Anxiety or not?

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hi everyone

Been suffering now for 11 months with constant pains in my arms,legs and chest.I am constantly worrying that at my next breath might be my last. I have had what i can only assume are panic/anxiety attacks,where i cant breath and it feels like my throat is closing up. I have been to a&e and had chest xrays,ecg`s on numerous occasions. The doctors have done blood tests,echocardiogram,treadmill test and i have had a course of cbt.

Just started on gabapentin but how long does this take to work?

I have gone from a head strong woman to not being able to sleep until my husband is home(he works terrible shifts)

Anyone got any advice please.:-/

1 like, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    It sounds like anxiety to me. For the last 2 months I think I have been suffering with anxiety and have had a really bad chest and back and my arms ache. My eyes also go unfocused and I can't concentrate. I keep thinking I'm having a heart attack and that there is something seriously wrong with me. It's the only thing I think about at the moment and its driving me insane. Just want to feel like my old self again. I haven't been to the doctors or had any tests done
    • Posted

      thanks for the reply it makes me feel like i am not alone. Everyone keeps telling me to relax and not to worry which winds me up. Its hard to explain to family and friends how it feels. I Hope your Doctor is more helpful than mine.
    • Posted

      I know exactly what you mean I just tried explain it to my family and they said I just need to chill out but it's hard to when you feel like this. But just think your not alone there at lots of people feeling like this
  • Posted

    I'm so sorry you're going through this, and I know how you feel. I suffered from anxiety attacks since December 2013. I was going through some old papers and all of a sudden my heart started racing and I couldn't catch my breath and all I kept thinking was something is wrong with me am I going to die? Then in the last 5/6 months I started having these health anxiety attacks every other month then every other week then every other day and within the past 2/3 months I was having them everyday along with chest pains! I was miserable, I had gone to the hospital in November 2014 and they told me since I'm only 27 I'm yoo young to be having any heart problems or anything I had an ekg done and a chest xray and a ct scan of my head because they probably thought I was nuts abd everything came back fine the doctors gave me a script for zanax and sent me on my way. I woke up on the morning of Friday, January 2nd, 2015 with pain in my ribs on my right side all the way up to my chest even in my neck and it felt like I broke my ribs it hurt to take in breaths. I knew I had to go to work so I did, came home, went to my in laws later, came back home, in pain the entire time so I figured I must just need some rest and went to sleep. I woke up the next morning Sat., 1.3.15 at 530am in excruciating pain! I was sipping air, taking the smallest breaths possible and it was unbearably painful. I got some clothes on and drove myself to a different hospital than I had back in Nov. I went to the ER told the doctor my symptoms he ran some test which included a dye injection CT Scan. He came back with the results and said that I have blood clots in both lungs or Pulmonary Embolisms and my right lung was totally ecluded meaning full of blood clots causing an infarction in that lung because the clots had blocked blood flow to it. I was immediately started on a heparin drip which is a blood thinner and stayed in the hospital for 5 days being discharged with pain meds and lovenox injections which is another blood thinner and warfarin or coumadin pills which is yet another blood thinner to get my clotting levels up. Luckily I don't have to take the shots anymore because I'm therapeutic now after getting my blood tested weekly to check my levels. I'm saying all that to say this, don't just believe that you are having health anxiety attacks for no reason especially if it isn't a normal thing. Go to the doctor, or the ER and get checked out. The doctors told me that if I hadn't have come in when I did the situation could have been life threatening because from the looks of the CT Scan my blood clots have been there for a while and that PEs cause anxiety attacks. By the grace and mercy of God I'm still here with my family, my husband, my children and my friends. Listen to your body.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.