Maple
21-01-15, 23:35
Hello,
So over the past 4 weeks I've once again been spiraling down the familliar old whirlpool of doom.
I had a few good months before the holiday season, I really did, most of 2014 I was more or less free of actual panic attacks, although I had been subject to periods of massive stress and definitely had not been taking very good care of myself... as usual, no real surprise there.
So this time it all started on the evening of December 26th. I remember it well as I was taking the train home after visiting my sister's and suddenly got this awful, painful, cramp-like feeling in the middle of my chest. At first I didn't think much of it and assumed it to be cramps from stress or indigestion from all the christmas food I'd just had.
Once I got home an hour later the sensation had gotten way more intense and had spread throughout the enitre chest area, stomach, neck and left arm. I started sweating profusely and felt the nausea starting to wash over me.
An ambulance ride and around 7 hours later I'm in the E.R, having a very tired doctor explain to me that my ECG and blood works show no signs what so ever of any heart trouble, besides, I'm only in my early 30's and really have no business worrying about my heart in the first place.
Since then I've spent my time obsessively googling every single little sensation I have, crying and sweating a lot, having 2 more ECGs done and feeling myself slowly changing into this other, edgey, fearful non-person who all of a sudden can't enjoy much of anything anymore and spends approximately two thirds of his waking time with two fingers firmly pressed against his throat.
I do not like this person. I'd really like for him to just leave me alone.
Now I'm in a place where I'm getting really bad attacks of chest related symptoms and panic as soon as I do pretty much anything besides sit here in front of this computer. For some reason I seem to get most of my symptoms as soon as I start moving about, but as long as I stay put it all tends to get a bit less intense (unless I'm trying to sleep of course, can't have none of that. Like Basil Fawlty once put it: "That particular avenue of pleasure has been closed off").
This fact scares me a great deal of course as, like any health obsessed person like me would know, symptoms from the heart in particular tend to come with exertion and subside with rest.
***
My symptoms include:
Cramp-like pains in my chest, neck and throat, especially after a few minutes of movement, like walking to the store.
When trying to sleep, it often feels like someone is sitting on top of my chest.
Dizziness from walking up like 3 steps of stairs.
Hot flashes, nausea and intense sweating at seemingly random moments.
And of course,
panic,
panic
and then some more panic.
***
Is there anyone out there who recognize these sensations, especially when moving around. It scares me tremendously that the symptoms get so much worse with excersise in particular.
Of course the 3 doctors I've visited so far insist my heart is perfectly healthy and see no reason for more thorough investigation. I've tried requesting an exercise ECG, but the waiting time where I live is about 4 more weeks.
Here is my question:
Is it reasonable for what I'm experiencing to be caused by anxiety alone?
The symptoms feel purely physical and somatic and often strike without warning and always when I walk around. I often feel perfectly fine for a little while and *BAM* hot flash and crushing chest pain.
As I'm typing this I'm sweating like a lumber jack in a sauna. What is happening to me?
So over the past 4 weeks I've once again been spiraling down the familliar old whirlpool of doom.
I had a few good months before the holiday season, I really did, most of 2014 I was more or less free of actual panic attacks, although I had been subject to periods of massive stress and definitely had not been taking very good care of myself... as usual, no real surprise there.
So this time it all started on the evening of December 26th. I remember it well as I was taking the train home after visiting my sister's and suddenly got this awful, painful, cramp-like feeling in the middle of my chest. At first I didn't think much of it and assumed it to be cramps from stress or indigestion from all the christmas food I'd just had.
Once I got home an hour later the sensation had gotten way more intense and had spread throughout the enitre chest area, stomach, neck and left arm. I started sweating profusely and felt the nausea starting to wash over me.
An ambulance ride and around 7 hours later I'm in the E.R, having a very tired doctor explain to me that my ECG and blood works show no signs what so ever of any heart trouble, besides, I'm only in my early 30's and really have no business worrying about my heart in the first place.
Since then I've spent my time obsessively googling every single little sensation I have, crying and sweating a lot, having 2 more ECGs done and feeling myself slowly changing into this other, edgey, fearful non-person who all of a sudden can't enjoy much of anything anymore and spends approximately two thirds of his waking time with two fingers firmly pressed against his throat.
I do not like this person. I'd really like for him to just leave me alone.
Now I'm in a place where I'm getting really bad attacks of chest related symptoms and panic as soon as I do pretty much anything besides sit here in front of this computer. For some reason I seem to get most of my symptoms as soon as I start moving about, but as long as I stay put it all tends to get a bit less intense (unless I'm trying to sleep of course, can't have none of that. Like Basil Fawlty once put it: "That particular avenue of pleasure has been closed off").
This fact scares me a great deal of course as, like any health obsessed person like me would know, symptoms from the heart in particular tend to come with exertion and subside with rest.
***
My symptoms include:
Cramp-like pains in my chest, neck and throat, especially after a few minutes of movement, like walking to the store.
When trying to sleep, it often feels like someone is sitting on top of my chest.
Dizziness from walking up like 3 steps of stairs.
Hot flashes, nausea and intense sweating at seemingly random moments.
And of course,
panic,
panic
and then some more panic.
***
Is there anyone out there who recognize these sensations, especially when moving around. It scares me tremendously that the symptoms get so much worse with excersise in particular.
Of course the 3 doctors I've visited so far insist my heart is perfectly healthy and see no reason for more thorough investigation. I've tried requesting an exercise ECG, but the waiting time where I live is about 4 more weeks.
Here is my question:
Is it reasonable for what I'm experiencing to be caused by anxiety alone?
The symptoms feel purely physical and somatic and often strike without warning and always when I walk around. I often feel perfectly fine for a little while and *BAM* hot flash and crushing chest pain.
As I'm typing this I'm sweating like a lumber jack in a sauna. What is happening to me?