Really suffering and struggling with health anxiety regarding my heart. Is anyone going through anything similar? Thanks
Hi sorry to hear you are suffering.my problems started over a year ago when I suddenly got a pain in my chest I got myself so stressed ended up with dizziness nausea and pain in my left arm got rushed to hospital thinking i had had a heart attack keeped me in overnight and referred me to a cardiologist after several months of tests I got the all clear that was the start of my horrific journey that has so far lasted a year.i know suffer daily dizziness chest pain tingling vision problems shortness of breath ect I'm told it's all anxiety.have you had any tests try not to worry I'm a fine one to talk but it just makes stuff worse take care xx
Hi, I know exactly how you feel. I've always been a worrier but in the last few years it has got so bad my anxiety, it's out of control at times now. Almost 4 years ago I got palpitations for the first time after a bump in my caron the motorway. I was taken to hospital, had tests and all ok. Ever since then if I've been anxious etc I've had this symptom. I've been to countless doctors and hospitals, had various tests and all say nothing to worry about. I just can't seem to accept what they're saying because what i feel physically is very real and frightening. I've had a stressful few years for several reasons but since I had my daughter 8 months ago, it has got much worse. My heart skips/extra beats got much worse when I was pregnant and I was referred to a cardiologist, who also said these palpitations were benign and of no concern. Since then I'm absolutely obsessed with anything to do with my heart, it worries me sick. I'm convinced the doctors have missed something serious and I'm literally about to die at any moment. It scares me to even write that sentence!! I had a fairly traumatic birth and my daughter was ill when she was born and this has had a deeply lasting effect on me which nobody understands. The heart racing etc got worse again so I had checks redone with cardiologist, again all ok. I just could not believe him so I involved another cardiologist who doesn't seem concerned either. My family think I've gone a bit mad and are very concerned but they also just tell me to stop it - I wish I could! I'm so desperate to just be me again, I think some of my anxiety is a spin off of post natal depression. It has changed me as a person, I'm not the same. I'm petrified to be alone in case anything happens to me and nobody is around to get me help. I used to love time alone and now I'm like a little child frightened of everything. I've had 12 sessions of cbt and very occasionally take diazepam - the cbt helped for only a short time. I do not want to take tablets as I'm scared of side effects! Every day I've got a new concern about my heart and my drs now sort of fob me off because they're sick of seeing me. Today's worry is my left leg hurts so in my mind, I must have a blood clot etc etc...most people would just think oh I've got a sore leg! I'm so morbid, negative and always see the absolute worst in everyone and every situation. I long to be happy and carefree again. I love my partner and daughter so much I'm absolutely petrified of anything happening to them and us not being together as a family. I worry about their health terribly too, to the point I've thought about making something up,to the dr so my daughter can have tests. My mom, partner and a couple of friends are supportive but I think they're tiring of reassuring me. I'm a classic health anxiety sufferer - I need constant reassurance but it does no,good. The more I'm reassured the more I need it. When I was 6 months pregnant I was suddenly one day consumed with awful ocd thoughts about horrible things happening to my baby, I could not stop crying for days and this is what prompted me to go for cbt. These horrendous thoughts and images did mostly disappear not long after she was born, but I was left with health anxiety. Nobody understands really how hard day to day life is. I do have the odd moment of clarity and I can talk some sense to myself, but I have panic attacks most days, sometimes multiple a day and each one is frightening and makes me feel life is over, after I feel so down and depressed - this does life though and in general I wouldn't describe myself as depressed, just extremely anxious. My therapist said I was someone who hated things out of my control and was frightened of the world, I agree totally with this.i like to be in control and what I'm scared of I can't be, which is why I struggle so much with it.
I feel like this is never going to get better, I'm so miserable and unhappy at the happiest time of my life and it's so upsetting.
