Hi all!
I am a 39 year old male, decent shape...I'd like to think. I exercise 4-5 days a week for about 30 minutes, mostly jogging. I have been dealing with anxiety for about 16 years, comes and goes but always seems to come back with a vengeance. I go to therapy once a week and am not on any meds currently.
In December of 2017 the cycle started again, mostly with a persistent headache and than turned into a constant state of lightheartedness. No room spinning, more like I've had one to many and got the spins feeling. As time went on there was nausea and the random feelings of being short of breath. I can run on the treadmill and make it through a run, I'm not gasping for air its more like a feeling like its harder to breathe.
In the past 2 years I have had: MRI of the brain, EKG, Holter Monitor, Stress test, Echocardiogram, Stress Echocardiogram, pulmonary function test, loads of blood work and everything came up good. I have one of those Kardia ECG units that I use more often than I should to verify. My BP goes up and down but at the current state is pretty much perfect. Nothing adds up. I have tried taking things out of my diet, stopping alcohol to see if that was the culprit but I just keep feeling worse. Anxiety...?!?!?
My mind is struggling not feeling like something is missed or that these tests were good at the time but now something could be happening. I get up for work in the morning and as I am driving in the light-headedness rears its ugly head and will not go away. I have ended up in Urgent Care with nothing to be found, the ER with nothing to be found, and my doctor feels we have tested everything we could and there is nothing more we can look at.
I just want to feel well. I mean, I get when a panic attack happens symptoms are to be expected, but I am symptomatic all the time, than the anxiety kicks in and there starts the viscous circle. How am I do believe there is nothing wrong, when it feels like something is wrong? Please, any help from fellow fighters would be appreciated.
Id put it down to anxiety if you have all the test going
If you have checked yourself physically, as in medical tests and everything is fine, then it is fine. I'll tell you how I got over my hypochondria anxiety. You don't have to think the same way I did, but it worked for me and while my anxiety isn't cured or anything, I no longer worry about my health in terms of being obsessed with various symptoms. Instead, I concentrate on improving my overall health. So anyway, long story short, I used to be a hypochondriac. Every headache was brain tumor, every cough was lung cancer. Every stomach pain was pancreatic cancer (I have cancer in my family). I was worried sick about every little symptom. I Googled the living crap every single symptom and it drove me nuts. Many visits to ERs, Urgent Car centers, and endless tests. I got tired of it and my wife helped with this by reminding me of this old Russian saying, "If it's nothing serious then there is no reason to worry about it and will go away on it's own. And if it's something serious then why worry about it, since it won't make a difference anyway". It's so true. I can't control if I get cancer or have a heart attack. I can eat healthy and exercise, but I can't completely prevent it if it's meant to be. So I decided instead to enjoy my life. Tomorrow may not come and I want to enjoy TODAY, the right NOW. If I get sick and die then so be it and if i don't then I am just wasting my life worrying about things I cannot control. It's not a magic pill, it's just a strategy that has worked for me. I got a very bad case of Pancreatitis last year. Since there is some history of Pancreatic Cancer in my family, I was kind of worried, but I didn't go nuts as I used to do. I just looked at the facts. If it's pancreatic cancer (it's one of the deadly cancers) then I'll probably won't make it and if it's something else, then I'll be fine after some medical intervention. I realized hat worrying is pointless and it simply makes every else harder than it should be. Life isn't easy, so why should add more stress than I already have. Within a year of starting this reverse thought process, most of my physical symptoms went away and my anxiety has decreased big time.
My point is that worrying and obsessing about your symptoms only leads you into the darkness of anxiety. It will make your life a living hell and the only way, according to my personal experience, is to let go of the past, forgive and sometimes even forget, don't dwell on the past, don't worry about the future, live for today, for the right now. And in terms of physical symptoms, give up. Seriously. Give up on being afraid. If it's nothing then it's nothing, if it's something serious, then you will deal with it appropriately then. There is no reason to stress yourself out to the point of madness. It doesn't solve anything. Good luck!
I've suffered anxiety since i was 12. Phases go from coping ok, to hitting a wall every year or so. I reverted to a period of health anxieties about 3 to 4 years back. Started with a panic attack watching telly, and escalated into me believing whole heartedly for nearly ever day going on near 2 years that something sinister was wrong with me and tests had just not found it yet.
I saw a heart specialist who eventually put it down to stress. Obsessed over a legion on my tongue that even though i've had for years, got sore and believed it was cancer...they said it wasn't. I had my skin checked, a benign mole removed, had my thyroid tested which is slightly squiffy and i may develop issues later but again nothing sinister. Bloods bloods and more bloods. My PV level was high once, likely because anxiety plays havoc on your immune symptom. I get colds and tonsilltis more now than i use to. I literally scanned my body for every pain or bump or lump refusing to believe just anxiety could cause it. Pain in my chest, limp weak arms and pins/needles in one side of my face had me thinking i had a brain tumour. Pain in my breast...well you get the idea.
I read a booked that i really related to i found help, it's called "Help me, i'm a hypochondriac" by Philip Martins and i had a round of CBT focusing on the physical symptoms of my anxiety which helped reduce them.
I still get knots in my chest, random pains, stress induced ibs, brain fog and headaches but not half the symptoms i used to. And likelyness is i may develop something sinister in life, i can't control that, but i'm still here now and all those horrible symptoms haven't led to anything other than anxiety yet.
Googling symptoms doesn't help, so only google anxiety or CBT techniques. Mind website is good, and there's plenty of worksheets you can try. Try keeping a diary, it might help identify if there are times in the day that make it worse. Work is one of my main triggers. Also cut out caffeine if you can, that's a nightmare with anxiety issues. No caffeine after 6pm particularly xx
Hello Jame
Now what do you expect from your GP and all the health professionals who have done all your tests and found nothing wrong with you.
What get me is with all this running around you do must prove something to you ?. You sound as fit as a lop.
Your GP must be feeling agast at your Anxiety and now I feel you need to come to terms with your Anxiety and move on. What I will say however, the more tests you have leaves only one pathway more invasive risky tests.
If you go down that pathway you could end up having real health problems, I do not feel you want to continue this habit, Anxiety you have been suffering from.
You can ask your GP for a course of CBT and then you need to follow their advice. I will however say this. You are on a hiding for nothing and you need to learn how to move on before you get hurt.
I am dam sick of tests and I am tired of bloods, twists and inspections been undertaken, the older we get the more dangerous or invasive they become. Get sorted, stop your need for expensive tests Something inside must be screaming out at you by now.
BOB