Heart failure?

[mummyanxious]

I'm really concerned about my breathing. I'm recovering from pleurisy and am struggling at times to breath. I went to the dr and they listened to my chest and said it was now clear so that's all cleared up but I'm getting out of breath very easily and feel like a weight on my chest. I feel like I'm suffocating and my heart isn't getting to any particularly high rate doing things. My pulse feels weak, I feel weak and tired and I'm getting dizzy. Can I get heart failure from this? I'm only in my mid thirties.

---------- Post added at 13:46 ---------- Previous post was at 13:46 ----------

Or maybe even angina? I don't know. I feel like my heart is struggling.

[cpe1978]

Mummyanxious, please don't take this the wrong way as in many ways I think I find myself in the same trap. But are you doing something to tackle your anxiety from a mental health perspective such as CBT?

The reason I ask, is that in the short time I have been on this forum you have posted about a whole host of concerns. Now to think rationally you would be the unluckiest person alive were all of those things to be true. I am not for a second saying that your symptoms are not real, but I wonder whether if you were to try and find a way of turning your brain off red alert and fight or flight, whether they would alleviate and whether you might not notice things in quite the same way.

Strangely on and off over the past few weeks I have had real trouble getting a full breath, really stressed me out. But this weekend I took my kids to a theme park, spent today blackberry picking and for the first time in months relaxed for a few hours. This even in the context of the fact that I have a blood test on Wedensday for the Dr to get a baseline position (her words). There is always a chance that any one of us could be struck down with something, but you only have to read this forum to see people's perceived severity of symptoms and there in fact being nothing wrong.

Most of the things that we fear are phenomenally rare. For instance in the whole of the UK only 120 men a year between 35 and 39 get diagnosed with a brain tumour. That is 120 out of 2.2 million, a tiny tiny tiny percentage. Far more people for instance in the same age group commit suicide.

I think you will always find space on here to talk about concerns, but to win this fight you must take other tacks too.

Good luck and take care. Xx

[mummyanxious]

I thank you for your reply.
I have always had a heart fear. But looking back I have been ill most of this year accumulating in this chest infection. Instead of feeling better my breathing seems to be getting worse. I am tired to the point of dizziness and legs which can barely hold me up. I have been doing small tasks around the house yesterday and today and find myself utterly floored by them breathing wise. In all this my heart doesn't seem to be going particularly fast even though I'm struggling to do tasks. I just feel really concerned. I feel twice my age.

[Fishmanpa]

I have always had a heart fear. I am tired to the point of dizziness and legs which can barely hold me up. I have been doing small tasks around the house yesterday and today and find myself utterly floored by them breathing wise.

From the symptoms link:

What you feel:

You become extremely exhausted, burnt out or have no energy. You may feel tired all of the time and find even small tasks to be unusually tiring. You have no stamina and feel that you could sleep all day and then wake up still tired.

What causes this:

An over stimulated nervous system causes the body to rapidly use energy. Even though the individual may not be physically active, the nervous system, because of its accelerated state continues to tax the body's energy supplies. This continual and often invisible energy consumption leaves the individual unexplainably exhausted. Even menial and common tasks seem difficult and tiring to accomplish.

In some cases, even though the individual is exhausted, they find it difficult to sleep or rest. This then becomes a vicious cycle of being exhausted but can't rest. One aggravates the other.

Because a lack of rest further taxes the nervous system, it's important to do whatever you can to ensure proper sleep and rest. Unfortunately, many continue to struggle through their day with little sleep hoping to catch up later or thinking that this is how they are supposed to feel. This approach will only worsen the condition.

If you are experiencing this situation, I highly recommend that you do whatever it takes to get your sleep and rest patterns back on track, because nothing else will improve this condition. Even if you have to book days off of work or have someone come in to look after the children so that you can get some sleep and rest, it is well worth it. Sleep and rest are the remedies for this symptom. As with all symptoms, when the nervous system gets sufficient rest, this symptom will diminish and eventually subside.

Good Luck!

[gabrielle37]

thanks for that fish, it sounded like me also, ive been off this week and been decorating, (oh if it was'nt for my daughter helping) i would'nt have even started. so my sleep pattern has gone a bit haywire due to late night. im back at work tomorrow so hopefully can get back in to my routine. ive noticed ive had anxiety problems, mine are all nerve related. my stomach churning, breathing and fed up of fighting it.
i have taken comfort in reading this, so thanks again. :-)

mummyanxious i really hope you get some sleep, its so hard to stay positive with anx, we all know what we have to do but its so hard when we have all these damn feelings. try and stay positive though and don;t let it win xxxx Lesley

[roxy90]

Oh mummy we seem to be so in sync these days as this is my new concern! I'm sure we're going to be just fine. Xx

[xvolatileheart]

I'm feeling this way at the moment, too. I'm worried I've caused my heart too much strenuous work from the panic and too much alcohol on Saturday. Now it feels weak and out of control, like if I barely move it starts pounding but I feel weak and dizzy.

I'm sure we are just recovering and very worried! :hugs:

[mummyanxious]

Well this seems to be getting worse. Just went to the hospital for my X-ray on my chest to check the infection has gone and I came out and felt like I just couldn't breath. Had to sit down and catch my breath for a while before I could get up again and carry on. My lungs feel like they're getting enough air, it feels like my heart isn't coping. I'm so fed up. I was having skipped beats when I got to the hospital as well.
I'm also worried what the X-ray is going to show up because I know they'll be able to see my heart. Feel thoroughly exhausted now and just want to rest but I've got to go to work :(

---------- Post added at 09:58 ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 ----------

Maybe I've got angina. Can you get that from having a chest infection? How do they diagnose angina?

[nomorepanic]

Angina is diagnosed with something called a MIBI scan - I had one recently.

The breathing problem is common with anxiety as we over breathe and don't breathe correctly

[mummyanxious]

When I went to the gp a few months back when I was having my heart concerns he listened to my heart and said he didn't think I had angina. How would he know this then if you need a special test?

[nomorepanic]

Do you get central chest pains?

[mummyanxious]

It's more a tightness across my chest and this is something completely different to anything I've had before and its only come since having this chest infection.

[nomorepanic]

It is unlikely to be angina then and more the chest infection

[mummyanxious]

Twice I've had my sats done at the dr and my oxygen levels were 99% so that's reassuring but I'm getting dizzy even talking. I feel like I need to gasp for air. And it's not even like my lungs feel constricted or anything. It's really frightening.
That is combined with my slow pulse rate and lower side of normal blood pressure. It's just making me freak out. I just don't know what's wrong.
Thursday for my X-ray results anyway.

[skippy66]

When I went to the gp a few months back when I was having my heart concerns he listened to my heart and said he didn't think I had angina. How would he know this then if you need a special test?

Your doctor is working on the balance of probability given your age, general health, symptoms etc. Nothing in life is 100% certain. For years I wanted a cast iron guarantee from doctors that my chest pain wasn't going to end up with a heart attack. I now know that even the most invasive test can not offer a 100% guarantee. BUT I've learnt to recognise that the chances are very very low. Same with you.

Something Paul McKenna said had a big impact on me. You can't eliminate risk in life, but you can accept that there are risks and live your life regardless of the risks. Or something to that effect...