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Health anxiety - worried about my heart

Posted , 7 users are following.

Oneshotlpm
Oneshotlpm

This is my first ever post on any forum for health anxiety or to potential get help.

I was wondering if someone can relate to my situation and advise how to get my life back.

So I've always been an overthinker and worry alot, but the last few weeks have really hit me hard, emotionally broke 😦

I'm 39 male white, I don't smoke, I don't drink I use to drink diet coke as my social drink and at home it was my pleasure. I'm 16 stone now and don't exercise due to the fear of having a heart attack.

My issue with health anxiety is always triggered by physical symptoms. I could go weeks with no issues and get a physical thing and it sets me off.

Ive taken to this forum for help and advise after I experienced pains down my left arm, wrist, numb tingling on my jaw and kinda down my neck. It worried me that I took myself to A&E.

While in A&E they did an ECG which was normal but super fast 126bpm (this was probably high due to being around doctors and in hospital not knowing what's ahead.

Next thing they sent me to the Acute heart ward for further tests and blood tests. I had bloods done and a second ecg which was again fast! 120+

The doctor was happy with normal ecg despite being fast. They sent me home.

Ever since I've been in a constant state of alert thinking it's my heart even though bloods and ecg was normal. Im still getting the sensation and dull ache on my left arm, jaw and nect. My gp phoned me and said he's looked at the medical notes and he's not one but concerned about my heart and said its likely to be thoracic outlet syndrome. It does make sense but my mind finds it hard to accept that.

My mind set is like maybe the doctors got it wrong.. Maybe the tests were just lucky and showed up fine when really they are not.

Ive been having sleep jerks, every time I nod off I'm jerked awake. One night I stayed awake all night.

Been having bad heart burn, burning thoart and feel like I'm so anxious all the time. I have a wife and 2 children and I would really like my life to be normal.

I also constantly check my pulse and blood pressure via monitors.

Please help me 😦

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • jan34534
    jan34534 Oneshotlpm

    Edited

    sorry you were going through this. I can honestly tell you that I’ve had all of your sensations and symptoms many times over. All my tests were also normal. I would get a racing heart seemingly out of nowhere. I got numbness, tingling, aches and pains, Brain fog, floaters in my eyes, chest pressure and pain, numbness, and several more. that all started in my late 20s. Every single one of my symptoms was due to long-term anxiety and stress! As I said before all my testing was perfectly normal! I, like you thought maybe the testing was wrong. Just about everybody who gets testing and has anxiety says that maybe the test missed something. That is so common to say. I learned a lot since those days.

    I am now in my 60s and I am perfectly healthy. I wanted to tell you that so that you know none of the anxiety symptoms are going to hurt you. You need to trust the doctors and the testing otherwise you will have a very miserable life. I did that for a long time and I regret it because I missed out on days I can never get back.

    here are some things I suggest.

    1. stop overthinking. All of those what if thoughts are a complete waste of time. You have to learn how to think right when you have anxiety. Start with a counselor which you can do virtually if you like.
    2. keep yourself busy. One thing I did that really kept my mind off of myself was to help others in anyway I could. It’s a great feeling!
    3. Do some research on how to manage anxiety. There’s a lot on YouTube as well as relaxing meditation for anxiety.do some research on how to manage anxiety. There’s a lot on YouTube as well as relaxing meditations for anxiety.
    4. get some exercise. You don’t have to run if you don’t feel like it but just about everybody can walk. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain which are good hormones That actually lift depression and anxiety.
    5. stop negative thoughts in their tracks!
    6. Remind yourself that you have been tested and everything is fine. also remind yourself that you are missing out on enjoying your family because of your over thinking. Live in the present moment. Play with your children before they are grown and gone! Laugh with your family. Go on walks together. Take the focus off of yourself and you’ll be glad you did!

      you’re gonna be OK.

    • urooj04662
      urooj04662 jan34534

      Posted

      Your symptoms looks exactly like mine. I am 22 year old Male and started having these symptoms 4 years ago. Can you tell if you took any medication and if you did how did you manage the sleepiness or the other symptoms that come with it.

