Can someone challenge me?

[Fenerbahce]

Hi all. 

im new to this forum.

i think I'm going through some sort of anxiety.

ive had a very rough 7 years which involved getting married (very stressful), moving interstate, constant battles with families etc.

I used to have chest pains etc which would drive me anxious and send me straight to the hospital and of course they would ecg blood tests and tell me that I just have anxiety.

Finally I sought some help from acupuncture and my phantom thoughts and symptoms disappeared for year.

these 3 months have been very stressful to the extent that I developed pain in my upper abdomen for a total of 4-6 weeks that no one could diagnose until I demanded a CT scan, to which my symptoms were relating to appendicitis.

Anyway, got that fixed and I was really good till one week later just as I was about to sleep I woke up to what felt like an electric shock with a burst of energy and tingling in my left arm, jaw, neck and chest. I automatically assumed I was having a heart attack and ended up  in hospital, which resulted in ECG and blood tests to which it all came clear, what was funny was as soon as the doctor said my ecg was clear, my symptoms disappeared. I came home, however, my pains continued and I had self doubt. I also developed dizziness and my left eye kept twitching. 

A week later the same thing happened again and I freaked out again.

i am now having moderate palpitations and my doctor assures me that nothing is wrong but I can help but wonder why and why it happened out of no where!

my doctor has pescribed me valium to which I am taking only when necessary.

Last night I fell asleep and an hour later I woke up feeling something terrible was bound to happen and I was sweating and my left arm was numb.. I couldn't go back to sleep until I took another valium.

today all I can think about is last night.. And what scares me is the thought of going to bed.

can someone tell me what's going on??? And how i can beat this?

im in self doubt always saying there is something wrong with my heart, I'm 28 and a little overweight. Used to smoke but quit 2 years ago

[Doolhof]

Hi Fenerbahce,

I would like to welcome you to the Beyond Blue Community.

I certainly am no professional of any type, but do think that maybe you are suffering from anxiety and stress and that could be leading to some of your symptoms. It is a good thing that you have these pains and experiences checked though, as at least that gives you peace of mind that you are okay medically.

Have you tried looking up Anxiety, Stress and Depression on the computer or by using the information here on this web site. Apparently Beyond Blue can send you out all kinds of information if you request it.

For myself, I find that once I better understand my own depression and stress and how they manifest in my body, then I can work to alleviate the reactions they have on me.

Look for activities that calm you, maybe sitting quietly listening to music with your eyes closed, listening to your breathing, take long, deep breaths to help calm yourself down, writing down how you are feeling, thinking about your thoughts and considering how real they are.

Recently there was a great post on here about MINDFULNESS see if you can find that and consider what is written there.

Have you asked your Dr about helping you with appointments to see a counsellor/psychologist . Talking about your anxieties to a professional will help you to understand it all better as well.

Going for a short walk each day or every second day will help you to feel better about yourself, will get you out of the house, give you something different to look at, will help with your weight, and make you feel better about yourself.

I hope some of this is helpful. Thinking of you, from Mrs. Dools

[dougall]

Hi I suffer from anxiety and a few weeks ago I have severe chest pains, this pain had been going on and off for 6 months, was not able to see a doctor because of the anxiety then one weekend it got the better of me and everyone telling me to go to the doctors.  Whilst waiting to see the doctor I had a panic attack in the waiting room and asked to see someone really quickly or I would have bolted.  I knew I was not having a heart attack but I thought it was something serious.  I was not having a heart attack. After they did tests as the doctor thought it might be gallstones, everything was okay, my symptoms eased and I relaxed.  I was so amazed that my anxiety could manifest itself so strongly in my body so now i am quite aware of how I react when getting stressed.  The more we worry about it the worst it becomes.  I still have the chest pains and sometimes feel like there is a metal strap wrapped around my ribs that gets tighter the more stressed I am.  I do not like doctors so for me to go it was a major thing.  If you are not happy with a doctor go to another one, a bit like shopping, go to several and if they all say the same then they are probably right.  Get as many opinions as makes you feel comfortable.

