Can you feel anxious all day without having a high heart rate? And health anxiety?

[jjb1983]

Hello,

Wow well today I woke up from an ok sleep apart from waking up with a really bad dry throat to the point I needed water had a sip every time it woke me and went back off.

Anyway on waking this morning I had a terrible dry throat not mouth just throat. I drank a lot of water didn't help gargled salty water didn't help, had some honey didn't help, it's still dry.

This was freaking me out, I googled it nothing bad came up, but then noticed a dull ache just above my left elbow it didn't ease and thought oh its getting worse, then I started to panic a but more then a few niggles in my chest headache and I panicked even more to the point grabbing my car keys, telling my partner I need to go to hospital I think I'm having a panic attack. I really don't deal well with them but it subsided a little I sat down and said yo my partner I had a headache and the pain in my arm, Feeling Light headed dizzy, I'm constantly check8ng my pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels,

I think I've admitted to my self today I defiantly have health anxiety.

I ask for reassurance from him ask hum to check himself also.

Is any of you guys Like this? Or is this hospital treatment behaviour? I feel like I'm cracking up in tense all the time i have tense shoulders and neck and realise sometimes i need to drop my shoulders.

[Hidden]

Many of us are like this. There could be one giving you the anxiety issues and your anxiety sounds like it's causing you to have health anxiety. I used to think my Fitbit with the heart rate tracker was great until I was staring at it during a panic attack and seeing three digit numbers. Now, I feel panic, and look. I've turned that off. It's so common for anxiety to manifest, like it does here, into a panic attack. Your mind is throwing in the "buts" and "ifs". What if my heart doesn't stop beating so quick? If I don't get to a hospital, this could be bad.

I would see your general physician just for peace of mind in terms of it not being heart related. The odds are it isn't, but if you have that information, you can know that it is a panic/anxiety attack. The tension and the symptoms you mention all sound like stress, anxiety, and eventually the feeling one gets during a panicked episode. What I like to do is see if I'm able to use CBT training (worst case - what you're thinking, best case, and actual case is popular) to calm it down. If not, I move on towards guided breathing (via phone apps....10% Happier, Mindspace, and so many). There's one specifically that sounds good for you by 10% Happier that has one scrunching their face, shoulders, fists, and toes) by stretching out all that tension. If you have short acting medication (Xanax, Valium, etc), you might try that if these feelings are truly intense. If not, you can seek treatment where they will likely administer some and advise you to see your GP, a therapist, and/or a psychiatrist.

The lists of symptoms of anxiety and panic is a gigantic one. Everything you typed here, I think, is fairly common. There's no shame in going to the ER if you need to. That's where I found out what a panic attack was and that I had one when I first experience my first episode. Being able to eliminate a heart attack off the list of what you're feeling will be comforting versus the feeling. Also, probably should ask, have you had an anxiety/panic attack? If yes, medications, therapy? If no, I would see your doctor to start some anti-anxiety medication. If you prefer not to take the medicinal route, a therapist can help you sort through triggers and give you exercises to help you smolder out anxiety. There isn't a one solution fits all, but there's a lot you can try. I'd make an appointment for now just for the sake of peace of mind. Otherwise, sounds like stress and anxiety. I hope you feel better and can relax when you get a moment....you're definitely not alone in what you experienced.

[jjb1983 in reply to Hidden]

Hello aequitas1983

I have had heart tests, bloods, x ray, gastroscopy the other day (where I freaked out and cried so anxious)

I've had this a while been to a n e with it, where they have done tests also bloods ECG x ray.

I have just lost my sister on the 28th December and I've been crying at this and then I'm crying at this I'm going through its getting worse I'm checking loads more than normal.

I check because of been light headed and a fuzzy feeling in my head. I had a headache yesterday and a pain just above my left elbow which made me and even more.

I do have valium, but I have a tablet phobia, I have been given citalopram again as I was on it 9 year ago where I had done of side effects since then about 5 year ago I tried a lot of others but the side effects were horrid. So I stoped.

But now I'm struggling, I know I should prob take these meds but I'm to scared because of side effects.

