Hi, I'm new to the world of anxiety and panic attacks....only been an issue in my life 4-5 weeks....but what an issue it has become in that time! I've always been a bottler of emotions, never really shown much.....father/husband/former firefighter/management in the retail sector/avid gym user, amateur bodybuilder/ never had a confidence issue per se and just got on with life. Enjoying life.....then it all just came to a head! I can pin a particularly stressful moment in my life down to a time when I was in the gym on my own doing some crunches and bang! A sudden sharp pain in my gut....it creeped throughout my entire body and the worry made me sick.....it all happened very quickly, but the fear was intense! After checking myself for a hernia, I even took to google to search 'what does a stomach rupture feel like?' The pain subsided and I never even attended a gp at the time but I did notice I had this ongoing issue in my gut.....almost like a fluttering and I would cup it with my hand as if that made it better/go away......all was fine til the beginning of this year when I started a bout of stomach issues, which my gp put down to possible ibs, I tried altering diet to suit and over the space of a few weeks my stomach issues seem to resolve itself, however it left something far mor sinister in its place and that was anxiety and the relentless onslaught of panic disorder, relating to health anxiety.....I've had all the tests done....blood work/ecg/physicals everything healthy, but trying telling my head this when the panic head has it's hat on! Woooooah!!!! Sweats/palps /fear/tremors/muscle aches you name it, and I probably average 2-3 a day, ranging from 10-60mins but leaving me with what I call a panic hangover afterward, which makes me tired/hungry/irritable. I'm currently awaiting a referral to start cbt, which I have heard good things about and have done lots of reading online, it has certainly helped a bit although I find myself growing increasingly frustrated/emotional during subsequent attacks, I think it's my subconscious growing tired of the constant attack on my body.....the fear of fear, which is almost as bad as any trigger that may set of an attack itself.
Ray
It would sound like the problem in the Gym has sensitised your body to pain and you are now on edge because of that. All I can advise is understand your GP has done all relevant tests and they have come back negative. You have suffered IBS and have managed to change your diet and moved on.
The same applies to your tummy etc and the problem you had with your crunches.
You need to now move and get back on with your life and all your activities, you also need to trust those who did your tests and also your Doctor, who will be always there for you.
Move on Good Lck
BOB
Thanks for taking the time to reply Bob, it's such a surreal experience especially when you find in your late 30's that maybe you aren't in control of your mind and body as you maybe thought you were and that certain aspects of your brain can almost become an enemy to yourself, I try and remain upbeat....for the most part, but it's during the attacks that really spin me out, it's like someone has turned me inside out and I don't know which way is up. I'm looking forward to starting the road of cbt, hopefully that will provide me with some answers.
thanks again
Ray
Good Luck Ray
BOB