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Really bad health anxiety!

Posted , 108 users are following.

lucy84536
lucy84536

Hey guys,

I'm new to this forum and not too sure what it's all about or if it's going to help me..

I'm 23 years old and have been told by my doctor that I'm suffering from health anxiety (although I'm not convinced!)

It all started at the beginning if the year - I had a very random and very scary panic attack which came completely out of the blue! From then I've had the worst physical symptoms I've ever experienced.. Chest pain, numbness and tingling in my left arm, pain in my ribs, difficulty breathing sometimes, head aches, extreme tiredness (to the point where I feel like I'm going to fall asleep any second), dizziness, brain fog.. The list is endless!

I've been to my gp and also a&e numerous times and they've done some tests.. I had routine bloods, ECG, chest X-ray and the blood pressure etc.. All came back normal!

Even though I've been told I'm ok I just don't feel I am, I feel there is something seriously wrong with me (my heart worries me the most). Every doctor I have seen has told me that heart problems don't happen to girls of my age, so they've never done any tests on my heart. Since then I've been reading up on things and apparently it IS possible to have heart problems at my age! So what do I do? Do I take their word for it or keep going back until I get it tested? I feel like it's ruining my life - everyday I wake up thinking is this going to be the day I have a heart attack! The symptoms are so real and they are there 24/7!

Also my doctor put me on fluoxetine around 4 months ago - I have recently stopped taking it because it wasn't helping and I was getting awful side effects. Does anyone recommend any medication to help with how I am feeling?

I'm so so worried about my help! And no one seems to care. All I hear is anxiety, it's just anxiety, you have anxiety!!!!

Also I should add, I'm not at all overweight, I do smoke occasionally and have a pretty rubbish diet - I know the smoking and diet aren't going to help but I feel so rubbish that I cans stop eating rubbish!!!

Thank you very much for reading. Any help what so ever is very appreciated x

9 likes, 112 replies

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  • Jojoxxx
    Jojoxxx lucy84536

    Posted

    Hi. I'm 21 and I have pretty much exactly what you have although the doctors haven't told me I have health anxiety. I had one panic attack and its blew me out of the water! My health hasn't been the same since. I keep thinking I'm going crazy, my heart 'hurts' (as I describe it) and my head feels like there is a weight on it. Like you, I researched what was wrong with me. By the end I had diagnosed myself with many different illnesses. Don't keep looking on the Internet. Stop yourself from doing so and only speak to the doctors. This will get the idea that something is wrong out of your head and you will only hear from the doctor. Not from the Internet. It is very difficult. Also, my diet is very poor too and I smoke occasionally. Try and take your caffeine limits as low as possible throughout the day. That should help. You shouldn't have to take everything out of your diet. Hope this helps
  • Akstout99
    Akstout99 lucy84536

    Posted

    All this is very scary but I am relieved to hear I am not alone . About 3 months ago I randomly got tinnitus in my right ear followed by fullness in that ear then later fullness in the left ear. This really freaked me out . I couldn't get into a ent doc so I went to my regular doc and she said it looked normal don't worry but it was very bothersome and scared me a lot . Well one thing led to another and my health anxiety was sparked and I am miserable . I have a great physiologist and am working hard to fight this. I was started in klonipin because my anxiety was so high . After about two weeks on the klonapin I started having tremors in my hands . I assumed it was the medication and began to worry even more about my health. Has this drug set off a disease in my body ? I have had every thought a person could have . My doctors all think it's just the anxiety and encouraged me to take more of the medication because I was not taking a high dose at all . Needless to say I went to the er when the shaking didn't go away . Every test known to man came back normal . Shaking worse when I am upset or anxious . I am taking Xanax now at a very low dose which is what I wanted . But the shaking is still there most of the time . If I am busy I tend to not feel it but if I have any time on my hands I get worse I feel the tremors / shaking in my hands and arms a lot . I am worried I have ms or some awful disease any one else have these symptoms ? Could this all be my anxiety ?
    • Lolasmom
      Lolasmom Akstout99

