Head Zaps-Anxiety or Tumor?

[timothyjames]

I have always had hypochondria, but minor. If i had a sore throat, i would automatically think i have strep, or a more serious illness. Recently, my partner was diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease, but IT IS CUREABLE. I freaked out and got tested and everything was negative. I was worried sick the whole week since I was exposed to it...I assumed that I had it and that I may even have HIV.... I got treatment so that in case i had it, the meds would kill it. Anywho, so that was last week when I got treated. On the night of the treatment, i got these weird head zaps in the upper left side of my forehead. Over the next few days, they came and went occasionally and seemed to come when i would think about it. I googed it (like i should NOT have done) and convinced myself its a brain tumor. Now since then, which was last week i have been going to bed thinking about tumors and waking up thinking about them. I do not have the $$ really to get an MRI seeing as I am paying off my STD testing still. I read online that head zaps and pains like this can happen with anxiety...is this true? Should i just accept it is my anxiety or continue worrying its much more serious? I am literally depressing myself out over this. I don't socialize as much, eat as much, or have time to relax cause i'm always CONSTANTLY worrying i have something. this also makes me have nausea, which is another symptom of a brain tumor. But it can also be a symptom of anxiety. PLEASE HELP! i just went to a therapist for the first time yesterday and it seemed to help a bit. but any other advice, stories related to mine, or any help you have, please let me know! :( There is a light at the end of the tunnel, i just need to realize that....

[RubyWitch]

It's good that you're seeing a therapist, because that's where you need to be. Hypochondria is a nasty phobia which can rob us of any happiness we find in life. I know this from basically losing over 10 years of my life, time I will never get back, because every minute of every day I had to live with the absolute certainty of my impending death from cancer, brain tumors, strokes, pernicious anemia, Pigeon Breeders Lung (I didn't even own a damn parakeet!) myocardial infarction, Black Lung because I heard about some miners dying from it, even though they lived 2,000 miles away and I'd never even seen a mine..........you get the point.
Please work very, very hard with your therapist to overcome this. And make sure that includes your HIV anxiety. I can give you some quick advice about HIV/AIDS. Get yourself educated about this virus. Learn what is and what isn't a risk, live by those "rules" and you will never need to fear HIV again.
I think it's time you and your partner had a serious discussion. He/she passed on an STD to you. Since YOU didn't have it to pass on, then your "partner" got it somewhere else. Perhaps you have an "open" relationship, but if you do, then using condoms, AT ALL TIMES FOR ANY KIND OF SEX must be an ironclad part of that deal.

Anxiety, which you have an overabundance of now, can definitely cause pain and brain zaps, although the "zaps" are more associated with various medications, they can still happen even if you're not on anything. Yet another topic for your therapist.

Your worry and anxiety are leading you towards depression. I realize I'm sounding like a broken record, but this is where your therapist is REALLY going to come in handy. You've only been to your therapist once! You said it helped "a bit." If you keep going, it's not just going to help, it's going to cure. There's the light at the end of your tunnel.

To find other stories that are very similar to yours, just start reading the posts on this forum. There are a million stories in the naked city, your's is but one.

Please let us know how you're doing, OK?
Peace
Greenlydia