1. Community
  2. Heart Health
  3. Cardiovascular Disorders

Very afraid of dying. Need answers!

Posted , 4 users are following.

EF4468
EF4468

I'm 26 years old, 170lbs (slowly dropping the weight)

After I got out of the hospital for my supposed heart attack (was a panic attack based on my labs.) I still felt anxious and worried about my health. Before that I hadn't been getting a lot of sleep and work was stressing me out. A few days after my visit to the ER I had a meltdown on Tuesday, though after that I felt better: My left-most chest tension was all but gone and my anxiety was gone too. I felt better until I got a look at my fingernails, which looked red but were just a slightly deep pink, and looked up the reasons why they happened. The one thing that kept coming up was heart trouble, and as a result I felt anxious, dizzy and weak until Friday, with my chest tension and left arm aches. On Friday I had my follow-up appointment with a doctor, which went over fine and I left for work right after. I was fine at work until I got nervous and worried over my heart health again, but by evening I felt better. At 11pm I had a sudden, sharp left arm pain that stretched from my forearm to my pinky finger that lasted for a few hours and didn't change intensity (about a 4-5 on the pain scale) The next morning I woke up anxious, dizzy and shaky, but otherwise I was ok. I took Lexapro for the first time that morning, too. By mid afternoon I could feel the effects, but it was almost as if my anxiety symptoms were enhanced, even if I felt mellow and emotionless. Once I got home I experienced tense abdominal muscles, leg and arm stiffness and tingling in both my pinky and ring fingers on both hands, plus I felt dizzy and weak. On sunday I woke up feeling a bit anxious and weak, still sporting left chest tension and arm aches, and after I got up and walking the symptoms got better for me, to the point of going away completely by evening. I was feeling good until I checked my heart rate, which was in the mid 60's when sitting down and in the 70's and 80's when standing or walking. It was 59 when laying down in bed, as well. Now I'm stressed/anxious about my health AGAIN, even though my heart rate being that low is normal.

The symptoms I had throughout all of this DID NOT change in intensity or get worse, and I've been going through digestive detox for the past week so idk if that has any bearing on my overall health. I'm afraid to talk about this with my parents (who think I'm going crazy worrying about my health) and I don't want to make another trip to the doctor only to find that everything is fine. My labs during my stay in the hospital showed that I had not experienced a heart attack, my bloodwork came back good (they did a D-Dimer, too, which was 450/500) and two EKG's showed a normal heart rhythm. Idk what to do.....I'm afraid to fall asleep at night now and I fear this is ruining my life.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • EF4468
    EF4468

    Posted

    I'm in week two of eating healthy and going through digestive detox though the cold weather has prevented me from power-walking.

    • EF4468
      EF4468

      Posted

      My mom's side of the family has history of heart disease, as well, and I've not eaten healthy since I was 13-14.

    • EF4468
      EF4468

      Posted

      I'm stressing out about this so bad. I'm on the verge of tears.

  • pk76192
    pk76192 EF4468

    Posted

    Hi EF,

    Found your comment after I came here to post about my heart arrhythmia. I too, took a trip to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. Do you struggle with managing stress? Your symptoms sound classic of someone with an anxiety disorder. Headaches, muscle pain, tight muscles, body aches, and stiffness are all common symptoms of stress-response hyper-stimulation. If your stress remains elevated, muscles can remain tight, causing ongoing body aches and pains. It's amazing what stress can do to our bodies! When I was younger, I struggled with depression and anxiety and it took a while to find the right medication. Sometimes medication can make you feel worse, or make your symptoms worse! What type of doctor are you seeing? Do you have any follow up appointments scheduled soon?

    -PK

    • EF4468
      EF4468 pk76192

      Posted

      Just a GP, but that appointment isn't until November. I had a follow-up last Friday and nothing of note came up as far as my health goes.

    • EF4468
      EF4468 pk76192

      Posted

      And yes, I struggle with managing stress and anxiety. I was diagnosed with GAD. I'm working on eating healthier and dropping some weight, too, it's just difficult for me to keep focused on improving rather than every little ache in my body.

    • EF4468
      EF4468

      Posted

      The tips of my middle and ring fingers are showing subtle splotches of red, now. Is that stress?
    • pk76192
      pk76192 EF4468

      Posted

      Flushing and red skin can be caused by stress but only a doctor could determine that. I suggest you see a specialist, not just your GP, to get some help on managing your anxiety. Look into Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), meditation, acupuncture.. whatever it takes to overcome it. Good luck to you and I hope you find peace soon!

  • estefan40089
    estefan40089 EF4468

    Posted

    I suffer from the same thing. I was diagnosed with Hypochondria at 18 and I’m 21 now and have been to the ER twice and many office visits and everything comes back okay, they even make it worse by saying that I am at the top15% health wise. They always say BP is good, cholesterol is good, heart rythms are good, and they always leave me with it’s your anxiety/panic disorder. I always feel chest tightness, jaw pain, left arm pain etc. it’s good to know u feel the same way cuz I always feel alone. I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that the mind is a very very powerful part of us, doing us good and doing us bad. Anxiety is like a parasite
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.