Really bad health anxiety!

I know you posted this over a year ago. I can totally relate. I have been having left arm pain, back pain, jaw pain and indigestion. I am so afraid I'm having warning signs of an impending heart attack. I've been googling my symptoms every day for hours and I'm so scared because a lot of stuff says even though the ekg comes back normal doesn't mean it is. So many healthy women who are young have had heart attacks. The symptoms were not the classic symptoms. I'm an anxious wreck. I just want to feel normal. Can anyone relate?

Hi leahandrea! I too am an anxious wreck and have been for about 4 years now. I've gone to the hospital multiple times for anxiety/panic attacks over the years, and I'm only 22. I used to think I was having heart attacks all the time, (despite the fact that I was born with a heart defect and I go for checkups every year and I'm always perfectly fine). For the past 4 months now I have convinced myself that I have some sort of brain tumor just because I have had a weird feeling in my eye along with a little pain , (I've also gone to the eye doc for this and he says my eyes are perfectly healthy). I've also had numbness and tingling in my extremities. But I've always had that. I can distract myself for a little while but then it's like my brain realizes that I'm actually feeling better and then decides to ruin everything with thoughts of impending doom. I, like you, just want to feel normal again. My doc recently put me on celexa for anxiety so I'm hoping that helps some. Have you been feeling any better?

Hi leahandrea

I feel the same I started getting panic attacks 4 months after my daughter was born ended up in er where I got a EKG and blood work that came back fine. Was able to manage them for 2 yrs till this year the end of June it just spiraled out of control with a major panic attack that made me go completely numb in my left arm my chest hurt I couldn't breath went weak friend took me to er where doctor had to yell at me to calm down my heart rate was 160 they did EKG and blood work xray everything came back fine. Since that day in June I have not been the same chest pain stomach problems back pain dizziness anxious panicky all the time left arm squeezing/pain neck pain weird burning or tingly sensations in my arms face etc I have been to er 5 times thinking I was having a heart attack been to cardiologist been to a Gastro still on going with gastro because now I mysteriously have food intolerance . I'm like you I have read all the forums of women who have had heart attacks and had all my symptoms so I'm always on edge that this is it even though my doctor and cardiologist said I was fine I'm not convinced. Its a nightmare I have lost so much weight and feel like no one understands I just want my life back I hate the heart palpitations the most they set me off. My husband tries to be supportive but can tell he gets frustrated. I just want my life back so I can enjoy my 3 beautiful children. I'm convinced I have heart issues because my symptoms are so strong even though the doctors say that someone my age 36 that its unlikely I don't believe them. If you need to talk I am also in Tucson. Hopefully we can overcome whatever this is. I try to convince myself its just anxiety but then something will just trigger the whole heart thing then I start googling and of course the list of things is always the worst lol I just want to be normal whatever that is anymore

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Hi Monica -

I know exactly what you're going through. I know that it seems miserable, and really is miserable. But I can tell you, based on your tests and doctors advice, you are completely fine physically. Now I know it's hard to hear that because you want to think "but they don't know what I'm feeling, they've never experienced this, nobody will listen to me, I'm not making up what I'm feeling." They may not have experienced it before, but I have. The symptoms you're feeling, they're real. But they are symptoms from anxiety, nothing else. They are not a physical threat to you. I battled anxiety for years and still have flare ups from time to time. I know how it can consume your life. But I learned that once I started to accept the symptoms for what they were, I began to be less afraid of them and they occurred much less. I started to trust my doctors and not Google, and just enjoy everything I had in life. You have a great family that you've started and so much to look forward to with them. Be thankful for what you have and know that this will get better. Also it sounds like your husband is supportive but you still feel a little guilty. I would just talk to him and let him know what you're thinking. Let him know that you know this is difficult on him as well and that you are working you're hardest to get better and let him know how much his support means to you. When you feel like you have someone on your team, it is a lot better. I hope this helps. Just know that this will pass. Message if you need more advice.

