jayware33
02-08-14, 20:27
After 11 years or so of dealing with anxiety, I think I'd call my self an expert .. A hypochondriac, a listener, a teacher and a nervous wreck! I've experienced almost every manifestation of anxiety and considered myself quite stable and capable of dealing with it. That was, until last week.
I made a post about chest pain behind the breast bone. At this time, the pain I told myself "was different" ... "A new type of pain" and "came on with exercise". After all my sensations and dealings with anxiety I genuinely felt that this was that real cardiac pain, I convinced myself that this time, it was not anxiety.
I had too many red flag factors, exercise triggered it, It was behind my chest, would happen at rest and I would get back, arm and shoulder pain too. I felt I was really having a cardiac type pain after all these years of worry.
I broke and decided to go to A&E over the weekend. I had a full 12 lead ECG and a blood test to look for elevated Troponin levels (a protein released with cardiac muscle damage). Guess what? All normal. Doctor out it down to muscle pain and anxiety.
I couldn't believe it, here I was, a seasoned vet of anxiety :) ... Had it all I thought and yet it still got me .... After all these years.
To cut a long story short, no matter how real the symptom may feel, chances are, there is a rational explanation for it and always never the worst case scenario we think it is.
I'm going to put in real effort to move on from my anxiety as it's ruining not only my life, but my relationship and work life. If something's going to happen in life, then it'll happen and there's no worrying that will ever change that, so, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to try and get on with my life :)
Thanks for reading.
I made a post about chest pain behind the breast bone. At this time, the pain I told myself "was different" ... "A new type of pain" and "came on with exercise". After all my sensations and dealings with anxiety I genuinely felt that this was that real cardiac pain, I convinced myself that this time, it was not anxiety.
I had too many red flag factors, exercise triggered it, It was behind my chest, would happen at rest and I would get back, arm and shoulder pain too. I felt I was really having a cardiac type pain after all these years of worry.
I broke and decided to go to A&E over the weekend. I had a full 12 lead ECG and a blood test to look for elevated Troponin levels (a protein released with cardiac muscle damage). Guess what? All normal. Doctor out it down to muscle pain and anxiety.
I couldn't believe it, here I was, a seasoned vet of anxiety :) ... Had it all I thought and yet it still got me .... After all these years.
To cut a long story short, no matter how real the symptom may feel, chances are, there is a rational explanation for it and always never the worst case scenario we think it is.
I'm going to put in real effort to move on from my anxiety as it's ruining not only my life, but my relationship and work life. If something's going to happen in life, then it'll happen and there's no worrying that will ever change that, so, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to try and get on with my life :)
Thanks for reading.