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Anxiety or Something Else?

Posted , 4 users are following.

Dee9815
Dee9815

Hello there. I've been going through a lot these past couple months with my symotoms and I'm really trying to cope. Not sure what else I can do to get better.

I'm a 32 year old female, married with kids. I'm a stay at home mom so you can imagine that can be stressful at times. My symptoms started a couple months ago where I would get chest pressure in my chest on and off. I have asthma so I assumed that's what was going on. I'd take my inhaler and be fine. I noticed when sleeping I'd have to sleep on my back because it felt more uncomfortable than laying on either side.

So as time progresses so do my symptoms. The chest tightness was there constantly and my inhalers weren't helping. I then developed a cough with it and felt out of breath. My pulse started to increase as well. I went to the my doctor she listened to my lungs they sounded clear, but I had a high pulse and high blood pressure I'm normally 120/80 and it's been about 140/90 for me lately. She sent me to have a chest x-ray which came out normal.

I went to the ER the next day because I felt so bad I swore I was having a heart attack from the pressure. They did an EKG which came out normal. They also hooked me up to a nebulizer because I felt I couldn't breath and since I have asthma they felt it was a good idea. My pulse was still high as well as blood pressure.

My doctor sets me up with a lung specialist the next day. I do a breathing test and he listened to my lungs are they were clear! I also passed my breathing test. I still had the pressure in chest and the cough with high pulse and blood pressure. He sent me for a CAT scan for possible blood clot which scared me to death but turned out to be a normal scan. Later that day I had an echogram done on my heart to rule out a heart problem this test also came out normal. I had tons of blood work done including allergies alllll normal!

So during these hellish weeks I developed heartburn very badly that would not go away. Saw my doctor and she thought I could be suffering from GERD. She put me on 20mg of Omprezole (sp?) twice a day and sent me to a Gastrologist. I can say that my symptoms did subside when I first started the meds but not completely. I still felt some pressure and coughed here and there. So I start my meds and then I developed a new symptom. I had a choking sensation and felt like I couldn't swallow for two weeks! I was sent for a barium swallow it came out normal.

So at this point I'm aware I'm very stressed and anxious about everything that I've been through. I can't eat much, not sleeping well and I've lost about 13 pounds since this started. I made an appt with my endocronlogst because I have hypothyroidism and figured I should have it checked. Well my thyroid and cholesterol levels couldn't be more perfect! She felt my neck and throat which all felt fine. I cried in her office because I felt so defeated by my symptoms. What is wrong with me then? She suggested I might be suffering from anxiety and stress and it could be causing my symptoms. She put me on 10 mg of Prozac which I started a week ago. I can say that day when I went home my throat problems went away so obviously I was causing that myself with my anxiety, but my chest pressure and cough has come back just like it was before despite being on the GERD medication. The chest pressure is always there but comes in waves where it will feel really intense then not so bad. The cough is also happening more frequently. It doesn't matter if I'm resting or walking up the stairs it's always there.

I have no idea what is happening to me and it has really taken a toll on me physically and mentally. I'm scheduled for an endoscopy in a couple weeks, but feeling like it will just come out normal and my symptoms will continue. I might add that I have suffered from anxiety, depression, panic attacks my whole life, but have never had it cause symptoms like this. I've now started experiencing panic attacks in my sleep as well as night sweats. I wake up suddenly out of a deep sleep jump out of bed having a panic attack. It's just so awful.

I realize this post is so long and I apologize for that I've just been through so much hell these last couple months and I'm feeling very defeated lately. If anyone can relate or have suggests feel free to respond. Thanks for listening.

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • borderriever
    borderriever Dee9815

    Posted

    You are sensitised to your body and its cool running, your GP has been very thorough and looking at your blood pressure the initial reading is spot on. The later reading is higher although that could be caused by White Coat Anxiety when your GP is taking Her readings. Generally when they take blood pressure the patient may have entered the Surgery in a hurry and has not rested before seeing the Doctor if this is the case the readings can be higher, if that happens your Doctor will let you rest and take readings again to see if blood pressure has dropped

    Your GP seems to be following a well worn pathway, all I can suggest is trust your GP and any tests She may offer you.

    Anxiety is a nasty condition and I always try and understand what the person is going through, it is important for you to understand your body and how it works that may help you understand your condition and move on.

    If you can also help and find any cause of your complaint that also to facilitate an other pathway to normality

    BOB

  • racquel06611
    racquel06611 Dee9815

    Posted

    Dee,

    I have the same exact issue went all over did all the test and still felt like sh*t with a normal result. Me on the other hand her head pains on top of that which put my anxitey up 100%. I had a MRI 4 months ago and my neurologist thinks I'm insane . I have Heath Anxitey and it sucks . How is the medicine working for you ? None of those medicines worked for me so I take xanax 2 Twice a day and it works for me .

    • Dee9815
      Dee9815 racquel06611

      Posted

      Racquel,

      I just started the Prozac a week ago so I haven't noticed any changes yet. I've been told it takes some time to feel the effects of it. One would think that if you have all these tests done that come out good then you'd feel better knowing you are okay, but that's not the case for people like us. The symptoms get so intense that it takes over your life. How do you not think about it? It's always there. So when you're told it could be from stress and anxiety you doubt your doctors because that doesn't seem possible in your mind. For me, it makes more sense to be told I have some rare disease than to tell me it's stress and anxiety. I understand that isn't very realistic thinking, but when you feel so awful physically it's hard not to go there.

    • racquel06611
      racquel06611 Dee9815

      Posted

      Yes I agree .. I can't turn it off either I try every day .. I tried all those medicines none agreed with me . Lexapro - made me not eat and sped up my heart rate . Zoloft gave me anxitey , I was scared to try Prozac So I gave up !!!! I just do xanax as needed and fight through the day ...It's a struggle and it's hard and google is my best friend that I know is not good for me and need to stay off it

    • Dee9815
      Dee9815 racquel06611

      Posted

      I'm only on 10 mg of Prozac, but like I said I haven't seen a difference, but unfortunately all those meds take time. Is Xanax a sedation med like Ativan? I have a scrip for Ativan I take it here and there. It calms me down, but it doesn't take away my constant physical symptoms. I too rely on google a lot which is not a good idea as we all know. Google always shows the worst case scenario.. I find these forums help a little though. It's nice to know I'm not alone.

    • racquel06611
      racquel06611 Dee9815

      Posted

      Yeah your definitely not alone and it sucks . I have never heard of the other medicine but xanax works for about 4 hours and it works for me . But google is so bad my I can't help but look when I have symptoms .

    • Dee9815
      Dee9815 racquel06611

      Posted

      I know! It's so bad to google your symptoms but you can't help it! You're desperate to find a cause so you can feel better. I'm pretty sure Google is partly to blame for our anxiety because of the scary medical conditions you read about that go along with your symptoms!

      Ativan is like xanax I think. You take a pill and quickly become relaxed it lasts about 4 hours. Do you take anything for your headache? How long have you had it?

    • racquel06611
      racquel06611 Dee9815

      Posted

      I definitely agree google makes it 10 times worst but I can't help but look ... I feel so stupid .. I take the pill and I will feel relief with in 15 mins . But for example today I was in traffic which I hate so my body went into a panic attack but a different one my head was tingling and had a burning feeling then my chest tightened up .. this things are disabling and crippling I can't stand them .. I am not all about the medicine roll so if the headache is not bad I won't take anything but all I am on now is Xanax . I take it as needed but I always take it at night to shut down my racing thoughts

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