Don’t mind me just riding out a massive anxiety attack after a few rough weeks of actual health issues. I have major health anxiety and I’ve had 2 awful asthma attacks recently due to wildfire smoke coming into our area. I hate having asthma because I didn’t know I had it for so long. And I never really know if my shortness of breath is anxiety or asthma 😭😩 It freaks me out whenever I have to get treatment for it because they always run an EKG to make sure my heart is fine. After having COVID last year (then getting the vaccination) one of my new anxieties is developing random blood clots despite being physically healthy. I go on Twitter for the memes then the next second I’ll see someone’s personal story about how someone they knew dropped dead randomly from the shot. It freaks me out so bad. Like what?? I don’t want to stop using Twitter either because I like it and don’t want to avoid any triggers. Back to health, they took an X-ray of my lungs the other day as a part of protocol because I couldn’t breathe that well (because I was having an asthma attack 😩) and it freaked me out so bad. Everything came back clear but my discharge papers said to get my heart checked out just in case. My resting heart rate is generally higher because of anxiety anywhere from 75-85. I hate having health anxiety on top of actual health problems. My doctors tell me I’m healthy despite asthma and allergies. Every day is a battle with health anxiety. Sometimes I can’t even workout because I’m so focused on my heart rate or breathing. Like I’m genuinely convinced I’ll die of a random disease I don’t know I have. AnywAY, health anxiety OCD is something I’ve had since I had my first panic attack. As most of you know that anxiety can manifest itself in so many ways it’s horrifying sometimes. Hopefully I feel better again soon bc this ain’t it chief!! 🥺

Kaitlyn Ruth

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 3y

Wow I relate to this SO much. I have health anxiety and somatic ocd. One of my biggest triggers is my breathing and I’m always short or breath! I also have asthma so I’m like constantly anxious about my breathing and thinking I’m going to pass out or stop breathing. Every day is a struggle I constantly check my heart beat and focus so much on my breathing that I don’t feel it’s automatic I feel like I have to tell myself to breathe or I won’t

Anonymous

Date posted: 3y

I’ve been going through this for 2 weeks now, I’m with you on this. Feel like I forget how to yawn and I’m sleeping terrible because I’m waking up to make sure I’m breathing! Definitely not alone

OCDdontownme

Date posted: 3y

Thank you for sharing your story. This is such a hard subtype. It hard to know what’s reality and what’s OCD. How are you doing these days? It looks like you posted this awhile ago. Have you done ERP therapy to help? I hope you’ve found some progress. Really struggling tonight with health ocd and working through some dark thoughts. Looking towards others who have peresevered!

Anonymous

Date posted: 2y

Going through the exact same thing, hyper focused on breathing and thinking I am short of breath then constantly worry its a heart attack even though I have been given a clean bill of health from a cardiologist. I find myself checking my heart rate constantly and o2 then googling symptoms. Also seems to be worse since my first panic attack which sent me to the hospital. I tell myself I am fine and it's nothing major, but the "what if" constantly creeps in. Please let me know if anyone has any strategies that might help...besides constantly seeing a doctor when I get freaked out by a symptom. Thanks!

Anonymous

Date posted: 2y

@Anonymous I am in the same boat. I feel like I am constantly going to the doctor or ER to rule out anything big. I just keep thinking they must have missed something. It’s a terrible feeling and very isolating when no one understands.

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond