Am I being paranoid?

[Elly 2]

I am new to the site but if anyone can help it would be much appreciated. I am 52 years old and apart from recently, reasonably fit. Not overweight but smoke occasionally. For the past eight months I've been getting a pain in my chest and been to A & E 4 times now and numerous trips to the GP. Everytime I go I have ECG and Bloods which are normal. Doc thinks it might be a gastric thing but meds prescribed don't help. I am now panicking on a daily basis because as you all have probably guessed I have convinced myself it is heart related. I wake up every morning feeling very anxious, legs feel wobbly, am jittery and have got to the stage where I can't go out of the house on my own for fear that something awful is going to happen to me. Can anyone give me any advice as to whether you think I am having panic attacks and worrying about nothing. Please help if you can

[littlemiss_sunshine]

hi elly2
im new to this site too. im 19 and i've been having the same sorts of problems as you since april.recently ive had a panic attack, ive lost a stone in 1 week and dont smoke/drink take drugs or owt. sometimes i dont even understand whats brought all this on. ive been getting palpitations since april and now get palpitations in my neck aswell, u can acually see my throat beating! i dont know if im paranoid about this but i know that its driving me mad (figure of speech)iv heard that theres these things called beta-blockers which relax the palpitations. is this the first time its happened to u? cos when they diagnosed me as to having underactive thyroid of april this year, i was feeling the symptoms u described i was very anxiuos because i didnt understand what underactive thyroid was

[shoegal]

Hi Elly2,

I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling so good. The symptoms you describe definately sound like anxiety to me. The pain in your chest could also be anxiety as one of the symptoms of stress can be a pain in the chest. My best friend's brother had a severe chest pain and he was so worried he went to A&E where after numerous tests he was told he'd had a panic attack. I'm not suggesting you should ignore the pain as you do need to rule out other problems, but it definately can be an anxiety symptom as well.

Hope this helps a little.

Love and hugs from shoegal :flowers:

[Elly 2]

Thankyou for your replies. The tests I've had according to the docs rule out heart problems but when it's at it's worst do make me worry that they are wrong, but I suppose I really should trust them. They can't all be wrong can they! They have suggested gastric reflux and costochondritis (inflammation of the muscles in between the ribs) but the meds (and I've had a few) don't have any effect which is why I am worrying so much. Also I wake up every morning feeling awful and panicky. Sorry to harp on about it but I don't have any friends I can talk to about it and my husband isn't very understanding when it comes to illness although he is a lovely man. Once again thankyou for listening

[sus21]

Hi Elly

I agree anxiety gives chest pain but also my husband thought he wa shaivng a heart attach and it was just stomach acid/indigestion/heart burn. This can give you a feeling of pain in the chext. He took medication and it stopped and it was worse because he was doing some work around the house and bending over a lot. It could eb this like your doc says infli\ammed by anxiety. Nothing serious.

SUE

[Believe]

Elly
Hi, it sounds like typical anxiety to me, I have had the same things. I know that doesn't help, but if you could learn to cope with the anxiety then you will find that the chest pain will let up as so will the rest. Check out the post from yesterday michelle did it on tips for dealing with panic and anxiety, it's great and theres lots there.

Take Care
Believe

I Believe that in time we all will get better

[maz55]

Hi Elly
Yes def sounds like anxiety and panic to me, I am same age as you and get exactly the same, doc said that as women go through menopause, especially in the last stages it can make anxiety worse, as hormones are really in a spin, there is also a link between gastric probs and hormones, so please dont worry, it will pass

[skitty]

Hi and welcome!.
It may not be gastric or inflammation but maybe tension around rib cage - Ive been through all this and my doc decided it was muscular because valium (or another muscle relaxant ) made it go away, Worth a try. Anyway best of luck