Dear Stacy:

* Health anxiety disclaimer and warning!

How sensitive and considerate of you to put a health disclaimer and warning at the beginning of your post!

“The sinus infection I had in January ended up lasting over two and a half months, and two different antibiotics didn’t help or clear it… it triggered my health anxiety a lot and made me feel helpless if I were to come down with something much more severe that would call for antibiotics again“- I suppose a health anxiety disclaimer would be more exact than health disclaimer (at the beginning of your yesterday’s post.. coming to think about it, I’ll put one at the beginning of this post). For a person suffering from health anxiety, reading about other people’s health problems and symptoms can easily trigger anxiety and new worries.

Physical health problems and health anxiety fuel each other: the more physical health problems, the more health anxiety; the more anxiety, the higher the likelihood for physical health problems.

“The new (ENT, a surgical specialist for conditions of the head and neck) was nice and advised I get a needle biopsy of my swollen lymph nodes, so I’m doing that this Friday. I’ve been anxious about that… (plus) my thyroid levels were out of whack, and my cholesterol was high. Today my pap results came back and they found abnormal squamous cells, and even worse, HPV. I immediately fell apart and had to go to my car and cry over…

“Not only that, but my sister was just recently sued by a credit card company from an over 10 year old debt… and the house has been extremely tense. And on top of it all, I’ve just been trying to continue juggling both jobs as before, but now working about 50 hours a week… I hope you have been doing well since my absence!“-

– it’s amazing how you continue to be considerate and kind, generally, and in regard to your recent post, at the beginning and at the end of it,  even though you are so busy and experience so much anxiety/ stress. We talked about how stressful life for you is at home, with your family- way before the recent credit card problem. I can’t think of something that you need more than living in calm circumstances, and on a regular basis. Ongoing anxiety and stress mess with physical health.

If you lived in a calm place, the old anxiety would still be going on, but you’d have a chance to work on it and lessen it with new practices. I am almost sure I mentioned it to you before, but the practice of Tai-Chi ca do wonders to slow down that unhealthy rush aka fight-or-flight experience inherent in anxiety.

I am doing better, started my own thread on Anxiety and it helps me. I hope that your Friday medical appointment goes well, and that your health and health anxiety improve!

anita