I have heart anxiety.

[GP76]

I currently have a cold which really triggers my anxiety. I also recently started cpap treatment also (it's on hold while I get through this).

My issues right now are feeling sick but no runny nose, cough, or fever. So my anxiety is that it's something else and not a cold. That of course makes me think it's cardiac related immediately. about 6 days ago, the first day of this i called an ambulance to check my heart. Everything was ok but it's just been a rough week.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Jeff1943]

Don't listen to the anxiety gremlin who whispers worrying messages in your ear. They are all lies.

You know you have health anxiety, one of the most common manifests of anxiety disorder. You know how it magnifies the smallest worries into major illnesses even though qualified medics have given your heart a clean bill of health. You know the cause of your imagined illnesses is that your nerves have been sensitised by too much stress.

Then know also that your nervous system can be desensitised and you can recover fully simply by accepting the worrying thoughts and pseudo-symptoms fearlessly. Health anxiety symptoms cannot kill you or damage your body, neither can they send you crazy. So no matter how unwell you may feel you stop feeding your nervous system through a cycle of fear-symptoms-fear.

Accepting lifts a great weight from your shoulders, it frees you from constant worry without substance. But it must be true acceptance, not just "putting up with". Acceptance stops the flow of anxiety hormones and gives those sensitised nerves a chance to recover.

If you can adopt acceptance you can defuse anything high anxiety sends your way.

[Christory77]

I second what Jeff said. It’s so easy to get stuck in the endless cycle of worry and fear. It happens to all of us. What’s important is the power you allow it to have over you. Trust your team of Drs and trust yourself. Be okay with how you feel and just sit with it until it passes. I promise it will pass.

[kernowjim]

You're tired from lack of sleep, it would be impossible to make a sound judgement on anything let alone your true state of health. When the cold clears, focus on your CPAP treatment and I can't stress this enough 'stick with it' - you may find the full face mask overwhelming at first but I recommend the nasal pillows (I use Resmed P10's) and it is life changing. 90% of your problems will disappear when you start getting 7+ hours sleep a night. Get that sleep and you will break the anxiety cycle. You can do this (I know because I did it). Good luck.

[Babe1213]

Hi GP76, - I am also addressing here Jeff1943, Christory 77, and Kernowjim, Because I feel that all three of them have spoken with a very positive outlook. All too often on this site I see people trying to be supportive but failing because they then go on in a negative way about what has happened/is happening to them. Of course it can be very difficult to 'to feel what others are feeling' when we don't get to 'see' the body language behind the pain. As a grief/loss counsellor with the church in the UK, I find it difficult to 'telephone people in need.' I am able to listen, but much prefer to come alongside in person. As someone who has 'been through the pain of anxiety, and many health issues, and come out the other side stronger and more able, I decided to try to be here for others. Only recently did I join HU, and I have to say it is very difficult to read, (sometimes illegible writing), to get the gist of what people are saying, and to respond without seeing the person 'face to face' as I have been trained. I know also how difficult it can be for the person needing support, having to wait, some- times for days to get a response, this can be soul destroying. I agree wholeheartedly with the comments made by those I have mentioned and hope that you will be able to take comfort from them. It is always better to be kind to people, but firm.

I am sure we have all been in that place where something evil attacks our fragile selves - I will repeat what I have said before on H U. Anxiety itself, is NOT an illness or a mental health condition. It is merely the body's natural response to stress - which everyone suffers many times during their lives. The illness and mental health conditions come from us, we actually allow the bad thing to dominate. Jeff is quite right 'anxiety problems cannot kill you, damage your body or send you crazy.' What is important (as Christory 77 says) is that YOU stop the power you are allowing these symptoms to have over you, and to trust your medics.

I have to admit I know very little about the causes of loss of sleep as Kernowjim has mentioned - I don't sleep well myself, but that is because I choose to stay up late and snooze - my fault! But Kernowjim has obviously been in that position and understands far more than I. Listen to him! Listen also as I join Jeff in kicking the gremlins out of the way - I as a Christian Minister will say simply, 'Get ye behind me, Satan.'

Of course prayer for me is the answer to all my problems. what GOD does for me, He wants also to do for you - whether you believe or not.

So GP76 You have had some terrific advice here - I will say from all of us, it is now up to you to use this wisely. Every single negative can be changed into a positive - If you will allow it. Sometimes though this means making ourselves vulnerable, by talking face to face with a counsellor or facilitator, minister, priest, friend. As humans we often put a shield around ourselves, because we do not want any more hurt to come in, but by shielding ourselves we are actually stopping the hurt inside from coming out! Do please come back and tell us how you are doing. We do care!

[R4f44ever]

I know it’s easier said than done by try not to worry unnecessarily. I have worried about my heart for probably 20 years and have been to hospital about half a dozen times, to my extreme embarrassment. Your body can be an absolute devil, playing with your fears and triggering worrisome pains. As long as you get checked out and are told you’re ok, then try and hold onto that positivity as best as you can. I felt I was doing great and had 2 sleepless nights this week! I don’t like to tell my family unless I get to breaking point and I’ve been there a few times as well! I have come to the conclusion that you just have to try and live with it and manage it as best as you possibly can, but as we all know there’s no magic wand! Anyway that’s just my 2 cents worth and there’s also other fantastic posts on here for you to take comfort from. You take care and keep well.🙏

[designguy]

I agree with Jeff, the key is to never believe anxiety, it's a liar, especially after having checked things out physically and they are ok. It takes time and when we don't feel good it's easier to slip into anxious thinking but remind yourself that the anxiety is a lie and you might have to do it over and over for a while.

I use a cpap and it's definitely helped improve the quality of my sleep and I didn't realize how fatigued I was until after using it a while. Before the cpap I had an extra heart beat but that went away after being on the cpap for a while. The biggest problem with the cpap, which is common, is finding the right kind of mask that works for you.

[GP76]

Thank you to everyone for the kind responses. I have had a few episodes of week+ long anxiety as I have been dealing with this for 20+ years. I have just begun to understand total acceptance a few days ago, and seeing you all say it's the way to go really makes me feel better.

I have made a commitment to myself to no longer check my pulse, google symptoms or in any other way feed my anxiety from now on. I have been practicing total acceptance, meaning I expect the anxiety, I embrace it when its there and I allow myself to stay in it, for 2 days now and I must say it is so freeing. Allowing myself to have triggering thoughts, but not chasing them, was always my only tool. And for a while that helped. But accepting and expecting the anxiety, and allowing myself to fully feel and stay in it is really the light at the end of this tunnel. It's is of course difficult to do it since I am still new to this but it really seems to help immediately if I truly embrace the feeling.

I have a bad habit of going back to "normal" after I start feeling better. I will not do this ever again, I have made the choice to commit to living a much more healthy lifestyle both mentally and physically from now on. For me and for my wife, who has stuck by my side this entire time. She deserves a break from the madness when I am going through this once or twice a year.

All of your kind words have truly helped, and I can only hope my post will help someone someday. Acceptance works, and I really feel like I can be like a normal person now as I get better at using this tool. I hope everyone has a wonderful day, please don't give up, the good time are far better than the bad times.