At my wits end..... any advice would be greatly appreciated x

[girl2012_1986]

Hello All,

I just joined today as I am really after some advice.

So for years now, I have woke in the middle of the night with my heart racing and feeling wide awake and very confused and alert. In June this happened but this time I felt very short of breath and really quite poorly with it. I felt dizzy and like I was going to collapse, I was shivering, I had an upset stomach and my heart kept plummeting. The palpitations have continued and I have been prescribed 120mg of beta blockers which have finally reduced the palps. However, I am constantly feeling out of breath, very tired, no energy, a tightness around my throught and in my left side, and discomfort just above my stomach. I get very cold and shiver and feel sick and often have an upset stomach. It gets to the point I am convinced I am dying or having a stroke. It is happening nearly every evening, before I go to sleep. I feel the more exercise or the more I do in general, the worse I will feel the days to follow.

I have been for an ECG, had bloods and an echocardiogram. All showed fine. I do have a high pulse rate which has been put down to anxiety.

I don't feel anxious. Everything is going well for me at the moment other than this awful awful condition that makes me feel terrible on a daily basis. I feel it is pushing me into a dark place. I am convinced I will drop dead. I feel like the Dr is blaming anxiety when there is an underlying cause.

What are your opinions? DOes it sound like anxiety? I really am at my wits end right now, it is ruining my life. Any help or advice would be so helpful. Thanks in advance xx

[izzywhizz]

Hi,

Sorry to hear you're not doing very well. I am very new to this site as well and don't have too much experience of anxiety but I do recognise your symptoms as my own. I couldn't understand what was wrong with me either, all seemed to be going well at work and at home but I just started feeling very agitated for no reason. Bad head, bad stomach, aching jaw, no energy etc etc To cut a long story short I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder and was prescribed Citaprolam which has worked but I have had to have the dose increased. Also starting CBT which apparently really helps with this. No one was as surprised as me when this happened so maybe go back to your GP and have another chat. My aches and pains and constant fear of illness have all but gone so do it ... you have nothing to lose! x

[girl2012_1986 in reply to izzywhizz]

Thank you so much for answering so quickly. I am due to start CBT next week as everyone other than myself believes it is anxiety related. I just can't believe the physical symptoms and how they can be so life changing and effect everything I do. I may ask the Dr about taking something like Citaprolam as I can't go on like this forever! Thank you for your reassurance x

[hedgecrone]

It does sound anxiety related and if your GP has ruled out other things, then believe them. Anxiety can cause horrible physical symptoms which can be frightening and upsetting but once you know what they are, you can try and say to yourself, 'Oh, it's this again! Ok, I don't like it, but it's passed before and I know it will pass again!' You might not believe yourself, but say it anyway, however silly it feels!

Good luck with the CBT - you are doing the right things!

[F_Shadow1]

Hi yeah sorry to repeat what everyone else has said but this defintely sounds like anxiety... classic symptoms really. Maybe some health anxiety there too, if you're convinced you're dying/having a stroke - this doesn't have to be caused by anything going on in your life... it's just a horrible thought pattern that can sometimes develop for no reason. I hope the CBT works out for you, best wishes with it all.

[Hidden]

Hi girl 2012

To me it all started like this!!I was at my first year at university and everything was fine when I started having this problem in the middle of the night.So I started asking around and lots if people was telling me it was panick attack.I couldn't t believe it cause I didn t feel anxious at all during the day it was just happening at night...good luck hun...

[Melgil58]

Sorry your having a hard time I could have wrote what you've written myself we seem to have similar symptoms and they get put down to anxiety which I don't know about you but I used to feel embarrassed about cos you think there all in the mind some drs don't help because you get the feeling after a while they get fed up with you cos they havnt got any fancy drug that helps but they are trying. I think they are getting it because there are so many of us turning up in surgeries nowadays . As regards feeling you have something seriously Wrong I hope your dr has sent you for tests mine did blood tests X-rays the lot all cameback negative and I get everything you talk about and I've had a heart attack and not meaning to be funny the heart attack wasn't as bad as the feeling I get when having a panic episode you sound like you may have health anxiety which your dr or councillor should help you with but try and recognise what triggers your feelings and try and talk to a good friend about it or write down how your feeling what's happening to you . I hope I've helped and wish you well and remember when your going through it your not on your own cos one of us is going through it at the same time good luck to you

[porsha]

hi there. having suffered for some years now and had a variety of treatments, I still have a bad bout occasionaly. what you r describing is definately anxiety. the symptoms a bloody awfull. please try to read Dr Claire weeks self help books they are amazing. They reassure you and explain every symptom you are getting, is not going to kill you. just reading them helps to relax you. I hounastly could.nt live without them.