Hidden4 years ago

An enlarged heart would be visible on a chest X-ray.

The best thing you could do would be to help yourself by learning how to eat healthily and counteract the medications. I understand your worries; the best way to investigate them would be to get yourself to the healthiest you can (physically and mentally) within your control - this will help eliminate lots of possibilities for the doctors. I hope this is helpful,

Chappychap in reply to Hidden4 years ago

That sounds like good advice to me.

Your chest Xray clearly showed your heart size, standard practise is to measure the heart dimensions on the Xray. So it's just not very plausible that an enlarged heart is one of your health problems.

However, being 18 stone and trending heavier, well that's a really, really serious health problem.

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isobelhannah184 years ago

Anxiety can cause genuine physical symptoms, so your aches and pains are real but the cause is anxiety. I have been recommended yoga for anxiety and start after Christmas. There are lots of other things you can try. However, your weight is a real health risk and it usually isn't the tablets that are to blame. I have a tendency to put on weight and the only answer is to eat healthily and exercise for life. Look at Dr. Michael Mosley's 5/2 fast. I fast (600 calories) once a week and that maintains a steady weight but there are lots of other ideas from people on the forum.

Prada474 years ago

Hello Turtle,

A question to ask yourself is what can you not do ?? Can you walk upstairs , do you manage to go shopping etc . 18 stone is a little heavy, but if your 6' 2" or so it's not to bad. Your Dr should be able to recommend a weight loss programme WW or the 5 : 2 diet, just try to relax, do you have a partner or someone who can help you ? it's much easier learning to cope when you have help. It doesn't sound as though you have major heart problems after your investigations ECG etc. People on here will help you just hang in there as we approach Christmas. We went into a major retailer yesterday M & S and I picked up lots of things looked at the label and put it back on the shelf. My Heart Nurse said 3 reds on a label a couple of times a week or as a treat otherwise leave it alone ( even though it is difficult )

I wish you well, soon the start of a New Year and a New You if you want it.

Best Wishes

Turtle90 in reply to Prada474 years ago

Hi Thankyou for the reply, I still do everything I did at the start of the year when I was 16 stone. (Have walked 3 miles today to do some shopping although in thr past 2/3 months I havent being out as much as I have feared passing out, have being on my porch roof putting decorations up etc) I am about 5 foot 12 and my bmi is "obese" now.

I went up to 17 stone middme of the year after drinking monster energy drinks and started hating myself for doing it persuaded myself I had beart disease and everyone around me didnt believe I put a stone on (I guess muscle dissapeared and fat took its place) which got me down and annoyed me possibly what got mw into this anxious state. Went doctors and i kid you not my appetite is like im santa in the training at the moment. Have being doctors and being told I am unlucky as there is a small chance of weight gain with the sertraline but it should balance itself out (although hes just upped them to 100mg a day)

In the new year i am going on dassh diet regardless I have got rhis embedded in my head already just really hope i dont have a PE, its not the fear of dying but its children I want tonbe there for aslomg as possible for them..... (maybe that sounds selfish and my apologies if so)

I have got an app called food scanner which scans barcodes on foods and tells you sugar etc really useful but at the moment I not really used it. Just wanr Christmas out the way and thats it no chocolate, biscuits, crisps in the house.

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isobelhannah184 years ago

Dieting's fine for the initial weight loss but it really is a lifetime of eating healthily and regular exercise. I had a terrible diet but now really enjoy all the healthy stuff and don't want anything sweet. It's tough at first but worth it. Don't buy the unhealthy stuff. I found if it was in the house I ate it!

Good luck.