I've had a relapse.

[AnxietySuckss]

I hate Health Anxiety. About a week ago I was watching a medical show (I won't name what it was... lol) but I vowed not to watch any medical shows anymore and I broke that vow. I wouldn't say I had a panic attack but I started getting antsy and anxious to the point where I was trying to get a deep breath. Nope, I couldn't get a deep breath and that set my anxiety off again.

My main symptom when I have anxiety is that I can't get that satisfying deep breath. And then it snowballs to where I think I have lung cancer or I have heart failure or something terribly wrong with my heart. I'm 22 so that's probably not the case. I even had an ECG when I was at the hospital in January. But nothing is deterring me from that thought.

I can get the odd satisfying deep breath but it's not "good enough" and I have to get another one after that but I can't. I also feel like my throat is closing up which is also a common symptom of anxiety but I can't help but to think it's lung cancer still.

The best way I can describe the deep breathing thing is that someone is squeezing my chest really tight. Or, you know when you're really full and it's sometimes slightly hard to breath? Like that but slightly more exaggerated. Anyone else ever have something like me?

[EKB]

Something that helped me with the breathing thing was to lay on my back - either in bed or on the floor, and once I was comfortable I would exhale gently (don't over
Empty your lungs, just breathe out). Then, rather than making myself breath in, I would wait until my body just decided to breath in (in yoga they call this a rebound inhalation). It could take 5 - 10 seconds, but you will breathe. Just letting my
body breathe as it required rather than forcing myself to deep breathe helped allay the fear I was going to stop breathing (because my body wouldn't let me stop breathing). Laying down both opens your chest to make breathing easier, and also puts you in a position where you don't have to worry about falling over from lack of breath (which I was afraid of).

Anyway, that helped me before and has been helping me again when I have that feeling. Just remember when doing any breathing exercise, only go as far as your body will let you in the moment, and if you become agitated stop and breath normally for awhile.

[AnxietySuckss]

don't over
Empty your lungs, just breathe out

Ahhhh yesss. I once in a while force as much air out of my lungs as possible because it feels like my lungs don't naturally empty enough which lead me believe that was the reason I couldn't get a deep breath.

As for laying down, yeah I need to do that more. I do too much walking around the house (it seems to "help" me). The problem with laying down is that all I will think about is how I am going to die tomorrow.

The thing that's bothering me the most is my throat feeling like it's closing up. Is that as common as I hope it to be?

[EKB]

Yup :) http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms

I used to get it and then swallow all the time to test, which just makes things feel worse.

Being active is good too - your walking around. My problem is I tense up and freeze like a rabbit in the headlights for weeks and then have all sorts of aches and pains to contend with later. That's what I'm going through now.

[AnxietySuckss]

Yup :) http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms

I used to get it and then swallow all the time to test, which just makes things feel worse.

Being active is good too - your walking around. My problem is I tense up and freeze like a rabbit in the headlights for weeks and then have all sorts of aches and pains to contend with later. That's what I'm going through now.

Haha oh my gosh I am doing the swallowing thing subconsciously too. Maybe that's contributing to my throat feeling swollen a bit.

Thanks a lot. You made me feel a bit better.

[Ronan23]

The key is not to beat yourself. We'll all relapse from time to time, but by getting angry at ourselves, we don't achieve much. Practice forgiving yourself--anxiety is hard enough to overcome without dwelling on our bad moments. :)

[AnxietySuckss]

Man I can't fall asleep. Tonight's a really bad night for me. The bottom of my throat feels tight, almost like my throat is going to close up and I can't get a deep breath. Every time I almost drift off my anxiety tells me my throat is closing up. I KNOW it's just anxiety causing this because it's not getting worse but it sure feels like it. Ugh this is so bad but I am glad I have somewhere I can talk about this stuff.

[LateRoses]

I had 24/7 chest pressure for nearly a month straight about ten years ago, when I was going through my first bout of HA (back when I was a fresh-faced 21yo haha). It was with me from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep and I was convinced I had undiagnosed breast cancer (I had a breast lump) that had metastasized into my lungs.

