Bad physical anxiety symptoms

[Mackenzie]

Hi all,

This is the first time on here and I'm glad that I'm not the only one that feels like this.

I started having bad anxiety the last few months of my second pregnancy (which my baby is now 3 near 3 months old) and it was very physical along side a migraine with stroke like symptoms. I'm 33yrs and healthy as my doctors keep telling me.

Now every time I get anxiety I have the following symptoms: chest pains and burning sensations (doesn't help with my breast feeding) weakness in my left arms especially the left, lightheaded, back pains, hard to breathe/shallow breathing, elevated heart rate, shivers through my body, pins and needles or tingling through my body, tingling in my top lip, and feelings of my mind not being totally in my body.

I also get hot/cold flushes, head aches/pains, dizziness and now have vertigo.

I have never had any of these feelings before. My normal occupation is very full on and stressful, which never ever bothered me. Now I am on maternity leave and is not anywhere near as stressful or busy as my normal occupation, and it's where the anxiety and panic attacks have now come into play.

Even though I know these are symptoms of panic attacks, I still think about having some major health problem which is going to leave my husband and 2 sons without and wife and mother.

I have had brain scans, breast scans and been put on the ECG more times than I care to admit. I want to get scans for my heart, but my doctor keeps reassuring me that I'm so healthy and he wishes all of his patients had a heart like mine.

I get anxiety with just about anything, especially to do with my kids get sick or being hurt.

I would love it if anyone else has these symptoms, to be able to chat with them. Even if you have different types of anxiety, it would be nice to know how extensive and broad this disorder is.

Thank you.

Mackenzie

[MrsX]

Hi Mackenzie. I suffer from chronic health anxiety and our stories are very similar.

I'm currently going through a stage of believing I am going to have a stroke as my anxiety symptoms are so similar. I'm terrified and upset all the time. I also have 2 little ones.

I'm in bed with a migraine right now but you are 100% not alone and I'd love to chat at some stage when I can focus on the screen.

B x

[startingnew]

hi there

yep i get bad physical symptoms of my anxiety- i get vertigo, shallow breathing, lump in the throat feeling, very bad nausea and gag reflex, little appetite or cravings, fast heartbeat, hot and cold flshes, uncontrollable shaking- uh im sure theres more but i cant think of them right now

[KMTE]

Hi how are you feeling now? Have you managed to gain some control over your anxiety?

Yes I get all those symptoms and more. My anxiety is more health anxiety so i tend to spend all day anxious and worked up and fixated on my symptoms intensifying them. I have also been to the doctors multiple times and had lots of different tests that all came back clear. Also when I focus on one health issue/ symptoms I think I might have, the other ones seem to fade or disappear while I fixate on the particular disease / symptom I think I have that day. I live rural so I am on a long waiting list to see a mental health worker so it's been a long journey. I've found meditating and breathing exercises help. Aswell as keeping a bit of a journal of how I've been feeling.

Hope you are going OK would love to chat about it 🙂

[KMTE]

Hi do you feel these symptoms all the time or just during an attack? I feel these symptoms at varying levels most days

[startingnew]

hi KMTE

i get varying levels depending on how distressed i am.

i feel the full extent of alot of symptoms when im having a panic attack and also when my levels of anxiety are high.

when my anxiety is on a better day, i will still have the symptoms there just not as full on or as noticeable.

i continuously shake, and have stomach troubles like nausea but not so much the pounding heart, and things like that

[KMTE]

Thankyou for your response. I started off with the pounding heart, light headedness and feeling like I was actually going to die. They have subsided heaps but now I find myself with a nervous feeling in my stomach and trouble swallowing (as in nervous swallowing too much and over thinking it) most of the time and a bit of feeling like vomiting/ something coming up without actually feeling sick. Which then intensifies because I have a fear of vomiting. There is some comfort knowing I am not alone

[startingnew]

oh yes that dreadful swollowing thing! thats annoying isnt it!

yeah the more adrenaline pumping through your body seems to make the rest of the symptoms much worse and much more noticeable.

have you got ways that settle your anxiety when you get distressed?

[KMTE]

I've been given a mild dose of medication to calm me down while I wait to see the mental health worker (long waiting list) And I've been doing some meditating and breathing exercises and also keeping a journal of feelings, emotions and symptoms I've been having. So you have experienced the swallowing feeling too?

[startingnew]

yes i have experienced the swollowing thing and actually thinking about it it never really leaves me it just gets worse. and the more i think about it the more i notice it so i try not to worry about the physical side of things. pretty hard to do i know but being busy can help with that

deep breathing and meditation are good strategies.

do you like to use distractions? thought challanging? mindfullness?

if you type into the BB search bar 'COPING STRATEGIES' there is a thread that ive created with a heap of coping strategies including many different breathig and mindfullness techniques as well as distractions and many other strategies if your interested in taking a look