Feeling dizzy and struggling to breathe off and on - HELP!

[louise123_uk]

I posted on here earlier in week about a bad hangover (monday morning) and then having shortness of breath after being sick thinking that must be the cause but still panicking as my hangovers aren't usually that bad!

I have felt on and off better and worse throughout week, but better mostly all Thurs night and Friday so much so I went out today as planned to a theatre quite far away. But I feel truly awful today! Nightmare of a day, was dizzy throughout and breathing has been awful, I have a heaviness on my chestboth above and under my boobs! My boyfriend was mad cause it was a downer on the day and he like my dad thinks I am putting this on and need to man (perhaps woman) up! Could it really all just be anxiety??

I am burping like crazy even with water, do you think this could all be gerd started off by being sick at beginning of week when I was hungover..... I've been reading gerd can cause dizziness and a feeling of shortness of breath!!

If its not gerd it can only be really terrible things like lung cancer or caridiomyopathy or other heart probs.... oh god, what a week, now what a weekend!! Only other thing is muscle strain caused by making myself cough and byy stretching of my neck and body (my back is killing me now as well lol!) Could that cause feelings of pressure?

I do have a slight cold as well so you never know I guess it could just be that and its all just cos Ive been focusing on my breathing...

Pharmacist thought I had nothing to worry about.....


Do you think the fact the feelings come and go may be a good sign? Need to feel like this could all be nothing!

I'd say panic attacks but have never had proper ones before really more I just worry off an on about having conditions but I just go on with normal life, nothing like this! I was pretty shaken up by the hangover though at start of week so wondering if this is the anxiety about that breathlessness making me think I still am.....

[dale12345]

I had the burping thing a while back, with chest pains. I was convinced that I had breast or lung cancer, had mammogram and chest MRI it turned out it was anxiety. I couldn't believe that a panic attack could do all that. My doctor said the burping is common with health anxiety.

[louise123_uk]

Ah really anxiety can cause burping, yet another thing I didn't know it could cause but do now!

I've been googling my symptoms of dizziness, tightness in upper abdomen under boobs and shortness of breath and have scared myself that this could be early signs of a heart attack! I found a site where women aged from 20s to 60s talked about less common experiences of having heart attack and the signs they had missed prior to it happening. Like I always thought a heart attack was basically major chest pain and collapsing but it can be a lot more subtle like pressure and shortness of breath! And some of the women talked about this shortness of breath and pressure in chest weeks before their heart attack, kind of as a warning! Argh, I hadn't really given this one much thought as thought I was too young for a heart attack at 32 but lots of the women on the site were this age and younger! I do drink and have an unhealthy diet and am a couch potato so have lifestyle risk factors!

Other thing I've been seeing is that if this is gerd it can get into lungs when you breathe and this cab led to lung cancer..., argh again. I'm thinking what if the acid reflux has been there ages and I didn't know....,

So hoping I have no symptoms tomorrow and to think this started life as a hangover last week and now I'm on to these symptoms....

---------- Post added at 00:37 ---------- Previous post was at 00:14 ----------

Oh god my symptoms also look very consistent with pulmonary hypertension which can't be treated and gets progressively worse, plus I do get out of breath easily when exercising but put this diwn to just being unfit.... I don't gave actual chest pain though just pressure/tightness under boobs but this could just be semantics, God I actually think this could be real. My boyfriend laughs as I sometimes get out of breat on a brisk 15-20min walk , we always laughed at how I should start exercising f more soon but god it could really be this...

[louise123_uk]

Hmm not good I could have heart failure it seems like: https://www.caring.com/articles/top-10-signs-heart-failure My biggest worry if go to doc is I will be told its just anxiety and all of the pages I've read to do with heart attack precursors, pulmonary hypertension and heart failure say that anxiety is a part of this and often these probs are misdiagnosed as anxiety being the cause rather than a symptom :weep:

[damianjmcgrath]

I've felt the same way as you for 2 years straight. If it is a heart attack warning, its taking its time. I've started the couch to 5k jogging thing, and been jogging now for 4 weeks, and still get out of breath easily, which made me feel like it's a real problem. I should be getting fitter now, not going backwards.

