Help massive panic!

[Panic Stations]

I have suffered with anxiety for years and had all symptoms you could think of. Most recently I have had breathing anxiety - constant tight chest and obsessing over breathing non stop for about 2 months. Eventually I managed to get my anxiety under control and i have been back to normal for the past few weeks. I have e always had a sharp pain once in a while in my lung area that goes away very quickly, I've heard it's usually a trapped nerve that can cause that. The past couple of weeks I've been getting the sharp pain in lung area that goes away after a minute or so but I woke up this morning with pain in both lungs that got worse when I take a deep breath. It's still hurting now and it's been about an hour, it's freaking me out so badly I'm panicking. I'm thinking about calling 111 but I've heard terrible things about their service. GP is closed today. I'm 24 by the way. I take citalopram I've been prescribed propranolol for anxiety but I haven't actually taken it. I'm sure I'm making my symptoms worse by panicking but anything to do with my chest area just sends me into crisis mode. Anyone got any advice? Thank you

[SarahAmy]

Hi there,

Hope you’re feeling better now but just in case I thought i’d reply. As someone who has had both a trapped nerve and terrible health anxiety, I can tell you that the pain you’re describing doesn’t sound like a trapped nerve, but does sound an awful lot like anxiety!

Trapped nerve pain tends to be pretty constant and while my pain was pretty sharp, it lasted much longer than a couple of minutes at a time. Unfortunately (as you probably know by now) anxiety is a huge cause of chest pain and I highly doubt what you’re experiencing is any more than that! Also you’re only 24, and the chance of you having a really serious heart condition is basically zero.

(P.s In the future NHS 111 is quite a good service but if it is something that is not urgent then they will just ask you to wait to see a gp. Unfortunately, this isn’t much consolation for us anxiety sufferers, but it does mean that the people that really need to get seen get their chance.

If you’re desperate in the future and it’s the weekend or something but you think it’s not A+E worthy then I can highly recommend the NHS urgent care centres) x

[unicorndusy]

Hey there,

As above poster has said, NHS urgent care centre's are fantastic if you're worried about something but don't feel it necessary to go to A&E. I have used one a few times in the past and they put my mind at ease quite well. Your pain is almost certainly your anxiety, I have this too and I'm fine so please try not to panic (easier said than done, I know aha!) You're going to be okay.

Peace and love