Is this anxiety or something else? Please help

Mental health
1

Hi.

This is all started in early September after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. That same night I had chest pain and shooting pain in my left arm. I also had numbness in my left hand with tingling.

I went to the hospital as it felt very much like a heart attack and I had bloods done, two ECGs and a chest X-ray and they all came back normal.

For the next few nights the pains persisted and I couldn’t sleep for worrying what was wrong with me. I honestly thought I was going to drop dead or not wake up the day after. This led to me booking an appointment with my Doctor.

After seeing him the first time he said that it sounds like I could have costochondritis which after researching I agreed with. He didn’t prescribe me any medication he just told me to keep taking ibuprofen for the pain.

In the next few weeks the pain persisted but I began having other problems. I began to have dizzy spells. I would be sat watching tv and all of a sudden have a rush of dizziness. It would feel like I was in a hot bubble spinning. The dizziness then caused my anxiety to get worse as I began to feel like there must be something wrong with me. Chest pain, arm pain, dizziness, headache, numbness. These are all symptoms I have that make my anxiety worse. I spend hours in bed thinking I’m dying and googling symptoms. I begin to plan for things if I am suddenly not here anymore.

I went to the doctor a second time and this time I said that I think I may be suffering from health anxiety. He agreed and prescribed me with 10mg of propranolol to take in the evening as this is when I’m at my worst. He also advised me to buy a home monitor as my blood pressure was high in the doctors but he said it could just be nerves. I began taking the propranolol and the first three nights I did feel a change. The pains would go and I would feel relaxed. I have been monitoring my blood pressure and it is sometimes a little high but normal most days.

However, the fourth time I took propranolol I could feel my heart rate drop and beat very slowly and I went really dizzy. When I checked my heart rate it was at 42bpm. My resting heart rate is between 55-60bpm so I have stopped taking this medication as I feel it might stop my heart all together?

I have been ok over the last week. The pains have been much less but the numbness in the hand has become more persistent and I am having more dizzy spells. During a dizzy spell I feel sick and have a really bad headache it last around two hours.

Does this sound like anxiety or something else? Could it be problems with posture since I work from home? Inner ear issues? Has anyone else felt like this? Any advice is much appreciated, thanks

2

sorry you are going through this. I am sure it must feel scary. It does sound a lot like anxiety and panic.
The main thing is that The testing for your heart was normal.
check your posture while you are working because that plays a big role in neck issues, dizziness, etc. I used to work from home and my neck was in horrible shape because I was sitting at the computer for eight hours a day. I would get headaches and lightheadedness.
as far as the inner ear, you have to visit an ENT doctor for that.
there are all sorts of non-serious things that can cause your symptoms. if all your medical testing comes back normal, then it’s most likely anxiety with associated panic. Work on bringing down the anxiety even if you have to speak with a counselor for some support. Then see how you feel.
anxiety can often mimic other conditions.
you’re going to be OK. Take one day at a time and try not to overwhelm your mind with these concerns. Just work on one at a time. Take care

3

hi, thanks so much for your reply. it really helped. i have an appointment with an osteopath in two weeks to take a look at my back and neck and posture so maybe that will help. i have also purchased CBD oil and pills (THC free) so going to give them a try too. thanks again