Thank you

[Hidden in reply to jjb1983]

Hey there,

Wow, it sounds like you've been through a lot and then some. Between losing a close family member and all of the health related stuff...that's a lot for someone to carry or put onto one plate.

Thankfully, feeling light headed, fuzzy, dizzy, and even like you're afraid you'll go out of your mind are all common symptoms of anxiety attacks. The unfortunate part is what seems to have you beating yourself up in that a lot of these symptoms kind of correspond with other things. This is where they tell us to stop playing doctor and Googling what's wrong with us. I think one website had me thinking I had some rare form of cancer when I checked the boxes. Emotions can definitely play in with hormonal type changes (regardless of male or female) and how they impact your brain, rational thinking, and so on.

Just to express how much I can sympathize, I've driven myself to a local ER that's conveniently less than a mile from my house. It's more of an outpatient/urgent care facility, but it's the feeling that I'm within the reach of at least a doctor. I'll drive to the parking lot, turn on a guided meditation, and check my pulse. In one of these instances, I went from 120 BPM to 80. I've gone to the hospital so many times with a 70%-90% thought that it's probably anxiety but the smallest amount of doubt had me inside. It's truly one of those crappy catch 22 situations. Everything I've ever read from physicians, though, is if you're ever in doubt, it's better to be wrong and there than be right and not. I don't mean that to cause you panic as much as ease your worry for having gone. I think in your case I'd recommend a handheld ECG machine they sell on Amazon. Yes, they always give the disclaimer that it should never be substituted for the real thing, but anytime I've felt what you have, I hold the device in my hands and voila, normal sinus rhythm despite the higher heart rate (that's the anxiety). They're usually $80-$100 USD, but for me, a visit to the ER is $100 USD just for walking in.

I absolutely understand your pill phobia. While I trust my quick acting med (Xanax), it took a lot for me to do so. I was and am skeptical of SSRIs and SNRIs because they don't seem to do the trick for me....with time and all. I gain weight and have some other inconvenient side effects, so that's how I know it's working. There are some other medications with less side effects that are easier to start at low doses. If you have a couple days off, maybe you and your doctor could start at the lowest therapeutic dose and it gives you time to see how you react while having your partner around to check in. The problem with most of these types of meds is a doctor has a particular favorite and then starts "shotgunning" the medications hoping one of them is the one you react positive to. And then time is the other negative factor since they ask 4-6 weeks before seeing if it has helped. I've been up and down the list like you and it's hard. You might ask about other medicines that are hit or miss: trazodone and hydroxyzine (this antihistamine that drug makers hate because it's cheap and can be effective). Both are sort of sedatives, but also show help for anxiety. I've used both for sleep and no issues. Doc tried trazodone at a higher rate twice per day and I didn't like it. Some also say Gabapentin helps, but it's hard drug to recommend for yourself since it's really a nerve pain medication with very little data showing the positive results.

As for the Valium, it'll help you tremendously but the feelings can be feeling tired, sedated, or buzzed/sort of drunk for some. If it's a low dose 5 mg a day, these feelings shouldn't be too hardcore. Again, it might be something to try with your partner around if something were to happen. The true positive to not taking it is benzos tend to work and they technically should only be for a certain time or emergency attacks only or else you can risk tolerance that leads to an unfortunate addiction. They have their place, but coming from someone who uses Xanax daily for seven years, it'll be rough getting away from them. That said, if you are struggling at your worst, Valium is one of the kinder in the benzo class. When people are trying to get away from Xanax and Ativan, doctors typically (slowly) shift them to Valium. It doesn't kick in as hard and fast and it lasts longer. The only risks are any other nervous system depressants in the mix...the worst being alcohol and opioids since the combination can be deadly. Otherwise, yeah, this one might help you immediately if things aren't improving.

Whatever road you take, the mindfulness/meditation talks can be either annoying or helpful. I find if I catch my anxiety when it isn't high, a good session by a calm voice can bring me back to feeling barely anxious. I absolutely get what you mean with medicines. Regardless, I'm very sorry to hear of your sister. I hope with time maybe some of the pain there will dwindle and the anxiety might be a little more easy to manage. Sorry for the length, just hoped to give every little piece of info/personal experience I have. Good luck and feel well, you're gonna be okay. Let us know how it goes and if you ever need an ear, we're just a few buttons away.

