all that worry

[martin1969]

Hi everyone, I am having a bumpy ride at the moment, I have lived with anxiety and panic disorder now for seven months and I am trying hard to remove the belief that I have heart problem.

I have had a stress test, echocardiogram, 24 hour ecg and have been into A&E three times, only to be told to take it easy and there is nothing wrong with my heart.

But I then read in google (fatal mistake I know) that worry and stress can kill!

I am having CBT at the moment and this seems to be helping slowly, but I have the fear of the fear and this makes me worry the symptoms will come back and that all the worry will leads to stress and subsequently a heart attack.

what am I to do?

Some real advise would be very helpful.

thanks all

Martin

[Krakers]

Worry and stress are contributing factors to ill health. So are eating too much fatty foods, drinking too much, not drinking a glass of wine a day, not taking half an asprin a day, family predisposition, weight, regional area, poor diet ..... the list goes on.

A think it was churchill once said theres lies, damn lies, and statistics. Don't let the stats worry you too much - theres not a thing in life life that one person can prove helps and another can state the opposite.

If stress knocks 3 months off your life, then hey 93 is almost as good an age to go as 94. Don't worry about the stats, just aim to get yourself better. Today, tomorow, ten years time doesn't matter. Stress only has the power over us that we alllow it.

Krakers.

[trac67]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum, you will get a lot of good advice here and make some new friends,

Take care

Trac xx

[lass]

It's a long road but gradually your fear will subside. CBT is a very good start, and I think time is a great healer too.

My ha started a year ago and for the past couple of months I have noticed a huge improvement. I still have bad days, but they are days rather than weeks or months.

Take reassurance from the fact that nothing is physically wrong with your heart - therefore there is no reason why you would suddenly have a heart attack. Is there any particular reason why you worry about this? Have you a family history or anything? What triggered your anxiety, do you know?

You can take steps to improve your lifestyle, as in eating and drinking sensibly, exercising, etc. but ultimately that's the most control any of us have. For me, the biggest thing is being a control freak (I never realised this til I started counselling!) - and my health and mortality is something that I'll never have much control over.

I don't really know what the answer is, but I wish you lots of luck and you will get a huge amount of support on here.

[martin1969]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies, I have read them and have taken in all you have said. My story goes back a few years when one of my friends got a brain tumour and has subsequently died, since then two of my people I know of have had heart attacks and survived (bad health style, coke, booze, bad diet, smoking etc), my girlfriends uncle and grandfather have both just had triple heart bypass's etc etc etc.

This and losing my stepmother and stepfather in the last 18 months, have made me question my mortality, now I believe any excerise and or stress will kill me.

I have good months and bad, sometimes want to take meds like diazepam, but people keep talking me away from it.

I have heard it can help in short time life stress's until you get well.

Tai Chi is next

best regards

Martin