      Posted

      Wondered how you are doing. I get the jittery jerking legs and arms. Bad when I am driving and really bad first thing in the morning. Klon helps after about 30 minutes after I take it but still comes back by dinnertime
  • keithsarty
    keithsarty lucy84536

    Posted

    Hi lucy. I'm sorry to hear your issue ... I would like you to know that you (all of you) are not alone ... July 27 2013 I had a major heart attack they brought me back after 3 mins of cpr and possibly the electric volt shockage (not sure). They went in through my esophagus and put a stent in my main artery which was 99% blockage. I was 30 when this happened ... I suffer from bad sleep apnea and docs say that was one of the main causes to my HA ...

    Well, I recovered very well, was doing great, was back at work (painter) and so on, until one day at work I got a pain in the shoulders and neck ... it persisted for another day and then which I left work and went to the hospital. They said my blood pressure is fine, oxygen levels fine ... They had to bring the head cardiologist down to me to explain it from his own mouth "this has nothing to do with your heart, I promise you" ...

    They gave me a quick release tab of Adivan (lorazapam) and a script for ten more ...

    Since then I've been on a different "pam" family pill and have been ok off and on up till about 3 weeks ago ...

    I feel all the symptoms you and others mention, chest (where the heart is), shoulder (only left side), up the left side of my neck and sometimes into my jaw. my left fingers get numb and tingly (last three or two) and my lips get numb when I get really worked up and flush in the face and cant think. I seriously thought I was having another HA .. and keep thinking it oh about ALL DAY LONG  ! I'm driving myself nuts, I keep going to grab for my left fingers to see if they are really numb, and I realize NO they arent, my brain is making myself think that they are ... Yet, tmmw I have a cardiologist appointment to get a full check up ... I believe (in my head) that once I see the cardiologist and he does a full examination on me, that will give me comfort and this rush of panic will go away. If you knew me before I started having issues, I am one of the most care free, easy going kosher dudes on planet earth smile Now all of a sudden I've lost it !

    Regardless, I don't really have any questions, but I would like to come back on here and give my update once I know for sure from the doc, I do believe tmmw he will inject a dye into my blood so that they can see every little thing happening ... I am SO hoping Doc says its just my brain making this happen. Regardless, I am more prone to another HA than almost anyone who hasnt had one, because my heart will never have its full strength again ... It IS a scary thought ... but its just my brain feeding that into my head, because everytime I get a check, my BP is almost perfect, the ECG says nothing and that I'm fine ( I've heard some stories about people having ECG tests say everythng is fine and then they have a major attack, but for the most part, there should be SOME sort of signal that I am having angine instead of anxiety ... nothing ....

    I reallllly dragged this on .. so as I was saying, if I go get tested, and nothing is wrong with me, but I sure as hell felt something was wrong ... Chances are ( I'm no Doctor at all) it is probably some what of the same diagnose ... Anxiety a.k.a Its All In Yer Head a.k.a Its A Very Scary Thing.

    Hope everything goes well and I wil be back on here in a day or two to give my update ! Oh and I live in Hamilton Ontario Canada, I goto The General Hospital for my problems (it is the second or third best hospital in the WORLD for heart issues) ... so I take their word for everything they say to me ... Dr. Craig Ainsworth. He saved my life and hopefully tmmw he will save it again (in a sense). I am a musician and have been confined into my place forever it seems like, I need to get my stuff together so I can LIVE.

    Thank You for listening and TY everyone for your replys, they mean too much !

    p.s. he is right, self diagnosing over google has turned me into a NUT. We should only listen to our Doc, but a lot of Docs just want to pump you full of pills we don't need, so its hard not to.

    BYE !

