I feel like I'm at my wit's end...

[Purple Scourge]

So this all started a little more than a month ago on February 25th.. I was at the movies with my girlfriend.. Then at the end of the movie, I start to feel kinda strange... My heart starts beating fast out of nowhere and I start to feel anxious.. Then after the movie is over and we get out into the bright lights, I feel full blown panic.. I felt like I couldn't breathe, my heart was absolutely pounding, I was extremely dizzy and thought I was gonna die... I ended up going to the E.R. and when I get there they say "oh it's just anxiety, calm down and you're gonna be fine"..

Well I can honestly say I haven't been the same or felt the same ever since that day... Every day I feel nervous, tense, anxious.. I also get symptoms like constipation and a constant tickly feel in my throat which provokes a lot of dry coughing... could this be related to my anxiety? I've coughed so much the past few days because of this tickly feeling that my throat is sore. I have constant muscle aches, dizziness, extreme fatigue, constipation (the rare times when I have bowel movements, they kinda just shoot out and it's kind of watery?), heart palpitations, sweaty palms, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, etc....

Could all this really be caused by anxiety? I only went to the doc. that one time in the ER on the initial panic attack.. Sometimes I worry about it being a heart issue, but I'm only 19 years old, not obese, don't smoke, no diabetes, and no family history of heart disease. This whole constipation/tickly throat is also a pretty weird symptom that I never thought was related to anxiety too.


Anyone please help! I'm freaking out about this for more than a month now.

[xvolatileheart]

That all sounds like panic symptoms. None of it is abnormal. I especially relate to the feeling of not being the same ever since the first panic attack. Definitely go see your GP and rule out anything else, then get the help you need to move forward. Sometimes just knowing it's nothing more serious will be enough, but medication and/or therapy can also be very helpful.

[Purple Scourge]

Thanks for the reply... The past few days have actually been pretty good anxiety wise.. I haven't had a full blown panic attack in a few days now.. This constant tickly throat is what's driving me crazy though... In fact my wholee throat feels weird... feels kinda tight from the throat down to the upper chest and the upper back in general. Every time I breathe it feels like there's a feather stroking around in there.

Stool is still watery which is also worrying... I didn't have this constipation and tickly throat in the beggining of the month, they're both more recent symptoms. I got a psychologist appointment on the 17th but it feels too far away and I'm still going to make an appointment to the regular doc.

I've thought it could be a cold or flu but I don't really FEEL sick.. the coughing is dry and with no mucous whatsoever, nasal passages are clear of congestion, no fever.

[St3v3n]

Sorry to hear about your situation, but it does really sound like par for the course I'm afraid. I get quite focused on my throat too, I seem to be constantly clearing it and often have difficulty swallowing also feels like there is something stuck down there. I know this is anxiety but it doesn't stop me worrying about it. No harm in seeing your doctor just to put your mind at ease though. I hope he's able to reassure you- good luck at the psychologist. :)

[xfilme]

It might be that the movie subconsciously triggered your health anxiety. something in it might have raised a concern that would have triggered the initial panic and sent it spiralling out of control. Do you mind if I ask what movie it was? HA sufferers have to be very careful with the content of the things they view, because one minor incident can send us into a state of uncontrollable panic.

---------- Post added at 14:44 ---------- Previous post was at 14:42 ----------

Have you also considered the possiibility the dry throat and watery stools could be related. Acid reflux maybe?

[Purple Scourge]

Hmm I don't think the initial panic attack had to do with the movie... It was Sherlock Holmes 2 btw.. I remember it started at the very end of the movie. There wasn't anything about it that made me scared really, not that I remember at least. It was just one of those out of the blue panic attacks I guess.

I had a hoarse voice yesterday all day long to top it all off... My voice is a bit better today though.. but I think the hoarseness was due to me yelling during my football team's match on Sunday. It really did strain my voice.

I actually have thought about acid reflux.. These new throat symptoms fit with Silent Reflux it seems.. and my dad has always had it, so I guess I have a pretty big chance of having it too. Will definetely mention that to the doctor.

[xfilme]

I have acid reflux with no heartburn, so if you want to talk about it, you know where I am. PM me. Your issues sound likely to be digestion based.