Sorry to ramble, but thought it best to explain it all! Thanks Laura x
Sorry I meant to add I've been suffering with almost constant lightheadedness since last October, this came on suddenly one day and has nearly left me since.I do have the odd day when it's ok but them all of a sudden it's back. Drs put this down to anxiety too, but me being me. I was convinced at fit I had a brain tumour so I saw a neurologist who said all ok! I feel constantly ill and just don't see how anxiety can have such a massive effect on my physical well being. I just want to wake up fresh, care free and with a peaceful mind x
Hi Laura sorry to hear you r struggling with this crap also you sound very much like me I just want to be my old self again but after 14 constant months of symptoms everyday I just don't know how I'm going to get better.tried meds they make me worse cbt was no help I'm currently having private councilling but not helping.does this affect your eveyday life or do you still manage to get out I struggle everyday to get my little boy to school and back it's so hard I feel like I'm going to faint but that's about all I can manage can't even pop to asda to get a few bits of shopping we haven't been anywhere in over a year I'm even having to ha ve my councilling over the phone cos I can't get to the appointment due to this bloody giddy lightheaded ness..I'm here for support if you need it I know how you feel take care xx
hi laura i have the exact same thing as you i dont have social anxiety at all its health axniety iv only had this for the last thew months it was about over symptoms at first like tingling in my ears and so on id only get a racing heart when i had a panic attack but one night i was laying in bed and had palpitation in my heart like it skipped a beat this worried me alot and caused a bad panic attack ever since then this was thew weeks back now iv been focused on my heart i can always feel it beating threw out the day im always checking my pulse and so on when ever im resting i can always feel my heartbeat i have also been convinced i have somthing wrong with my heart i went to the e.r the over day after being up all night convinced i was having a heart attack after a ecg and them taking my blood and so on they said all was normal witch calmed me down abit even tho its hard to believe what the doctors say you have to think there medical experts if there was somthing wrong with your heart they would know and they wouldnt let you leave the hosiptal with a life threatening condition its always hard to relax when its to do with your heart even after going to the hosipital i am still having these palpation's witch is causing me most of my anxiety im starting to try to except how ever hard it is that this feeling with out heart is caused purely buy our anixety the mind is so powerful the more we get anxious about one symptom the worse this symptom gets i.e the more we think about our hearts all the time the more we notice it for me even saying this is easy but hard for me to follow if i could follow my own advice id probably be fine but i know how hard it is to just relax somtimes we wont feel like this for ever this is hope iv just started taking citalopram last night and its the first time iv ever took any meds and today i feel horrible never felt this way before but apprently its just the side effects so im going to stick buy it and hopefully in the end it makes me feel better iv also spoke to someone who has had health anxiety and suffered from this heart awareness like we have and he said as he took meds and took steps to calm down the anxiety starts to go away and as the anxiety goes away so do the physical symptoms now he has no heart awareness at all hope you start to feel better soon its not nice for any of us your not the only one feeling like this tho remember that i have the exact same thing before i found this website i felt alone on this subject
Hi both, thanks for your replies. Glad to know I'm not alone! It's such an awful thing to be going through, anxiety this bad. 'Mango6' this is definitely affecting my everyday life, but I am still able to go out. In my case I have the reverse fear, I'm terrified of being home alone so I have to be out at all times. My mom is with me and my daughter all day until my partner gets home from work. If she's not around I go out all day so I'm around people - this stems from my health anxiety so I'm thinking if I'm around people they'll help me should I have a problem with my heart! Writing this down I'm very aware it sounds so silly but I just can't help it. If someone was saying this to me I'm able to rationalise it for them and genuinely mean it when I say they can beat this. I just can't seem to do it myself. It's a vicious circle, the more physical symptoms I have, the more my anxiety goes through the roof. I have some ok days, but my anxiety is always at a high level and so I quickly escalate into panic and panic attacks. The slightest thing which scares me eg a heart skip/extra beat sends me spiralling. Once that's happened l find it very difficult to stop myself and gather my thoughts. It takes a long while to get myself back together and functioning normal again. During these panic attacks, the physical symptoms are awful, I literally feel like it's the end. I feel very surreal and frightened. It doesn't help that my ocd thoughts about things which scare me come thick and fast, they are always there and even in my ok moments I'm constantly battling these thoughts and trying to focus on the present. I know I'm missing out on so much being this way,I have a lot lf things to be thankful for and happy about, but I'm so busy worrying about tomorrow or dwelling on yesterday, I miss out on today. It does annoy me though when people say to me ' what have you got to be worried about'.
