Heart attack fears have (mostly) passed, but it is PE?

[Lornykins]

Me again...

So I didn't die of a heart attack last month when I posted last (but there's still time!)
Instead my head has now moved on from this (mostly) to pulmonary embolism.

I've tried getting a docs appointment to discuss my anxiety for over a month now and each time my appointment keeps getting cancelled due to them apparently not meaning to give out that appointment -_- 4th time lucky is next Thursday, which isn't great. Best they could offer after being on hold for 15 minutes to get through to possibly nab one of the cancellations, but I digress...

I'm on birth control and have been for 4 months. Immediately when the doc went through the side effects my head stuck on PE because I know how serious it can be.

I was fine for a bit, but then my HA kicked in with heart attack symptoms. I had that for weeks and everything died down a little but in the last week or so it's kicked back into PE.

For the last week or so I've been waking up in a sweat in the middle of the night with a racing heart that I can't slow down, sometimes my heart rate just shoots up for no reason, my chest feels tight and I feel like I can't get enough air, stabbing pains in my ribs and shoulder blades and shoulders, and cramps in my left arm around my elbow, and pain behind my left knee, and shooting pains on my breastbone down the middle, and today I've been rather lightheaded and dizzy after having a breakdown in work and crying for 2 hours.

Now of course a lot of these symptoms are very similar to anxiety, but training to be a nurse for a year back when I first started uni really gave me a good insight into symptoms of serious problems, so I don't know if any symptoms are referred pain from something else, or in my head.

I could do with a little bit of reassurance about this because it is really affecting my life. My best friend won't take me seriously or offer advice (I guess a brain tumor kinda numbs you to things like this), and my dad thinks it's just bad wind and possible GERD as he had panic and anxiety problems as bad as I'm having them at this time of his life, and my mum just tells me to find a new job because it's clearly stressing me out too much. Doesn't help I've got a phobia of doctors and needles and medical procedures too, to the point of if I needed to go somewhere urgently I'd seriously debate calling someone =/

Thanks in advance, and sorry to bother you all with my rambling :(

Tl;Dr - pulmonary embolism or another HA panic?

[budgie1979]

Me again...

For the last week or so I've been waking up in a sweat in the middle of the night with a racing heart that I can't slow down, sometimes my heart rate just shoots up for no reason, my chest feels tight and I feel like I can't get enough air, stabbing pains in my ribs and shoulder blades and shoulders, and cramps in my left arm around my elbow, and pain behind my left knee, and shooting pains on my breastbone down the middle, and today I've been rather lightheaded and dizzy after having a breakdown in work and crying for 2 hours.

Now of course a lot of these symptoms are very similar to anxiety, but training to be a nurse for a year back when I first started uni really gave me a good insight into symptoms of serious problems, so I don't know if any symptoms are referred pain from something else, or in my head.



Honestly, that sounds exactly like a panic attack to me, and maybe also a bit of GERD as your dad suggested. I, too, wake up in the wee hours with racing heart, tight chest, and covered in a thin layer of sweat. That's been happening off and on for 10+ years now, and I'm still here and definitely don't have heart problems or PE (just ran a half marathon last weekend). I do have GERD, which can be very painful at times and is often confused with heart attack. And, unfortunately, I think anxiety has the tendency to make GERD worse (at least it seems to for me). I also get that dizzy/lightheaded feeling for hours after a bad anxiety attack. I call it an "anxiety hangover". It makes sense because panic attacks flood the body with adrenaline, which means you'll feel a bit weird when the adrenaline dissipates.

It's good that you're going to the doctor to talk about your anxiety (frustrating when they keep rescheduling, though :mad:). In the meantime, maybe try some "self care" to bring your anxiety down a bit, especially around bedtime. Try to stop eating a few hours before bed (this helps if you have GERD, too), do some guided meditation, get a bit of exercise during the day, and avoid alcohol. If you do wake up in the middle of the night, I like to get up, use the restroom, have a drink of water, and then try to settle back into bed. I keep headphones by the bed in case I feel really worked up, and will listen to a meditation or hypnosis podcast. You can also read a book if you find that relaxing (and don't have a partner in bed with you who will be disturbed).

Best wishes, and hang in there.