Today is the 2nd week of being sick again. Stomach bug, diarhea, nausea and body aches. Then week 2 turns to sinus infection and double ear infections. I am miserable. Got some antibiotics and on the 3rd day of them. I start feeling a bit better and get my hair cut. Friend/hairdresser tells me her sister who is an RN had the same thing and that she is in surgery because the infection went into her "mastoid" whatever that means and that the doctor was afraid it was going into BACTERIAL MENINGITIS! I literally felt the blood drain out of my face and whatever my friend said to me for the rest of my cut I have no idea. I was freaking out and wanting to jump out of the chair and google bacterial meningitis. I went home and low and behold, it talked about sinus/ear infections going into viral meningitis and causing coma, brain damage and death!!!!!!!!! I had a grand mal panic attack. I drove myself over to my doc and tried to be as casual as possible. I spoke with him and he told me that I would have a horrible headache and my neck would be very stiff. Did that help me any!!! NO!!! I am trying to keep my mind off of this thing. I am so sick and tired of this health anxiety that I want to break down and cry. I have 2 days left on antibiotics. I don't want to make myself sick with this. I literally feel a headache coming on and I know I will freak out later while trying to go to sleep. Help, am I the only one who has thought about this bacterial meningitis thing? This is pathetic............

hi there...I suffer too from health anxiety. I have also been sick off and on since oct. I have felt like crap the past few days..sore throat, burning eyes, stomach upset, diarrhea, painful swollen glands and stiff neck. Today my hubby tells me his neck feels stiff and his stomach is upset..UGH. When does this all end?! I can't take anymore health crap and feeling bad. I also suffer from chronic sinusitis. I am sorry you are feeling like crap. I can tell you from working in the medical field, that bacterial/viral meningitis stemming from a sinus infection, is rare. It happens, but it's rare. You would have a really bad headache and stiff stiff neck and usually a fever. But I had to respond because after my husband mentioned HIS neck was stiff, I freaked!! I thought, OMG! we are getting meningitis now! And I can't stop thinking about it. But see how easy it is for me to tell you not to worry as I sit and worry myself to death!! LOL.

I hope you feel better soon. I am tired also of feeling like I have the flu 24/7 since Oct. I think I have had seriously about a week of feeling good and the rest feeling like complete $sh!t. Feel better soon...

Hi slo66, thank you so much for responding to my post. I too have a stiff neck, but then again, I am wondering if I tightened up while getting my hair washed by my hairdresser. I was so freaked out that I couldn't move. I also have a headache but I am hoping its from the antibiotic. I just took some tylenol so I hope this goes away. Of course I had to take my temp and its 97.5. I think we all need some sunshine. I am just exhausted not only from the virus's, but the games my health anxiety plays with me. Hey, at least you have your husband with you who has the same symptoms. You can check yourself against what he has. I am the only one feeling like crap so I am really getting mentally out of control here...lol Debra

Hi guys,
Last year I had 6 sinus infections. The first three were a month apart. I was worried all the time. This year, when the fall came and I had a doozy of one, I thought, here we go again. I still feel congested most of the time, sleeping side to side to let the nose drain, (eww I know tmi) but, anyway, it's just something I have learned to live with. Please dont' worry about it going further. You are getting to the doctor and trust me, they dont' want you to get sicker, they would be sued if they did nothing and you got really sick. Yes, sunshine helps. Vitamin D is a good thing. I live on the east coast, it's been very cold, but I still bundle up and walk every day. It helps my sinuses and my mood. It is hard to kick that anxiety feeling, I have been there and back, googling like crazy, but I am really resisting that and I feel better when I don't go into my cyberchondriac mode. Hang in there, you will get better.