Breathlessness update

[Scottishlad]

Some time ago I posted about my breathlessness and on going investigations.Over the last year I've had a thorough MOT of my heart and lungs and I passed with no advisories.

It seems to me now that I had overreacted to some symptoms and become anxious. The anxiety made me become over-protective. This led to me becoming de-conditioned. This became rather a vicious circle.

I had been referred to the local gym by the surgery and worked my way, rather gently, through the 20 session programme and carried on with regular weekly sessions after it ended.

About two weeks after the last test, a heart scan, I began to think "well if there's anything serious, I should have heard by now". My mood started to lighten and I increased the effort I put in at the gym and tried swimming again.

With the all clear, I am now going to the gym twice a week and have a 45 minute swim once a week. There's a spring in my step which has been missing for quite a while. There's muscles showing that I haven't seen in a while.

I have cut down on cakes and chocolate and as a result I'm a stone lighter, I'm no longer thinking about buying bigger trousers 😁😁

I was widowed two years ago, had a serious bike accident last year and live on my own. I suppose these factors go some way to explaining the anxiety vicious circle. It wasn't helped by the length of time it took going through the tests. Each all clear was followed by a wait for the next test and then the results. From start to finish it's been a year.

From my point of view the important take away is that you shouldn't ignore the possibility that there is a mental aspect to your symptoms. It's always worth thinking about trying to push through the barrier.

[oldtimer2]

It's good that you have managed to come to terms with all that's happened to you and the anxiety that it it produced. And perhaps even better that you have done something positive about about it and benefited. Very well done, as it's so easy to get into a circle of anxiety producing symtpoms which produce anxiety. A pity that the investigations have taken so long.....

And thanks for posting such a positive message too.

[Boxerlady]

Wow, I'm in awe - well done you! 👏Sometimes it takes more courage to accept that there might be something amiss with our mental health rather than our physical health. Working with young people, I'm aware that they're much happier talking about mental health than my generation (60's) and I think that can only be a good thing. When I had some anxiety issues, I had to learn that it wasn't a sign of weakness but just another health issue which I needed to learn how to deal with and although it took me a while, learning how to break the vicious circle was key to starting to feel better and also to be able to recognise the early signs and step in and stop the process starting again.

You've had a lot to deal with (so sorry for your loss) but hopefully this is the start of many better times to come. 🤗

[Madmusiclover]

I’m very pleased for you.

[medway-lady]

Great post and well done. I’m sorry about your wife and the accident but you’ve done so amazingly well. Xx

[springcross]

So sorry to hear about your wife and the accident, sounds like you've had a bad couple of years, no wonder you had anxieties, but well done to you as you've battled through and come out the other side and well done on losing weight and getting fit in the process. 💪😊

[wilbertjellyfish]

Great to hear your doing well. I swim twice a week and love it... mostly because no one can contact you in the pool. 🙈

[greynot]

Well done you! Onward....

[nanapat61]

Very well done! I swim for an hour twice a week and think it helps with my mental health, as well as it being the only 'proper' exercise which doesn't hurt my joints! Keep going....