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Silly things you've panicked or worried about (Read 8567 times)
George
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Silly things you've panicked or worried about
Jul 17th, 2010, 10:02pm
 
Hi all,

Thought I would start a post in the general section about the silliest things we've all worried or panicked over that in hindsight seem absolutely rediculous to us, but at the time they happened seemed life-threatening or exceedingly harmful. I have to admit that I have been on the verge of panic over some really, really stupid things. For example (at the height of my anxiety):

- [1] -

I was feeling cold so I ran a bath. I started thinking that the somewhat sudden change in temperate was going to change the temperature of my blood, and when that blood reached my heart, was going to stop it! The show "Bear Grylls: Born Survivor" put this notion in my mind after he jumped in to a frozen lake after digging through 3 feet of ice in Siberia, where the outside temperature was -35 degrees C. I obviously failed to take in to account what "extreme" meant when he said the sudden change in temperature can stop your heart! I also forgot to take in to account that he also swam for about 30 feet under the ice to get out!

And as if that wasn't bad enough...

5 minutes later while sucking on an ice lolly in the bath, I started thinking "oh no, the ice lolly might send freezing cold blood from my tongue back to my heart and stop it!" Same reason as above.

- [2] -


Another stupid thing I've constantly been almost panic stricken about in the past is walking. When I was 16 I started a very physical job for 2 years where I was lifting moderately heavy objects around all day and walking reasonable distances with them. I never even felt my heart rate go up once, had no concept of a 'palpitation' and didn't even know what my normal heart rates were, and what's more, I wouldn't have given it a second thought if someone had said "your heart rate is: X", let alone panicked that the work may induce a heart attack!

- [3] -


I sometimes imagine a horrible outcome of my anxiety: "broken heart syndrome", known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress cardiomyopathy. It is defined as "a type of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy in which there is a sudden temporary weakening of the myocardium (the muscle of the heart). Because this weakening can be triggered by emotional stress, such as the death of a loved one, a break-up, or constant rejection. The condition is also known as broken heart syndrome. Stress cardiomyopathy is a well-recognized cause of acute heart failure, lethal ventricular arrhythmias, and ventricular rupture" on Wikipedia (source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/56666.php). Hmmm, thinking about that one still worries me, even though I know it is not going to happen to me and I am not at risk of developing it. I am no different from any other anxiety patient and if this were such a rick for us we'd all know about it!

Anyway, this post is supposed to be a little humorous and up-beat than this!

- [4] -


Another stupid thing I've chronically worried about is my lack of appetite. I something start saying really dumb things to myself like: "the lack of protein coming from your diet is going to cause your muscles and specifically, your heart, to atrophy and your heart is going to shrink to the point where it is unable to supply the body (and itself) with blood!" Yes I have actually had anxiety over this, even though I've had an echo showing the structure of my heart to be fine.

When I think of more I'll add them here. I do want to say, though, that in the past there have been times where I have been absolutely certain that I was not having anxiety, for example, one morning I went to A&E when I first started having anxiety. The triage nurse gave me an ECG before moving me to the ER beds and while lying there my legs and arms were literally trembling out of control with anxiety. In hindsight it is easy for me to recognise but at the time my mindset was "this is not anxiety!".

I would say I have come a good way in terms of panic control. I have not had a panic attack for about 6 months (since a few months before starting beta-blockers). RLR says they have a slight anxilytic effect, though I don't think they are in the class of 'anxiolytic' drugs.


If you have anything to post feel free. The idea is not to laugh at each others silly thoughts but to make light work of of the things that make us worry so much when there is no need.


George.
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Typer
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Re: Silly things you've panicked or worried about
Reply #1 - Jul 18th, 2010, 10:19am
 
Hi George. You call some of your fears stupid. They are not stupid and must have been hell sometimes.


I have never really worried about anything till these palps.

In fact I am under vigilant if there is such a thing.

