pain

[panicstricken]

Heya all hope you are having a good day,


The pain is worse than ever, its an ache in my central chest and abdomen, it feels tight as if i cant breath which i obviously can or i would have been long gone by now, it hurts though so bad, it gets worse if i walk up stairs scrunch up or lean my ribs on the arm of the chair. I also had a very frightening experience last night where i had woken up because my little one was ill and i was just dropping back off and it feltlike i was being forced down on the be, i coukdnt move, tried to call my partner who was in the other room but couldnt speak it felt like i was being crushed. It happened twice in quick succession then went it scared me terribly im so scared i am still stuck on heart, etc. Does this freezing or paralysis sound like anxiety symptoms too as i didnt feel anxious atthe time

Any advice much appreciated thankyou

[Nervy_of_catford]

Hi there,

" i was just dropping back off and it feltlike i was being forced down on the be, i coukdnt move,"

This is a very common, very normal (though unpleasant) sleep sensation - it's found way back through folklore explained by various supernatural phenomenon, but is just a phase of sleep paralysis where your body is asleep, but you've retained some awareness of your surroundings. It's unpleasant and scary, but it's nothing harmful. Disturbed sleep is such a common part of anxiety it may well be that having high anxiety levels make it more likely.

"The pain is worse than ever, its an ache in my central chest and abdomen, it feels tight as if i cant breath which i obviously can or i would have been long gone by now, it hurts though so bad, it gets worse if i walk up stairs scrunch up or lean my ribs on the arm of the chair"

This sounds like you're physically very very tight, which can be entirely down to anxiety levels. Anxiety makes us tense up, ready to spring into action. Unfortunately when there's nothing to spring into action for (running from woolly mammoths etc!) the tension has nowhere to dissipate to. You need to start moving gently, pay attention to your breathing. Notice what your muscles are doing and give them permission to unclench.

Think about how sore a muscle is after you've had cramp. Aching and tenderness is a normal reaction to a muscle spasm. Muscle spasms, regardless of whether the cause is physical or emotional, will be painful.

I would encourage you to look at some breathing exercises for relaxation, and practice them for a little bit every day - then when you need them, they're a lot easier to do.

Also maybe look at how you scrunch yourself up, and reverse that. Open your shoulders, sit up, let your lungs fill your chest, let them work efficiently.

You'll be OK. It feels horrible whilst you're anxious, but practicing relaxing will help it pass more quickly and be less problematic.

Best wishes

[Daniele_T]

if crunching movements are causing pain then it's very unlikely that it's your heart.

Exertion would increase the pain, walking or going up stairs for example would make you feel weak and increase the pain massively.

It could at the very worst be an infenction of the peritoneum but that would probably not affect the chest so much.

It sounds like your diaphragm muscles are pulled.

Try stretching your arms upward as high as you can above your head to ease it and obviously being anxious tenses up the muscles which in turn will make it worse.

Dont do anything which uses your core and diagphragm too much for a little while.

Best wishes

[Nervy_of_catford]

Sorry, wanted to add that this is personal experience, I'm not just preaching at you, this is stuff I've tried and found genuinely helpful.

I have GAD and a specific phobia, but alongside this I have problems with my back and hip joints that mean I am always in some pain. Being able to recognise how my mental state affects my pain levels has been very useful - it's always there, but when my anxiety is higher my pain is much harder to deal with, and my muscles are more tense and difficult to relax.

Best wishes

[panicstricken]

Thankyou both for your replies and advice it is greatly appreciated and i will try some of your tips, the pain does get worse when i exert myself and im tired all the time but im trying to be rational and think this is due to lack of rest. I find walking upstairs make my chest tight not sure if this is normal. Its good to know that the feeling k had the other night is normal with Anxiety allthough it was very scary xxx thanks again for the advice and taking time to help hope you feel better soon

Many thanks panicstricken