I've had anxiety for a while now and it all generates around chest pain/fear of heart attacks and death.
I was just wondering for people who've experienced the same just how painful has your chest pain been? Mine got so bad again tonight I was on the brink of going to a&e (again) but just had a good cry and spoke to my partner. Calmed myself down and while the chest pain eased it's still there but has been all night
Can anyone help or share advice on similar experiences?
Hi kerry i suffer exactly same as u althougg my gp wont confirm its anxiety ivr self diagnosed! I get lots of palps that actually wakes me middle night with pounding heart etc. I get chest/heart pains throughout day majority of days n bloody scary, i just keep or try try to say im ok well i hope i am whos to know for sure i work aa health care professional n know some things tat happens wen apparently patients are showing no signs of symptoms so tat freaks me out! Life is been tough for me coz of this n i think its grt to know othets are in same boat and this site is fantastic and gr support. So your not alone and look it not serious your still here its ur anxiety trying to convince you otherwise even though im lyin here wit pain in my own heart and im like wtf??? Hang on in there we all here
Thank you for your message. It is so scary! I try to tell myself look I feel like this nearly every night yet I'm still here but then I worry what if it's a build up to something serious.
The pains are so strong sometime you can justify it being anxiety and nothing else
Dear Kerry
What you are experiencing is anxiety, nothing else. If you have been to a&e and they have checked your hear,t you are not having a heart attack. I have suffered from anxiety for many years and cannot tell you how many times I have been to A&E thinking the same (I've called an ambulance out twice). It is a very common symptom of anxiety. Anxiety makes you think that there is something terribly wrong with you. There isn't. You are perfectly ok, apart from suffering from anxiety of course. Anxiety cannot hurt or harm you, it just FEELS like it will. I can tell you from many years of experience that it wont. If you've been checked out and your heart is ok then it is anxiety. Besides, I've been told by cardiologists that you do not feel pain in your heart when having a heart attack. It is the muscles around the heart (actually the chest muscles) that you are feeling because they are all tensed up by the adrenaline that gets pumped into your system when you are anxious. It is a horrible feeling and a very convincing illusion but NOTHING will happen to you. You will not die and you are not going mad (two other common symptoms of anxiety).You will be fine. There is no need to worry. You may get other symptoms as well, such as palpitations, sweating, stomach churning, wobbly legs etc. They are all caused by the same thing - adrenaline. That is all it is. A lot of adrenaline in your system. Your body is doing this to protect you as it thinks (wrongly) that there is a threat. This triggers the 'fight or flight' response and that is all you are experiencing. It's adrenaline. That's all. It will not harm you and it will go away as long as you dont keep triggering it by worrying about it. Try to relax. It's nothing to worry about. Believe me, I've been there and got the tee-shirt! Distract yourself if possible and dont bother thinking about it any more. It will go away in its own time. Just let it be. A brisk walk sometimes helps as it uses up some of the excess adrenaline. You are safe and nothing bad is going to happen to you. All the best xx
My anxiety consists of the same fears as urs. It truly is the worst. Try drinking teas to calm your body b4 going to bed it has worked for me. Chamomile tea is the one I usually drink.
I have recently got over a bad stint of health anxiety were I had chest pains for 2months. All ranging from a crushing pain in center/ an aching feeling on left/a stinging feeling on left of chest, bit like having an injection all along with palpitations and dizzyness. I visited A+E twice and felt 100% they would find something wrong on blood test, ECG or XRAY. Anothe Supriserl, nothing found and told I am all well. Ever sinse the second tripnro A+E my pains have vanished and symptoms have vanished and I am finally anxiety free for now.... I think reassurance really help, as worry there is something wrong only makes it worse for me.... Crying will help as is body's natural way to release stress... Get more tests if your still concerned, I am sure the results will all be fine and should therefore ease your anxiety... All the best
Thanks you all for your replies. It's so scary, when I first got anxiety it was never this bad and I learnt to control it but this time round i just can't stop the feelings. I get it everyday the fear I'm about to drop dead. I hate it. I don't sleep well at all which doesn't help but it's because of the anxiety. I also suffer really bad with controlling my mood which I've also put down the the lack of sleep i guess. Can't thank everyone enough for their support help and advice
I have had chest pains for the past four months. Every day is a new pain or sensation. The docs say its reflux but hard for me to believe because it happens with non acid foods as well. The nighttime is horrible with horrendous pains. I do have horrible anxiety but will never take meds again due to a horrible experience with lexapro. I just do breathing exercises, meditation, and prayer. Good luck to you.
Hey ....
I had all these problems. This condition is known as hypocondria or health anxiety. It is hard to believe that our mind can convert our thoughts of feeling of heart disease into real physical symptoms.
It is first triggered by an event like a chest pain or left arm pain or any other thing. Then you start pondering over it thinking of worst situations all the time. Then you "GOOGLE" the symptoms and get to know about symptoms of heart disease. This is when you start losing control over the situation.
You will get chest pains, left arm pain, neck pain, shortness of breath, sweating. Then comes high pulse rate, palpitations and you start noticing each and every sensation of heart. You will check pulse rate time and again, your heart will start pounding. I even felt my chest bumping with heart beat giving impression that my heart was pounding so hard that my i can visually see my chest and stomach bumping with each heart beat.
