Afraid

[morshie]

Hello everyone. A while back I've been getting these weird feelings in my chest, and sometimes I would get this strong ache that would last a couple of seconds in my left arm. Sometimes my left leg would feel the same way. I never really connected these things, and I just assumed my weird feelings in the chest were because of the anxiety. Recently I caught a cold, 3 days ago I suddenly got a fever, went to the pharmacy and bought myself something they recommended for the cold. The next day, I went to the pool with my girlfriend, it was a horrible idea, the water was really cold, so we had to keep coming out and going back again, but I felt good. Suddenly, when I wanted us to go back again, I felt a short pain in my chest, where my heart is. I got a little scared, and told her to wait a little bit. We sat down next to the pool, I waited a little, then I checked my pulse, it was 117. My girlfriend told me not to worry, and said it's probably because of the heat. It was very very hot outside. After a couple of minutes, the weird feelings went away, I got back into the pool, and everything was fine for the rest of the day.

Next morning I woke up with a strong stabbing pain in my back, more to the left, where my heart is. So I decided to go immediatly to the doctor. I assumed I had something with my lungs. Pneumonia has the same symptom, a sharp ache, and fever, and caughing. Everything checked except the fact that I didn't caught almost at all. I told him about my weird feelings in my chest, but he didn't really considered what I was saying. I felt pretty weird about that. He listened to my lungs, asked me to breathe in and out as deeply as I can. He said I have bronchitis. He didn't give me antibiotics, he said we'll first try nurofen, 3 times a day and some caughing pills, in case I start caughing. I took my pill regularly, except the caughing pills, because I don't caught and I still get this weird feeling in my chest. It's like it hurts, but it doesn't, I can't really describe it. and it's not quite in the middle, it a little bit to the left, upper part. like a little bit above my left chest. And yesterday I felt pain in my left shoulder, and discomfort around that area as well. And today I am getting the feeling in the chest, and jaw pains. Short duration pain bursts in the left side of my lover jaw, but sometimes in the right side. I am really scared, I am afraid I having a heart attack. I supposed to meet with my doctor tomorrow morning, to see if I got better from the simple cold treatment or not. And I am going to tell him about these feelings I get and I'll ask him to send me to get my heart checked out.

My biggest fear is that I won't make it, and I'll die before I get a chance to go to the doctor and get my hear checked out. I don't know what to do. I almost cried. I'm getting really depressed.

[morshie]

Also, my doctor said that maybe I have some intercostal muscle pain, and that's what I feel.

[boawoman in reply to morshie]

Ok, the intercostal muscle pain can cause a lot of the symptoms you are experiencing. There are so many muscles, tendons etc that hold your ribs in place and those are in the front, back, side, upper, lower - all over the place. I've found 3 or 4 other people that I work with that have the same darn thing! Each of us ended up in the ER only to be told we were not having a heart attack. Probably muscular. Someone advised me from this site, one night when I was having lots of chest, arm and back "discomfort" ... they said "when you change positions does the pain or discomfort lessen?" I thought about it and realized that shifting positions DID ease the discomfort. So my question is the same to you ... if you change position does the discomfort ease? If it does, then it is not your heart ... more likely muscle or tendon. Trust your doctor or find one that you do and can trust - they would not send you home if you were having a heart attack - they just would not. You are 19 and have a long life ahead ... remember that anxiety is fear - "false evidence appearing real" - look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself that you are young, strong and healthy. You are going to be just fine. And move - walk, pace, dance - whatever. Just move. Not a lot, just a little. Sometimes "an inch is a cinch but a yard is too hard." A good friend told me that once when I was in the same place that you are right now. Just an inch ... and I did. An inch turned into 2 or 3 miles. Anxiety and panic take hold of you and try to run and ruin your life. Breathe - in through your nose, hold it for 5 counts, then out through your nose. Learn to breathe with your diaphragm ... it isn't hard, really. Just do the breathing thing for 5 minutes ... or do it five times. It helps to break the panic cycle. I hope this helps you. Keep posting and you will find many good suggestions from people on this site.

[judy1713 in reply to boawoman]

boawoman, very good post, so many of us have been through the very same things. You gave very good advise

[morshie]

I don't want to die!

I'm only 19. :(((

[judy1713 in reply to morshie]

Your not gonna die, just about all of us have these and many more and different feelings. We also worry about dieing, Anxiety and panic and Fear are such a terrible thing to have to deal with, day after day. but as time goes on you will learn ways to deal with it that will make it easier. Ask your doc. about something for anxiety and panic, some of us have to have a little help from anxiety meds, such as Xanax, I have been taking meds for anxiety, depression, panic and fear for 30 some years, some times I don't take them for a long time then have a set back and need them for awhile, to get back on track. The therapist said we get this way because we don't have enough Seritonine in our system, and we need it, so take the pills, (that's what he said to me, cuz I don't like to take a lot of meds, ) he said its something our body needs anyhow. so I tried, and the change was amazing, the things that seemed like such scary life threatning things were not such a big deal anymore, I could deal with things much better. then after a while, you learn tricks to help your mind. and you stop the meds, later you might need them for a while again. Try it, its the Quality of life, not the quanity, what good does it do to life to a hundred if your afraid and panicky and miserable all the time , so try all the different sugestions on here read books on selfhelp for panic, its a lot of work, but it will help you. I'm 66 been going through this for about 55 years, I still get new advice that helps, fight harder, hang in there, its gonna get better

[boawoman in reply to judy1713]

You could be me....well said. Thank you....