[jjb1983 in reply to Hidden]

Hi

Thank you, I have had it quite hard lately a tone of anxiety, losing my sister panicking over a gastroscopy (crying the works)

I have really bad health anxiety, I have a pulse and oxygen thing on my phone.

And I'm trying not to use them or bp machine also.

My heart rate only goes up during a panic attack. Otherwise I'm just very tense and full of anxiety like been on edge and worry so much to the point I think I'm going crazy.

I've had all sorts of test at hospital when we go to a n e they do an ecg, x ray, and bloods along with some other basic questions and tests like balance push and pull.

I've seen a cardiologist too had an ultrasound of my heart, had a 48 hour ECG machine on and they found ectopic heart beats.

I have a low resting heart rate of 63 and was told by the heart Dr not to take beta blockers.

Sorry you have been through that it's tough isn't it when our anxiety makes us worry about our health and can actually cause physical symptoms.

How do you manage your Anxiety now?

Don't you get to over checking with your machine?

Do you work I cannot work when I'm like this it's crap.

Hope your having a good day.

[Hidden in reply to jjb1983]

Yeah, I completely understand the health anxiety. I have my own little kit: BP, pulse oximeter, the handheld ECG, and the Fitbit. With all the toys we have, I think when we see something less than optimal, we set the alarm bells off ourselves and our body responds in the most rational way it can which is kicking into fight or flight.

I had to Google ectopic heart beats and it sounds that it's an annoying thing to have. Up there with skipped beats or extra beats. I actually see anxiety can exacerbate those beats as a result. It's similar to when I'm hyperventilating during a panic attack while being asthmatic. They're two things that feed off one another resulting in more health anxiety. It sounds like as long as you stay on top of it, you have a good healthy heart.

Judging with my own results with beta blockers, it sounds like doctor made the right call. Prior, my pulse would vary 70-100 BPM (technically healthy, but they say 60-75 is best). When I began the beta blocker, my heart rate, at rest and relaxed, is about 55-65 BPM. More so when I sleep. In your case it might cause bradycardia which is usually only common in elite athletes who do marathons and all the insane cardio sports. They can be "normal" with bradycardia because their lungs and cardio system do the same job as us with higher heart rates. Betas are great for some people...it has helped my heart rate from spiking high. Sometimes during an attack I would be in the 120s-140s, now an attack has me in the 100s if I get there. It's unfortunate you cannot take them, but they don't necessarily rid anxiety anyway. Just some of the side effects of anxiety.

Right now I'm managing by dedicating myself to seeing my doctor frequently, I tried a psychiatrist (not a good one apparently), and using acupuncture. If you can, I would try acupuncture. Out of the above, it's the best thing I was skeptical of that has me feeling great. My doctor and I have been trying to work on this for ten years, but it's truly just hoping this works this time and fiddling with medications. Like you, I'm a bit exhausted and skeptical of them. I need to and haven't done it yet, but if you can manage and your doctor has given you the thumbs up, there is nothing greater for anxiety and overall health than some exercise. Walks, runs, cycling, whatever. Maybe 20 minutes of weight training. The endorphins released really do a number for our entire body....despite my own body chuckling at this suggestion after a hard push in the gym. Lol. I'm trying to find a new psychiatrist and a new counselor because really you need to have a solid team that fits for you. If you don't like medication, they should be able to make suggestions based on the therapy you want. So, yeah, I think putting together all of the above helps yield some positive results. I haven't found the right groups yet, but I'm looking and always trying to keep positive.

