Hey guys,
I'm 23 years old and have been told by my doctor that I'm suffering from health anxiety (although I'm not convinced!)
It all started at the beginning if the year - I had a very random and very scary panic attack which came completely out of the blue! From then I've had the worst physical symptoms I've ever experienced.. Chest pain, numbness and tingling in my left arm, pain in my ribs, difficulty breathing sometimes, head aches, extreme tiredness (to the point where I feel like I'm going to fall asleep any second), dizziness, brain fog.. The list is endless!
I've been to my gp and also a&e numerous times and they've done some tests.. I had routine bloods, ECG, chest X-ray and the blood pressure etc.. All came back normal!
Even though I've been told I'm ok I just don't feel I am, I feel there is something seriously wrong with me (my heart worries me the most). Every doctor I have seen has told me that heart problems don't happen to girls of my age, so they've never done any tests on my heart. Since then I've been reading up on things and apparently it IS possible to have heart problems at my age! So what do I do? Do I take their word for it or keep going back until I get it tested? I feel like it's ruining my life - everyday I wake up thinking is this going to be the day I have a heart attack! The symptoms are so real and they are there 24/7! Shoukd my doctor send me for more tests? If so which would I benefit from?
Also my doctor put me on fluoxetine around 4 months ago - I have recently stopped taking it because it wasn't helping and I was getting awful side effects. Does anyone recommend any medication to help with how I am feeling?
I'm so so worried about my help! And no one seems to care. All I hear is anxiety, it's just anxiety, you have anxiety!!!!
Also I should add, I'm not at all overweight, I do smoke occasionally and have a pretty rubbish diet - I know the smoking and diet aren't going to help but I feel so rubbish that I cans stop eating rubbish!!!
Thank you very much for reading. Any help what so ever is very appreciated x
Hi charlotte, read up on panic attacks and thoughts about heart attacks, go to group on Anxiety, my wife had panic attacks years ago and she said they were bad and wishes she took anti depressants back then to help her through it but she done it on will power alone ( which took alot longer ) hope you get this sorted 
she also though she was gonna have a hart attck too.....good luck
Hey hun.
I feel the exact same as you. Impending doom feelings followed by chest pain headaches and the general feeling of something is going to happen!
I forced the doctors to give me a 24hr heart monitor as I kept feeling weird thuds and stuff from my heart which would stop me sleeping. That is when they found ectopics which are a extra beat and can make you feel a bit weird etc. They are VERY common and are usually benign. Although im always thinking that there is something more sinister.
At the end of the day you are doing all you can to get to the bottom of your anxiety, if you request the tests they will do them for you. They wont point blank refuse you. When you have had all the tests you will still not be happy (I have health anxiety) but you will start to realise whatever will be will be and start to live your life again.
Unfortunately we all have to leave this place and we dont know when but please dont stop living just because you are focusing on the "when" aspect. Xxxx
Hi Charlotte,
sorry to to hear your are suffering. It's not nice having heart symptoms, and they can be very scary. I'm only speculating, but I think your GP maybe diagnosing anxiety based on your panic attack and test results from your heart checkup. It is indeed unusual for a young person to develop heart problems if they have never had them before, though it is by no means impossible. You have done exactly the right thing and got these symptoms checked. I obviously don't know your background, though I would assume you have given a detailed descriptions to your GP. Lifestyle is important and also work. Have you been under stress lately from work, home, family or even everyday life? The constant worry about your heart will only make the heart symptoms worse. When we worry we get anxious, and our bodies start flooding with hormones to help protect us in need of running away or fighting. One of these hormones is adrelanine. This stimulates the heart and if we are doing it constantly we will eventually feel like the heart is about to jump out of the chest. Now, please, I'm not saying this is diagnoses etc, though it could be a contributory factor. You are well within your rights to ask to see a cardiologist if it would make you feel any easier? Sometimes you do have to put your foot down with GP's and demand what you want. Though please understand I have the utmost respect for GPs as they have a very tough job and they do it with constant dedication and professionalism. I hope this helps
Asking for a 24hr heart monitor is a really good idea. I was going to suggest this to Charlotte.
Charlotte I am exactly the same although im 23 male
No matter what the doc tells me I don't believe him but I have seen other docs and my mind tells me they are wrong
I take propranolol to help with the chest pains its a beta blocker prescribed by the doctor
I also read in mens health to take co enzyme q10 to help relax and stay calm and I take magnesium supplements which release tension in my muscles this stops me getting as many pains as I did
I hope you get better real quick and if you ever want to chat this is the best place to do it
Every single one of you lot on here really put my mind at rest
Lovely people the lot of you
Also Charlotte, have you thought about what stimulants you be ingesting? I.e tea, coffee, smoking, fizzy drinks with caffeine etc. these will bump up blood pressure and heart rate as well as CAN cause palpitations.
Hi Charlotte I know just how you feel I have had gad now for 8 months and have all sorts of ailments drs have assured me that's it's all down to anxiety but I still live in fear. Hopefully being on here we can all help and assure each other.
I think its one of the best ways to spot anything as alot of our little "heart farts" dont happeb when the 30 second ecg is put on us lol. Typical.
The problem with anxiety is that no matter what the doctors say,it is only somewhat reassuring. If you insist on seeing a cardiologist your GP should refer you.
I take PROPALONAL which is a beter/blocker for palpitations and does help to calm you down.Ask the doctor if he can prescribe those.
Absolutely. Resting ECG is useless unless you are having the cardiac event at that time. A stress ECG or a 24 hr monitor is far more beneficial.
