health anxiety for concussions & passing out

[untameimpala 0]

i figured it's time to join a forum because i'm so tired of keeping everything bottled inside.

i got a concussion in may and ever since then i get anxious every time i hit my head. yesterday, i hit my head against the edge of my laptop and the first thing i said was "ow...oh now i'm worried" because i was immediately worried about getting a concussion. this morning i woke up with slight head pressure and i'm really tired (but i'm also a busy college student). i have no other symptoms besides that and this anxiety, but somehow i am convinced that i have a concussion.

i don't only have anxiety around concussions. in fall 2018, i got a virus from the common cold that made me pass out and i was sent to the hospital. i had an abnormally elevated heart rate. since then, i've developed a fear of passing out and for a while, i was obsessed with checking my heart rate. every time i have to give a presentation or speech, i am now scared i'm going to pass out in front of everyone and end up in the hospital again.

if there is a sickness going around, i assume i'm going to catch it. sometimes i think that i'm going to get cancer and not even know. i have such irrational fears and i'm so scared of dying. wow, things just got deep.

i've been trying to go to my therapist and the good news is that i am the kind of person who wants to fix my issues right away. i don't like feeling like i can't control what i have, and perhaps that is why i have anxiety. i'd appreciate any sort of comment because i hope i'm not the only one who feels this way. that is why i joined this forum.

[Mo1966 8]

you are definitely not the only one who feels that way . I have suffered with health anxiety since i was in my twenties. I have had so many tests done to me. and they were all normal except for an eye disease and mild things. I am and always have been healthy. We tend to make things bigger then they are. We go through phases of not trusting the doctors, and we imagine the worst case scenarios. It was good to see that you are looking at the positive by saying that it is good that you like fix issues right away. I think about that also..We will never be the ones who are rushed to the hospital because we are so preventative. However I had to learn to know when to stop running to the dr over every little thing also..while at the same time , not let my fears keep me from going either. I suffered a concussion years ago. Since then I have not had any issues. Although I thought i did a few times undergoing brain mri's that probably weren't even necessary. but i'm glad i got them because now i dont have to panic over every headache.. I'm sure you will be fine. Its funny because we care about ourselves enough to go to doctors, but we assume the worst which means we think that we don't deserve to be healthy somehow. Atleast i find that true for myself. Also try and remember that catching a cold is actually good for our immune system. One occassion usually does not repeat itself. I also fear colds thinking i may get pneumonia because i got it last year. but i take vitamin C every day now and i found that garlic, tumeric, ginger are all good for you.  

[untameimpala 0]

thank you so much for this thoughtful response. i really appreciate this and i completely agree. i’m so glad to know i’m not alone. ❤️

[jonathan123 2367]

Hi. untam and welcome to AC. .

All the symptoms you have are typical of anxiety. Every one. In HA we fear everything and are on the lookout for any symptom, however trivial, and always fear the worst. But that is what health anxiety is all about. Imaginary symptoms! Once you have been checked out and are found to be OK believe them. No second guessing. Now believe it or not, but in my experience there is not one single disease that, once in the mind, anxiety can't imitate. This takes some believing because most people do not regard the mind as being so powerful, but it is. But it has to be in the mind first and that's why it's so dangerous to self diagnose or Google the symptoms. It's very presumptuous of us to assume we know more that those who have been to medical school for five years, then an internship and maybe years of practise. 

But I am not minimising how you feel. Oh no! I have been there so I know. The feelings of physical pain and emotions are very real and we do feel as if we have some dreaded disease. Anxiety makes you weary, and often it's beyond normal tiredness. The mind becomes less resilient and ideas stick and frighten us. The thing to do is to let the feeling come. No fighting or struggling with them or trying to get rid of them.It won't work. Face them; see them for what they are, feelings only with no real significance. ACCEPT them as best you can. Acceptance is not easy, but calm acceptance can work wonders given time. Time and patience. Difficult, but it can be done. Good to see you here. Everyone here has been through this or is going through it, so listen to what they say and look back over other posts.  Being impatient goes with anxiety. Most people want to get well yesterday, but it doesn't work like that.  Best wishes.