I am so sick of being afraid there is something wrong

Kate_S · ‎29-12-2016

I had my first anxiety attack about 7 weeks ago. I was terrified I was having a heart attack. Since that time I have had blood tests and an ecg - all came back fine and my chest pains (in various areas) and shortness of breath were put down to acid reflux and anxiety. The last couple of weeks I have been having very bad symptoms that seemingly come out of no where. I know when I am having panic attack because I go very tingly and i just have to calm myself down, but what scares me if that I get chest discomfort in my upper left chest that just feels wrong. I get heartburn and muscle tension everywhere. My left and right are will take turns hurting. My upper back hurts, I get bad pains on the left side of my abdomen, nausea, diarrheas, weakness. Sometimes I get a tickling sensation in oesophagus. It and the fear are always worse in the evening...

Can anybody relate to this - the doctors keep saying it is just anxiety but it just makes no sense to me.

Thanking you

MsPurple · ‎29-12-2016

Hi Kate S. I can completely relate to you. When I was first officially diagnosed (had a history of some anxiety as a child and other issues but that's for another time) with GAD I had similar symptoms to you. I had increased heart rate, when I had a panic attack I would feel short of breath and can't catch my breath, felt faint and light headed, got reflux more often, felt like my throat was closing over (same as your tickling i gues) and always had worries and some intrustive thoughts. Anxiety can cause a lot of physical issues along with psychological issues. Since getting help these have reduced and I am no longer crippled by my anxiety.

If you are nervous about bringing this up with the doctor just mention you think you have an issue with anxiety, generally the doctor will prompt the appropriate questions which will help with getting a diagnosis/getting the help you need. I would be as honest as you can because the more honest you are the easier it is to get the help you need.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Anxiety sucks but it does get better.

Zeal · ‎29-12-2016

Hi Kate,

Welcome to the forum!

MsPurple has given you great personal advice.

I would like to provide some links for you to check out. When I was in hospital about four years ago, a mental health nurse recommended I work through some free online resources by the Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI). Here are links to specific resources:

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=53 (health anxiety)

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=44 (panic attacks)

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=46 (general anxiety)

There's a lot to read above, so saving these links to your computer and referring to them when you need info is a good approach.

Best wishes,

Zeal

BlueJewel · ‎31-12-2016

Hi Kate,

I can safely say you are not the only one to feel this way. I
was hospitalised a few years ago, because I thought I too was having a heart
attack. it was so scary, it was paralysing me and I couldn’t breathe. It turned
out to be anxiety…. It was a relief knowing what was wrong but the question was
how do I fix it?!

I have done some research on
natural remedies, and if I stick to them it works: ie. Less coffee and alcohol,
and heaps of chamomile tea.

It is good to know that we are not alone 🙂

Paul410 · ‎31-12-2016

Thanks for sharing Kate. Just joined but have had health anxiety for 15 years and tried to ignore it and hide it for so long. This on top of some Work related ptsd. Reading through the comments is a huge relief knowing that there are others that go through this.

My symptoms very similar to yours and comes in episodes of a day or two where they are very bad and house bound. Honestly think I have had some type of cancer for 15 years. At times I try to distract myself, which takes effort as I'm feeling lousy, and it sometimes goes away. Other times I will avoid going out or even leave in a hurry because I am convinced I'm ill.

Sorry I can not add anything useful but thought I would share that you are now alone.

Kate_S · ‎17-01-2017

Wow - those links are really interesting and helpful - thank you so much. I definitely have health anxiety - had it when I was a kid (was always convinced something was wrong with me, always checking skin for rashes and making sure I looked and felt normal) and now it has reared its ugly head. It is good to be sure so I can get about treating and healing it.

Hardy524 · ‎17-01-2017

Hi, I too suffer health anxiety and can totally relate to your symptoms. I used to have a fear of having a heart attack and would get random chest pain and chest tightness all the time but all tests came back normal. That was several years ago, now I have anxiety back again my fear is bowel cancer and it seems my symptoms are very similar to IBS. At times It's very hard to distinguish if the physical symptoms cause the anxiety or if the anxiety causes the physical symptoms. Just be reassured your certainly not alone. Hope you are feeling better soon.

Doolhof · ‎17-01-2017

Hi Kate and Everyone,

Mental Health can affect us in so many different ways! It is amazing the Drs are able to help us at all. Ha. Ha.

To assist my Dr. in helping me work out what is going on in my mind and body, I'm trying to record what sets off my hot flushes, dizziness, tension, chest pains and breathing problems.

Ventolin is helping with the breathing difficulties. Through writing down my symptoms, I am getting a better understanding of what triggers my reactions and am learning ways to deal with them.

Another thing I have discovered is that I have a drop in blood pressure approx. an hour after I have eaten, that is causing my heart palpitations and dizzy feelings. I had never correlated these before. Now I have this info I can present it to the Dr.

The more I understand any kind of issue the more I can accept it and help myself to control it.

Cheers all from Mrs. Dools