You know when you feel....

[liz001]

...........sick and you can't stop thinking about it and you get really paranoid that you are actually going to v*???? I mean, I dont really think I'm sick, I just can't stop feeling like it.I don't know how to relax and get my mind off it. I think maybe what triggered this was my mom mentioned to me that my dad and brother weren't feeling well. I made her stop right there b/c I didnt want to know details, but just hearing about it makes me panic. So all night last night I felt really N* and was taking n* medicine. Ahhh!!! Here I am, trying to get work done todayand all I can think about is why my stomach hurts. Is it b/c I'm hungry, but if its not, then I dont want to eat anything. Ya know what I mean?!?!? I just want to have one good day where I dont think about it.

[laneyb]

I know what you mean, it starts as an innocent little thought then your brain goes into overdrive, and takes over your entire body.


You are probaly just hungry especially if you havent eaten much, why not just have some plain food, strangely enough I like ready salted crisps (potatochips) when Im feeling like this.


I know its easier said then done but just try to relax and Im sure you'll be fine.


Laney [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[aar13]

I know what you mean too . . . one little comment and you are already worrying about getting sick yourself and the symptoms kick in. I just read a reply to one of my posts from a few days ago and someone made a comment that hit the nail right on the head, at least for me anyway. So here it is:


Not to mention what I consider the biggest problem with this phobia, which is thatour fear triggers thesymptoms that terrify us. It's a constant cycle of fear, avoidance, andsymptoms of stomach illness. We are caught in a trap that has tobe overcomephysically and mentally.


This fear is what makes us feel sick and n* all the time - the anxiety and stress brings out these symptoms.


I hope you are feeling better!

[thestruggle]

Just remember that you've been through it all before. You're a pro at dealing with these symptoms. Yes, you're dad and brother might be feeling sick, but it's gonna take more than that to bring you down right!

[liz001]

You're right on that one. I'm just so tired of being scared. It's like this EVERYDAY! This morning I was driving to work and felt really bad. I was thinking the whole time, "What if I need to pull over? What if there is no where to pull over. What if I'm at a stop sign and there are people stopped next to me? What if I cant pull over b/c I'm on the interstate and it happens in my car." So already my dad is not going so well b/c I was stressing myself out so bad this morning. And I like need people to reassure me that I'm okay. Like I called me friend and was asking her to just talk to me and tell me that I'm okay. She's gotta be thinking, "wow, she's nuts!" It does help me to talk to you guys though. Who else would understand haha!!!

[shiva]

It's definitely an easy thing to do... Getting all caught up in our nagging, negative thoughts. I know this morning in fact, I kept looking at my daughter and thinking to myself "she has that look in her eyes.." (like she doesn't feel well). I asked her over and over if she was okay.. Did anything hurt? If she was just sleepy? I took her temperature- 96.6.. Okay.. So why did I obsess the whole way to work this morning? I kept thinking thoughts like.. "What will I do if school calls and says she has thrown up?" Those thoughts kept snowballing until I found myself invisioning her vomiting and I was in a panic! I have no idea why we do this, but I think that a piece of the puzzle for getting over this thing is somehow stopping these obsessive, negative thought patterns... SOMEHOW

Back a while ago when I was in therapy I was having to do positive self talk.. and I wasn't allowed to think this way. It did help a lot. Wish I could get back there. Maybe I will work on that again. I seriously thought I was going to pass out this morning thinking these s***ty thoughts. I HATE THIS!

[liz001]

I feel better now.....but I seriously wanted to take the day off work today. Maybe I just needed a little more sleep. Its seems to be the most times that I am bothered by my stomach is in the morning and at night. At night is the worst b/c thats when all the thoughts creep up. I wish that I could be like the bubble boy and just be in a plastic ball the rest of my life and never get sick, haha. Unlikely, but wishful.


So, you were in therapy Shiva?? You think it helped you? I do have my first appointment next Friday. When I talked to this lady on the phone, she didnt seem too friendly. Which I know that one of the articles from Sage said to go w/ your gut instinct on therapists, if it doesnt feel right then don't go to them, search around for the right one. I just dont want to meet w/ this lady and start telling her about my situation and her have this little look in her eye like, "hmmm...???? weirdo!" Ya know??? I guess I need to stop caring what other people think. So what if no one understands, to me its very real. I just hope that everything goes well w/ her. I'm nervous to really open myself up and I"m nervous to know what she's going to say and recommend.

[shiva]

I think it is true about going with your gut feeling. Although the most progress I have ever made was with therapists who I really didn't like too much. The mommy types tend to enable me, so a stronger personality who is ready to kick my ass into shape has made the most progress for me

However, being a strong personality and being a s***ty therapist are two different things. I have had people who I didn't like and soon realized that I wasn't going to get anywhere with them because our personalities clashed too much. No progress can be made there either.

I wish you the best of luck with your therapist. I hope she was just having an off day. Just remember though, like the saying goes about relationships.. "there are plenty of (therapist) fish in the sea" as well. So don't settle. This is your life and your opportunity to make it how you want it to be. If you don't feel you are making progress with a therapist, get a new one. Just know that progress usually isn't easy for anyone to come by and be ready for hard work. But you want a therapist who is on your side and willing to work as hard as you are I hope you beat this thing!!