You can easily ask the doctor for an ECG. This will show up many heart problems. There's a charity called CRY which do free heart screening, their website will have details and locations. You could also take your pulse and blood pressure. This will indicate whether your heart is struggling. You could also have a quick blood test to look for markers. The doctor won't mind doing that.

I'm 31, and multiple doctors have told me that at my age, with clear results on ECGs, blood tests, chest xrays, etc - it is almost unheard of. Most young heart attack victims have genetic conditions.

I hate to patronise you, I hate people saying this to me too - but anxiety can mimic whatever you're most afraid of, and the more you think of it, the worse the symptoms get.

Basically, if you can sleep, eat, drink, walk, drive, and talk, and pains aren't getting increasingly worse, to the point where painkillers dont work or it wakes you up, then you're fine.

---------- Post added at 13:57 ---------- Previous post was at 13:51 ----------

By the way, on your caring website link, I've got 9/10 of those symptoms and while I was reading it, my chest started hurting. I'm trusting the doctors that say its ok.

[louise123_uk]

Thanks for replying. Two years, I really feel for you but as you say if tests have ruled sinister things out you have to trust with that. I have never had an ECG or chest x-ray - think I'd be scared what they might show up! Yeah I can talk myself into thinking I have all the symtoms from that care website too.... trying to tell myself a lot of people could!

I'm struggling to work out now if the dizziness is causing the shortness of breath and if this could be panic at not knowing what the dizziness is.... The dizziness is the feeling of being on a boat and a bit of a spacy light headedness..... Have to get on a train today and go to a meeting a couple of hours away, not looking forward to it when feel like this!

I'm hoping the fact the dizziness severity comes and goes is a good sign, but have now also started to wonder about a brain tumour...... So worried now why I'm feeling dizzy a lot.... and its such a vague symptom with so many causes.... And two weeks after my binge drinking episode I can hardly link back to that anymore...

---------- Post added at 10:45 ---------- Previous post was at 09:47 ----------

Ok have just read dizziness is linked to Parkinsons, could this be an early warning sign??

[MaWi69]

Anxiety and panic are a horrid thing, and what you can do to yourself with Google makes it 50 times worse! (I still do it even though I know I shouldn't :))...
I've had many similar symptoms, dizziness, shortness of breath, heavy chest, numbness in hands, disrupted bowel stuff, lump in throat, even into full on panic attacks (one of which was a hospital visit). And the result? Nothing, it's just me getting anxious about something/things which starts a chain reaction moving into me worrying about my health etc etc... After much crap I have found the best things are:
1. Go to the docs once for an MOT, if they say you are fine you have no reason to disbelieve (tell them why you are doing it and they are very helpful). It will be fine so don't worry about the results (you will, but afterwards you will realise you didn't need to which helps in itself!! ;) )
2 Find a relaxation technique that works for you. I have the odd session of hypnotherapy, but the tapes are good to - just to chill out for 30 mins if you feel yourself getting hyped.
3. Go to the gym or run. This vents the anxiety, and pushing yourself to get out of breath means you probably weren't out of breath to start with, so that can help. I have a 24hr gym which helps me on that front.
4. When partying work out your trigger drinks (some are worse than others, not mixing helps). Not drinking I found didn't help any more than cutting down, but avoiding caffeine etc with mixers had most effect keeping down extra contributing factors.
5. Talk on this forum. The fact you aren't alone means you can see your symptoms are normal, and there is a way through it....

That's all I can say, this is what works for me and everyone is different, but hopefully it will help you take some action. (Currently I am writing on this listening to a relaxation tape whilst trying not to let travel anxiety ruin my trip - I'm on business 12 hours away from home)... We can do this! :)

[louise123_uk]

Thanks so much for replying, so this really all could just be anxiety? I've had HA for a while as in I worry I have this or that but it does t usually result in proper panic attacks

[Fishmanpa]

To coin a phrase... "Jeez Louise!" :)

As was mentioned, being in an anxiety spiral and combining it with Dr. Google is like pouring gasoline on a fire. I'm quite certain you don't have any of the serious illnesses you're Googling as all your symptoms are consistent with severe anxiety. The fact you're posting here affirms that as well ;)

Positive thoughts