Stress Center Peer Support

Sufferers who constantly worry about their health don't have the "gut instinct" like non-sufferers have to be able to distinguish between REAL sickness that needs medical attention and anxiety. At least I don't. I seem to have that gut instinct for EVERYTHING! For my whole life I have been told that the pains and sensations I feel in my body are related to anxiety. I am only getting older and we all know that the older we get, the more health problems we can fall victim to. How will I know the pressure in my chest along with shortness of breath isn't a heart attack? I'm afraid that I'll just chalk it up to my anxiety and I'll go untreated and die!

I'm dealing with this right now, as a matter of fact - not with symptoms of a heart attack, but with anxieties about losing a kidney! I have slight discomfort in my back (in the kidney area), but no other signs or symptoms of infection. I was just treated with antibiotics (not a complete course) for a UTI. So now I'm extremely anxious about kidney infection even though I don't have fever, chills, or painful urination. Sorry if TMI... but when do we know to get to the doctor and when do we know to wait out the symptoms????

Frustrated and anxious,
Celeste

Hi Celeste,
I feel like you are right on this and that we can actually think things are "anxiety" related, when in fact, it can be some "type" of physical condition we are suffering from!

However, I do believe that once the doctor's give us a "clean" bill of health, then we can take them at their word and know that we are healthy!!!

I have a "major thing" with my ears!!! I had always had "motion" sicknesses, and this began in my childhood!!!

I have noticed that this "inner ear thing" which has been diagnosed many times by my physician can "contribute" to the dizziness, and can actually make one who suffers from anxiety to believe they are experiencing the "anxiety" due to their "anxiety levels" being elevated!!! When in fact, it is just an "inner ear thing"...

That is why it is important that someone first rules out all "physical" conditions, before assuming they are having "anxiety attacks"...

I pray that others contribute to this thread, since it is so good to receive as much input as we can on these things!!!

Have a beautiful day...God Bless You Celeste!!!

BTW: I just re-read your posting, and I do believe with all of my heart that you are "obsessing" over losing a kidney !!!

I do not believe for a second that you will ever lose a kidney because you are experiencing some back discomfort !!! I think this is just another "irrational fear"...

And I do believe that you would have some symptoms, if you were suffering from a "kidney infection" such as a slight fever and other types of symptoms...

I pray this helps to alleviate those fears...

Thank you for your reply, Mrs. Bones. I agree with you that it's important to rule out physical conditions before assuming anxiety as the diagnosis, but personally, I always assume it IS a physical medical problem when in fact it's anxiety. There has to be a balance in my thought process to allow me to distinguish something medically threatening vs. non-threatening anxiety. Unfortunately, I don't have that balance and as a result, I'm afraid that one day something medically terrible will happen to me and I'll convince myself it's all in my head. I know it's not beneficial mentally, but it seems easier and safter to stay on guard by going to doctor appointments for every little thing than by talking myself into it being anxiety related... ugh!

Hi My Friend Celeste!

I will say this first, you will not lose a kidney. Sounds like we are dealing with the same thing right now. You know that I had a UTI also, and was treated, and another one came, I am on an antibiotic now for it.I have had lots of pain in my back..it was the upper back, around in my neck, and sometimes low-in my mid-back.It hurt a lot around my kidney area also. I have been so anxious thinking that this could be a kidney infection, but went back to the doctor and got my lab results, which were negative and no sign of kidney infection, but I still had the pain in my back!
I really started to worry more at that point because I should have actually been feeling much better by then, but I wasn't.
To make a long story short, I think I have figured out where this back pain is coming from. I don't think it is related to the UTI, but it is anxiety and stress. I think the muscles in my back are tight and causing pain. I was in tears literally all this week, because of the back discomfort. I have been so anxious this week that I am thinking that it has to be anxiety. My mother and my husband both tried to assure me that it was nothing more than that, but I didn't want to believe that. I was sure that it was kidney-related and that the doctors just didn't find it!
I even called the doctor back and asked her if she was sure that it was not my kidneys or if I had kidney stones and at that point I was thinking...what if my kidneys aren't functioning properly and they shut down?
The doctor said that I had NONE of the signs of kidney stones-no blood in urine, no fever, no chills etc. I even took my temperature because I just KNEW I had a fever...and my temp.was 98.7! I felt so silly. My mom just looked at me and said, please don't do this to yourself. She was really assuring me that nothing more is wrong, but it is so hard to get that through my head when I "feel" symptoms.
I was thinking, what if there is really something seriously wrong here. I have been nauseous, noticed that I don't have much of an appetite, and noticing increased anxiety. I was obsessing over this simple UTI that I caused all of this I am sure.When I am stressed I don't have a desire to eat, and normally I am a BIG EATER! I miss not eating and enjoying my food, but I think I have just worked myself up because of this.
You are doing the same. I know that you feel the discomfort in your back, but if you have none of the symptoms of a kidney infection, then you are fine. You will not lose a kidney either!
Just ask yourself, did I sleep wrong, is my mattress comfortable (because mine isn't!-Lol), am I stressed, if so, you can feel tight in your back or discomfort.
Hope this helps.

