[Adria_Me]

I've had anxiety and panic attacks for about 6 years now. These were always stemmed from thoughts of death, dying, someone close to me dying, etc. I went to the doctor to diagnose these 'thoughts' and realized that my problem was that I had an 'issue' w/ anything out of my control. If I couldn't control it, it most likely was an anxiety of mine.
Ok, so I was fine for about a year or two and than I had a stress overload and they came back. I've learned to control them but now I am on to another problem.
I've been having these overwhelming feelings associated to getting sick. I don't eat at night b/c I try to avoid getting appendicitis. I figure the latest I can eat is around 2 or 3. By the time the food digests I would know if I had it or not within a few hours. I have no problem eating lunch but dinner is a constant problem for me. I always knew I had a problem with night in general and anything that happens at night. My senses are heightened as well as my anxiety. I'm afraid of being sick at night, getting the flu, getting appendicitis, etc. Anything that will make me go to the hospital. I am SO scared of having to go to the hospital.
Does anyone else have anything like this? avoid eating at night to prevent appendicitis? I mean, I know this is completely crazy but it's one of those things where your body is telling you its crazy and your brain is telling you it's not and that if you eat this, you'll get it and regret it. It was to the point the other night that I was SO hungry that I tried eating an apple. I went to bite into the skin and realized that the skin might get lodged in my appendix so as much as I was dying for the skin of the apple, I peeled it all off (getting mad at myself the whole time that I was crazy).

You can relax nothing is going to get stuck in your appendix. The appendix is at the bottom of the large intestines which means that by the time any food reaches that area it has been digested into liquid form so that the villa in the large and small intestines can absorb (kind of like straws that such up the liquid) and the liquid nutrients travels through the bloodstread to the whole body. all that is left after the liquid is taken out is well... bathroom stuff.

the appendix is basically rarely if not ever used in the human body anymore. its a throwback from evelution kind of thing if I remember right and it contains the same thing that the small and large intestines do and sooner or latter it eventually closes itself off due to its not a necessary part of the body anymore.

you are completely safe to eat at night. nothing will get lodged or stuck in the appendix.

As for fear of dieing yea I used to be until I was diagnosed with a hereditary disease at which I was told by a certain age I would be dead. I long since past that age and am still going strong and in fact have since been diagnosed with cancer at which I was given a 50 50 chance for a remission the first time around and here I am going on three years of being in remission.

the one thing I have learned is that everyone dies at some point but if I sit here and worry constantly about dying when my time comes what are people going to remember me for - oh she just wouldnt do anything with her life because she was so scared of dying and look at her now kind of thing. or I could make my life count for something and now when it is my time to die people who know me will think of me not as the person who sat around being scared to die but that I was a person who testified in a government tast force, helped other victims and survivors to gain their freedom, guest speacker and advocate against child sexual abuse, and wrote three books. and my life isn't over yet (Dispite that I want it to be at the moment) but anyway

hang in there.

[Soidhonia]

Hello I hope things get better for you soon. It is very hard coping with an obsession with something like food. I hope your Dr gets you on medication for your obsession, soon to help you feel better, and maybe an anti-anxiety medication so you can calm down and think clearly Possibly eating bananas, or something less traumatic would help with your problem and just change your food for a bit until you feel less paniced by your choice of food, and when you feel better you can reintroduce the foods you do not tolerate well at this time, so that you regain your safe boundaries and thoughts toward food. Take care I hope the best for you. Sincerely Soidhonia

[UpsetinMN]

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Adria_Me said:
I've had anxiety and panic attacks for about 6 years now. These were always stemmed from thoughts of death, dying, someone close to me dying, etc. I went to the doctor to diagnose these 'thoughts' and realized that my problem was that I had an 'issue' w/ anything out of my control. If I couldn't control it, it most likely was an anxiety of mine.
Ok, so I was fine for about a year or two and than I had a stress overload and they came back. I've learned to control them but now I am on to another problem.
I've been having these overwhelming feelings associated to getting sick. I don't eat at night b/c I try to avoid getting appendicitis. I figure the latest I can eat is around 2 or 3. By the time the food digests I would know if I had it or not within a few hours. I have no problem eating lunch but dinner is a constant problem for me. I always knew I had a problem with night in general and anything that happens at night. My senses are heightened as well as my anxiety. I'm afraid of being sick at night, getting the flu, getting appendicitis, etc. Anything that will make me go to the hospital. I am SO scared of having to go to the hospital.
Does anyone else have anything like this? avoid eating at night to prevent appendicitis? I mean, I know this is completely crazy but it's one of those things where your body is telling you its crazy and your brain is telling you it's not and that if you eat this, you'll get it and regret it. It was to the point the other night that I was SO hungry that I tried eating an apple. I went to bite into the skin and realized that the skin might get lodged in my appendix so as much as I was dying for the skin of the apple, I peeled it all off (getting mad at myself the whole time that I was crazy).

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You aren't alone. My main anxiety/panic symptoms are triggered by health anxiety. It's amazing how we can know that something is "crazy" or "illogical" while we are obsessing about it but that shows the different areas of our brain are controlled differently. Our frontal cortex (higher order thinking that is telling us that this is silly) is in a different area than the limbic system/amygdala (in the middle of the brain) and I think they just end up fighting sometimes!

[giggles]

I am dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. I have been on Zoloft for 8 months now. I guess it is helping.

[Boopers]

Hi Adria,

Welcome to PC. Sweetie, nothing is going to get stuck in your appendix. Please, don't worry. You can eat as much as you want.
You know, I have had my appendix out years ago with no ill side effects.
Don't put yourself through this. It's not worth it.
I'm wishing you all the best.
Hugs,
Linda