    • sheila10167
      sheila10167 keithsarty

      Posted

      Hello. I know your post was 6 months ago but I was wondering how everything went.
  • sharon88614
    sharon88614 lucy84536

    Posted

    I think this is what I suffer from health anxiety I habe all the same sort of symptoms you guys get I don't feel sane because of it
  • meljenk
    meljenk lucy84536

    Posted

    hello, i suffer from health anxirty too, its horrible. have you look into fibrimalagia (spelling is prob wrong).

    as most the sympoms of that is what you have? i could be wrong but its worth looking into.

    Im currently at work with a pulse of 100BPM and im trying to calm down, im freaking out inside!! 

    i have simular symptoms to you.....actually 99% of them, ivehad most tests and all have come back normal....sad i symapthise loads with you!

     

    • sharon88614
      sharon88614 meljenk

      Posted

      It's really horrible isnt it 😣 I dont feel sane anymore can't remember what it's like to not have these symptoms I feel like I'm a crazy person sometimes I get days were my brain just isn't with it
  • lexieshaw
    lexieshaw lucy84536

    Posted

    Hi! I'm 22, and i have the same symptoms as you. I also have health anxiety and a panic disorder, I haven't had a panic attacks for 2 weeks but everyday I think I'm going to have a heart attack because my palpitations are so bad. My dad has had 5 heart attacks in his life and had a triple heart bypass and I'm petrified that I'm going to have one. I don't smoke and I don't drink, I used to exercise everyday but I stopped because the exercise was making my heart feel so odd it scared me more. I eat very healthy but I'm worrying everyday and it's running me because I am in fact a strong minded person but just not strong enough for this.
    • Khel21
      Khel21 lexieshaw

      Posted

      can i ask if did you go to psychiatrist for counceling?
  • Patient9000
    Patient9000 lucy84536

    Posted

    Hey guys,

    First of all I am not a health professional and this suggestion is based purely on personal experience. 

    I noticed many of you experience symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations and numbness. Make sure your blood ferratin (iron) levels have been tested. They probably have but just doubled check with your doc because those are all symptoms of iron defeciency anemia. Which is not a serious thing and pretty easy to fix! I had bad chest pain, palpitations, dizziness when exercising and numb feet for awhile. I had such bad anxiety about it it (of course) made it 10x worse and at one point I couldn't work. But luckily it was just iron deficiency anemia. Nothing some iron pills and a change in diet can't fix. Young women often have low iron levels and these symptoms can seem really scary if you don't know the cause. 

  • Jorige
    Jorige lucy84536

    Posted

    Ignore the health anxiety for a moment and think about your life. Is there anything that you don't like about it? If there is think of how could you change it. If you have too much of negative stimulus, too many bad experiences in your life but choose to ignore it instead of taking an action and changing something then eventually your body will get into a defence mode (panic attacks, GAD). 

    Also try magnesium + B group vitamins. People who smoke, drink, suffer from excessive stress, exercise a lot use up more magnesium than those who don't. There are many medical articles on magnesium and it helped me personally. 

    "In humans, magnesium deficiency impairs the cardiovascular response to stress , while stress also increases magnesium requirements. (Seelig MS. 1994) Magnesium deficiency also leads to impaired glutamatergic transmission via NMDA-receptors (Siwek M. 2005) and an increase in the lactate to pyruvate ratio (RA Buist. 1985), both of which are relevant to psychiatric conditions."

  • phishyesther
    phishyesther lucy84536

    Posted

    I also recently was seeking therapy and counseling and belive it is the best way to help me out of waking up every day and feeling like I have a higher affinity to die sooner than my peers or those around me. It is a feeling that I can not talk about with those around me, as they just think I am complaining to complain, or not seeing the future clearly, but it does not explain the paranoia that no one is concerned with something that could be very wrong in my body chemistry
  • jlycus24801
    jlycus24801 lucy84536

