no where else to turn

[kurtis1990]

MyWent to ane today after a whole night of no sleep and feeling as if my heart was pounding out my body. Been feeling like im going to die and convinced I have some kind of circulatory disorder. Had two. Ecgs all fine. Chest xray and bloods all fine. They once again put it down to anxiety. How can this be anxiety. I literally feel as if my bodys failing

[Rennie1989]

Please believe what the doctors have said. If there was something wrong then they would have found it, but they haven't.

Try some distraction techniques, sounds like you've had a hard time and need something to take your mind off the whole thing. Take care of yourself.

[cloudbusting]

Hi Kurtis
It's rotten isn't it ? You must trust the drs though and if you have been checked over and all is well then it is.
Your body is kidding you into thinking something dreadful is wrong and it truly isn't. You will feel shredded for a time but let it happen, do the things that relax you ( walking, reading, meditating or whatever is your thing) and pay it no mind. I know this sounds overly simple but it really is all you need to do. It's not easy but be kind to yourself and remember that this has been building up for a long time and so it won't just vanish overnight.
How are you feeling right now ?
Lisa x

[kurtis1990]

Like my whole bodys failing. Ive not been eating. Urinating very frequently. Been having tremors. Had no sleep for a day now. Im just so scared

[cloudbusting]

Ok well everything you have just described is totally normal if you haven't been eating or sleeping well. Lack of sleep can raise your blood pressure everso slightly and that's why you can feel your heartbeat. Peeing a lot is also very normal when you feel anxious and scared.
Do you have anything there that you feel like eating even if its just a few biscuits, crackers or yoghurts ? something simple ?
Are you at home or able to go and have a lie down somewhere ? I have been using some really relaxing guided meditation stuff on YouTube to help me sleep, they are great you just nod off to them.
The other thing Kurtis, are you able to concentrate on your breathing right now ?
Breathe in for 4, hold for 2 and out for 6 - just make the out breath longer than the inbreath. Taking in too much oxygen alters the blood gasses temporarily and can make your anxiety feel a bit worse. Breathing like this will bring it all back to normal after a few minutes ... x

[Andrash]

Heart palpitation (pounding) is a common symptom of anxiety. If you had a heart disorder, that would surely have shown up on ECG. Try to distract your mind, and try exercising or at least walking-you may be weak first or second time you try, but next time you'll feel stronger and your anxiety levels will reduce.

As for the sleeping-try some natural tranquilizer like chamomile tea. If it doesn't help, contact a doctor to prescribe you sleeping pills. And of course-eat well, no matter whether you have appetite or not-force yourself if necessary. Eating well is essential-it is natural that your body loses strength if your food intake is not adequate.

[allyballamory]

Hi,what you are describing is exactly what I went through in my early twenties.
It was horrible,worrying that I was having a heart attack or something then going to A&E and getting ecgs etc. only to be told it was a panic attack.(very embarrasing).
I know the palpitations are horrible but the more you worry about them the worse it becomes.My doctor put me on anti-depressants and the panic attacks died away after awhile but it was a horrible time.
Try and relax and I hope the feelings will go away.

[kurtis1990]

Thank you both for your replies. I have been trying to eat and go back into my normail routine but all I can do is stay in bed as standing up and walking around just makes me feel worse. Its so hard to be'ive my doctor and I dont understand why. When I do relax my symptoms are all still there and it just makes things worse

[TooMuchToLiveFor]

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms/

Hi, Kurtis,
Please look over the link above- I think it may help you.

I am sorry you are struggling. You are in a good place for support.

[Andrash]

Thank you both for your replies. I have been trying to eat and go back into my normail routine but all I can do is stay in bed as standing up and walking around just makes me feel worse. Its so hard to be'ive my doctor and I dont understand why. When I do relax my symptoms are all still there and it just makes things worse

Look at it this way: ECG ruled out heart conditions, chest scan and blood tests ruled out tumours and infections-whatever it is, it's not serious. As your doctors said, odds are it's anxiety-related.

My advice: give it three weeks. Try to live a healthy lifestyle and try to ignore the symptoms however unpleasant they are. I know it's not easy, but at least try it. Just do all your daily activities no matter how much tiring they are or seem to be.

If situation improves-well, you have your answer. If it doesn't-go back to your doctors and ask for more thorough testing, and if they give you all clear again, then contact a psychologist.

Does it sound like a plan? :)

[kurtis1990]

Thank you all so much for your support it means alot. Ill try to ignore my symptoms. My main fear is anything heart related. It just plays on my mind so much

[Andrash]

Thank you all so much for your support it means alot. Ill try to ignore my symptoms. My main fear is anything heart related. It just plays on my mind so much

My main fear are cancers and neurological disorders. The day I had a head MRI (due to my allergies-sinusitis issues which are real, not anxiety-made :) ) I was absolutely convinced I had a brain tumour. When I finished MRI and the technicians looked at my face...they told me I was pale like a ghost. When I got dressed, and came back to the room, I of course immediately asked about the results-and of course got the standard answer: the doctor will speak with you in short notice. For an anxiety-free person, that answer means exactly that. For me, that answer meant curtains-I was totally convinced they saw something very, very bad in my brain, like a cancer, and that they were slowrollng me and not telling me the terrible truth.

After 30 minutes wait (while the doctor was reading my results), I was shaking like a leaf, waterfalls of sweat travelled down my shirt, my tie-knot felt like a noose round my neck but I didn't have concentration to untie it, my heart was not just pounding, it was doing somersaults, and I was so dizzy the whole room with nurses and other patients was doing somersaults too. When I got called, I somehow entered the office (I barely had strength and/or concentration to open the door) and saw the radiologist who carried a broad smile (I later found out that she was informed about my panic by nurses) and just said: it's good, there is nothing bad here. I literally had to restrain myself from giving her a hug and a kiss, although she was some 30 years older than me :D For next three days, I felt like I was on top of the world...But then I saw a mole in my hand, of which existence I was not aware before-and I was back to square one, obsessively worrying and googling like crazy about melanoma...

That's health anxiety for you. Now you worry about your heart-you can continue worrying, ask for another test, get all clear. You will stop worrying about your heart then, and for a while everything will be fine. Then you'll experience another "strange" ache or sensation, or you'll, for example, catch a cold and a couple of your lymph nodes will swell- and you will be obsessively worrying about something else. Or, you can recognize that, whatever is going on with your heart, brain, veins, liver or kidneys, your health anxiety is, at least for the time being, your main problem and your main illness. As soon as you recognize it, you can do something about it and make a plan how to conquer it.

Does a cure from health anxiety guarantee you you won't get a heart attack, or a stroke, or cancer, or Lou Gehrig's disease or a West Nile Fever? No it does not. But it guarantees you much, much better quality of life, much better immune system, much more energy and joy of living-and if you have that, it's not just good for you, it increases your chance to beat a nasty illness if it shows up at some junction in your life.

That's why I am saying-try it. Try to think rationally about this. I know, it's not hard to act rationally against something that is, in it's essence, irrational-but it's possible, and manageable. And you'll surely feel better doing something about it and taking concrete actions to make you feel better-ask any heart disease or cancer patient about that (I, unfortunately, have a first hand experience as two of my close family members succumbed to heart disease and liver cancer)=as long as they are receiving medication, or have surgeries, or chemos or radiations-they feel hope, and they're good mentally, concentrated on defeating the enemy, however monstrous it is. You acknowledge your anxiety as your enemy, and try to win the battle. And remember, as long as you're aware of it, and as long as you're leading normal life and carrying out daily activities-you have the upper hand! :)

Sorry for the long post...