Starting to struggle and looking for advice
Posted , 2 users are following.
Hi, 26 year old male here....
I'll provide a bit of background first; Up until around 2 years ago, I was relatively healthy and not an anxious person at all. At the time, I was doing high intensity workouts 4 or 5 times a week plus playing football and running. My problems seemed to start following a game of football. I think I overdid it in the heat and when I stopped playing, my vision was all blurry and I had a migrane for the rest of the day. In the weeks that followed, I started getting heart palpitations on a daily basis. This caused me to worry and I went to get them checked out. After numerous tests, I was given the all clear.
Following many ups and downs over the past couple of years, all the panic attacks, trips to A&E (Nothing has ever been wrong) and feeling like I have experienced every symptom under the sun! This is where I am now:
Common symptoms:
Shortness of breath - By far the worst symptom I have. I've had this to some degree every day for around a year. Some days are worse than others.
Fatigue - Again, some days are worse than others but especially lately I've been feeling more fatigued
Palpitations - Improved greatly since I started taking Magnesium citrate but still get them ocassionally
Weakness feeling (Not as strong or frequent as the other symptoms)
Light headedness
Head feeling fuzzy
Tests I've had completed:
ECGs (Many!)
48 hour ECG
Echo
Chest X-Ray
Peak flow (Twice)
Oxygen levels
Full round of blood tests
All tests/checks have been fine apart from a raised level of Bilirubin, which has increased on both of my last 2 blood tests and is now at 38. However, the doctors dont seem too concerned about this.
It might seem strange, but despite me being anxious about my symptoms and experiencing panic attacks sometimes, I can still be a rational person. I can see how my anxiety makes my symptoms worse. I can tell how my breathing and the other symptoms get worse when I am out in public or at work but ease when I am completely relaxed and doing breathing exercises. However, I just feel that they never go away completely. I have gone from being able to run 10k or run around at football for 2 hours and feel fine to a point where on my worst days, I don't want to walk anywhere in case my breathing feels worse. I don't feel unfit, I have been that before when I was about 6 stone heavier. This feels like different.
My doc prescribed me Citalopram but it made me 10x worse so I stopped after 3 days.
I think what I am getting at is that I understand my symptoms can be caused by anxiety but I'm thinking there might be something else I can check for or something else I can try. Does anybody have any advice or anything that has helped them with similar symptoms?
0 likes, 2 replies
jan34534 j57674
Posted
Hi, yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. I have had everyone of those symptoms and every now and then still do. I have had very bad anxiety since my 20s. I'm a little older now in my 50s but I do have a handle on this now. I did a lot of research and reading books and other things and I thought I have to try something. I will share with you what has really helped me…
it's great that you were checked out by your doctor and all your tests came out OK. Now you can focus on getting a handle on the anxiety and negative thinking if you have that.
some of what you are about to read may or may not pertain to you, I sent this out to people who really need help trying to control the symptoms.…… you can choose what you think would benefit you the most.
1. what I did was first of all speak with a counselor. They see this on a daily basis and have the tools to help you manage this. Anxiety and stress is difficult to manage on our own and it really helps to talk to someone else. I keep going even when I start to feel better because it's like a lifeline for me. Find a counselor you feel comfortable with. Some counselors will use CBT which is cognitive behavioral therapy. That helps you see the anxiety for what it is and it helps you manage it. If you ever really feel out of control and can't manage, seeing a counselor would be the first best step!
Remember....FEAR stands for false evidence appearing real. Which means sometimes when we have symptoms we think they are related to some terrifying disease, when in reality the odds are much higher that they are not. Our minds will go to the negative if we let it, so we must be in control.c
2. Secondly, I go to Google or YouTube and look up hypnosis for clearing subconscious negativity. You don't really get hypnotized it's just a really great meditation.I put in my earbuds and lie down and listen to them. They teach us to separate our thoughts that are negative from ourselves. This is something I think could really benefit you!! They completely calm down my brain and body to the point where I almost feel like I'm floating. This is such a great thing to do for your brain and overall health. I do this a couple times a day specially when I'm laying down to sleep. There are MANY to choose from just pick the ones that you like. They have meditations on anxiety, depression, getting a good sleep etc. There's also positive affirmation ones that are helpful too. I play them in my car and while I take a walk. The more you listen to these the more your brain and subconscious will believe them in the better you will feel
it will just calm everything down when you are having an acute anxiety attack
3. Stay active! The worst thing you can do is sit around and think too much about all this. It will bring on more anxiety. As well as the symptoms. When I exercise my body completely calms down and the symptoms often go completely away.
4. Stay social! This helps keep your mind off your worries. The less you are alone the better at least until you manage your anxiety. Just do things that you enjoy.
When feeling anxious or anytime you'd like, do deep breathing. Breathing through your nose for about five seconds and make sure your stomach rises. Then exhale through your lips as though you're blowing out a candle slowly for another five seconds. Do this as many times a day as you need to. It helps if you're lying down but you can also do it's sitting.
Eat healthy! Stay away from processed foods especially sugar. Sugar has an inflammatory response including in the brain. This will just increase your anxiety and can possibly bring on depression.
As horrible as anxiety symptoms are, they CANNOT hurt or kill you! I have had them for many many years on and off and now I pretty much ignore them but I do try to stay as healthy as possible and do those six things I listed above. The meditation audios really are excellent please try them and do them often !
If you can get a hold of a book called mindfulness meditation. It's a great read for people with anxiety and negative thinking.
You will be fine once you get this under a little control. You will have a long great life and you deserve peace and happiness.
I also recommend an audio on YouTube called anxiety self help cure-self help anxiety treatment. It teaches you how to react the right way to symptoms. Some people try to fight them off which actually makes things worse.
Don't let fear take you over! Be a fighter for yourself. Fear is based on non reality.
I really do hope you feel better soon! I am now able to eliminate my symptoms. It's amazing how powerful the mind is! 😁
j57674 jan34534
Posted
Hiya
Thank you so much for the reply and all the detail you provided.
I will certainly take that advice on board and give those things a try. I do light mediation now and it really does relax me.
Unfortunately, when I have to go into a public setting or even just being at work, I am more on edge and it's harder to relax.
I think you are right in saying that lifestyle changes can have a big impact. I guess it's a case of not looking for an instant fix!