[AGrace]

Hi Fenerbahce,

I agree with Doolhof, that it's highly likely you are experiencing anxiety. One of the challenges with anxiety is that often it takes time to work out the route cause. The other challenge is that it tends to feed off of itself, so worry leads to worrying about the worry in a spiraling effect.

Have you considered seeing a Psychologist/Psychiatrist about the anxiety? A Psychologist will be able to help you work through the cause and start working on some strategies to lessen the symptoms. A Psychiatrist will do the same but can also prescribe some more appropriate medication, with more of a preventative result than valium.

Doolhof is right, mindfulness has proven results in reducing the severity of anxiety.  There are also some other helpful suggestions in the thread SELF HELP TIPS FOR MANAGING ANXIETY under the anxiety section of the forums. It might be worthwhile exploring these a little further in the interim to see if something works more for you.

AGrace

[Fenerbahce]

Guys

Thanks for all the supportive messages.

I have started seeing a psychologist and I haven't found it useful yet.

my intellectual level says there is nothing wrong with me but emotionally I'm in self doubt that there is something wrong with my heart etc. 

I find that once the twinges/pain starts I go in to a state of worry and emotionally I drain myself out .

[TheSteve]

Hi Fennerbahce,

There is some really good advice above, getting help from a professional is really the start to recovery and healing here. It is very likely that your mental fears, perhaps something sub-conscious or that you are barely conscious of, is causing your physical pains and ailments. THe mind and the body are 100% linked, make no mistake.

When I recovered from a long period of anxiety and depression many years ago, I carried a dull yet heavy pain in my lower left rib cage. It simply never went away, and grew in intensity each time I started to worry. Clearly, it was a physical manifestation of something mental/emotional I could not reconcile or let go of.

Eventually, when I learned to be mindful of the cause of the pain, accepted my life fully, and let go, the pain went away. Recently, I had a similar pain for a few months on the right side of my upper abdomen (top of liver/gall bladder). Sure enough, nothing physically wrong, but with some mindfulness I realized it was linked to work. LInked to pushing myself to chase the money, day after day. It was not a major stressor, but enough to manifest physically.

Our bodies are communicating devices. Listen to your body. Learn to hear it. It will tell you what you need to do. Acceptance and letting go, being mindful in the face of fears, realizing that our own minds create our world in its entirety, will liberate you from much of this physical pain.

Good luck to you.

Steve

[Fenerbahce]

Thank you everyone

steve, can I say I really resonated with what you said! It really does make sense. Ever since I had my first panic attack and even though the doctors said my heart was fine. I didn't trust the system so I believed there was something wrong with me. Here I am with pain constantly in my left arm shoulder etc and when I massage it, it goes away then it comes back. I believe that the mind and the body is connected absolutely. Ever since I read your message my symptoms have virtually faded because consciously I'm believing that I'm creating these pains and glitches.

thank you so much

[Doolhof]

Hi Fenerbache,

It is wonderful that Steve has been able to direct you into the way of thinking about body and mind being connected. I am so pleased that the advice is resonating with yo and helping with diminishing the pain.

I develop terrible head aches when I am stressed out, so will try for myself to look deeper into the cause of the headaches.

When I am feeling over stressed or depressed I do try to distract myself with other activities, and try to find something I like doing.

Going for a walk when possible is a good thing. Exercising helps so much of our body and our mind. If my mind becomes too overwhelming thinking negatively, I do a Sudoku puzzle as I find my mind can not concentrate on my worries and the puzzle at the same time. By the time I have finished the puzzle, I have forgotten what I was worried about.

Being more aware of our own bodies, our minds, exercising and a healthy diet certainly helps us all to feel better.

Hope you are able to find the balance. From Mrs. Dools