Physical symptoms of anxiety and panic during lockdown

[L1994]

So I have had a feeling in my throat for weeks on end and feel like my breathing isn't normal and panic that I am going to stop breathing. Been congested a couple of weeks ago and always got temp of 37.1 and above going up to 38.degrees. I have been for a blood test today to do a full blood count, check my thyroid, diabetes screening, vitamin b12 and iron. Dr keeps on thinking it is anxiety because I have been struggling with my throat all through lockdown but haven't checked me over. They say its anxiety because I have been known to suffer from anxiety. So I have had around 3 hours sleep and gone for my blood test today an hour later I am actually feeling sick feeling the ill feeling go through my body. Would that be linked to me having my bloods done this morning and nothing to eat and then now I'm panicking and making my self ill. I am so worried that I have coronavirus and the Dr's and family ain't listening to me. I feel shoved aside because of my anxiety and like they are saying all these symptoms are from me panicking. I also can't help to think that my top of my chest is feeling heavy now aswell. Please if anyone has anything that helps them when going through similar to this please share I just don't know how much longer i can take feeling like this as it just doesn't seem to get better now for weeks.

[Kkimm]

Hi

I really feel for you, sorry to hear what you are going through.

I have GAD and have had breathlessness and a tight feeling in my throat quite a bit during the pandemic. In my case I know it is anxiety and it is worse if I do something that makes me stressed. An example was having to go to a supermarket this morning.

I would imagine yours is caused by stress also. Try to do something that distracts you be and excercise in the fresh air as much as you can. I do at least an hour of fast walking a day however I am feeling and it always makes me feel better afterwards.

If you are still worried go back to your GP.

Very best of luck.

Kim

[L1994 in reply to Kkimm]

Hi Kim so glad your still here I remember you from my other posts. It's just awful isn't it. I do need to try and accept this anxiety. My Dr seems to be sure it's anxiety. I have had my blood results back and my full blood count is normal so my body doesn't seem to be fighting off any infection which if i had corona virus I'm sure my white blood count would have been high and fighting off infection. I hope you are doing well through all of this. I do take my dogs out for a walk and find that relaxing but feel like this is a constant battle on the back of my mind because symptoms are always there. I think it is a bad habit that I have like questioning my symptoms then worrying about them when I feel like really I should be just saying to my self its anxiety it will go instead of trying tk fight it. I am still waiting for CBT and feel like this would really help me through it all right now. X

[Kkimm in reply to L1994]

Nice to talk to you again.

I am doing fine and do not often get anxious even with the virus around. I am on quite a high dose of antidepressants which helps alot. I stay cheerful and have almost no worries for myself but do worry for others. I think it comes out in symptoms of breathlessness and feeling a bit sick at times when previously I would have experienced anxiety.

I am also lucky in that I am retired so do not have work or caring for children etc to worry about. I really feel for those who do during these terrible times.

If you can I think you should accept that it is anxiety and try to stay busy but also eat and sleep regularly. Getting too tired or hungry will make you feel worse.

Very good luck.

Kim

[L1994 in reply to Kkimm]

Yes I do find that I feel worse if I don't eat properly or sleep. I do need to try tell my self it is anxiety and let it be. Hopefully we can all get back to some normality soon as the virus does windle away. The only thing we can have is hope through times like this.

Stay safe and well x

[Danzdanz123]

Hello I am a sufferer with bad anxiety of which I form a lot of phobias at the start of lockdown all the other anxiety I had started to fixate on getting the corona and dying this has gone away now as ive gotten use to it, but what I’ll say is because this is very big issue atm it’s all you can think about it would always come to me at night feeling a sore throat making sure I don’t have a temperature our brains are very clever and because you are thinking about it it’s producing physical symptoms of you think about it this way you have been feeling like this for a while if it were corona it wouldn’t have gone on for this long and the doctors would have certainly told you it was corona! The best thing you can possibly do is keep yourself distracted either by tv cleaning setting yourself tasks and keeping away from the media, I check it every other day for like 5 minutes and then stay away again just so I’m not obsessing over it! I feel a lot stronger with the virus now I tell myself i don’t have it now so I’ll let my anxiety come out if I do get sounds bizarre but it’s a good way of taking it away in the moment!

