My Anxiety Story

[gavinski]

Hi everyone im new to this site and have been denying the fact i have an anxiety problem for 3 months and that it must be medical. I think i have turned a corner and am now accepting the fact it is anxiety that's causing many/all of my symptoms let me tell you a little about myself. Im an IT professional that was always working an 80 hour week for years i have 3 children and happily married. 

My Story starts Just before Christmas 2015 where i have a nasty sinus infection so i go to the doctors and while i was there my blood pressure was way to high so i got treated for that also so the doctor started me on blood pressure medication and off i went home and had a great Christmas any way new years eve comes and as a family we did some fireworks at midnight and we had a good evening and we all went to bed as normal when i suddenly get woken up at 2pm heart racing feeling really hot sweaty out of breath i think this is strange so i come downstairs and stand out side to cool down this doesn't help my lips start getting pins and needles so do my arms im really panicking now i shout my wife and call an ambulance as I think im having a heart attack the ambulance crew get to me which was lighting fast and promptly do an ECG my heart was fine and they assured me it could just been one of those things.

Im still feeling awful so when the doctors surgery reopens i book an appointment and they recommend some time of work and refer me to a cardiologist as a just in case since this time i have been to A&E 12 times and am in constant pain with my chest feel dizzy and feel sick i also get weird numbness in my feet and the worst of them all is i feel so disconnected from myself like its not me actually walking around almost like a dream just with my ears ringing.

I have had my cardiologists report which i thought how dare he say i have anxiety that is for people that just feel scared about life im not like that ( he says before actually knowing what anxiety is) so i even pay for a private cardiologist report same thing. They have found some eptopic beats on my heart but nothing sinister im now at a point to accept the fact it must be anxiety and i need some help with it instead of trying to find a cardio medical reason sorry for the long post but its been such a struggle i haven't worked since January and it nearly separated me from my wife whom i love but this ugly monster called anxiety was masking that and the feelings i have towards her and my children i dont feel like im ever going to get better and everyday im in pain with no energy and its really getting me down thanks for reading any advice would be greatly appreciated

[Canna_Lily]

Anxiety is indeed a tricky beast and can have so many physical manifestations that it's not wholly unsurprising that you have had the symptoms you have described.  You are not alone in your struggle and there is good support out there.  I hope you find the right help for you.

[Canna_Lily in reply to Canna_Lily]

While I think of it, a good place for resources is getselfhelp.co.uk

[Janco]

Gavinski

The big thing about panic attacks is, just that! They attack you, from nowhere!

There is HOPE! and you will get through this thing!

My story is a long one, I have AFIB (that you do not have) and HAD panic attacks, but you can read a small part of it at:

 myafibheart.com/home/heart-...

But here are a few tips I have created for myself in fighting the monster. 

My tips for handling that panic attacks, and beating heart palpitations panic attacks. 

1.Keep on breathing!! — Do not stop breathing because you want to count your heart beats. Is it just me or do you also hold in your breath and start “feeling” and counting your heartbeats?

How fast is it going now, am I going to make it, is it going to fast?

2.Don’t fight it accept it!! My attitude was OK panic bring it on let’s see what you’ve got.

3.Muscle relaxation!! Tense and then relax all the muscle groups, one by one, you can start from your feet up to your head or the other way around. This can take up to 20 minutes or you could just do a quick 5-10 minute exercise.

4.Build a victory bank and remember any victories you had over panic. Even the smallest victories can help you build this victory bank.

Janco

myafibhearrt.com

[gavinski in reply to Janco]

Thanks Janco i will definitely try the Muscle Relaxation method im just reading some of the posts and its quite reassuring looking at these posts that people experience the same issues   

[Agora1 in reply to Janco]

Hey Janco,  I liked your post.  You're right in that  it is an attack that comes out of nowhere as well as being a monster or as my therapist calls it a bully. Long gone are the days I spent with my fingers on my pulse.  I finally got tired of it.  With anxiety, I think certain habits and symptoms need to run their course and then when we don't respond negatively, it leaves us.  Like you said, don't fight it.    Deep breathing and muscle relaxation is definitely the way to go.  That has become a part of my life and not the anxiety attacks.    Oh by the way Janco,  I too have A-Fib.   Take care and thanks again for the great input.

[hathi999]

Hi Gavin, Welcome to the site and I am so sorry to hear of your problems.  They may well be anxiety related and you are among good people here on the site, did you know that anxiety can be caused through low B12 levels though?  Have your doctors ruled out a B12 deficiency (through a better test rather than blood serum)?  

Do rule out a deficiency in vitamin B12, it could account for all of your symptoms as you can see in this list here difficulty-swallowing.com/s... . Even if you have been tested do look at the scale against the below information:

"It is well-established in the scientific literature that people with B12 levels between 200 pg/mL and 350 pg/mL – levels considered “normal” in the U.S. – have clear B12 deficiency symptoms. Experts who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of B12 deficiency, like Sally Pacholok R.N. and Jeffery Stewart D.O., suggest treating all patients that are symptomatic and have B12 levels less than 450 pg/mL. They also recommend treating patients with normal B12, but elevated urinary methylmalonic acid (MMA), homocysteine and/or holotranscobalamin (other markers of B12 deficiency).

In Japan and Europe, the lower limit for B12 is between 500-550 pg/mL, the level associated with psychological and behavioral manifestations such as cognitive decline, dementia and memory loss. Some experts have speculated that the acceptance of higher levels as normal in Japan and the willingness to treat levels considered “normal” in the U.S. explain the low rates of Alzheimer’s and dementia in that country."

All the best

[Janco in reply to hathi999]

Hi Hathi

The same is true with magnesium levels for afib - normal blood serum tests are not good enough. It will show that you are on the right level, but in fact your levels may be to low.

Thanks for the B12 info.

[melwro]

fluoxetine helps with anxiety and stress    when I have high stress or feel overwhelmed I start taking that and it helps a lot