I would LOVE some SUPPORT and SUCCESS stories, PLEASE!!!

[scotto]

Hi, I'm new to this site.  I've stumbled upon it because I have what I believe people are saying is PTSD or Health Anxiety so I google all day long and search, but it only creates worry.

Here's my story:

I'm a 35 year old male, married with two beautiful daughters who are 4 & 3..  I have a family history of heart disease.  I see a cardiologist just to stay ahead of the game after losing a grandfather and uncle extremely young to heart attacks.  With that being said, I'm currently on bp meds and cholesterol meds.  I'm not overweight, I run 3-5 miles daily, but it's just something that ingrained in my genetics. 

On February 18th I started having chest discomfort, a headache, and thought I was going to pass out at a luncheon.  I started to panic and my cardiologist couldn't see me.  They stressed that I go to the Heart Hospital with my symptoms.  I went and the did an EKG (which was fine), chest x-ray (which was fine), and blood work.  Here's where the snowball grew and grew and grew...An E.R. nurse comes in and inadvertently states that I had a slightly elevated Troponin Enzyme level and that it looks like I "Suffered a Major Cardiac Event" and that I'd be staying overnight for more tests.  Well, this floored my wife and I.  All I could think about was my two young girls and leaving this earth with them so little.  I started thinking about how my dad passed away with cancer in 2001 when I was 20 years old (I thought that I was way too young to lose a father at that age).  I also linked it to my cousin being 2 when she lost her dad to a heart attack (she never knew him).  So all of these thoughts are going through my head and it was devastating and excruciating to lay in a hospital room for answers.

They gave me two bags of I.V.'s because some other levels were elevated as well.  Finally my cardiologist comes in the next day and says, "Looks like you're good to go.  You were extremely dehydrated due to your exercising and also being on a diuretic the he was using to help control my blood pressure."  I made them do a angiogram since I was already there (It took some convincing because most people can't just get one).  The angiogram showed like 10% blockage in an artery and my cardiologist was not concerned due to my family history and said as long as I continue my healthy lifestyle of exercising, etc. I'll never have any problems.  He says that he will change my meds (removing the diuretic and another bp med) but when I get to the pharmacy all of my previous meds were called in along with an addition to one of them......FOR 2 WEEKS I WAS EXTREMELY OVERMEDICATED ON BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS AND COULD BARELY DRIVE, WORK, OR STAND UP.  I started thinking that I was actually dying from something serious.  Finally we got the medicines corrected and I started to feel a little better, but still dizzy and "off".  I went do more testing at my GP (3 different blood panels) all came back fine.  I had a 24 hour heart monitor, that came back fine.  I went and did vertigo testing at a specialist, that was fine.  I had a CT-Scan, that was fine.  Everyone is telling me that I'm fine, but for 2 months now, I'm just not the same person.  Everyday at work I try to chase down answers on the internet but this keeps this vicious cycle alive.  My aches and pains have changed.  Currently it's a headache, back pain, uneasy stomach, and just an "unwell" type almost flu-like symptom w/out the fevers, etc. 

My doctor thinks I'm struggling with health anxiety or PTSD from the events at the heart hospital.  They prescribed me Xanax 0.5mg.  I take it as needed and feel that it takes the edge off, but I'm still not myself and WANT TO GET BACK TO NORMAL.

The only times that I feel like myself is when I'm jogging (which I do everyday), sleeping, or having a few beers at a sports event or cookout. 

I'm seeing a therapist/counselor and she's great.  I just would love to hear any similar stories and thoughts on what's going on with me....?  I was NORMAL two months ago w/out any worries, now I wake daily and FOCUS on my symptoms and solutions 100% of the time.

Thanks in advance, I look forward to hearing from this community!

Scott

[scotto]

Also, I'm going back to my cardiologist to check on if my medications may be making me feel ill????