If I may Charlotte, and please I mean no offence to anyone else, though may I urge caution when taking advice about medication form others who are not medical professionals. I feel it is far more beneficial to seek professional counselling for Anxiety (if indeed this is what the issue is). Your physical symptoms maybe a direct result of anxiety and taking medication may only complicate the issue further down the line. I have a family member suffering beyond belief at present with coming off diazepam that he should never have been prescribed. It's a first hand experience and so please I would urge caution.
Hi Charlotte....first, I'm so sorry that you're struggling with these symptoms...I know first-hand how terrifying they can be....I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder last March, after suffering a panic attack (totally out of the blue) while traveling for business.
Since then, I've had a multitude of daily physical symptoms...dizziness/lightheadedness, body aches, headaches, insomnia, night sweats, increased body temperature, feeling weak in my limbs, general fatigue, a sensation of "internal shakiness"....you name it, I've had it. I've just about worn out my welcome at my GP's office, I've been there so often....I've been to the emergency room four times, had an MRI, multiple ECGs, countless rounds of bloodwork, an upper endoscopy...everything comes back clear.
My doctors (and there have been several, including specialists) have all told me that it's "just" anxiety....I too tried taking medication, but hated the side effects and the prospect of being on them for life, so (with the support of my GP), I stopped taking them....it's a struggle to get through most days, but I'm doing my best to stay positive and not to obsess about there being something horribly wrong with me....if I could offer one bit of advice, it would be to stay away from the Internet with respect to your symptoms...it truly only makes it worse (I've learned that through painful personal experience).
I hope that reading my (and others'
posts makes you feel at least a bit less alone in this....take care.
I have health anxiety. Its so bad. I hate it. I worry about everything. An just as you think you may have under control you start to worry what happens if I go back to way I was. Then what happens. It kicks off again .
Its horrid.
Thank you so much to everyone for your replies.. It's reassuring to know that other people are going through the same thing (and don't have anything medically wrong).. I've taken on board every bit of advice you have given me..
Today has been a really bad day! The the second I woke up this morning I've had frightening thoughts about my heart - all because of a strange feeling in my chest last night that has carried on throughout today.. I've been so so close to rushing to my nearest a&e but some how stopped my slef. I just don't feel like I'm getting the answers I want from doctors etc.. I feel I need more! Surly these pains and strange sensations in the chest aren't normal? I've also been extremely tired today (for no reason as I got plenty of sleep last night)..
I'm finding this really hard, I have 2 young boys to look after which makes it so much more difficult! X
Hi I'm just wondering have you felt better?.. I'm 31 and crippled with health anxiety. Constant panic attacks and various pains are wrecking my life. I'm annoying everyone around me with my worries and fears. Each day I am focused on different diseases and cancers I could have. I have been to the GP and the emergency room and they say I'm fine. Various blood tests, blood pressure and chest xray have shown up nothing. .I have a 1cm lymph node in my neck that I could have since I was born although I only discovered it 7 years ago and now I'm fixated with having lymphoma.
Qi gong might help you a lot. Sfq is the one i have been using. Its a mix of meditation, visualization and energy healing.
I have most of your symptoms as well, not a good feeling especially when everyone keeps saying the A word. I get really weak after certain things I eat and exercise, to the point where I have to sit for 1-2 hours. Feels like my body gets really low and wants to shut down, is this a panic attack? Feeling very worried these days.
Hello. I do realize that this is a bit of an older thread, but nonetheless I thought I would attempt to make a connection as this is my first go round of socializing in an effort to combat my crippling health anxiety. Your sorry is mine, I don't often hear people associate the words crippling, and annoying others listed in descriptions. There is so much medical jargon mentioned and then they say it's just anxiety. No one seems to convey a sense of agitation or frustration and fear of how controlling and devastating this illness is. As I type this, I am coming down from a manic episode of the daily, hours long spaz attack that leaves me wondering after if I should still actually be wryling in agony just in case THIS time it actually IS something very serious that will surely be the death of me.. and so I've reached the level where I am in a mode of relinquishing control of my mental self to my physical self as a means to an end of around the clock panic attacks to the point of not ever putting my kids down so that I don't miss out on binding then until my very last second on this earth because any minute whatever disease I have will kill me and they'll all be standing back in awe as they discover that there really was a very serious medical condition that they all missed and dismissed as anxiety. But, none of that is likely true. The reality is more likely that I will live to see another day and relive again the "last day of my life". It's undeniably refreshing although possibly a bit offending to know that others struggle so immensely with demons that snake their way through our bodies slyly avoiding the probing eyes that are examining whatever system or organ is malfunctioning on that particular day having caused us to seek prompt medical attention. I've come to realize that there is no way to truly enjoy the end of my days if I spend those days miserably trying to avoid them. I can easily now see that regardless of the timeframe, life will come to a screeching halt and no matter what your afterlife beliefs are they entail you being either blissfully peaceful in the plains of heaven or black and empty eyed as nothingness has replaced the life, (let's face it no one truly envisions themselves burning in hell fires) you will when you die be unconcerned with what you've left behind. So the constant paralysis of fear consuming your spirit always in doctors offices, hospitals and dark rooms does not save us if the healers who have all but locked the doors when they saw us coming but instead welcome us and the money rolling in behind us don't provide any curable diagnosis that warrants satisfying relief and calmness from the hurricane of ruin that's swirled within us for so long as we feverishly searched for the answers.