[judy1713 in reply to judy1713]

Just remembered about 25 years ago I was having chest pains , in the left side, went to the doc. he said it was Nueritis or Nurelgia the nerves in between our ribs that give us those pains, i'd be shopping, having a good time and it would just start, instant panic, I'd tell myself, but I wasn't even thinking about it, then I'd go into a full blown panic attack, and have to go home, another one I got through, then moved on to the next one, Geez I better write that one down , I'll need to remember it later probably

[morshie in reply to judy1713]

That's pretty much how it happens to me too. Just now I was laying in my bad, watching a movie, preparing to sleep, and the pain just hit me out of the blue. I can't sleep now. I am so afraid. And it's like I feel heat right there where it hurts, around my heart. So scary.

[Chubbers]

Hang in there! These feelings take over I understand. It's been going on like this with me since u was a teenager. I went to emergency room many times my heart rate was so high. I cancel or avoid many activities as I think it will happen when I'm trying to have fun. Please keep us posted I know you will be just fine😊

[1973m]

No expert, but I've know trapped wind travel and last like this for afew days!! Then you get worried , what is it??-and it starts the cycle of fear!! Keep us posted!

[morshie]

Well, I went to the ER. I told them my symptoms and they started checking. They hooked me up to some machine, checked my tension in both arms. They also did and EKG and they said everything is normal with my heart. They sent me to do an X-Ray of my lungs, that turned out ok as well. They took blood as well, and the results were also good. They gave me ipuprofen 3 times a day, for the cold I assume, and Mydocalm, some kind of medicine for my tense muscles. They said it the things I feel must be muscle related. Idk what to think, I'm still having those weird feelings around my hear, it's like I feel that it's there or something. Very uncomfortable..

What do you guys think?

[morshie]

Sometimes I feel I don't have enough air, and I am breathing fast. I hope it's because of my anxiety and not because of some heart condition which the doctors at the ER weren't able to detect.

[Chubbers in reply to morshie]

I often feel I can't get a full breath and I hyperventilate a lot as well. I think these things go hand in hand with anxiety. Easier said than done but have you tried any breathing exercises? Breathing too deep makes me feel worse but breathing just til my tummy rises helps😊 take it easy!

[morshie in reply to Chubbers]

I do in fact practice a breathing exercise which helps me sleep when I get all anxious at night. I breathe slowly and deep, and after each in and out breathing, I count 1. I breathe in, I breathe out then I say in my mind 2. And so on, till I reach 10. Then I start a new rep. And I do as many raps as it takes till I fall asleep.

[judy1713]

When you get these feelings just say NO!!! and think of something happy, time you spend with your girlfriend, or something that makes you laugh, find something that makes you happy, keep it in your head, that will be whats called your happy place, every time these scary things pop in your head, say, NO !!! and keep saying it and go to your happy place, pretty soon it will work better and better everytime. DON"T argue about it with your self , no what ifs, just say NO !!! If you start argueing, the but what ifs, or the it must be something, I wasn't thinking about it, it just happened again, then the panic takes over. NO argueing, Just say NO !!! Just give it a try I no it works it just takes a lot of working on it but it is well worth it. and do the stress breathing its amazing

[morshie]

Thank you so much for your advices, I really appreciate each and every one of you! I will definitely try all of your suggestions. I feel so lucky to have so much help from you guys. Thank you for helping me get through this. Thank you.

[morshie]

I had this same issue with my head as well. I was getting the weird feelings, I was panicking all the time, I went to the neurologist and did all kinds of test. I took me a long time, but I suddenly stopped paying attention. Every time I felt something I just explained it to myself that it's because of my muscles in the jaw, and around my head. Everytime I felt a twitch I started freaking out. Now that episode is over and recently it started with my heart. I just have to get over this one as well and everything is going to be just fine. I hope.

My newest sensation are the heart burns. Pretty weird feeling.

[judy1713]

Yep that's how it works, you get through one problem, finally, then another one pops up, but the good thing is you get better at handling them. you learn a lot of ways to deal with all of it and each one you make it through makes you that much better at handling the next one. Just keep reminding yourself of all the things you made it through, that were all just anxiety and panic and fear. I write it down, then when I get super bad I can go back and read how bad I was 6 mo. or a year ago, It really helps