I absolutely over check all the devices I have sometimes. I finally stopped. I just know now. Of course my BP is high, I'm stressing. I'm talking and breathing....walking to something...I didn't faint. Oxygen is fine. My heart I always fret about because I'm 35 and this is when I think people need to start caring more, but I mean, I see my doctor often enough and he's not concerned. I just turned off the Fitbit pulse option unless I'm sleeping (it's how it interprets your sleep patterns). Sometimes too much information, I think, is bad. Especially for us health anxious people. My wife is a nurse and she's seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's not a great statement but I think it's a fair statement that counseling would put into better terms...if and when it's time to go, it's our time. If we spent our entire life fretting when we're going to go, what fun was it? It's like waiting for a bully to throw a punch into your gut. I think that's the hardest part: we're all waiting for the first thing or diagnosis to come...and it may not come for decades. We have to live life somehow. I do function at work and it's usually by own force. I try to get involved and not let my thoughts rest on hypothetical questions. That said, there's some slow nights (I work overnights) and my mind gets too curious. I usually manage with Xanax. For me, it brings me to where a normal person is. I don't get sleepy or "drunk" feeling, I can function because I'm not churning out a thousand thoughts per minute about my heart and this and that. I do miss work occasionally and thankfully have FMLA (if you aren't in the States, this is government protected leave that I can take for my health). I usually only need a day or two here and there. It is hard to function out there, especially when our mind tries to keep grabbing at the controls to the ship that we are. If my anxiety acts up, I also pop in some earbuds and listen to some of the audio guided meditations specifically for the anxious folks out there. 10% Happier is my app though for all the content, it requires a subscription. I do think work is one of my sources for anxiety and I often have most of my attacks there, but I have to do it, so I force myself.

Meanwhile, I exhaust the resources I can when I see them. If you can, make sure your doctor understands how difficult day to day life is dealing with anxiety. Another note my wife told me to start saying. These doctors understand English but you need a little Doctorese and that's one thing that'll have them perk their ears. I cannot function normally and it's taking a toll on my life at work and home. I see my GP today (finally) and I plan to finally say it instead of, "Hey, good to see you, yeah I'm okay, but this [insert the regular old reasons I'm here]." We have to start advocating for ourselves unfortunately. If not your doctor, definitely mention to his/her nurse.

Above all else, all of the above is how I do it enough to function. I stopped drinking after a bit of alcoholic phase. I wish that was the answer, but it wasn't. Dealing with the death of your sister still, you may still have some grieving to do. Again, I'm so sorry to hear that. I would try some new approaches and write down the results. An anxiety journal. CBT is also a great therapy to try with a counselor. You take a trigger...such a driving over a bridge and approach it with baby steps until it's no longer a trigger. It also teaches you not to fight anxiety but rather welcome it but notice it as much. The feelings, sure, but the fear doesn't get a home. Overall, yeah, it's just getting out there and being willing to fall off the horse. Somethings will work and some won't. I just try to get a percentage closer to having it under control each and every day. You can do this and you always have this place for the days you fall down and need some pep to get back on. I actually make sure to blog my best and crappiest days because both are reminders that we aren't at our worst and the other has a map to feeling the best.

Best of luck and I hope any of this advice is helpful. I know it can be horrible and scary, but we're still here, so that's hope enough. If I find anything else that worked, I'll be sure to pass along!

[jjb1983 in reply to Hidden]

I know right I'm terrible for it at the min. I was doing that to myself las5 nigh5 constantly checking.

Ectopic heart beats are extra beats.

I used to get them terribly working out.

I don't work out as much as I used to.

Although I am on my feel a lot I used to keep myself busy all day everyday to help forget about symptoms but my councillor said it was bad and shouldn't do it because I would ware myself out.

I'm the same age as you.

Maybe you can speak with your new therapist when you find one about the issues you feel around your heart.

Hope your app went well with your gp.

I'm in the UK.

Oh dear alcohol isn't a good mix with anxiety well not for me anyway I couldn't drink while I am like this anyway. I know others that can still drink and they feel ok.

Don't you feel pressured your wife is a nurse?

I have just received a book today called dare by Barry mcdonagh so il see how that goes I know I need to force myself out there and beat this anxiety.

I'm reading a book at the min called fuck anxiety by Robert duff.

I have some apps also like calm.

I also listen to adult bed time storied on youtube and watch the anxiety guy too.

You have been helpful thank you.

But think I need to throw away my checking devices lol.

Hope your day has been good and your app went well.