Hi Everyone,

Hope you're all doing well.
I haven't posted on hear for quite a while but still visit quite regularly.
I had a serious bout of anxiety and depression last year. It caused me to quit my job and become agrophobic. With medication, time and effort I got through the worst of the anxiety and depression. I started a new job earlier this year but still suffer anxiety.
All my anxiety began with heart related fears. My symptoms where mainly all related to my chest bar the lightheadeness. I'd get a pressure in my chest. A feeling of not being able to fully expand the left side of my chest when taking a breath. Breathlesness too. Also occasional fluttering sensation in the left side of my chest, sometimes what I can only describe as a spasm feeling rather than a pain on that side as well.
During my heightened anxiety last year and after seeing my GP numerous times where I had been given an ECG and had blood tests which where all normal and diagnosed with anxiety one day I went to A&E because the pressure in my chest had become unbearable. There I had another ECG, blood tests and chest x-ray. Again, all was fine. I was told it was muscular skeletal and diagnosed with costochondritis (inflammation of the rib cartlidge). Even then it didn't ease my mind. I was still focused on my heart/chest symptoms.....it literally had taken over my life and still does now. I went privately not long after to see a cardiologist who listened to my heart and did some general examinations and said he thought I had occasional Tachycardia. He prescribed me calcium channel blockers for this. I had already seen this doctor about 3 years ago and had an echocardiagram, stress test, ecg and a spirometery which all came back negative apart from mild asthama which I knew I had so this time he deemed it not necessary to have more tests. After that I started to exercise again and became more comfortable that these feelings where just muscular or related to my asthma. I was starting to feel myself again gradually.
Recently I have been getting these what I can best describe as like a jolt. It feels like I have blackedout for a split second but I haven't actually blacked out if that makes sense. Also getting the flutters and shooting sensations in the chest.
I went to see my GP yesterday for the first time since the beginning of Jan and explained what had been happening. She has now refered me to see a cardiologist with the view to having a 24 hr holter monitor put on because she suspects it may be an occasional irregular heart beat.
I am glad this is being done to be honest but frustrated that it has taken over a year for my GP to finally refer me to a cardiologist.
I believe that my heart/chest symptoms are what caused my anxiety to spiral out of control. I know the more anxious you get the more symptoms you get too. But I do believe it's what caused my anxiety not vice versa.

Sorry for the rant. I am just wondering whether anyone else has had an experience of being told it's anxiety all the time only to find that there was a genuine physical cause for their anxiety?

Take care

Neil