A few symptoms (palpitations, ticklish feeling) am particular worried about

[CarlUK]

Hi,

Few Information you may want to know first;
Name: Carl (Male)
Country: United Kingdom
Age: 20
Occupation: University Student (Studying Engineering)
Suffers From: Social Anxiety, Health Anxiety (Health Phobia, Hypochondriac)


I've just registered and all, I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. What i'm particular getting worried about is the skipped beat which causes a tickle in the chest, sometimes I may cough, or cough through my nose. Am not sure why this is, just happens known again when i'm anxious. Also sometimes feel like my heart works to fast sometimes, I am constantly feeling anxious, yet the GP has not prescribed anything yet. I feel as if i'm working the heart maybe too fast. This is going to cause hypertension, right? Sometimes my anxiety just erupts from no where, when i'm watching the tv, particular a horror film. Like I just stop watching the film it makes me nervous. When I get nervous, I feel very aware of my breathing and heart ryhthm causing me to panic and get worried. I've been looking at the web at a few things, especially an overreactive thyroid gland. Most of the symptoms from that seem to occur on me increased heart rate or palpitation, weight loss, muscle weaknes, insomnia, feeling nervous, irritable or emotional, shortness of breath, especially when exercising. Like most of them occur with me. Who knows though it could just be anxiety without me knowing it. I suffer from Social Anxiety, Health Anxiety and Health Phobias (Hypochondriac). I also have a dry mouth, am not constantly thristy or anything, but my mouth is dry most of the time despite dinking a fair amount of water. I'm addicted to tea. Sometimes I get muscle pain in the abdominal area and chest area. I also get muscle weakness in the legs. I also get muscle twicthes, at some point am almost convinced I have a neurological problem. Sometimes If i close my eyes in the dark, I can feel my head spining. I also get tinnitus on a few occasions.

There are times when i feel depressed, one day I didn't speak to anyone, I just sat in my room, didn't feel like doing anything with a blanket around my body. I cried and just felt lonely, not many of my friends or family understand what i'm going through. They feel I can get over these psychological problems over night. Overnight is when I am must vunerable, when the lights go off am lying there, thinking will I be awake the next morning? I'm there on my iphone 1:00am till 5-6am browsing websites to comfort me. Then I fall asleep during that time because my body can't take no more it wants to rest. It's like this everynight. Now my sleep pattern has changed serverly, am back at University in 2 weeks and I'm mess. This will not help my social anxiety either.

The problem with health anxiety is that it becomes obsessive, and it feels like you've trapped yourself in to something that you know you shouldn't have, and you're struggling to find a way out. The weird thing is, i've been told my heart is perfectly fine, yet I keep myself awake, keep stressing myself out which eventually will lead to health problems in later life. Yet like I said I feel trapped, I can't help it.

What should I do? I just feel lost, scared and just generally uncomfortable with my health state.

EDIT: I'm also constantly checking my pulse, checking my saliva, and constantly in fear that I will drop dead of some sort of sudden death.

[CONS]

Okey dokey lets strip this down,

anxiety is rife with younger people who go to university, even if they dont move out of their parents houses. Your way too young to have tinnitus (unless you have had something very loud happen in your ear at a young age) but i think you might be refurring to the sign-tone continual flatline noise. This is normal and happens from time to time. For dry mouth, suck on a cough sweet, they last longer and coat the throat nicely, just dont overdo them because of the laxative effects.

The doctor hasnt prescribed anything yet? i take it you have had your bloods done? blood pressure checked? as this would be normal preocedure and is very important with health anxiety because how can you have piece of mind about something that has not been ruled out?

Do yourself a favour and read my post here:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42149

Im 70% symptom free and im sure it will save you time and stress.

Sidenote: Your heart can take a lot at such a young age. A strong beating heart is a healthy heart. As for checking your pulse regular, try not doing it for a day, did you feel worse or did everything stay the same? Challenge your thoughts as its part of recovery, i termed the phrase "ive been so worried about dying for the last year and a half, i havnt really lived". What good did it do for me? nothing.

Lastly: WORRYING NEVER SOLVED ANYTHING

Read my post, its an order

[uzumati]

I know how hard it is i get it as well but the more you worry the more youre brain will feed off the fear and make the sypmtoms worse. Just try and keep you're mind off it anything works be it music or whatever, i find singing out loud works especially well. Good luck I hope all is well for you Carl..