June 10, 2024 – Blog Entry – Health Anxiety about Medical Tests NOT Showing a Reason for Illness

I have health anxiety about medical tests coming back fine!  Let me explain, when I first experienced my first panic attack and after experienced depersonalization and agoraphobia for months and months afterwards, my family doctor sent me for every test possible.  It was extremely shameful to have a mental illness back in 1985 so I focused on telling my doctor my physical symptoms which were:  seeing darkness (depersonalization), nausea, heart pounding, feeling extremely week and very dizzy.  All the tests came back normal.  None of them reflected on how I felt.  I wish there was a simple blood test for anxiety

Today, I had to go for a MRI on my knee.  I have been off work due to physical restrictions such as my inability to run and squat (I have a physical job).  When I was at work, I couldn’t sleep at night due to the pain in my knee.  I did have an x-ray and it showed mild arthritis which does not reflect the severity of my symptoms.  I am so worried that the MRI will not show anything.  You think that would be good news, right?  No, I want the test results to reflect my symptoms.  I am worried that my doctor will think it is all in my head.  This is all from my past experiences.