Hi Jake,

Thank you for responding. It is definitely a struggle with good days and bad days and on the good days I so take advantage of those days because I feel semi normal lol how do you over come the what if? That's my problem is what if this is really a medical emergency? What if the doctors are missing something just because I am young what if their just chalking this up to be anxiety etc thats what crosses my mind a lot. I'm scared 90% of the time the other 10% I'm too exhausted to care. I feel like I'm just surviving not living I hate it. And its taking a toll mentally. How do you do it? I'm so hell bent that there is something physically wrong with me I use to be so fun and free even my friends say this isnt you um yea I know lol most of the time I'm scared I'm dying mostly at night I pray i wake up.

Wow this is totally me. I have had left side of the body numbness and chest discomfort for months and i finally was able to see a cardiologist today. He doesn't think its heart related but im scheduled for a stress test, a holter monitor and echo as well. I have been wanting for the longest to have peace of mind when it came to my heart and i finally think i might get that. But i totally been where u are at. I hate the feelings i get it my chest its really scares me.

Just wondering how you are doing. I too am going through this crap

Hi lolasmom,

I'm doing better try to keep my mind preoccupied so I don't think of my weird jacked up scary symptoms. Lately I have been getting these weird headaches and dizziness/off balance feeling I try to tell myself I'm ok but somedays I just don't feel ok. But we must go on ,I don't want to get older look back and realizing nothing ever happened I wasted my life in fear that's not living man but some of my symptoms are so scary and real its hard to say oh its anxiety. I am looking for another doctor because last time I went to my doctor he just wanted to prescribe me more xanax that I don't want I want to know why I'm dizzy why I get burning tingly numb sensations in face arms etc so frustrated.

What's going on with you? If you don't mind Me asking?

You sound just like me, was about going to a&he tonight

Hi Monica,

I'm a 40 yrs old woman and I'm going through the same thing. Since the beginning of December, I've started by getting the occasional dizzy spell. At first I blamed it on being tired or too much caffeine (although I never had more than one coffe per day) or whatever the reason I could blame this on. But then it started to happen everyday and then many times in one day. They got so bad that I don't feel comfortable driving anymore. I wouldn't want to cause an accident. When the dizzy spells started happening more often, I then started getting really bad headaches that felt like cramps. They would come on suddenly and be intense. That's when I went to the clinic to get checked. That was about 2 weeks after the onset of the symptoms. By then, I was also getting irregular heartbeats many times per day. Sometimes it would feel like I was skipping a beat altogether and other times it felt more like a flutter. Just irregular. The doctor sent me for blood work after seeing from some old blood tests that my iron was too high and my cholesterol was also high. In the meantime, xmas came and went and I didn't feel any better. I went for the blood tests and the next day, the heart flutters were so bad that I decided to go to the ER. They plugged me on a portable machine to check my heartbeat and I waited 7 hours in the waiting room overnight. But of course I didn't have one irregular heartbeat during that that time so it came out normal. They had me take more blood test and they scheduled me for an MRI of the head which is next week. I also am going for a stress test this Friday and then seeing a cardiologist. This was based on a request I had made last summer when I had a scare about my heart. Waited six months for it, but it falls at the right time. Having said all that, I know I suffer from anxiety and I also know that since last summer, my husband of 20 years told me that he wasn't too sure about us anymore. So I have been going through a LOT of stress due to that for a few months now and I'd say I've been very sad overall and scared of what will come of our marriage.

I have two young boys, 9 & 11 and I don't want to end up being a story in the news of a young woman who got told by doctors that she was "fine" only to then have a heart attack and die too young because she was misdiagnosed or not taken seriously because she was too young. On top of those symptoms, today I started feeling pain on left side of my jaw. I thought it was odd and honestly didn't even know it could be a symptom of a heart attack but I checked online and there it was... So I'm scared. Very scared for my health. But my logic tells me that it might also all be anxiety... I don't know what to believe anymore.

Oh! And the first blood test they took after xmas, turns out my cholesterol is high and given my family history it puts me at "high risk" the doctor said. Whatever that means exactly I'm not exactly sure. And on top of that, my iron turned out to be too low. I've been iron taking supplements for a week now as per doctor's orders but the symptoms are still all there. I get very regularly tightness in the chest too. And... my sugar level was high too. I am at 0.1 away from being pre-diabetic. So my health is not super given these results but the doctor, knowing those results and knowing my symptoms, still didn't seem too concerned. Mostly because I'm not overweight and I don't smoke. Urgh. I am so exhausted of feeling this constant fear and major stress. I feel like I should be working on my marriage (by the way my husband remains very supportive and he is worried about me through this too) but I can't put any energy making our relationship better because I'm always scared for my health and my life.