    Posted

    I just want to say thank you to everyone that posted in this discussion because it makes me feel so much better. In the past year I have been going through an all-out hell. In the past several years I had made a lot of health and eating changes (I started jogging, riding my bike, eating healthier foods, drinking less sugery drinks, drinking more water, eating less fatty foods and junk, working out) and I lost some uneeded fat and weight and started feeling great. Mind you I have mild asthma and a slighty increased heart rate (nothing serious) but none of that ever held me back from working, playing sports or being active. I did have to make sure I didn't over do it but I functioned like every other normal person. One thing always did bother me however......Anxiety. My first attack happened in my 20's, I was at work and for no reason I would start shaking and getting nervous when I went to the time clock to punch out for work, it was really embarrising. It also would happen when I went out with friends, if I picked up my drink or such I would start shaking. I felt so embaressed I almost didn't want to go out. Eventually I looked into it myself and figured out it was Anxiety. I managed to get it under control myself without help from doctors and was able to control it. I still had attacks that would happen at night sometimes where I'd wake up in a cold sweat but I just did my relax and breath and I dealt with those as well. Life was going fairly well. Flash forward to my mid 30's and the hell starts. I had just started an even healthier regime (pretty much stopped drinkin except wine and a few ales) and even tried out being a vegetarian. Unfortunatley for me the vegetarian thing didn't work out very well as I ended up trying out a non soy/tofu product called Quorn and ended up getting some bad allergic reactions too due to a fungi like ingrediant in there. I also ended up finding out I was allergic to fish (most vegetarians sometimes eat fish as a meat substitue). And I found out I had been lactose intolerant so I had to stop drinking milk and eating certain dairy products. No big deal, I made diet changes again, remained eating a lot of healthy veggie foods but incorporated turkey into my diet (very healthy and lean meat. But the hell that has been happening started about a month ago. Most likely due to the allergic food reactions and anxiety I ended up in the hospital. I woke up out of my sleep with a racing heart, tunnel vision, chest pain and shortness of breath, I thought it was over and I would not make it another day, I called 911 and was rushed to the emergency. Since then and after dietary changes, I have had EKG's, Echo Stress tests, blood work and chest x-rays and they have found nothing wrong. My blood pressure was slightly high but that was due to the stress my body went through and my glucose. Every test I take nothing is wrong. I told them about my Anxiety and they believe that is what is wrong. Now I'm sure the food allergies did some type of damage to my body but that is done I made changes. For the past week, everyday I have had lack of sleep, shortness of breath, heart palpitations/cramps, foggy head, weird joint numbness, pressure when I lay down, headaches and sometimes confusion. How can this be for a person who lives a healthy life. I don't do any hard drugs, I'm not eating mcdonalds everyday, I don't just sit on the couch, I don't understand. If nothing is wrong with my heart then why do I feel like crap? These are questions I constantly ask myself. I keep in theory that it may be the Anxiety but when you suffer every week you start to grow weary and seek answers, seek a way to feel normal again. I have another "test" coming up, I'll be wearing a Holter Moniter, I'm sure "nothing will be wrong". I also am going to check if I have any gluten concerns. I work a fulltime job that is very demanding and has a lot of phsical work, sometimes I have to take everything inside me to finish work. And I live alone and have rent and bills to pay so being sick is not an option. I will admit one day I broke down and just started to cry, I have no shame in saying that. How in the period of a month I have been going through hell, and it's not getting better. I keep trying to check if other things are wrong with me and still will but none is helping me. Another quick and unfortunate note is that I found mold growing in my bedroom closet, I had to conatact my apartment to take care of it, I'm sure that made things worse breathing that in. I'm sorry if this came off as a rant but this is the only place I feel people care, the only place I feel I can explain what I've been going through and people will understand. I appreciate anyone who took the time to read this and I feel total compassion for everyone suffering and hope we can all figure out a way to beat this. As I'm typing this I feel weak, tired, heart feels weird, have a weird taste in my mouth (metallic) and I'll be heading to work soon. I just want to tell everyone to stay strong and don't give up. If you have any advice or help for me I am all ears. Thank you for your time everyone. 
    • Italia06
      Italia06 jlycus24801

