why is it always......

[Darren76]

a heart attack i think im having when i get into anxiety/panic mode. i mean, based on previous health experiences it should be my lungs i should panic over, but no - it always goes back to the heart attack.

before i had PA's all i knew about heart attacks was the chest hurt and you got a pain in the armpit. now i know about the dizziness, tight chest pain in left arm etc etc, its like i "feel" these symptoms every time i get anxious - like i am right now.

ive called 999 out 3 times and had CT scans, the lot, and no one has found any issue with my heart whatsoever but still the worry always draws me back to it. suppose its that total negaitve thinking of "well it wasnt before, but it could be this time and as such it all kicks in

im starting an NHS CBT session this Friday but been told i can only get 2 or 3 so kinda hope it does more for me than counselling did (altho that did help me discover i have Health Anxiety)

its annoying as all i wanna do today is get on the pc and do some mixing, but evry time i think im all chilled out and ready to go, i get the creeping anxiety and have to lie down/have a bath/do dishes/go for a walk - and its just frsutrating. dont want to hit the diazepam unless i have to as it does "spong" me out the next day and as the next day is monday, its not a good start to the working week.

i know this is a crazy question to ask, but has anyone on this site actually had a heart attck - crazy as it sounds ive tried to read up on what people ACTUALLY experience - in a strange way it does re-assure me but on the flipside, i may start acclimabtizing my symptoms to that...does that make sense.

anyway, gonna take another wander round the block now to try to clear the head.

thanks for listening

darren :)

[tommythomson]

Hi Darren

I would advise that you don't go down the "what happens in a heart attack route". You will only start to look for the symptoms and be more anxious about what happens.
Get hold of a book called Mind Over Mood by Greenberger and Padesky as it follows the CBT course and will give you a head start.
Dr Claire Weekes is another author to look out for, she explains alot about symptoms and shows understanding on how they make you feel.
I can sympathise with you about the recurring chest pains! It is these chest pains that are doing my nut in! It is a catch 22 situation - anxiety causes the chest pains and it is the chest pains that are causing my anxiety. How do you get off that bus????
The chest pains are an excess of adrenaline in your system ( so i'm told).
Sorry for the epic, just trying to re-assure you a bit.

Hang on in there

T

[Hexia]

I don't know why we always worry about a heart attack, I guess some of us just do.
And I have to say that the members on here are proof that it is all just anxiety. I have never on this forum or other forums read a post from someone saying that they were right and the doctors were wrong.
That they did actually have a sick heart and the doctors just called it anxiety.
That does not happen.
Some people on here have had anxiety all their lives and are now in their 50s and 60s. They all have difficulty breathing and have chest pains and yet, they are still here, and there is nothing wrong with their hearts.

I am confident that CBT will help you with these thoughts, I had them myself and I know how worrysome they can be, but they are just thoughts, they are not reality.
Please take care, you will be fine.

"You can't yell loud enough to make me shut up."

[ksmith]

Hi Darren

My CPN (who has suffered panic attacks in the past) had a heart attack a few months back and his words to me were "believe me, YOU'LL KNOW the difference between a panic attack and a heart attack" , which I suspect is true!

Kay x

[darkangel]

Hi Darren

You will find the CBT course should help you to challenge your thoughts which at the moment have become automatic - yo are telling yourself every time you feel a symptom that you may have a heart attack - it then becomes a viscious circle and the more you check for heart attack symptoms the worse it becomes. CBT will help you break this habit. I agree that the Mind over Mood book by Greenberger & Padesky is brilliant. This is the book I was advised to read and follows the NHS cbt courses.

PS I have been checked over and over again, with various ecgs and tests and they are all normal - but i still get symptoms which i need to challenge but it does get easier with practice. You will learn to change your thinking process and to rationalise and in time this will become the new habit. Eventually you will start to accept the symptoms and not overreact to them thinking its frightning.

I hope this has helped

darkangel x

........life is for living not just for surviving

[russ]

Hi Darren,

I know exactly where you are coming from. However, let us look at the cold hard facts of the issue.

1 - If you had a genetic defect re your heart, this would have showed itself long ago as your body developed.

2 - If you don't abuse drugs, smoke and drink heavily and you are in decent health, certainly lifestyle factors can be ruled out as a potential cause of heart trouble.

3 - If you are born in 76, you are almost for sure too young to suffer heart disease/angina etc.

So the heart is a pump. If there was an issue with it, pain you felt would almost certainly be releated to physical activity, is this the case? if you get symptoms at rest, other heart issues can be ruled out.

Certainly you have had the symptoms of heart attack, as many of us have, however, considering we are still here it clearly wasn't. Considering most of us have been checked out and been given the all clear, we have to trust the doctors. For example, a doctor would be able to hear a mumour with a basic bit of equipment when he listens to your chest.

It is probably the case to say most of us are more likely to get killed in an accident on the way to the doctors than suffer a heart problem!

There are other conditions which cause chest pain, anxiety is one, a muscle or joint issue is another (as i have). Also, remember, not everyone who has a heart attack has chest pain.

All we can do is trust in the doctors, try and live as healthy as we can and try and enjoy the life we have. However, what we all HAVE to come to terms with is WE ALL DIE, no escape, and only in that context can we learn to enjoy life.

I know it is easier said than done, but we all have to try and focus on life, not what follows it, because it is the fear of the unknown with me which causes anxiety, yet has no answer.

The fact is, most of us will live till 60-70+ if we live decent lives.

I hope what I say helps,