I started seeing a therapist tonight. But mostly to talk about my marital problems and the sadness attached to that. But I will eventually talk about my anxiety as well.

Also, I've been on Wellbutrin XL 150 for the past several years due to a depression I had gone through many yrs ago. I never stopped taking the meds bc They also help with anxiety. But could this be just anxiety even though I'm already taking meds for it or are my health worries valid?

I hate living like this. It's hell. I've already missed one full week of work last week and I could barely make it through my day today. And right now it's the middle of the night and I'm writing this instead of sleeping because my heart was beating like crazy when I went to bed and I felt that I couldn't breath well. So I figured that instead of googling symptoms of heart problems, that I would google anxiety disorders and hopefully see that it could just be anxiety so I can relaxe.

I feel your pain and obviously the same as a lot of people on this board. It helps to see that I am not alone...

How is your health now? I see you posted this a few months ago. Hope you are feeling better.

Mel

Hi there. Im here coz it seems like theres people who understands the pain. My ECG and xrays about a month ago was also fine, I'm now on anxiety meds but still suffering with all kinds aches in my body. Tonight it's my shoulder blade with chest pain.

I hope I will get better and all of you. This pain is stealing my sleep and no energy to do exciting things.

Hi there...i have bad health anxiety too...i have weeks where I am fine and others where i swear I have something wrong with me..my chest pains are back...went to emerg Tues night...now today developed a pain in my right calf...google says it's a blood clot...ap I have myself thinking I have that..

Hello jake I'm 19 years old. I've had various cardio work up. All my test have been normal so far except my last ekg was a lil abnormal but dr said it's nothing to worry about. I've been suffering from severe dull heavy chest pain for about 6 months now. I've seen many many drs including 2 cardiologist. All my echos X-rays chest cts blood work and holter monitors have been normal. This chest pain is taking over my life it's ruining me. I need an answer for this 😔😔. My dr said if there was something wrong with my heart they would of found out already. And that I should trust him and all the drs 😔  

Omg this sounds just like me never thought I'd find someone that thinks the same as me I hate this feeling so much I carnt cope I carnt enjoy life no more I'm convinced I have a heart problem I've had ecgs come bk normal I don't believe them or the doctors xx

Hi lolasmom, well besides the wicked heart palpitations I'm pushing forward trying to remain in control have maintained that pretty well lately. I try stay grounded and pray a lot. The heart palpitations are the worst for me I hate it they are the kind that my heart stops for a second and when it beats again it comes back in a hard beat hate it sometimes have this weird dropping feeling in my chest when it happens freaks me out I just remind myself chill you have felt this way before your still here your fine. So yea I find myself talking to myself a lot reassuring myself everyday. I have a year follow up with cardiologist that I haven't scheduled yet they keep calling and reminding I keep putting it off. I sometimes think am I going to be like this forever? Can I do this forever? Fight with myself and these symptoms, I have to makes me sad and mad some days. And sometimes I'm just like meh it is what it is. The mind is a powerful thing we have to learn to control it I'm still working on that.

Hi Rebecca, I know its hard but you have to remind yourself your still here your still going. Took me sometime but I have learned to talk to myself and reassure myself, its hard some days as my symptoms are strong, but I just always remind myself I'm here I have felt this way before I'm fine I'm going to be fine and it works. Remind yourself!

What are your symptoms?

Hi, I see that this post is about a year old, I'm hoping that you will maybe still see this. I've been searching the internet for someone to talk to about the way I feel and your post was pretty spot on. I am also 40 and have had anxiety for about 15 years. I have had MANY physical symptoms and MANY tests ran.

Most recently, I have been having left arm pain. Off and on for several days. I am terrified, convinced that it is heart related. I have three small kids and if I make another trip to the ER, I'd have to take them along! I have no friends or family close. I'm looking for some reassurance that maybe it's stress or anxiety... Idk what to do anymore. My life is ran by my anxiety. I'm so sad.