  • Krista1795
    Krista1795 Oneshotlpm

    Edited

    Hi Oneshot1pm,

    I can understand being emotionally broke, its truly an exhausting job mentally and physically to always feel we need to be on high alert for our body. Our body will let us know when something is severely wrong, however, that doesn't stop the average health anxiety warrior from worrying over every sensation WE feel.

    One thing i've been working on is introceptive exposure therapy. I truly believe this can help people who suffer from Healthy Anxiety/OCD (ocd accompanies health anxiety - hence ruminating over feelings and sensations and then doing things repeatedly in order to get a temporary relief from the anxiety). I suggest spending some time researching this type of therapy if you want.

    The sensations you describe above sound very much like the classic anxiety/panic attack type symptoms.

    I also suggest when having anxiety/panic attacks allow your body to go through it and feel it, do not fight it, lean into it...the more you do, the less pressure on your body versus having the panic and fighting it and your brain afterwards will be more trained to know you are okay and you made it through, even though hard.

    ps. stress can give you all sorts of sensations and actual health problems too. heartburn can be caused by stress. maybe take two tums a day and sip some cold water.

    I hope this gives you a moment of peace, lord knows we need some if we are on this forum.

    😃

  • Worrymadwoman
    Worrymadwoman Oneshotlpm

    Posted

    i too suffer health anxiety and have all my life much to the anoyance of my husband

    i have had many checks and tests over the years my heart has always been a worry as my dad died at 60 with heart failure and my nan at 55

    i was getting svts and my heart went to 240 bpm which was really scary

    it was never csptured when it happened and took years to diagnoise and everyone thought they were panic attacks

    one bad episode was eventually caught on an ecg and i had an ablation done to fix the issue which was a faulty electrical circuit in my heart

    however my anxiety has never gone away

    i have covid at the moment and am getting chest pains as well as lots of other symptoms so as normal my head is thinking the worst

    it truly is an awful condition to have and so hard to overcome

    i hope you can find some peace from it and enjoy your life

  • mark82842
    mark82842 Oneshotlpm

    Posted

    Thank you for posting this I am in the same exact predicament as you and want to let you know you are not alone I actually google searched anxiety message boards hoping that I could seek others going through what I am going through to maybe give my mind a little comfort i really just want to feel normal again and not be afraid that every fast heartbeat or every little tingle sensation in my body is a pending heart attack or stroke. My health and test results always come up negative yet my mind is always on high alert over my heart that i just cannot shake it.

    reading these boards for the first time today has given me some hope.

    I wish the best in your recovery and hope you will get through this and back to your true self. Hoping the same for myself

    thank you again!!

  • clare53093
    clare53093 Oneshotlpm

    Edited

    I hope you don't mind me jumping in on your post, I too have never posted on here before, but I couldn't believe some of the similarities to my situation.

    I'm a 41 Yr old mum of 2,I too don't drink or smoke and have no obvious health issues, however I've suffered with severe anxiety since the birth of my first child since 2009.

    I constantly worry about health conditions for me and for my children, and after a period off work last year, I felt I wasn't doing too bad (for my level of anxiety anyway) however 3 weeks ago, I was sent to a&e following a prolonged period of palpitations, where an ecg showed a fast heartbeat of 114 but no issues were found. I also followed up with further blood tests all of which have proved normal. however following that period, I seem to find myself having periods of lightheadedness/Trembling inside but the doctors are putting it down to stress and anxiety and have prescribed sertraline. I'm reluctant to start them at the moment as I genuinely feel this is different to just anxiety and feel like I'm physically unwell. I have more blood tests next week to see whether it could be peri menopause. so I'm awaiting those. but last night I was woken around 5am with a feeling of shaking/Trembling. I do not recall having a nightmare of anything and this has never happened before, so also wanted to see others opinions on whether stress,/anxiety even if you don't feel like you are particularly anxious, makes you feel physically unwell.

    I'm even thinking of booking in with a chiropractor tomorrow as I do suffer with neck/back pain and wonder if I could have a trapped nerve or something making me this way, although I could just be clutching at straws.

    grateful for any advice and I hope you also get answers and some relief x

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