I’ve been truly struggling with what the Drs are saying is anxiety... I’m currently suffering from really odd physical symptoms and some are so very scary it leaves me wondering how much longer I have left...
Currently I’m suffering:
•Tightness and pain in my chest and ribs it’s so tight I can crack my sternum by stretching
•Pain behind my left ear that is like a sharp shock
•Internal buzzing/Tremors which only started after I took an SSRI and it’s never gone away since it’s in my legs and chest and sometimes makes me feel like my heart is racing or missing beats or stopping all together when it’s in my legs it feels like I’m standing on something that’s vibrating (This one freaks me out)
• missed heart beats which come out of no where they happen almost like attacks I suffered one on the weekend and it left me breathless and I was so upset all day... It makes me feel like I’m going to die If it’s bad I get prickling and stuff down my arms and I’ll shake uncontrollably (I’ve had echo & ecgs Dr believes it’s panic attacks even though the I didn’t suffer an episode while wearing the holter ECG over 24 hours ) I suffered 2 of these episodes a few weeks ago and it was so strong it lasted 2-3 minutes each with irregular heart rate etc it really is making me feel like I’m going to drop dead and my 5 month old will be alone...
If I had a serious heart problem would the ecg would have picked it up?
What’s the go with these Tremors?
I’m so scared and so upset all the time but with a 5 month old I can’t just focus on myself... I’m so convinced I’m going to die.. Please help
Coming to terms with what anxiety can do in terms of physical symptoms is a huge hurdle but I highly recommend reading some materiel by Dr Claire Weekes. She has a great way of explaining these symtoms and with understanding you can learn to accept them and move forward!
Does sound like classic adrenaline overload. Which would be consistent with your diagnosis of anxiety and more specifically panic attacks. 5 month old baby is just another piece in that puzzle. How are your iron (and iron stores) levels post-partum? Thyroid? Are you breastfeeding? How is your nutrition and hydration? I won't ask about sleep because I can imagine it
When was the last time you had a blood test (FBC) and were those two included? Have you ever had anxiety issues before having the baby? When was the SSRI prescribed, which one and how much...and how long did you take it?
ECG is not always conclusive but echo will have seen any suspect anomalies in flow. It is unlikely to be your heart. But blood oxygenation depends on iron which is why I am asking. Poor oxygenation can lead to added tension and feeling of constriction. Since you are already terrified, if there is even a mild imbalance it can feel pretty ghastly. Post-partum anxiety is common. For most it is PP Depression. For some it is mainly anxiety that escalates. Untreated it can escalate quite a bit due to: sleep deprivation; added responsibilities; overall weakness due to prolonged recovery; hormonal shifts; and you know...your life changing drastically Hence my other questions. Hang in there.
IF you have not had blood tests please ask your doctor for FBC with iron and iron stores, thyroid hormone levels (T3 and T4) and also trace minerals. If all of those are great...proceed with your SSRI under strict adherence to your prescribed course. If you do not feel any better at all after a couple of months the prescribing doctor needs to reassess his choice of medication.
I had an 4 ekgs, 3 chest xrays, a holter monitor, a stress test, blood tests, & an echocardiogram. You know what they found? Skipped beats. It's just anxiety. The cardiologists gave e me rhe lowesr dose of propanolol which im not even taking because he only gave it to me to make me feel better psychologically. Mental illness like anxiety take a toll on your body & make you feel really bad. You should know it's anxiety if it's unexplained by tests & the doctor's have no choice but to blame it on anxiety. It's called somatization. You should look it up lol. It's aches, pains, chest pains, gastrointestinal problems, all cause by your mind. In fact i believe it's a group on this forum or at least the definition. Once you find out how to change your mindset, you symptoms will slowly fade. If it makes you feel better, see a cardiologist. So tgey can do an echocardiogram or a stress test if needed. Those are the most accurate tests done. You can literally hear the blood flowing into & out of the heart, you can hear it beat, & see it pump. It's sooo cool lol. I had all those tests & in only 16. It's going to be okay mom LMAO ❤
I feel this way too. I get chest pains at random, tightness, back pain, arm pain, palpitations where it feels like my heart is fluttering or beats too hard once or twice, I think I've been having some digestive problems too. The doctor didn't do tests because he said it's anxiety and I don't have insurance yet. I'm always afraid of just dying one day. But reading that others have similar symptoms helps. It's crazy what your mind can make you feel.
I had a Drs appointment and he said my ferritin levels were low at 24... I thought 24 was in the normal range...
Anyway he decided he wanted to do an iron injection right there and then. But by the time I got home I developed strange marks on my hands and fingers (gone now) and have just felt awful! Like my temps at 37.9 and my eyes feel like they are burning.. high heart rate and feeling generally very ill...
I went to the Drs because I’ve had odd physical symptoms like:
Internal humming/vibrating feeling
Heart palpitations
Pain behind my left ear
Stomach pains
Pain in my throat (low down almost in my neck... if that makes sense).
Pain under tongue
Muscle spasms (usually in chest and eyes)
Extreme fatigue
Trouble sleeping etc etc
As explained in original post...
Now this Dr orders FBC, iron studies, liver test, kidney test, Urine sample, lipids (cholesterol) & thyroid... I asked for specific testing but he did the general blood test even though I said my Mum had hers diagnosed using specific testing
Everything was fine other than the ferritin levels... but my ferritin levels were as low as 8 a few years ago and I didn’t have ANY of the above symptoms...
FBC was done on Thursday with results back Friday. I have a ferritin level of 24 but that’s about all I know... Dr only told me I was anemic now and gave me an iron injection and wants to do it weekly for 6 weeks... It hurt so much... I can barely walk and I have a temp now too... I think it’s a bit excessive... I asked considering I’m currently taking 3 iron tablets a day why it’s so low? I also eat a rush diet of Meat, Poultry, Vegas,Fruit, GF grains & dairy products. I barely touch sugar. I don’t drink coffee or tea and I drink 2-3 litres of water a day. I’m not currently breastfeeding and stopped that months ago due to low supply.
I also have never experienced a panic attack or any other anxiety symptoms before I fell pregnant. I had heart palps 4 days before having her.
First SSRI prescriber was Lexapro... I believe it caused the internal humming/vibrations because I never experienced it before that. I become so ill on it because I couldn’t sleep at all and started having severe vision changes and saw flashing lights etc. I was prescribed it in October took it for 2 weeks... It honestly made life unbearable.
Second one was Cymbalta.. never bothered to take it. Read up on it and didn’t want a bar of it. Third was Zoloft which was prescribed in December and I took it for 3 days but became increasingly suicidal. I’m not depressed... I’m just bloody over feeling like something is seriously wrong and no ones listening...
Please see my reply to my original post... I am getting incredibly frustrated with Drs running generic tests because it’s not what I’m asking for... 😞😒