Well it’s been… quite a couple weeks. I had SUCH a bad bout of health anxiety for about two weeks straight – perhaps the worst I’ve had, maybe ever? Or maybe in a long while. This pain in my side has been so subtle, but constant, that it makes me feel simultaneously like I’m dying, but also not bad enough to go to the doctor. I think it’s the hardest part about health anxiety, is knowing when to go. I know the pain kept moving around which means that it’s not anything super serious. I wasn’t feeling any other symptoms. Even if I did go to the doctor, would I seem silly if I just said “Yeah I have a really subtle pain in my side, can’t tell you exactly where or how often. Please tell me I’m not dying.”
I’ve been feeling a lot better lately now that I’m 99% sure it’s just hypertension on my whole right side from – you guessed it – anxiety. My legs, hips, obliques, and arms are all sore, and it really feels like a DOMS type of pain. It would coincide with my posture, and my anxious habits.
So I decided on focusing on alleviating those tensions (doing stretches, paying attention to posture, eating more protein) and then, just to be safe, I’ll go and get blood tests done next week. I’m about due, and I think it’s one of those foundational things that if it comes back A-OK, I’ll feel a lot better being able to convince myself that I am health and have nothing to worry about. I can still feel the lingering anxiety, but hopefully these things will help me out.