I've been on Ramipril 10mg and Amolodipine 10mg for 3-5 years but I've heard stories of people's bodies slowly rejecting the meds.  The side effects are pretty bad and I've never really had any symptoms until the last few months.  There's also anxiety and depression linked to these meds.....

Just wondering if this could be the underlying issue instead of just full blown Anxiety or PTSD because I've never been an anxious-type person....

[Debbweb01 in reply to scotto]

Yes it cud be! Maybe u need antidepressants! I lost my son and wanted to die! No reason to live only child! I was put on cymbalta and I can never go off of it! It's helped me! Sometimes I wake up and I get this feeling in pit of tummy and shake inside! I use to take Xanax as needed but my doctor changed and I haven't had it of late! I find myself nervous and anger issues! But in the whole I'm better! Much better! I'm alive because of cymbalta! Ask ur doc! Are u from USA

[Debbweb01 in reply to Debbweb01]

Please chek ur meds! There are med that can trigger depression! There must be something else in its place if u get the side effects! Remember we are the ones taking the meds and only ones who know how we feel because we are our own best advocates! The doc don't know about side effects! They leave that up to pharmacy! So get off that med if there's a hint it's causing ur depression! Don't feel bad about taking a pill to feel better! It cud help and save u from this anxiety!!! Godspeed!!!

[scotto in reply to Debbweb01]

I've never been a depressed person.  I LOVE life and have tons of friends and family.  We stay busy and life's been great.  The "depression" that may be there is just basically due to the last two months of feeling bad/off.  The events that occurred left me feeling ill or anxious all the time.  I do live in the USA (Louisiana).

I don't want to add any other medicines to my daily intake.  I'm too young to have a pill box when I'm basically fine.  I just don't understand how I could go from having 35 great years and have an event that turns my life upside down.

I've tried to get answers from my GP, who is and internist.  He says that all of my blood work and vitals look fine.  He is close to my family and thinks it's just anxiety.  I have a follow-up with him in 2 wks.

I've tried to get answers from my Cardiologist.  I've been seeing him for 5 years (my whole family sees him just as a "maintenance/precautionary" type deal) due to our family history.  He said my cardiovascular system looks good except for cholesterol elevation and high bp which I control by meds, exercise, and dieting).

I've tried the emergency room when I was feeling really unwell.  The did more blood work and I asked them to do a CT-Scan because I had bouts of dizziness.  All of the test there came back fine.  This is where they wrote me a script for a low dosage of Xanax to help cope if it was in fact PTSD or Anxiety from the heart scare.

I've gone to a Vertigo Specialist and all test there were perfect.

Most of the initial symptoms (Chest Pain, Lightheadedness, Dizziness) have gone but new symptoms have arrived over the last month.  I think "GOOGLING" the symptoms made it BLOW UP ON ME.  Instead of listening to the doctors and knowing that I'm basically healthy, I let my mind take over and try to uncover and illness that wasn't there causing anxious feelings and thoughts of a serious problem.

My only other thought is that the Ramipril and Amlodipine that I take for my blood pressure is making me ill.  My mother took a blood pressure med for 15+ years and all of a sudden it knocked her on her butt and she had to switch.  I go back to Cardiologist on Monday so I'll inquire about a med change......?

Lastly, my therapist thinks that my trauma and anxiety ARE directly related to the heart hospital stay and the nurse who gave me an incorrect health diagnosis.  She said that linked it to traumatic things from my past and it festered into one big ball of anxiety.  She feels I'm battling a little PTSD and with do EMDR on Tuesday to try to get my mind rewired to positive thoughts instead of focusing on my symptoms, etc.

The scariest part of this whole thing is that usually when you're sick (I.E. flu, virus, etc.) you get meds and a timetable of recovery.  With this, I have no idea when I'll be back to normal and feeling good again.

I know I'm doing everything in my power to get there and I wont stop until I'm there.  I am not depressed by any means, just want my old life back.

I appreciate your comments and please continue with feedback.

EACH DAY WILL GET BETTER!

Scott