[L1994 in reply to Danzdanz123]

Hi thank you for your reply. I don't watch any of the media or hear anything about the virus because it scares me that much. I watch TV every day and I get in to what I'm watching but the feeling of hotness and tight throat is still there. That's what I don't get with the anxiety j have suffered from many anxiety attacks and every time I haven't been able to watch TV and enjoy it because of my anxiety but this time it doesn't really affect the concentration. I had a blood test yesterday fo show full blood count diabetes screening iron vitamin b12 and thyroid and all is clear. But I have felt ill since having my bloods taken x

[Danzdanz123 in reply to L1994]

I understand what you mean totally this happens to me the anxiety is still there but I feel listening to music putting on a relaxing film although you don’t have a the concentration and still feel physical symptoms it will relax the mind a little bit without knowing! The symptoms will eventually go away! Keep telling yourself the blood tests are clear and there is nothing wrong so it must be my mind and also another coping mechanism is accepting it! And by this I mean when ever you have a horrible thought or feeling or health symptom just keep telling yourself it’s anxiety this might help! I can reassure you you haven’t got it you have been feeling symptoms for far too long and more would have hit you by now you are strong and you can pull through this!!!!

[L1994 in reply to Danzdanz123]

Thank you so much. I was also and still quite am fixated on having the virus and dying. I keep telling my self I have made it through 2 month and not died of this virus yet to try calming me down and reassuring me then it comes in to my head like omg it's only a matter of time coming. So have to tell my self nah that's just irrational thinking. I do totally understand what you are saying because if I am right if I am worrying all the time I am releasing hormones in to my body then getting these symptoms and that hormone is released quicker than what it leaves your body. So these symptoms can last a long time and the more I'm worrying the longer they are going to last.

[Danzdanz123 in reply to L1994]

Exactly you know it yourself! It’s just in those moments where it worsens because it tells you it’s not anxiety and you are right I’m going through something similar right now but not in fear of corona but in fear of loosing my mind very strange as before it was a fear of death it’s crazy how it can fixate in one thing and then another thing it’s very tiring but we are stronger enough to pull through it! You are aware of it too! I hope those dreadful symptoms leave you soon!

[L1994 in reply to Danzdanz123]

I am the same I do feel like i am losing my mind and its the lack of concentration is what makes you worry about that because it is mentally frustrating. Thank you i do also. Just all this lockdown can't last too much longer hopefully.

[mrhealthanxiety]

Hi sorry to hear of your struggles. I too suffer from real bad health anxiety although breathing hasn’t really been a symptom in the past. However after a run on the morning of the very first lock down day (can’t even remember how many weeks that was now !) I suddenly felt tight in the chest and my throat felt blocked and just felt my breathing wasn’t right, this continued for a few weeks and due HA i was convinced it was corona despite having no cough or temp etc.....however the symptoms disappeared suddenly as quickly as they appeared - I’m convinced my HA caused my mind to believe the worse and start the symptoms suddenly as it was the first day of a “different routine and unknown situation” that lockdown brings - all subconscious of course......please try and keep calm, yes it sounds to me like HA from experience and it’s good you have seen the doc who feels the same but of course monitor how you feel. I wish you well.

[BeamMeUp]

This is my first post here. L1994, your issue is the very thing I joined this forum to talk about! Virtual (six-foot-apart) hugs to all fellow sufferers. You can tell from my screen name how I'd like to be able to deal with this anxiety!

I have been prone to panic attacks and anxiety all of my life. In recent years, after the deaths of my husband, my mother, and another close friend, my anxiety tends to focus on my own health. I've taken myself to the ER on several occasions, worried I was having a heart attack. We all know that heart attack symptoms are not as straightforward and identifiable as mens' symptoms. To their credit, no one at any ER has ever shamed me or made me feel like I was just being a "hysterical female." Sometimes when I have those same feelings/symptoms, I'm able to talk myself down from them.

But these days with COVID all around, how can you take the chance of talking yourself out of symptoms?? Of course, even if you have it, there's no treatment. ::headslap:: You just have to hope you don't get to the life-threatening stage. This situation is wreaking havoc with those of us who are prone to health anxiety.

I'm a widow with no children or siblings. No family at all, in fact. I'm sheltering completely alone. I ventured out to the hair salon two days ago and when she washed my hair, that's the first human touch I've felt in two months. Yes, I have friends, and all of them do have family sheltering with them--they're worried and their families are their priority. I don't begrudge them that.

I'm the only one I know who is sheltering completely alone. Sometimes I get very scared and there is no comfort to be had. I don't watch ANY TV news and have limited my TV watching to comfort shows like Miss Marple, Father Brown, Cadfael, and Inspector Lewis. I don't want to watch anything that's going to stress me.

Today I sat down to eat lunch---something exquisitely delicious that I made in the crockpot yesterday--and I felt nauseated after one bite. So after walking for one hour early this morning, I took 1/2 mg of xanax and went out to walk after my non-lunch for another hour until it kicked in.

COVID is not going away. How will we get through the next weeks, months, years even?

(Okay, I am sounding hysterical, but sadly, it is hysteria based on actual life-threatening danger.)

Thanks for reading. I know you all understand (even though I don't know you).