The barrage of symptoms

[JakeTheMuss]

Hi all. I started getting panic attacks and major anxiety in September. Every day is a struggle with my health anxiety. I nearly fainted at work and got chest pains. Since then I've thought something is wrong with my heart. I seem to refuse the idea that it could have originated as exhaustion and stress and has now snowballed into into a full blown mental condition.

I've been in the ER 10 times since February - oddly enough, the same time a doctor told me it could be my heart. Echo, Holter, ECGs, ultrasounds, blood tests, xrays all come back normal (apart from Gall stones) but I still can't convince myself I'm ok because I still get chest pains and palpitations.

My palpitations (super strong heart beat that I can see) are constant this last week and have even woken me up several times . I find myself googling symptoms all day every day now, finding what it could be as I feel I have no solid answers. Now I feel pulsations in my stomach, which I think could be an abdominal aortic aneurysm. It worries me more when people say it's normal to see your stoma h pulsate if you're slim. I'm a big guy. But I had an upper abdominal ultrasound last week and they didn't say anything about my aorta. Still brain is constantly thinking of new things to worry about and switches between conditions to focus on.

I've finally bitten the bullet and asked my doctor for a psychologist referral, but appointments are scarce so I'm playing the waiting game while I go through mental crisis. It's got to the point where I'm going to doctors every couple of days and getting different tests off different doctors. I'm getting an ultrasound of my carotid artery tomorrow!

Thanks for listening

[Irish Sammie]

Hi Jake.

I'm sorry to hear what you're going through. I can't imagine that's easy. It sounds like you've been hit hard and you're trying to cross as many T's and dot as many i's as you can!

Though, I would like to point something out to you, that is obvious, but sometimes you just need that very thing said to you...

You're dealing with anxiety. Anxiety symptoms are immensely varied and complex. Can it make you feel like you have a physical condition when you don't? Absolutely.

Can it make you feel that your perception of the world around you is skewed and unrealistic? It can.

When I had my panic attack, the very first thing I did was go to the Doctor as I had no clue what the hell had happened to me. When he examined me, apart from very high blood pressure (I only had the attack some 40 minutes prior to the examination, thus it would still be quite high), there was nothing wrong with me.

He did a urine test, checked my eyes, ears and heart, and all was fine. I went for a blood test and it came back perfectly fine.

The first step is really understanding what your body is doing when it's feeling anxiety, and why it's happening. Understand the possible side effects of anxiety, so when you feel them, you can just say "ah, that's just the anxiety". However, don't convince yourself that you HAVE those conditions BEFORE you actually experience them.

I know it's hard to convince yourself that you're fine, I went through a few weeks thinking there was all sorts wrong with me, but you have to believe in yourself and keep thinking positively.

Do you know just how resilient your heart is? how powerful it is? It's the strongest muscle in your body and just think what it has to go through on a daily basis, let alone all the years it's been pumping blood around your body.

Give it more credit. It's a toughey!!!

I hope this has helped a bit!

Sam :)

[JakeTheMuss]

Thank you for your reply Sam. I feel your pain.

It's getting to the point where the stress and anxiety, not my health, is making me sick. I internalise everything. Doesn't help getting this condition 2 days away from my wedding.

I went to the doctor today because I've got symptoms of AAA or aortic dissection. It's getting to the point where I'm lying about family history just to get tests that I want. I've even considered forging test papers to get the ones I think I need! It's a real sickness. Even if there is something wrong, these emotions aren't helping my health.

I couldn't sleep last night so I actually paid for an online doctor service! Who knows if they're even real doctors.

[kurtis1990]

I would not risk a prison sentence by fourging documents that is a serious crime and you would defitnatly be found out. Your pulsating sensations are normal. I'm also a big gut and I can see my pulse in my stomach and have been able to for years now. Lying is never a good idea. Think logically some tests can be invasive and carry there own risks. Would you really put your health at risk for peace of mind

[JakeTheMuss]

True words. Hopefully I can learn to beat this. The physical symptoms feel so real it's unbearable. Doubting myself is not something I'm used to.

[dan76]

...I seem to refuse the idea that it could have originated as exhaustion and stress and has now snowballed into into a full blown mental condition ... I've been in the ER 10 times since February ... I find myself googling symptoms all day every day now, finding what it could be as I feel I have no solid answers.Sounds so familiar. Not believing in anxiety and googling symptoms. That's what I have been doing during past 3-4 years always when I have been feeling not well. And yes, going to different doctors and tests. Never found anything. Not from the tests and not really from the google either. So the feeling of lost without answers is really familiar to me.


