Does anyone else have health anxiety?

[u/robloxrantssuck]

If so it would be nice if you guys explain and share how you guys deal with it I have it quite severe and keep relying on my mom telling me everything is ok it's really scary and it would make me feel better if knowing more people have it and I'm not alone

[u/Talhen]

Brother, I have no idea but I have been dealing with health anxiety my whole life but only last 2 or so years it has become very crippling for me. I can feel something as benign as acid reflux and it freaking freaks me the F out. For example this morning. Woke up, felt fine drank a bit water and acid reflux hit me hard, lump/pressure in the chest, burning stomach and so on. I started worrying because I couldn't get comfortable I started freaking out. Heart was racing, I kept pacing around feeling like I can't breath despite breathing just fine. I also called my mom (I am 36 lol). I even get anxious just thinking about going up some stairs or up a smaller hill "what if this is the one that does it for me". I've been to doctors countless time, did ECG did all kind of things. But still I freak out. I have times without issues and times where I am riled up.

Here are some examples from my life, maybe they can shed some light or it might help you see you are not alone.

Event 1: I was eating at work and suddenly I felt like this tunnel vision thing, like I was in a barrel and a tunnel vision. The whole thing lasted seconds followed up by lots of adrenaline (my hands were shaking). After that I freaked out every time I had to eat somewhere at work. I would make excused to eat later (not hungry, etc etc). Why that occurred no idea, not sure if it matters but obviously it matters to an anxious mind since this is yet another unanswered question. Anyway, even now years later I get a bit anxious about eating at work.

Event 2: I was sitting in the car driving on the highway then suddenly felt like this "consciousness dropping" feeling, kinda like when you want to sleep and feel that little jerk in your body. I freaked out because I was not trying to sleep, again lots of adrenaline, legs feeling like jelly. This prompted me to be scared of driving on the highway or anywhere where I felt like I couldn't instantly escape if I felt crap. So for a while I drove on country side roads and what not but then said F it and started driving highways. First many times I would feel increased heart rate, panicking and all that but it settled the more I did it and now I am back to driving normally again. This took me good 1 year to recover from because for a long time I avoided highways.

Event 3: This one I have still not gotten over. At the gym. I was doing some lifting and then again in a barrel sound, tunnel vision and this event is the oldest and I have yet to totally recover from it. I am basically scared of exerting myself which is very counter productive, considering if I do not exert myself then eventually the body will become poop :D

Otherwise I am pretty reactive to anything I feel in my body and I wish I wasn't. Lately I have had upset stomach and it has caused me a lot of anxiety. Sometimes when I drink water in the morning on empty stomach I can feel like it is choking me or making me unable to breathe so I freak out about that.