ANXIETY WITH CHEST PAIN

[Octavia]

HI .

Im new here, but of my background  story is 

22 June 2015  i had my first nervous breakdown,  eg. Palpitations. Chestpain.feeling of doom.fear.rushing sensation in my head leaving me lightheaded.nauseated and upset tummy.

Since then i have been to the ed 7 times.

Seen a cardiologist, had a endoscopy, been on acid reflux medication.

now  obviously become abit of hypochondriac, due to no awnser as to whats wrong.

I have seen my doctor 10 times.been on medication but now my hubby and i are finally pregnant  and cant be on meds.so my anxiety has become very hard to deal with.

Im happy we are expecting long awated but im struggling  very badly to deal with my head at the moment. 

Ontop of it i have bad indigestion and acid reflux  i asume  due to anxiety and stress.

There is alot more details but my main isue is 1.my constant  thinking im gona die .

2.chest pain

3. Palpetations and racing  heart

4.acid reflux pain and burn even just a sip of water hurts.

I want to feel beter and be my happy self like i was before 22 june 2015.the worst day ever.

[white knight]

Hi Octavia, welcome.

Before I answer your situation - a short account of mine.

In 1987 I had a severe workplace incident that gave me chest pain. I attended my Dr and had an ECG. The ECG found an irregular heart beat...diagnosis - heart attack. I was 31yo.

3 months later I was at Epworth Hosp Melbourne for a test. Walking on a walking machine for 20 mnutes. They monitored my blood pressure and heart condition. My heart was not only strong, that I had not had a heart attack but indeed, it was a panic attack.

I was then given anxiety meds and told to attend a relaxation course with my therapist. I thought it was a waste of time- wrong. I learned muscle tensioning exercises- amazing results especially over the long term. I remained on meds for 12 years and could honestly say by 2012, 25 years, I had no trace of anxiety. A long time I hear you say....mental illness is long term, not many quick fixes here. Hope always to manage your ills not conquer them.

I practice my MTE's every night alone before bed time. Lie in bed, relax as much as you can, insist on quietness in the house. Tense up your toes as much as you can for 10-15 seconds...relax. Tense up your calves...same time always, relax. Do this to all muscles in your body for 10-15 seconds. Then tense up all body muscles for 30 seconds...relax. Once I even had an out of body experience with this format.

You need to address this anxiety, be relentless with your approach but not panic about it. Some other DIY ideas are- change your environment to a more relaxed country life (I did but many wont), rid your life of toxic people that cause your issues, seek financial stability, go camping!! Seek out your chosen spirituality, Learn to relax. 

good luck   Tony WK

[White_Rose]

Dear Octavia

Hello and welcome to Beyond Blue. It's good you have written in here and we will give you heaps of support.

I want to make a comment about your reflux and pregnancy. This is a common combination no matter how far your pregnancy is advanced. Please talk to your doctor about appropriate medication for this. I had this during all four of my pregnancies and it's most uncomfortable. It's not the usual panic attack symptom and even if it is I feel quite certain it can be managed without harm to your baby. Talk to your doctor and get some relief for at least one of your difficulties.

The flow on effect when this part is managed is very good. Because you feel so much better the other emotions do not kick in quite so often or as painfully.

Panic attacks are horrible and very scary.  You do feel at times you are going to die. Whenever you experience these sensations remind yourself what happened last time. Did you die? No you got through it and you will again. This really takes the sting out of panic. It's still there and needing to be dealt with, but you are now in charge.

How are you with reading? I want to suggest a book that helped me a lot. It's a small, thin book that would take an hour to read at the most. It's called "Living with IT" by Bev Aisbett. "IT" is anxiety but could also be applied to depression. Take your pick. This book is written from the perspective of the author and her experiences. Funny in parts without being superficial. Great line drawings, but most of all, fantastic advice and comments. Visual ways of sending anxiety on its way. I found this to be extraordinarily helpful.

Once the panic has gone or subsided, sit and rest. It is very exhausting and you need to recuperate. Spend the time looking at what has happened and how you coped.. Physically you feel pretty much washed up so if thinking it too tiring just go and lie down for a little while. You need to keep as healthy and fit as possible both for your baby and your own mental well-being.

Are you going to an ante-natal class? Both my daughters found these classes invaluable for the information and for the friendships they made. Talking to others about your experiences is one of the best ways of getting them out of your system.

The problem with going to the ED is that they always check you out for heart attacks first. It's a good thing because it may be the case and is potentially more important than your panic attack. So have a good think about what is happening to you at these times. However, always look at each episode carefully and do not make assumptions.

This is a short post as I need to leave the site. Please take care of yourself and write in again.

Mary