I had a cancer on my leg removed....left a big dent in my leg. I have a blemish similar to that one and keep meaning to go to the docs. I need to be reminded a lot.

I have a blood condition which is idopathic. I have low numbers of platelets which my son has too. Sometimes they are quite low and my risk of bleeding is higher and yet, I just carry on doing normal things.

The only time that scared me is when I was having extremely heavy menses to the point where once I ended op in Accident and Emergency (ER) and had to have a uterine ablation and fibroids removed which sorted that out. For a year or so  was scared I would have another haemorrhage even though I'd been treated.

I worry about money and the ongoing house decor, but not much else
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George
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Re: Silly things you've panicked or worried about
Reply #2 - Jul 18th, 2010, 3:22pm
 
Hi Typer,

Thanks for posting  Cool. Though, I note that the issues you are posting about are actually real and could be serious for you while mine are silly worries about things that will probably never happen.

In a way we are similar in that we both have 'real' problems that don't seem to worry us very much. I have Crohn's which is currently incurable and it is probably on the bottom of my 'worries' list. Strange, isn't it, how we worry about the things we don't have, yet the things we do have don't seem to bother us?

Though nowhere near as serious, I have had similar instances with bleeding. I have a non-healing peri-anal abscess wound that can sometimes bleed during bowel movements unless I apply pressure to it. A few times it has bled quite badly (though, I'm sure in reality it was no more than 1/4 cup). It seemed like a lot to me and my instant thoughy was "Oh no, I'm going to bleed to death!".

Feel free to post anything else, though I would like to say I intended this to be for non-existent issues and fears that we've worked ourselves up over.

Thanks again  Smiley

George.
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Stav98
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Re: Silly things you've panicked or worried about
Reply #3 - Jul 20th, 2010, 12:51pm
 
Blimey over the worst times the list is amazing!  I've had every illness under the sun....all I can suggest is never EVER google anything...just head to the docs.  All things google related lead to the worse possible scenario.

About two years ago I got up to go to the toilet.  I was minding my own business...standing there doing as one does when I just felt as if I'd calmed down.  Just a little too much though.

In my sleepy moment I finished off, washed my hands (and dried them), ran back in to the bedroom, sat on the bed and asked my wife to call an ambulance as my heart had stopped....about 45 seconds ago.
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George
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Re: Silly things you've panicked or worried about
Reply #4 - Jul 20th, 2010, 3:54pm
 
I have also thought I had a large array of diseases and disorders over my time with anxiety ranging from heart disease, various cancers, liver problems, kidney diseases, osteoporosis, skin diseases, blindness, becoming paralysed, lung diseases, jaw bone death (osteonecrosis of the jaw, a side effect of a drug I once was prescribed), neurological diseases, adrenal diseases due to being on corticosteroids, lymphoma due to being on another drug, etc. etc. etc.

Though rather than post all these I thought I'd post about other things that have made me panic that aren't strictly diseases or health issues but things that can cause death. Dying from cardiac arrest induced by bath water, for example  Wink, while sucking on an ice lolly  Grin.

You're right about the Googling, I've probably self diagnosed myself with almost everything with the help of Dr. Google over the past year and a half but I don't do that anymore. I was a cyberchondriac and was constantly on Google looking up diseases and horrible ways of dying and I absolutely believed at some point I had every one of them. I found it pretty easy to overcome by just realising that I couldn't possibly have all those diseases, all at once with their onset being some at exactly the same time.
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Re: Silly things you've panicked or worried about
Reply #5 - Oct 13th, 2012, 4:01am
 
Stav 96 - your post really made me laugh out loud!  Not to dispute your worries at the time - but the thought of "Call the ambulance dear, I've died!" really tickled me!   Grin
I worry about so many daft things, an unfamiliar pain or sensation, an ache in an odd place - and if I'm stupid enough to google! Well!  Instant terror!  We folks are very odd!!
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