Is this really anxiety?

[girl2012_1986]

Hi everyone,

Ahhhh where to begin....... basically I have been unwell since June. Heart palpitations, severe shortness of breath, dizziness, exhaustion, rapid heart rate, sickness etc ALL the time. It has gradually got worse to the point I am feeling horrendous. Had several blood tests for everything under the sun, had ECG, 24 hour ECG, ultrasound of heart everything. The 24 hour ECG has picked up I do suffer from Tachacardia and did pick up several palpitations so I am having a 7 day holter fitted next week to monitor it further.

I have seen at least 7 different GP's, been in A&E 3 times, been to out of hours twice, under the care of a cardiologists and everyone has the same opinion it is anxiety. The thing is.... I DON'T FEEL ANXIOUS!!!! I am only anxious about feeling unwell to the point I don't want to move from bed, I don't leave the house, I am missing work etc. I am convinced I have something terminal that will kill me and it just isn't being picked up on.

I shake all the time. I am sick every morning/night and have been for the past 3 weeks. I suffer from indigestion too. I am at a loss. I have no idea what is happening to me and it is taking over my life. It isn't a panic attack that comes and goes... it is a constant feeling that tends to intensify at certain times ie before bed etc.

Is anyone experiencing this? To this extreme? Should I be asking for an MRI scan? Honestly I am so sad about it all. I am on citalopram and Antenolol for anxiety and palpitations as Dr unwilling to refer me until I have tried Citalopram.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks

[Hidden]

Hi. girl. You don't feel anxious! Then you say you are anxious about feeling unwell!! Sometimes we are so bewildered that we cannot think straight. You have had all the tests but you still do not believe them. Do you distrust them? Why would they lie to you? I have just said to someone else that they get it right 99.9% of the time but it is the odd 1% that the newshounds fasten on to. 'Good news is not news'. Don't be 'at a loss' because all the symptoms you describe are classic GAD symptoms. (General Anxiety Disorder). Others will come on here and tell you how they have suffered in the same way, so take heart. Symptoms in nervous illness fluctuate like mad. Up one minute, down the next. The yoyo effect. Palpitations are so common that they come to be expected in any case of nervous illness. They are one of the most common in fact. I had them for years and wore out umpteen ECG machines. Getting on now, still have them now and then; I am still here so I accept them and they no longer have any effect whatsoever. Try not to lay in bed. A very depressing place to be where thoughts get intensified out of all proportion, and that is what is happening to you. You are frightening yourself by your thoughts. I will leave the rest to others who will, no doubt, give you more helpful advice. You WILL recover but you must give it time. Above all BELIEVE them, the doctors ARE professionals. Love. jonathan.

[Hidden]

Have to agree with what Johnathan has said , sounds like even though you dont feel anxious , you are when you think about your heart

I am sure after all the ECG 'S you have had , there is nothing seriously wrong , easy for me to say , may be harder at the moment for you to believe

Like Johnathan says he has worn out umpteen ECG machines & is still here lol

Look round the site & read blogs , lots of people with health anxiety on here , including myself , you will see you are not alone in how you feel , but there our ways to make this easier for yourself , taken tips already like try not to feed the fear & the best one for me "Dont Google " takes some doing , but no more energy than me worrying !

Keep posting , you will get through this

whywhy xxx

[ellabella]

Hi G, I have taken the liberty of reading your previous post last September and it doesn't seem as if much has changed love. How long have you been on Citalopram and where are you waiting for referral to?. I know this awful illness seems life threatening when you are in the middle of it and not seeing any improvement and I also know the disappointment that comes with no diagnoses that can be put right by a certain medication or operation. Been there done that. I remember crying because I had been diagnosed with anxiety, I didn't believe them and that was 34 years ago. Now don't get me wrong I am not a quivering wreck in a corner ( well not today!) but I have anxiety. I accept I have anxiety. The symptoms are frighteningly severe if you allow them to be. I got a copy of a book by Dr Claire Weekes from Amazon a few months ago and can honestly say my whole outlook has changed for the better by reading it. You do have text book symptoms G. Please stop thinking you are going to die because anxiety can't kill you ,but it can waste a lot of your life worrying about it , Love and Hugs x Ella x

[flowerbud]

I am amazed that someone feels like I do. This is my first time on here and now I know I am not going mad & other people get the same problems as me. Your symptoms are very similar to mine and I was told it was anxiety but they are so severe at times I always think the worst. At the moment I am taking tablets for an infection but as I have a tablet phobia my anxiety levels are awful. Will things ever get better?