I'm back and need some help

[Traceypo]

Hi all, I've been doing OK past few weeks, however last few days things haven't been too good. I'm under a lot of stress at work and think this is having an impact.
Last night I had multiple palpitations, every time I was dropping off to sleep, my heart would race so bad, that I'd have to sit up for a while to calm myself down. Would lie down and whole process would start again. I eventually fell asleep.
Tonight, I went for a family meal, restaurant was hot and tables close together, couldn't eat my meal, felt like I was going to pass out, felt sick and dizzy. The reason I'm worried is this came from no where, no thoughts behind this.
I'm home now, feel like chest really heavy, think I have some Indigestion. Feel like I'm shaking inside.
Scared I'll have another night like last night.
I know all of the above are symptoms of anxiety, but I'm struggling to cope with these feelings.
Xxx

[countrygirl]

Keep telling yourself they are horrible but essentially harmless. Nothing life threatening is going to occur. You didn't faint and you won't faint its just a feeling not an actual. The palpitations in bed are your brain giving your body a zap of adrenaline as your brain/body relaxes. I get a weird symptom every night sometimes hardly bothers me but others stops me sleeping and it a feeling as if I have fallen through the mattress even though I don't actually move at all physically or I feel as if the bed is swooping round the room for a second. I have had this almost nightly for past 15 years and started when I was very very anxious.

[Traceypo]

Thanks hun, the palpitations aren't new, they are few and far between though.
It was the social thing that upset me most, whilst I'm never the life and soul of a party, I do enjoy myself when I'm with good company.
Swallowed lots of gaviscon when I got home, and after 30 minutes or so, and a bit of x factor I felt fine.
Think I need to accept I have some minor digestion issues and prepare myself for that in future.
I'm feeling fine now and ready to put last night to bed literally, this week has been tough on me, I've had to deal with a young person taking his life at work with little support. I often ask myself how would a 'normal' person cope, and to be fair, very similar to how we would, we just analyse and over think situations beyond our control.
Appreciate the response, I guess it's about not looking for the magic cure, instead it's learning to face the symptoms and fear.
Xxx

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Tracey,

This sounds like it might be a classic case of a tramatic experience raising your anxiety and it spilling into other areas. It can take some time to process events like the death of that person. Events like that naturally make people sit back and have a think about it all, and about themselves too, or at least people who are caring do.

So, perhaps this has been a bit triggering for you and it has manifested in some old symptoms with the palps but some new ones with the social event? The thing is when you are in hot sweaty close environments you can feel it more as that need to escape can kick in. I never had problems with social events before my GAD started and then if I noticed some physical symptoms develop, the worrying about thsoe symptoms and whether I was getting anxious would make it progress to those feelings of needing to escape in case I was sick or panicked.

It could just be that it's been a bit of a shock and things will return to normal after a few days.

[pulisa]

Working in safeguarding must be extremely stressful-especially with young people. I think it's inevitable that you will be prone to such anxiety "incidents" as you've been through a lot recently and must be feeling a bit vulnerable when you're dealing with such sensitive issues on a daily basis at work.

I'm glad that you're feeling a bit better but I'd just look on this as a bit of a warning in that you need to pace yourself and not work yourself into the ground. Anxiety symptoms don't need much of an excuse to come visiting! Keep that bottle of gaviscon to hand! It's good stuff!