprocate!)

So I have what I'm told is agoraphobia

I am just starting CBT. I got my first literature through in the post today, including some tasks to write out. I have instantly got that feeling of "oh no, this is going to be hard work" lol And I'm feeling like I want to just hide. Don't get me wrong, I know it's going to be hard work, very hard work but I have never been great at studying, writing tasks ect, I have always been more comfortable with practical tasks. It's also hit me with the realisation that if I want to get better I have to drastically change how I think. I have gotten so stuck in my ways. Reading this has proved to me just how altered my thinking has become. It's a little daunting. I have always been a positive thinker, and to some extent I still am. I always have hope, always look to the future with hope, always try and look on the bright side. But it's also intertwined with negative thoughts, and negative thought beliefs. I have had a lot of bad things happen to me, I have coped for many years by trying to look at the good things and not dwell on the bad. Until 4 years ago when I guess it got too much. I feel like my natural nature and my current thinking habits are battling each other. I think it's important how I perceive this therapy. Not only is it therapy it is learning too. I am going to be studying myself, teaching myself, it's like I am back at school, and my mind is the subject.