      Posted

      likewise i've gone through all explained here and then some.  it's difficult grinding daily worrying about your health feeling as if something terrible is wrong yet your doctors advise otherwise along with all test coming back normal.  there's been a lot of introspection as of late which i'd assume is typical for all of us going through this daily hell.  i'll provide some insight to my situation and somewhat to me as a person dealing with health anxiety.  i did suffer from panic attacks in my mid 20s that appeared to come out of no where.  but looking closer i realized i was partying heavily, binge drinking at least 3-4 times a week, lacking sleep bigtime, dating heavily and to be honest really enjoying life.  eating habits weren't great either but i was extremely active and in great shape with athletic physique.  my first panic attack felt as if i was dying and thought i was having a heart attack.  heart attacks run on my father's side of the family so that seed certainly came to fruition mentally as the panic attach set in.  every panic attack symptom that you could possibly google i had.  i was convinced i was going to die and actually accepted it as i collapsed on my front lawn with the dizziness and tunnel-vision.  i started thinking of my family and mother most of all at how disappointed and upset she would be.  i didn't call 911 for some reason.  the minute i accepted death is when the panic attack suddenly subsided.  over the next few weeks i would have random attacks anywhere.  i would be at work in a meeting or on a date or hanging out with friends, it didn't matter.  long story short i eventually went to the doctor as the dizziness and fogginess became debilitating.  everything was checked from STDs to autoimmune to low testosterone, MRI, heart was checked.  i checked out as being extremely healthy and the doctor advised that the party lifestyle and above all the constant lack of sleep daily was the culprit.  i wanted fast results so decided to take paxil to deal with the attacks which worked.  fast forward 16yrs and here i am again dealing health anxiety once again and to be honest in retrospect i've always dealt with it since my mid 20s.  it's never been as severe as the panic episode over the years but it seems my lifestyle of the past 5 yrs has brought me to this point once again and i'm not surprised.  i've been working two jobs and was only getting two days off a month.  along with this i'd become less active and although the diet hasn't been terrible...it is still not ideal.  i was under so much stress but felt like i was managing fine this past fall.  i had no terrible health anxiety symptoms to speak of and it's been this way for the past 12 years.  but, i did notice the sleep pattern started to shift in the months leading up.  i'd come home exhausted and would pass out for 4-5 hrs then couldn't sleep afterwards.  mentally i started to feel drained not having any days off.  i also didn't know how to relax when i did have time to myself and always in this mode of needing to be productive ie mow the lawn or service the cars or touch up the walls etc...  i did notice i started to lose interest in things i enjoyed.  finally one day while working it was obvious and noticed that i was mentally drained.  soon after the following week i started having a feeling of being light headed or heavy headed as if my balance was terribly off but wasn't suffering actual balance symptoms.  i also noticed when i would go to bed, i would laugh as my wife complains i keep the AC low and she's always cold, that i'd feel what felt like the bed shaking as if she was shivering slightly but weeks later realized it was me.  then one morning i awoke and noticed my hands were tingling which startled me and this is when it all began.  i started having muscle spasms all over...noticed my fingers would twitch and began the googling process.  i started googling my systems non-stop...and started to worry i have lyme disease, MS, parkinson's, ALS, cancer...the list goes on and on.  this worry put my symptoms in overdrive.  shortness of breathe, all my joints noisy and popping but no pain.  trembling and tremors even when trying to sleep. waking up with night sweats on occasion.  jaw trembling.  severe back pain.  numb left arm and numbness all over.  i could sit here all day and list symptoms and how frightening they are.  so i went to my doctor and he ordered bloodwork, checked neuro and ordered MRIs etc...  all came back normal except for vitamin which was a little low.  that came as no surprise and i've worked indoors for the past 15 yrs and really wouldn't get much sunlight daily.  otherwise, i appear healthy...blood pressure good, bloodwork fantastic.  he advised i reduce caffeine and focus on resting and relaxation.  as many of you here i didn't believe the results and was convinced of parkinson's or something neuro related and still have my doubts.  it's a vicious cycle...what if they missed cancer somewhere or what if i have lyme disease etc...  the reality is in my current state i wouldn't fail testing for parkinson's.  my handwriting is fine, i don't have resting tremors, and can balance on one leg and the other just fine and walk a straight line etc...  yet, that doubt seems to linger as long as symptoms exists.  these past 8 mos have been hell for me.  but, that feeling of being off balance is slowly subsiding.  i'm starting to have good days here and there.  i guess i've become tired of worrying about my health.  it's as if i'm becoming exhausted with it.  one morning i woke up thinking about how i'd feel for the day and sure enough...felt as if i was off balance or light headed.  i ended up having a busy day at work and realized i had no symptoms at work because i was that busy.  i'm starting to notice moreso now how capable the mind is at manifesting symptoms to what you feel you believe you have with regard to illness.  again, i'm becoming tired of worrying and i've noticed in the process certain symptoms are disappearing.  i'm coming to grips with reality that i'm likely suffereing from major depression and generalized anxiety disorder.  i've chosen not to medicate but instead push to get proper sleep and living a healthier lifestyle.  i'm not out of the woods, but i'm noticing progress here and there.  i can certainly empathize with you all here and wanting to voice what i've been going through as well.  if any of you would like to chat...let me know.