Hey Psalms! Good to hear from you again! Reading about your situation brought me back to the time in my life when I became a Born Again Christian... It was March of 2007. I too had been obsessed with my health to the point where my family had to get involved. I was making repeated appointments for the same things, I was losing sleep, not eating, crying, pacing my home, and I actually thought I only had a short time to live. My husband was becoming worried for my condition, we were literally in debt from all the doctor's visits, and as a result of it all, our marriage was on the brink of divorce. It was AWFUL! The trigger to all of this was a comment that my father (heavily involved in the occult) made to me one evening by phone. He had consulted a spiritist of some sort and was told that I would die of breast cancer unless I joined their religion. Long story short, I entered the above mentioned spiral of anxiety and depression. I talked to a Christian co-worker one day and she opened my eyes to something more powerful than my father's message - JESUS. From that day on, I have NEVER felt as defeated or plagued with fear. Even now, as I worry about losing a kidney (goodness, that sounds so silly even as I type it ) I am not plagued with desperation as I was back then. I guess I'm telling you all of this because I want you to know that I know EXACTLY what it feels like to be assured of something but still doubt it. To quote what you said, "It's so hard to get it through my head when I "feel" the symptoms." That is SO TRUE!!! There's a part of our brains that realizes the silliness of it all, but the other half of the brain is doubting it. So, it's almost like your brain is arguing with itself!! Do I sound crazy yet?! Anyway, your post was very reassuring and I thank you for it!

Celeste,
Praise God that you found Jesus! It is nothing like it, and I am glad that you are no longer worried and stressed in thinking you will die. That is not so...but you will LIVE! God is alive and he gave us life and life more abundantly, and I have to remember these things for myself because, as you said, it is like our brains are arguing with us! That is a good way to put it!
I can relate also to what you were saying about how you were spending lots of money at the doctor's offices! I did the same thing. I was in and out of the ER at one point. I was really thinking I was dying at anytime. I am 33 yrs old now, but then I was like 26, and from that age until about 29 or 30 I was constantly at the doctor's office. If I got a sinus infection, it was something else. I would think I had something wrong with my brain because of the head pressure and it was only from the sinuses! If I had indigestion or chest discomfort, I would just know I was having a heart attack. I was in the ER and doctor's office at least 3 times for thinking I was having a heart attack and it was only "acid reflux." I know how you feel. I have been doing better and not at the doctor at all hardly now, but 2 years ago, I had major stress hit from work, and that sent me out of work on leave, and I was in out of doctor's offices, yet again, spending more money! I was convinced that something terrible was wrong.
I am still here, live and well, and so are you!!!
I can feel the anxiety and fear creeping back up, but I know that the Word of God says "resist the devil and he will flee," so I am doing all I can to keep my faith strong.
I have had this UTI off and on for a few weeks and I really want to get better so I find myself getting nervous. I also have had a hard time taking the meds they have prescribed so I am thinking hard about just going to Earthfare, which is an all natural store to get something at this point. I took my antibiotic today, and it made me feel soooooooo out of it. That does nothing but adds LOTS MORE anxiety! I can feel a slight headache now, but earlier it felt like I was just out of it. It made me feel tired and dizzy a little, so that makes me feel bad because if I have all these side effects from the meds, then what can I take. The fear of trying another med is really bad now because I fear having worse side effects or more of the same ones and I feel like I am stuck.
I have to have something to clear this up, and I have 10 more days left of the med, but it is making me not feel so well, and if I just not take anything I will probably get the symptoms all over again, so what do I do? I am kinda' embarrassed to even call the doctor's office back again because they will probably not know what to put me on this time.
Sorry that I am rambling...I am going on and on about this! I guess I am just venting a bit! I know you understand Celeste.
Not being able to take meds makes this anxiety even worse.

Celeste1,

Hello, reading your entry almost sounded like me regarding, feeling all of the body symptoms. I have actually feel like I am oversenstive to everything. My body symptoms are/were so bad that I have gone to over 6 drs and have over $10k in medical bills, all because of panic and anxiety!!! Go figure!!!

Lately, I have been having that feeling of pain in my back area(kidneys)!!! The pain will come and go. In my mind I am like it has to be my kidney's, it has to be!!! Am I going crazy? No, but these darn body symptoms are terrible!!! But as many have said, I think we ALL have gone through these symtpoms sometimes through this journey...Oh, but I am gettig strange feelings in my both of my leg calves. Sometimes the pain is ugh!!!! Should I go to the dr? Not sure?

I have been to previous drs and they all say that I am fine on paper, my bd is 112/76!!! I have changed my eating, surrounding myself around positive people, etc. Oh yes, really into the bible like never before. I am a believer, but sometimes, negative thoughts will creep back into my head!!!!

Sorry for venting, just wanted to say that I sooooo relate!!! Take care Celeste1!