remember that anxiety does not make us immune to physical health problems

new health problems shouldnt be always assumed to be from anxiety but should always be reported to a doctor

For MOST anxiety sufferers, that would mean dragging a cot into the doctors waiting room and LIVING there...

I agree it is important not to ignore health concerns but I also have anxiety and have had to learn my body to recognize what is normal and what is concerning so that I don't end up with a cot in the waiting room!

It is indeed a tricky balance and I am thankful to have a wonderful doctor who I do feel comfortable calling when I have questions or concerns. I feel better calling and if I, in talking with her, feel it warrants a visit I go in. I do think people have to trust themselves and when their body is trying to tell them something but that is incredibly difficult with anxiety when everything feels bad or every symptom leads to thoughts of horrible disease--I've been there and am still working on it.

For MOST anxiety sufferers, that would mean dragging a cot into the doctors waiting room and LIVING there...

Exactly my thoughts.Right now I have a stomache ache so that must mean I have stomache cancer or a tumor.I do feel kind of dizzy,perhaps Iam bleeding into my brain....OUCH!!! Itchy back...maybe its from a mosquito...OH NO WEST NILE!!! Come to think of it...what disease DONT I have?

it is the hardest thing in the world to know if the way my body feels is normal because im anxious, or if I'm actually sick.
there is no way to tell.
what if all my symptoms really arent anxiety...or are a seperate illness.
I always feel soemthing..and I can't run to the doctors every day (as mentioned)
its impossible.

I agree with all of you. It is so difficult for me to distinguish between a harmless feeling and when it's life-threatening, although (knock-wood) all of those times I thought that I was going to die from something and didn't go to the ER turned out to be, I guess, nothing more than anxiety. Another tricky thing I found is that I will feel 'new' feelings, 'new' pains ("I'm sure this chest pain is much more severe and/or different from the last time. Oh no...this IS a heart attack..." which turned out to be indigestion or whatever...). It's soooooo frustrating!

don't you find this is the most challenging thing in your life all the time?
I can't even concentrate on thingsa going on in my life because im always plagued by soemthing...and its all i can focus on.

My doctor labeled me a hypochondriac because I kept naming symptoms but he couldn’t diagnosis anything from it. So I guess anxiety can have a wide range of symptoms that can mimic other diseases.

The big thing that helps is that those diseases also have other markers that anxiety doesn’t mimic. Like you might have shortness of breath but by simply listening to your lungs the doctors can tell your breathing fine with no wheezing and you only have shortness of breath because you’re hyperventilating from anxiety. A good doctor can rule out other diseases that might mimic anxiety.

Anxiety is a ***** because it really feels like your ill with a disease. Then doctors look at you like your crazy when you say you feel sick and they cant diagnosis you with anythign but anxiety. My doctor was pretty cool but I resent being called a hypochondriac.

me too. my boyfriend called me that recently and i flipped..he says everythign is in my head
so explain this. lets say soemone who has cancer but doesnt know it feels ill all the time, is nauseaus..dizzy.etc. so they go to the doctor and the doctor brushes it off as anxiety.
how can they be so sure without doing tests!?