       

    • andrewM
      andrewM Italia06

      Posted

      The more I read the more I think I may have bad health anxiety. My left arm is tingly and aches a lot, pains in my left chest, stabbing sometimes and I think it's my heart. Arm feels week and I get pins and needles and numbness in toes and legs. Tingling in face and numbness in lips. Have worried about being ill for so long I'm worn out...

      Sick of convincing myself I'm dying and will leave my little boy without a dad. Been off work for over 5 weeks and cannot handle being around people most of the time. I wish I could just be normal again but it feels like most of the time things will be like this until I collapse and that'll be it...

    • thiago13449
      thiago13449 andrewM

      Posted

      I'm 28 and been suffering from this for almost 2 years. It started all with a lump on my leg which got me into constant panic attacks fearing I had cancer. I went to ER multiple times and the docs ruled out as anxiety. I reject taking meds fearing of the side effects. I now worry about my heart the most. I have chest pains and buzzing/vibrating sensations on the left side. Heart palps, acid reflux. Always belching air that's trapped. my arm feels weak, tingling weird sensations from my shoulder all the way down to my fingers. I get muscle twitches and spasms all over my body. I freak out the most when it's over the heart area which at night I cannot go to sleep. Weird to say this because when I'm having sex or excersing I don't feel any of this. I just don't know what to do anymore.

    • EADRUC01
      EADRUC01 thiago13449

      Posted

      I have all of these symptoms as well!! I'm a 19 year old female, extremely worried about all my symptoms, but docs keep saying it's anxiety and gastrointestinal problems, but it is so hard to believe them! Blood tests, chest xray, echo, multiple EKGs all clear, extremely healthy BP, extremely healthy cholesterol, no family history, I eat okay, never smoked but have been exposed to secondhand a lot. I am about 10-15 pounds overweight but nothing exceptionally concerning. Always been very active. When I go to sleep, I'm so worried I won't wake up in the morning. I get a weird muscle twitch under my left breast under my ribcage, constantly burping trapped air, acid reflux, other twitches in my body, chest/back pain... the whole lot! Chest pains have gone away in the last few days but I still get twitches all over my body and can't stop burping! Please let me know how you're doing! I know you posted this awhile ago, but it's nice to hear from others w/ similar symptoms. I want my life back sad((

    • chris42136
      chris42136 EADRUC01

      Posted

      What did you figure out with your symptoms..i have the same thing

       

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