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heart attack? anxiety? something else? can't deal anymore!!!

Posted , 5 users are following.

racheld1975
racheld1975

A little back story...I've been diagnosed with anxiety and panic attacks for over 20 years now. I'm not sure how accurate that diagnosis is still to this day because literally nothing helps. It started out with chest pains when I was about 20 years old. I went to the hospital repeatedly and they did every test imaginable on my heart and found nothing. Anyway, I had my latest visit to the ER on Thursday evening and honestly felt like I should have never left because the pains are still there and nothing I do makes them any better. My medical history is as follows...

small sliding hiatal hernia

gerd

gallbladder removed in early 2000's

possible fibromyalgia (told I didn't have enough trigger points by 2)

anemia of some kind, was told pernicious but doctor said she wasn't even sure after iron infusions

morbidly obese, been overweight my entire life and never able to lose weight until this last year. lost 50 now stuck again.

high blood pressure, take 25mg hydrochlorothiazide daily

possible hypothyroidism or other thyroid issues, tests come back normal one time and abnormal the next

treated for pulmonary embolism in 2009 due to pregnancy, bed rest, and symptoms couldn't rule out

possible IBS but multiple colonoscopies show nothing

mild degenerative disc disease in back

mild arthritis in hips

B12 deficiency

My symptoms are as follows...

chest pains, pressure, tightness, burning all come and go with no rhyme or reason sometimes it feels sharp others like I'm being squeezed

pain in both arms, sometimes at the same time others just in one at at time, like a bp cuff squeezing off & on

feeling like I'm being filled with boiling water, rushes of heat from head to toe

intense pain when being touched or massaged, like someone is cutting me even though they aren't

heavy painful periods

numbness and tingling in my hands feet and face, again off and on

pain in my upper abdomen, pressure and fullness

pain in my joints, knees and hips are the worst

back pain

fatigue

dizzy and lightheaded

nausea

constipation and diarrhea

rash on face, was told possible rosacea

I do not have insurance, I also do not have a lot of money so my ability to continue testing is at a minimum. I see my doctor when I can afford to and we do what he feels is the most important in order of what I can afford but it isn't helping. He also cannot prescribe any controlled substances and some of the meds I have been on in the past I had the least problems with were just that. He has just started prescribing me alternative anxiety medications which either did not work or made my symptoms worse so I am currently on nothing other than my blood pressure medication. I am in pain every single day of my life, I literally feel like I'm having a heart attack from the minute I open my eyes until I pass out every night. I don't drink, I quit smoking over 3 years ago, I don't do any other drugs. I eat the best I can and try to avoid as much garbage as I possibly can. I stay away from caffeine and anything I know will give me heartburn, like tomatoes. I try to be physically active, it is not always easy, but I try to walk everyday. I am talking to a therapist online but nothing is helping. Any suggestions or thoughts are welcomed.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Mamabearkc
    Mamabearkc racheld1975

    Posted

    this sounds miserable. one thing i noticed is that you said you feel this way from the time you get up until the time you go to sleep. if it were something more serious it would happen during your sleep as well.have you ever looked into a carnivore way of eating? ive read so many testimonies of people saying how great they feel and a lot of people lose a ton of weight.

    • racheld1975
      racheld1975 Mamabearkc

      Posted

      Oh it wakes me up sometimes too...and I don't know what you mean by carnivore way of eating? Only meat? I'm currently doing not very strict keto...as little carbs and sugars as possible. Lots of lean proteins and veggies.

  • maryann0705
    maryann0705 racheld1975

    Posted

    i totally understand what your going too my chest is vert sore for 3 days now i think its because my anxiety was do bad i tensed up and now im suffering what do you do to help it???

  • stephen79-1
    stephen79-1 racheld1975

    Posted

    Rachel

    ive read your post multiple times as i feel that so much of what you say is similar for me.

    i worry about lots of symptoms daily and its a struggle to show a normal face to my family and friends when im feeling so many things that frighten me.

    i struggle to understand how physical symptoms can be so real and be a result of anxiety... but...

    having read your post and seeing the similarities i wanted to share with you my current state of mind...

    its hard or impossible to know what is causing our symptoms, without all the right tests and i feel your difficulties as i often feel dismissed by doctors or that they dont share my concern/urgency. however, in not knowing what is wrong i can tell you two things that are absolutely true...

    anxiety can cause physical symptoms and anxiety causes you to be more tuned into symptoms

    anxiety causes physical symptoms because you can be tense and you can be worried. these things alone can increase BP, cause muscle tension, cause acid/gerd to name just a few

    you are probably sick of hearing or reading about how to calm down, especially when you feel everything that you do and im right there with you... but... today... just for a while... ive been feeling a little better....

    im still anxious, a lot, i still worry i have serious hearr, vascular issues etc but... i started to say to myself, what if im causing myself these dymptoms by being so anxious... i started to do some basic things over the last few days like eating healthier, eating some supplemental good things like nuts, porridge with tumeric, and trying to relax.

    i am focusing on one thing right now... my digestion. i keep thinking i have heart problems but im going to get digestion under control and see if it helps... so far it has... which reassures me a little

    so to cut to the chase... im giving you a friendly kick in hope this will help...

    here it is... give yourself a little break... stop worrying for just a little while... give yourself just an hour, or more.if you can where you take control of your anxiety and tell it to f&ck off...

    focus on giving your body some help... walk a little if you can, eat something to help your body, take some pain medicine if this gives you some short term relief to just have a moment to yourself.

    think about me... and the many others who are going through the same. you are not alone and hopefully you can take comfort in knowing that the likelyhood of everyone with symptoms having a major health issue is very Very unlikely... so that means some of us, if not most of us, must be sucoming to anxiety... and you might not just be one of them, you probably are one of them!!!

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