Health Anxiety
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi all, I'm new to this thread, also new to talking about my problems. I'm kinda posting just to see if anyone is able to give some advice.
I have pretty severe anxiety, I've had it for years but it got better, lately it been really bad. every single day i am stressing about health. Mainly my heart. every single time i get chest pain (and its always different chest pain, sometimes it will be tightness, sharp pains, etc) or arm pain or jaw pain or upper back pain, dizzy, shortness of breathe, i think im having a heart attack. and its hard because i always search my problems up and heart attack symptoms are pretty vague. basically everything says if you have chest pain, call 911 it's like, yikes and freaks me out and thinking im actually having a heart attack. I have a lot of other health worries, like if i get calf pain i think its blood clot, upper stomach i think its liver disease or something. But its mainly just heart worries.
I have been to the doctor not long ago because ive started getting palpitations quite a bit, and they do get a lot worse when i stress and it tends to prolong after stressing as well. The doctor did a ECG, he said ECG showed normal, my heart rate is high but thats because i stress so much when in doctors office but blood pressure was normal according to him. He wanted me to get 24 hour heart holter but ive been too anxious to have that connected to me so i never did get it. But they did tell me, based on what theyve seen so far, its most likely just my anxiety and stress.
is there anything i can do, i try pressure points, breathing, i even try herbal tea which apparently is really good for relaxing. it does work soemtimes, but when the pain sorta comes and goes or hangs around its a bit hard to just relax.
sorry if my english is not very good.
thank you.
0 likes, 11 replies
andreea53999 Haruki_Nakamoto
Edited
Hello! I've been going through pretty much the same thing lately... it's almost as if I wrote this myself. For me it's mostly palpitations and slightly elevated heart rate (even when I'm "at rest").
What I can tell you (and I wish I could follow take this advice myself) is that if you've been cleared by the doctor then you're mostly likely fine. Anxiety and stress play dirty tricks on us... and have lasting effects.
Tea is the only thing that kinda works for me as well (mostly Ayurvedic tea, but I also have chamomile or linden tea sometimes). I don't drink alcohol anymore and I don't want to take anti-anxiety pills either, because of the side-effects. So tea is pretty much the only thing that kinda helps.
I've also noticed that when I'm out and about (particularly if I'm not alone) I feel my symptoms less. Therapy also helps quite a lot. Take care!
Haruki_Nakamoto andreea53999
Edited
Hi!
Thanks for the response! Yeah I am the same on that front as well. I thought I mentioned it in my post but it seems I didn't, was sleep deprived when I wrote it. My heart rate does the same, I could be relaxed sitting down all fine then out of nowhere my heart starts beating faster, I have a smart watch so I'm constantly looking at that to tell my bpm. Palpitations I get daily. For me, it feels like my heart is skipping a beat every now and then. You could imagine how that feels. I have the same stance on meds, I have been on them before a long time ago and never again. I do find regular exercise and socializing does help but it's a real struggle for me to get to that point. Which is annoying.
Hope things are going well for you!
Kileen Haruki_Nakamoto
Edited
@Haruki_Nakamoto your post is exactly like what i have been experiencing for the past 3 years. I dont know where it came from but one morning i woke up and boom i started suffering from health anxiety. I stress myself out and panic over every little feeling that i feel, breathing issues, sore legs, upset stomach, headache. I go to the extreme and start googling my symptoms and then i convince myself that i have something seriously wrong with me. Heart attack, blood clot, brain tumour, colon cancer. You name it, ive convinced myself ive had it or got it. I have been to my doctor and the hospital numerous times over the past 3 years and then have ran a million tests, everything comes back normal and clear, instead of being happy about it, i convince myself that they have missed something and then get anxious and stressed some more, its a vicious circle. I have never taken medication for it, i didnt want to but i have just started therapy and im hoping that over time that may make a difference. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone, there seems to be so many people suffering with the same issues and thoughts as us. One thing i will say that i also did, i watched my smart watch like a crazy person, i would obsess over it, checking my heart rate continuously, if my heart rate was in the 60's i would panic it was too low, if it was in the 90's i would panic i was too high, there was no winning for me so i took it off because i felt like that was making me more anxious and caused me to overthink even more. I had a holter monitor fitted for 24 hours because i convinced myself there was something wrong with my heart. I had EKG'S numerous times, a chest x ray. Everything came back normal. Its hard to believe that all of these symptoms i feel are anxiety but after reading so many other people going through the same things, i have to try and tell myself that maybe thats exactly what it could be and that i should trust the many doctors that i have seen over the years.
andreea53999 Kileen
Edited
" If my heart rate was in the 60's i would panic it was too low, if it was in the 90's i would panic i was too high, there was no winning for me" - me, every single day. Damn these smart watches.. and our oversensitive minds!