The lightheaded ness has been particularly bad the last few days and I think this is making me extra anxious. Today I've done something a bit silly and contacted the second cardiologist I saw and made an appt to have another heart scan. I've had two in the last yr and I'm pretty sure he'll think I'm wasting his time but when I get into this frame of mind, I just don't care! I constantly check my pulse and time it on the stopwatch on my phone. I don't help myself because I pay too much attention to these horror stories on hospital programmes and in the news. I know it's going to make me worse but I read all these stories about drs missing things etc and convince myself that's me! Also the sad stories really affect me and they really shouldn't as these people have nothing to do with me. I'm just a bit over sensitive I think. I've also been seeing mediums to try and get some reassurance...how ridiculous!
Take care, Laura x
sorry for my late reply laura iv had bad panic tonight finding it very hard to relax only just been able to slightly calm down to reply to this i can relate to your situation so much i am also the same in most ways you just described anxiety is a horrible thing and the worst thing about it is its all in our mind !! do you mind me asking how old you are ? and if you are currently taking any medication to help your anxiety ?
I'm 27 and am not on medication. I won't take it because I want to deal with the root problem. Sorry for late reply, had a bad few anxious days made worse by someone fainting in front of me today, banging his head and ambulance being called. Not what someone with health anxiety needs to see!!
Thank god im not alone..Over the past year i have never thought that i would end up this way, I am just the same and it takes over you life, I have always been a big worryer in life but thats just me, But this time last year i was having bad pain down my left arm and i was convinved that i was having a heart attack, i then started to panic which my heart started to beat soo bad i could feel it in my chest it was the worst feeling ever, my life flashed before and i was extremly scared i was then taken to hospital due to my heart rate was so high which i was put on a heart monitor and was observed, It was only a nurse who held my hand and told me eveyrthink is going to be ok you need to stop panicing as your making your self worse, I thought and was convinced in my head i was going to DIE, They then explained that i had a really bad panic attack, I was kept in over night but was let go the next day with my bloods and heart rate back to normal, It was the most intence and scaryest situation i have ever been in that i will never forget, Since that day i kept getting these feelings that there is somthing wrong with my heart and i did not kno what was going on at first i thought i was going CRAZY, Then i went to my GP who said i have Anxiety, I had never come accross this before well i had but not known the true meaning of it, I was then given Diazipam 2mg, Which i taken and all these feeling just went away, As the weeks taking this drg turned into months as it was the only thing that take thet intence feeling away, which i am now addicted to this drug and i can not cope or leave the house with out it, I am sooo lost it is untrue and i dont even know how i got to this point in my life, I suffer with Anxiety everyday and i am just banging my head up aggaist a brick wall all the time and i just know that i am going to suffer with this for the rest of my life, Sooooo your not alone out there xx
I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. I've been dealing with problems like this for about 4 months now. I've been diagnosed with gastritis, sinus infection, virus, dehydration, etc. but the problem never ends! My primary care doctor did prescribe an anti-anxiety medicine to me, but I haven't taken it because I never felt like that was my problem.
I've had chest pains, arm pain, jaw pain, and leg pain (all on the left side), back pain, headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea, feeling like I need to take a deep breath constantly...you name it! I've been so concerned and I still feel like I haven't received a proper diagnosis. I finally broke down last week and went to see a cardiologist thinking that that might relieve some of my worry. I had an EKG done and a full exam, and it all came back fine. The cardiologist reaffirmed that my problems all lead back to anxiety.
