Need someone to talk me down about health worries

[xvolatileheart]

The last few days I've felt a heaviness in my stomach and chest that makes me feel short of breath. I keep breathing deeply to "overcome" the feeling. It's worse after I eat and when I'm walking around. I'm terrified I have a heart or lung problem, I can't shake the feeling and I'm so incredibly anxious. I'm absolutely convinced I have cancer throughout my body and I'm going to drop dead even though I'm an otherwise healthy 26 year old. I know it's irrational but it feels so real in my mind. I'm so sick of this. :weep:

[feelthelove]

how do you feel now ?

[misslove]

I feel the same way sometimes. Try to relax and realize that if something were really wrong it would have gotten worse. Take a bath or a walk. I color with my daughter and that is more relaxing then you would think it is lol. If it doesn't go away go see a dr and they can point you in the right direction but my money is on anxiety.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Could it be muscular tension? I tend to tense my diaphragm a lot and this makes you feel like you aren't breating much but if you stop and actually think about breathing, you will find you can inhale & exhale fine other than the muscles lower down.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and the deep breathing techniques can help with this.

After eating could mean an acid issue. Are you eating a lot or heavy/spicy foods?

[xvolatileheart]

I have been eating a lot of bready things which makes me feel bloated in my stomach which could definitely be part of the problem. It went away last night and by the time I got in bed I didn't think about it at all. This morning, it's all I can think about again. My other thought is maybe a big asthmatic due to hayfever? I may try an antihistamine and see if that helps.

Otherwise I'll have to accept it's probably anxiety and tension, and I'll work on some relaxation exercises. Thanks everyone for your input!

[ricardo]

I have been eating a lot of bready things which makes me feel bloated in my stomach which could definitely be part of the problem. It went away last night and by the time I got in bed I didn't think about it at all. This morning, it's all I can think about again. My other thought is maybe a big asthmatic due to hayfever? I may try an antihistamine and see if that helps.

Otherwise I'll have to accept it's probably anxiety and tension, and I'll work on some relaxation exercises. Thanks everyone for your input!

Could well be the bread that is bloating you.I get the same and my doctor told me to cut out anything with wheat if possible, but the important thing is that you sound much more positive today.

[MyNameIsTerry]

The bread sounds possible when after eating and its an easy one to check by eliminating.

Do you have asthma? If not, is there any wheezing, broken breath when breathing out, etc. If you think it could be this you should see your GP for a test as you may need medication. Don't worry though, asthma is very treatable thesedays and incredibly common. I've had it around 30+ years now and rarely any problems which is the experience of many. People have it and run marathons thesedays!

If you do have it, there are many triggers for inflammation and additional mucus production such as pollen.

If you don't, an allergy such as hayfever will mean histamine production and extra mucus. This extra mucus, like with a cold, will make breathing a little more difficult.

To be honest, I think you would feel that more in the chest area, not the stomach as well. But with anxiety, we can add other symptoms on through panicking.

I'm not surprised you are thinking about it, its the typical fight or flight trying to look out for possible risks to avoid. The more you don't experience, the more that will stop for this particular problem.