Finally you convince yourself that it is heart diaease and you will get heart atta k anytime. You can do any work and cant sleep. You start treating yourself as a heart patient (it brings smile on my face now when i remeber myself pretending to be a heart patient).
I went to docs many times. Did all the test, ECG, echo x ray but doc said it was nothing but anxiety. Still i was not convinCED. It was when i visited this portal i came to know that it is a very common problem and millions of people have it with exactly the same symptoms as me. I was very relieved to know that i was not alone to experience such problem. Then i spent days reading and discussing my problem with people on this portal. Slowly and slowly my condition started improving.
I learnt about CBT. I would suggest that you follow the same and talk with people. But first without any fear and heaitation, visit a doctor and get yourself checked. After that when doc tells you are fine believe in him. Try Cognitive Behaviour Therepy or CBT. There are also android apps on playstore for CBT which are really helpful if you want to do CBT all by yourself without anybody else or a therapist.
Remeber the recovery will not be easy and fast. You will get over it slowly. Try distracting your thoughts away from your problem. Start walking or playing a sport or exercise. Slowlu you will get over it. You may feel its over but it can hit you again but its important not to lose your hope and again fight it and eventually it will vanish.
These things are not permanent and you can experience it again in few months or years but again rememver you beat it before and you should do that again. Dont panic.
Please google about CBT and you can be on your road of revival within no time.
You might be thinking why i have written such a long story of my experience but let me tell you friend that this is because i suffer from exactle same situation as yours and i know how hard and disturbing this thing is. And i dont want anyone to undergo this situation. I am 27 years old, am not fat, dont do drugs, have a very good settled family and a very good job. I am telling you all this because i want you to know that there is nothing for which i should worry but still i suffer from tension and worry a lit for everything and have this problem so any one can have this problem and you are not alone so dont worry.
Remeber to visit a doctor first and then get CBT and interact eith people. Hope you beat it soon. Cheers friend.
Thank you so much for sharing. It's so true
Thank you so much for your reply! It' reassuring to read similar experiences and know there is hope. I have had many trips to the doctors and hospital and have been told I am fine and it's just anxiety, it's now just telling myself and getting it to sink in as I suffer daily with chest / breathing problems which I relate to heart problems that I have not been diagnosed with.
CBT has been recommended to me and is something I will definitely look in to.
I want to fight this and feel better as it genuinely has taken over my life.
Thanks again for your reply and advice it's so apprecoated
Good luck to you too! Docs told me at one point it was reflux but I had a gastrostomy (which was awful) and they found no problems. I too struggle with taking meds as suffer terribly with side effects. I hope things get better for you
Is this the same as for pains in the espohagus region as well...as it happens so randomly...not just acid foods...I oftened wondered if it was a panic attack instead of reflux??? Just cant figure this mess out
Kerry you have been to doctor then there is no problem at all. Just go for CBT and talk yourself out with others. Try CBT application on android and read it every now and then which will make you believe you have no problwm at all. It is good to know that my expwrience was of some help to you. Hope to here from you soon about your overcoming this anxiety. Also share your exerienxes with others on this portal which may help you and them too.....
Hey dane,the esophagus runs behind the windpipe and heart, and in front of the spine. Just before entering the stomach, the esophagus passes through the diaphragm. Any sensation due to acid reflux or any other reason in esophagus can easily be mis interpreted as a heart problem as the area is same as that of heart. This is what health anxiety is all about. I would suggest you the same that if you have any problem just visit a doctor and get yourself checked. Get assured from him that it is not a serious health issue of heart or any other thing. Then do the same as i mentioned before to overcome this anxiety.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a type of specialist talking treatment. It is probably the most effective treatment. Studies show that it works well for over half of people with panic disorder (and agoraphobia).
Cognitive therapy is based on the idea that certain ways of thinking can trigger, or fuel, certain mental health problems such as panic attacks and agoraphobia. The therapist helps you to understand your current thought patterns. In particular, to identify any harmful, unhelpful, and false ideas or thoughts which you have. For example, the ideas that you may have at the beginning of a panic attack, wrong beliefs about the physical symptoms, how you react to the symptoms, etc. The aim is then to change your ways of thinking to avoid these ideas. Also, to help your thought patterns to be more realistic and helpful. Therapy is usually done in weekly sessions of about 50 minutes each, for several weeks.
Behavioural therapy aims to change behaviours which are harmful or not helpful. This may be particularly useful if you have agoraphobia with panic disorder where you avoid various situations or places. The therapist also teaches you how to control anxiety when you face up to the feared situations and places. For example, by using breathing techniques.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a mixture of the two where you may benefit from changing both thoughts and behaviours.
If you have CBT and it works, the long-term outlook may be better than with treatment with antidepressants. However, CBT may not be available in every area, and does not suit everyone.
Thank you dee I have downloaded the app today and I'm going to see if there is anywhere I can go for CBT locally.
I truly thank you for your advice, it's nice to see that people can get through this and nice to read a positive story which helps others to realise things can be different
Hope to listen from you soon about your winning over your anxiety ... ..... do share your experience in future with all of us .... all the best