Haruki_Nakamoto Kileen
Edited
Yep, same as you both. Everytime I see my bpm drop to 60s, im panicking thinking it too low. 90s too high. Thing is for me, sometimes just sitting here my heart rate can go to 100s, 110, 120 especially after eating as well. But most of the time, its between 60s and 90s. Even if I do take my smart watch off, I tend to check my heart rate in my neck constantly. And I also get palpitations, so that adds to my worries that my heart is just going to stop. So annoying, am really sick of living like this. I'm moving to another country soon (halfway across the world) so a very long plane flight, so that's going to be fun.
Kileen andreea53999
Posted
@andreea53999 absolutely, i overthink and analyze everything. Im on such high alert with regards to all of my bodily functions, even the most miniscule ones. Its a constant head game and drives me insane.
Kileen Haruki_Nakamoto
Edited
@Haruki_Nakamoto the same thing happened to me, i was sat stationary and checked my heart rate and it was 135 bpm, needless to say i was straight to the emergency room, after running an abundance of tests everything was clear. They put it down to me being overheated, dehydrated and anxious. I no longer wear my watch because i was going crazy checking it constantly. I am guilty of checking my own pulse a couple of times a day through my wrist, i did it only 30 minutes ago because i felt like i couldnt take a full breath. Its a constant battle but i do find since taking my watch off i have got a little better, not much but a little. I live in Canada but am from the UK and so i travel by plane often, i often get nervous before flying because i wonder if something will happen while im up in the air, or if the pressure in the cabin will effect me. Then i worry about something happening to me and me not seeing my family again because they might not get to me in time via plane. Your mind can play wonderful tricks on you, i know, im living with it 😦
Haruki_Nakamoto Kileen
Posted
Yeah, 100% agree with you. As for the plane thing, the exact same. I'm so worried that if I get a heart attack on the plane, there's literally no help, there's no hospital, no equipment, etc. And don't get me started on the turbulence that can happen, the feeling of literally dropping out of the sky, God. When I start to panic I do tend to take my watch off, I really only use it for exercise (when i manage myself to go) and sleep recording. It's comforting to know I'm not the only one feeling the exact same way. Honestly, it's such a horrible feeling.
Kileen Haruki_Nakamoto
Edited
@Haruki_Nakamoto Mine has got alot worse since becoming a mum, i fear mostly about "if soemthing happens to me, what will happen to him" so i monitor every feeling incase its something serious and i can catch it quick. The problem with that is that im constantly worried and overthinking and never truly living in the moment, im missing out on so many good times by constantly worrying about the possible bad times. And i know that death is inevitable, and i know that my anxiety probably causes most of my symptoms but its still hard to switch it off. If only hey.
I am the worst person when it comes to flying, i know exactly what you mean, its the feeling of everything being out of your control. But really, what is in our control when it comes to lots of different things. We drive cars even though we know we could crash, we walk across the street even though we know we could get hit by a car. Its the fear of the unknown which tries to stop us from living our lives but im done with being afraid of something that is out of my control and that i have no control over. Im hoping that the therapy helps and will get me on the right track. Maybe you should also look at something like that, just to try it and see if it helps. What harm, can it do really
Steve250 Haruki_Nakamoto
Posted
im the same . My advice is dont assume any diagnosis until a doctor does tests and examines you. As 99% of the time what we think is wrong with us , the doctor will diagnose something different. As they are experts in medicine and human body , and not you. i once thought i having stroke as really bad headaches, turns out it was bad ear wax the Dr correctly diagnosed me having.
rich05299 Haruki_Nakamoto
Posted
I am going through the same thing. I recently recovered from Covid and had a check up from Dr through test 2x a day for 2 weeks after I recovered. I got so used to checking all my vitals that now I cannot stop. My heart seems to always be beating high and I will get times where its basically an anxiety attack. Mostly when I leave my house. My BP gets high too but I am sure it is because of my total stressing about it.
It is very hard to focus on anything accept my heart. Going to Dr in a few days but I am pretty sure it is my health anxiety kicking in once again. I have had it my whole life. Covid really ramped it up for me as I had been very very sick. Now I am super paranoid.
Hope you feel better soon.