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Scared

BMW_X5
Community Member

Hi All,

I am new to this forum and seem to be having Anxiety attacks. I will share my story and experience with you all. Better go grab a coffee as it may take some time to read.

It all started a about 4 weeks ago when I was driving into town my heart started to race and I couldn't breath, well I could breath it just felt like I wasn't getting any Oxygen, I drove myself to the emergency department thinking I was having a heart attack. They gave me some stuff which is supposed to stop your heart and restart it but it had a reverse effect and actually speed it up. anyway they kept me in Hospital over night and my racing heart started to settle down. I guess I should have explained that over the past 3 months I have had an uncomfortable bloating feeling in my chest as well which I have put down to my refux. anyway since leaving hospital I have been back 3 times and seen my own doctor about the same number of times as I now have muscle pain constantly through my chest, my shoulders and back ache, everytime I go to the emergency dept all my blood test, xrays, ultrasounds ECG all come back negative, which makes it really hard considering I have this constant pain, they have said that I suffer from Anxiety and I was placed on some anti-depresents which then made things worse as I started getting a tingling sensation running through my head down my shoulders and arms which made me more anxious about having a heart attack. I stopped taking them today as I couldn't cope with the feeling anymore (spent most of the night crying last night). I guess I am trying to see if anyone else has the same symtoms as me.

1 Reply 1

Beltane
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

It might be worth finding a different doctor just for a second opinion? Reflux can certainly cause all the chest pain you mentioned. It could even be something you haven't thought of, like you've stretched or torn a muscle in your chest, perhaps during your sleep. You could perhaps ask your doctor of a trip to a physiotherapist is worth a shot, just incase it is muscle.

if it is your reflux, you might need further referrals to a gastroenterologist or to get a gastroscopy to see if there's anything causing it, making it worse, or if there is a more effective treatment. In reflux of course, your stomach acids leak back up into your ealpha his (your food pipe) and cause a lot of pain and discomfort, even inflammation (swelling). It can easily be confused for heart attack symptoms- but good news is, if you got better treatment, those symptoms would hopefully improve.

you certainky seem to be having some anxiety, and perhaps a touch of deoression, but whether you're only having that because you're feeling unwell and you don't know why, or whether the anxiety is causing the symptoms- it's hard to say.

id say, follow up on whether it's the reflux doing all this. Try a physio. Get a second doctors opinion. Speak to your doctor again about your antidepressants. You certainly should be receiving psychological therapy of you've been prescribed meds- they don't work on their own. And if these are making you unwell, there are plenty others. It took me 7 meds to find the one that helped me, and didn't make me sick or deoressed. But it's been amazing,

 

hope we you get to the bottom of this! Certainly sounds very distressing!

(oh also, there are plenty of other heart tests they can do other than an ECG to check if it's ok- ask about a 24 hour halter monitor, or an exercise ecg. They have to absolutely rule out any heart, lung, asthma or allergy problem as those are a concern!