Common cold but symptoms feel worse than ever before

[damianjmcgrath]

I am suffering from heart related health anxiety and I've been dealing with it and I have good and bad days.

Over the last 2/3 days, I've picked up a cold. I've obviously had plenty of colds before but this one feels different. Normally, I can get over colds in a day or two and can still go to work etc. This time, I have body aches so it's painful to move, although I still can so it's not flu. With the body aches, comes aches in my left shoulder, chest etc so that's triggering heart concerns.

I'm also getting pretty dizzy. This might be from the cold or anxiety, I can't tell but I haven't had anxiety related dizziness in weeks so I'm hoping its not that. I'm probably a bit anxious that it's coming back!

I also feel like my body is pounding, and my heart rate is pretty quick. I think it's normal for the heart to beat quicker to fight infection but this current cold definitely feels worse than normal.

I'm assuming anxiety can heighten the cold symptoms?

[Leah1971]

Hi Damian, I think - well for me anyway - it's more the other way around. Being sick tends to trigger my anxiety and then I feel a whole lot worse. I think my brain misinterprets common cold symptoms and I start to get anxious and panicky. I had a cold recently which turned into bronchitis and that's exactly what happened. As if being sick wasn't bad enough hey! Throw anxiety into the mix and it's a whole lot more fun. Not. I do a lot of self talk when I get sick. The anxiety does all pass once I start to get better. Hope you feel better soon.

[Gjr]

Hiya,

I have pretty much the same thing and also have a history of health anxiety.

I have had a virus and feel so drained that I have been in bed loads this week. My whole body is painful but particularly my arms legs and back. I have then gone through the usual worst case scenarios of what terrible disease it may be.

To be honest I am not sure whether it's the anxiety or the virus anymore that is making me feel so ill.

I think it's just a case of getting through it and hopefully when the cold/virus subsides that you can return to normal.

[23tana]

I've had a bad cold for 2 weeks and now it's settled onto my chest. It won't respond to any proprietary medicines. My anxiety level has been going up and up the longer it has gone on.