Health Anxiety

I suspect it may be more amplified by the fact we have just been through a pandemic and we are watching on whilst the world appears to be going to war. I am not belittling how you feel, I just think everyone is overwhelmed with life at the moment.

That said, if you feel you need more support you can access help via your local authorities wellbeing service. CBT is often the go to for this sort of thing x

You don’t need to have them taken out. Just don’t use them?
Unless you want the look with an electric fire.

How often did you actually use you open fire? I know when I had one it wasn’t actually all that often out of the 365 days in a year and then only for a few hours. Perhaps your risk is really very low. Certainly not as high as your fear is making it?

After all, my parents generation spent almost their whole lives with open fires almost all day and nobody I know had health problems caused by it.

You’ve had a time when awareness illness has been thrust upon you. Your present anxiety is all part of that. It’s very common following medical trauma and should diminish in time as your normal life gets back on track.

I wish you a full and speedy recovery.

You know I just closed Gransnet and thought I think I'd be anxious if my bowel had been perforated during a procedure. It must have been a horrible shock. You are not going mad

After all, my parents generation spent almost their whole lives with open fires almost all day and nobody I know had health problems caused by it.

My thoughts too peasblossom

Hels don’t let Health Anxiety take over your life. I’ve been a sufferer most of my adult life and it does spoil the quality of it. See your GP sooner rather than later, who hopefully will recommend CBT.

After your bad experience with a colonoscopy anxiety is understandable and it may have transferred to anxiety about other aspects of your health. There was a feature on BBC breakfast last week about a push for regular lung screening by the widow of James Brokenshire who died recently. Hopefully this will become a regular thing eventually but in your case perhaps a talk with your GP about your anxiety could result in you being referred for a chest x ray which would put your mind at rest. It seems rather drastic to have your log burner and open fire removed without a good reason. I hope you are back to full health soon.

You are definitely not going mad. I think most of us go through spells of worrying about things and the current situation in the world on top of your recent health problems isn't helping you find peace of mind.

My husband has a period severe health anxiety and was helped hugely by counselling, some very useful books from the library and by keeping busy doing the things he loves like walking the dog and gardening. You are definitely not on your own and I hope this worry soon passes for you. The brighter days are coming and that's always uplifting.

Thank you all so much yes they are only used in winter on an evening.I used them to keep heating costs down. Your right I suppose most people years ago had no other heating. It's been and continues I guess to be quite a trying time a bit of a shock to the system im probably over thinking and over analysing- thank you again for your kind words.x

I understand how you feel. I’m always worrying about my health.

Oh Peaseblossom. People are going to get us mixed up?

Peasblossom

Oh Peaseblossom. People are going to get us mixed up?

You bet Peasblossom! Why a name almost identical?

Oh, looking back I think Peaseblossom was here first and then took a break. I’m derailing the thread though.

Peaseblossom

I understand how you feel. I’m always worrying about my health.

Hi!

I can see your user name was here before I took the mis-spelled version.

I won’t use it again and Ill see about changing it.

I have been a bit argumentative though with a handful of posters. I hope you don’t suffer for it.

You might have to make it clear sometimes that you’re not me ??

I didn’t even notice! A while back a SkyBlue appeared, but not seen it recently.

With your past event, no wonder you have anxiety

It is wise to identify possible health risks and mitigate them

I know many posters won't agree with me - there is a fine line between health anxiety and your gut speaking to you.
Sometimes it is hard to identify what is what.

Will you start a thread telling us your new name Peasblossom?

For some reason I stopped receiving Gransnet emails for a long time then they started appearing again!

Alot of open fires in my life from a young age,grandparents - my grandad was a coal merchant - and many others in the family.
No cancer.

Thank you halfpint1 that's comforting to hear. I have organised for the stove to be replaced with a modern heat efficient fire and fireplace this will be done in May. Its helped me little knowing I'm taking steps to make things better. I won't be using either stove or open fire again. I've an appointment with my gp a week on Friday so I think I will bring the subject of anxiety up when I get checked over and get results of recent colonoscopy. Thanks once again I keep referring back to posts when I'm feeling anxious this helps. X

Big hugs Hels001. I have always suffered with anxiety, and living on my own now, it's a lot worse. During these two years of Covid I've had a scare with a painful leg resulting in a vein breaking in my thigh, and then a mysterious huge sore on my lip. As I vape having smoked for 40 years, I was really worried I might have mouth cancer. Both situations felt catastrophic because I knew it would be very difficult to see a doctor. Luckily for me, I was able to see a doctor/dentist about my lip but I made the mistake of googling my symptoms - don't do it!

I am sorry they messed up your procedure, but glad it's fixed. Good luck with your results.

I've lost three of my oldest friends in the last two years, two to cancer and one had a heart attack. This plus now being in my seventies has made me more conscious of my own health. Aches and pains, breathless climbing a hill; are they down to getting old or are they signs of impending illness and death? I should go and talk to my GP but that hasn't been possible for over two years due to the pandemic, just phone consultations, which are not the same and all the old doctors have retired and I have no idea who the new ones are. I have never been a hypochondriac and don't want to become one now, but I'd really like a thorough MOT just to put my mind at rest or spot something before it becomes serious. We take our cars to the garage to have an MOT each year and there used to be a Well Woman clinic at our surgery but that seems to have died a death, although they do blood tests annually. I'd just like to have a sit down with a GP who knows me and have a chat about my health but that wouldn't get past the receptionist who answers the phone and make the appointments.

Thank you Shandy57 this brush with illness and then anxiety certainly knocks you for six. Im pleased your ok after your scare. Thanks for your advice re Dr Google I will do my best to resist. Hope you manage to keep a lid on your anxiety and stay well. X

I can relate so much to your anxiety and really sympathise. It's such a horrible feeling and can overtake your life. Loss of appetite and persistent indigestion has led to an endoscopy and a CT Colonography. The endoscopy revealed a hiatus hernia but I am waiting for the results of the colonography. I feel so scared as I feel unwell a lot of the time. Wobbly, weak and with aches in my shoulders and back and just generally feeling rough. I know it could be so many things but I can only think the worse. Worse case scenario is always my first thought. Finding it really hard to cope.

I think the increased health anxiety is understandable given the two years we have all been through. Think back to the news we saw most nights; first on the list was the number of deaths, number of infections, then warnings on how to avoid infection. It's a wonder more people are not anxious about every little symptom, this does not mean I am dismissing your concerns, just hoping that the realisation that many many others feel the same will help you