I remember one night, it was the worst it had ever been and I was lying on my couch, writhing and feeling positive that I was about to die because I couldn't seem to take a decent breath. I went on a breast cancer forum and voiced my fear I had un/misdiagnosed breast cancer, even though the doctors said my lump was benign, and there was someone on the forum who gave me a written equivalent of a slap back to reality, telling me the doctors had said I did not have breast cancer and to get a grip. After I read that person's reply, I could breathe normally again for the first time in a month.

I hope you feel better soon.

[AnxietySuckss]

I had 24/7 chest pressure for nearly a month straight about ten years ago, when I was going through my first bout of HA (back when I was a fresh-faced 21yo haha). It was with me from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep and I was convinced I had undiagnosed breast cancer (I had a breast lump) that had metastasized into my lungs.

I remember one night, it was the worst it had ever been and I was lying on my couch, writhing and feeling positive that I was about to die because I couldn't seem to take a decent breath. I went on a breast cancer forum and voiced my fear I had un/misdiagnosed breast cancer, even though the doctors said my lump was benign, and there was someone on the forum who gave me a written equivalent of a slap back to reality, telling me the doctors had said I did not have breast cancer and to get a grip. After I read that person's reply, I could breathe normally again for the first time in a month.

I hope you feel better soon.

Oh wow. So I'm not alone in feeling my symptom as SOON as I wake up. I got a nice 10 hour sleep finally for the first time in a week. As soon as I woke up I felt tightness in the bottom of my throat (like it's my bronchial tubes or something). The only thing helping me right now is knowing that it hasn't gotten worse since I developed it. And it came on sort of suddenly soon after I couldn't get a deep breath and constantly "testing" to see if I could get a deep breath. I think my key is going to try to not take a deep breath every 2nd breath and breathing low and slow, while just working with it rather than trying to get rid of it.

[LateRoses]

Oh wow. So I'm not alone in feeling my symptom as SOON as I wake up. I got a nice 10 hour sleep finally for the first time in a week. As soon as I woke up I felt tightness in the bottom of my throat (like it's my bronchial tubes or something). The only thing helping me right now is knowing that it hasn't gotten worse since I developed it. And it came on sort of suddenly soon after I couldn't get a deep breath and constantly "testing" to see if I could get a deep breath. I think my key is going to try to not take a deep breath every 2nd breath and breathing low and slow, while just working with it rather than trying to get rid of it.

When I read your post, I felt like I was reading something I'd written back then.

It was a relentless pressure and tightening inside my chest that just made me feel so, so uncomfortable at all times of the day and I could even feel a weird sensation in my abdomen (like all my organs were pushing itself upwards) when it was at its worst.

At the time, I didn't know that anxiety could cause a feeling of constant chest heaviness/deep breathing issues. Distractions didn't help, nothing seemed to make it go away. I always thought you hyperventilate for x amount of minutes and then it goes away till the next time you have a panic attack. So of course I didn't realize my chest pressure WAS just another manifestation of my anxiety and assumed I was dying by the second.

Is this similar to what you're going through? It'll pass and you'll be fine :)

[AnxietySuckss]

When I read your post, I felt like I was reading something I'd written back then.

It was a relentless pressure and tightening inside my chest that just made me feel so, so uncomfortable at all times of the day and I could even feel a weird sensation in my abdomen (like all my organs were pushing itself upwards) when it was at its worst.

At the time, I didn't know that anxiety could cause a feeling of constant chest heaviness/deep breathing issues. Distractions didn't help, nothing seemed to make it go away. I always thought you hyperventilate for x amount of minutes and then it goes away till the next time you have a panic attack. So of course I didn't realize my chest pressure WAS just another manifestation of my anxiety and assumed I was dying by the second.

Is this similar to what you're going through? It'll pass and you'll be fine :)

Back in January I had that same feeling. The weird feeling in my abdomen like all my organs were pushing themselves in to my lungs giving my lungs no room to breathe. I had that for a bit a couple days ago but now it's just a small tightening in my lower throat. Maybe it's because of all the trying to get a deep breath.