I've finally bitten the bullet and asked my doctor for a psychologist referralI did this as well one month a go and saw a psychiatrist who didn't really think that my case is centered around anxiety, but maybe I was not helping him to get to the bottom of all this due to my own denial. After that my condition worsened and now I am taking oxazepam and venlafaxine which seem to be able to bring me back to my feet. Going to see the psychiatrist again in bit over week.

So when you get that referral, be open and really tell what is happening to you. Don't tell what you want to tell.


I'm getting an ultrasound of my carotid artery tomorrow!I hope this went fine and you got all clear?

[JakeTheMuss]

Sounds like you know exactly what I'm talking about dan76. I've got the referral, trouble is finding a good psychologist who will understand me and who has the know-how to help me through this. As far as I know we only get referred to Psychologists here, not psychiatrists. Whether that will make a difference who knows.

I guess I assume google is helping me help the doctors find what the problem is. Funny thing with that is, if I look at what Google has successfully diagnosed me with so far, the answer is nothing.

I have self-awareness. Doctors say it's a good thing, i say it's a curse. I can understand I have mental issues and I even know where all of my fears stem from (past issues). I can understand how I'm making paths to certain things, but I just can't seem to believe that these symptoms are caused by.. Well , myself. This will obviously be a long process to recovery.

Now I've got the option of a CT scan of my Abdomen and chest. But the test itself (radiation) concerns me. Having said that, the test would likely alleviate any concerns I have and if there is a problem it will show me - which I know that rationally the problem is probably no where near as serious as I assume. But I assume the worst until proven otherwise - not a good habit! Even if I get the scan though, will I just move on to other things? The brain? Definitely a cycle. Even the stress and anxiety itself is giving me anxiety! I'm afraid the actual worrying has given me heart or aorta issues. Feel like an idiot.

[dan76]

I know feeling idiot too. 3 years back when all this flared up 1st time I was in the ER 3 times in one week. And always felt like idiot when leaving from there, because I knew already when signing in that they are not going to find anything wrong.. But still I had my worries and was feeling awful, so I had to go. It's not so easy to decide to stay home if you are feeling you are going to pass out any second.

I have the same issue with Dr. Google. No diagnosis. It's easy to find different potential issues by searching based on one symptom but when looking into those potentials in more detail, outcome is that it cannot be the cause.

I think the difference between psychologist and psychiatrist is that the latter is a doctor and the former is not.

Are you or have you been on any medication?

[Lilharry]

You could try a magnesium supplement for the palpitations - they are a common sign of magnesium deficiency.

[JakeTheMuss]

I was on paroxetine when I was around 18 but I felt better so I took myself off them. Probably a silly thing to do.

I might try some magnesium :)

[dan76]

Magnesium seemingly did the trick for me 2-3 years ago. I had continuous palps for several months but when I started taking 350mg of magnesium citrate per day the palps disappeared totally in few weeks. I tried to stop taking the magnesium at some point and the palps returned. So I was happy with magniesium for more than 2 years.

Now the palps started again few weeks ago even I am taking my daily magnesium... so for me that remedy has lost it's magic at least for now. The palps are not so constant as last time and I mainly get them when I am in bed or if I do some quick change of posture. Some nights they are that much frequent that getting sleep is tricky, but those nights I will take a beta blocker which seems to calm them down enough to get sleep.

[JakeTheMuss]

Sounds like you've been through a lot Dan. Have you been diagnosed with anything specific or are the palpitations just a freak occurrence or related to anxiety?

Well I saw the doctor today. Carotid arteries are fine. They did however find blood in my stool tests. This is a major set back for me mentally. I'm getting married tomorrow and this is now consuming my thoughts, night and day. Grandfather died of bowel cancer. Yep, not good at all. I need to learn to try and control my racing thoughts and be content with the fact that I can't do anything at least until I see the specialist next week, who will advise of tests now required. :unsure:

[dan76]

Hi Jake,

First of all congratulations for getting married. Secondly I am sorry to hear about the test results, I hope that turns out to be fine. Try to enjoy your big day tomorrow and forgot the bad thoughts for a while. Because as you said, there's nothing you can do right now.

About my palps... I have had 24h holter done when I had these last time and they were considered benign (junctional ectopic beats).. cause unknown. Some docs have said I may have some sort of dysautonomia because my resting heart rate is sometimes rather slow (around or even below 50 bpm) and I am an opposite to an athlete. Also the slow heart rate as such can cause palps.

At the end of the day I consider all of this I am going through as a freak occurence :)