I decided to see a chiropractor, hoping that she might be able to relieve some tension and provide some pain relief. After my first adjustment I went home and found out that chiropractor adjustments can cause strokes. If you're like me you probably know what my next thought was...."Oh my gosh, I'm going to have a stroke." It's sick! I can realize that the odds are low, but that doesn't stop my constant worry that it's going to happen.
My biggest concern today is intense leg pain. My whole left leg has been very achy and sore and I can't find any relief or cause of this issue. I'm getting very annoyed with constantly being in pain and worried about an underlying health concern. I'm only 23 and I want my life back.
I, too, have problems with health anxiety and my heart. I have palpitations nearly every day and also have a really heavy feeling in my chest like I can't breathe. Even walking makes me out of breath now and I'm 21. I haven't had any tests yet as I was referred to the cardiologist but they lost my referral letter. Now I'm back at the end of the list but the consultant is also taking a months holiday so I am really in limbo right now. Been waiting for an appointment since January. I hope it is just anxiety but untill I know for sure, I will keep worrying that I'm gonna drop dead. I had to stop jogging because of this, rarely go out now and don't sleep well at all.
Hi All
I can not belive when i read all your replies thats the same things that suffer with every day and its soooo scary at the time its unture, It nice to see that i am not alone out that
Oh my word!! Finally I met another women exactly like me! Can we please chat more?
Also suffering from this unfortunately, I've visited ae a few times with this all my tests showing my heart is fine but now been diagnosed with acid reflux (GORD) which surprisingly can mimic cardiac problems pains in the chest, arms, shoulders and also can cause anxiety. Try loads of research and try every avenue as a simple thing can cause terrible symptoms and make your life he'll. I battled terrible depression for 8 years and come through the other side and didn't think I would be here today so I know anxiety can be eradicated its just a case of time,help,and good people around you.
Laura, I went through the terrible panic attacks and anxiety similar to yours. I have to say that if you do not get a handle on this then it will take over your life. I thought that I was going crazy. I went to a Psychiatric Center and talked with the doctor and therapist there. Thank the Lord that I learned through therapy that NOBODY EVER DIED FROM A PANIC ATTACK. Not sure if you believe in God or the Devil but I do and it is just a bunch of lies that the devil wants you to believe. Anyways, you believe your thoughts and your body reacts. So yes it is debilitating physically, I am not crazy, I will be ok and am ok, THIS GOES FOR YOU TOO! Tell yourself that and believe that because that is rational thinking. BE RATIONAL I rebuke the devil in Jesus's Almighty Name and I know you are stronger because I am too. I questioned my Faith, Sanity, Health and more. I didn't do it on my own without the right person/ therapist helping me and their doctor put me on some meds that actually helped this time. And sometimes I may still get anxious but I THINK RATIONALLY wthich is key to stopping this. Wish you well
Hi laura im going through the same thing I feel like crap every day I get pains in my chest back and my arns iv had blood test and about 5 ecgs and im still scard
Hi laura I know how u feel im scard every day something is gonna happen to me I get pains in my chest back and arns along with plupatations iv had blood test and about 5 ecgs and they came back normal but that doesent make me feel any better and I cant sleep
Hi laura... how are u now? i hope you feel better today... and i hope you overcome your fears now. u know were all the same in this forum. mine starts 3 months ago... and ive been battling with this sickness everyday. its so hard to feel pain everyday left arm, chest, back, neck difficulity breathing.. and like a lot of you ive been trough many doctors too this year.. been to 2 cardiologist and i had test 2 2d echo this year and many bloid test 3 ECG but all came back normal except for my last echo. my cardio said i had triscupid regurtitation mild but she said that theres nothing to worry about and i have low risk for heart attack wich is a good thing.. but still i cant take this out of my mind... there are many days of my life that i suffered really worst. im so scared thinking im ginna die everyday. im so sad because i cant do the things i did before. im only.29 and u have 4 children.
And i have 4 children... i want u to know ur not alone if theres anyone out there who want to talk to me fjeel free to pm me or just post here. i'll be gllad to meet all of u...