TW: mentions of anxiety, OCD, allergic reactions

back story: 
in 2019 i had a bad batch of sushi and developed scombroid *Scombroid fish poisoning, or histamine fish poisoning, is a syndrome resembling an allergic reaction that occurs after eating fish contaminated with high levels of histamine."* i had every symptom of anaphylaxis and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance where i was diagnosed with a scombroid. i had never heard of this, neither had my parents, but god has it ruined my life and all the progress i've made regarding my anxiety. 

after this happened, i developed a serious fear of becoming allergic to food i've eaten all my life, to the point all i ate for eight months was plain chicken tenders and tater tots and even with a basic menu i spent every day having panic attacks, convinced i was having an allergic reaction. flash forward to early 2020, my fear extended into what was diagnosed as OCD. i spent every five minutes lathering my arms and hands in hand sanitizer because i was afraid of touching something i was allergic to and not knowing. i would even put hand sanitizer on my lips if i accidentally touched my hands to my mouth before i could clean them. 

i have since sought out help and have stopped my obsessive sanitizing. however, the fear of an allergic reaction through eating has not gone away. i still struggle to eat, but it really hasn't been an issue for me lately, until tonight. my food tasted funny and it sent me into a spiral. it's so hard to express to people that "hey my body is creating fake symptoms that aren't actually happening and i am freaking out!" and it's so disheartening when i let it get this bad. i know progress isn't linear and that one bad day doesn't set you back to square one, but i can't help but feel like all my hard work is erased when i let my anxiety win. 

basically i'm trying to see if anyone has any advice to handling serious health anxiety when it gets to attack level. maybe someone else has been in this exact situation and i'm not alone. it would be nice to feel less alone. any kind words or advice regarding my situation would be greatly appreciated :)