Worrying about Worrying

[sadie]

Hi all

I was just wondering if anyone had any words of wisdom on my present problem.

I worry a lot about my health like many people with anxiety. In particular, I worry that an imminent heart attack is waiting to happen. I have had lots of ECG's over the last 4 years and a 24 hr ECG too, all which were normal.

When my anxiety is at its worst, I always get the fluttering chest and pains around the heart region. I always worry that this time this is it and I always live to see another day. I worry though that the next time will or could be it and fear it.

At the moment I have a tight throat and chest and when I take a deep breath soemtimes I feel a flutter in my chest. I have been to see my GP who has said its anxiety and to try and relax...... I am doing my best with this but this is a new symptom for me.

Does anyone understand what I am feeling? and is there anything I can do to try and put these fears into perspective better to prevent worrying everytime I get a symptom that I will die sometime soon.

Thanks

sadie

[henri]

hi sadie,
there are lots of people on here who share your fear and i'm sure they'll be along soon to give you lots of good advice.
i don't worry about having a heart attack but i do suffer from a tight throat/chest. i find the best thing to do to get rid of it is to practice abdominal breathing and do my relaxation tape to try and relax. i think when you get a tightness like that it's to do with muscle tension so any relaxation techniques you can use will help.
hope that's of some use,
henri x

[carlin]

Hi Sadie,
Sorry you are feeling a bit rough at present, i understand how you are feeling, but i would say that you must try to be re-assured by your doctor. If they suspected that you had a heart problem, they would have detected it and sorted it out by now. As you say, when your anxiety is at it's worse you tend to notice it more, this is exactly how i feel, but i also found that when i'm not so stressed or am doing something else i don't notice it so much? People keep telling us to relax, it is not easy, but it does help, take care and keep in touch.

[BrandyK]

Hi, It's all anxiety.. I had chest pains to just like you I know its hard to relax but just try hard..

and if you had the test's and such your heart is healthy!!

Brandy

[lainey]

Hi Sadie

Just another symptom of dear Mr Anxiety I'm afraid, I used to worry a lot about a heart attack, infact I even convinced myself I had angina as my arms were aching too especially my left one, but then realised it was all to do with tension in my neck muscles as us sufferers tend to hunch our shoulders without even realising.

Take care

Elaine x

[sadie]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I know its all anxiety.... I just have to keep working at changing my thoughts to more positive ones and doing my best to stay in the present moment.

Hope you are all feeling ok too.

sadie

[Meg]

Yes Sadie - you're absolutely right....

Not just positive but rational.
Work things out in terms of probability v imagination running riot.

How is job hunting going ?

Love

Meg

[sadie]

Hi Meg,

I have an interview next Thursday morning for a job so hopefully it will go well. I will keep you posted.

Hope your well.

sadie

[linjane]

Hi Sadie,
Good luck with your interview, and keep positive!!!

I did reply to this post when it first went on, but didn't realise till later that I hadn't logged on!!! How daft am I??

I'm sure you know that a lot of my health anxiety is related to my heart and it missing beats/fluttering etc., and it absolutely terrifies me. I have recently started taking propranalol and hope it will work or at least give me some relief.

Hope you are feeling ok now, take care,
Love, Linda.xxx

[cannuk]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">Just another symptom of dear Mr Anxiety I'm afraid, I used to worry a lot about a heart attack, infact I even convinced myself I had angina as my arms were aching too especially my left one, but then realised it was all to do with tension in my neck muscles as us sufferers tend to hunch our shoulders without even realising.
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

As I read this my shoulders literally dropped to a normal position from their hunched position. I wonder how long I have been hunching without knowing. Even know as I write this, if I think about it I can tell they are creeping back into a hunched position.

[Meg]

Look in the mirror and watch out for a yogi bear with no neck staring back at you

Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

[driverpm]

Hi Sadie,
Hope things are easier today - i too have been doing the whole heart/anxiety thing for about 8 years (hard to believe theere are soooo many of us), and HATE the fluttery ache/pain sensation. But it really is anxiety/panic and it does come and go (unlike heart problems which generally don't). A GP friend of mine, while slightly drunk and despairing of my road to self destruction, told me 'for f***'s sake Phil, if the pains were from a diseased heart you would have been dead ages ago - end of!' I guess it was her idea of tough love/medicine, but it is a thought which can help if i remember it during a bad time. However, probably more use are the breathing posts on this site and trying to release the tension in your shoulders/neck/chest and stomach by stretching. Every time you manage to control it will make it easier to do it again, and the belief in what you are doing all the more stronger. Finally remember that you always do get through it and when it's good, it's very very good.
chin up
phil [8D]
Feel free to PM if it'd help

[Enigmatic_Shadow]

Hey there, I agree with most of who have posted. It's anxiety, and try to relax.

I personally have never felt those kind of pains, but I do experience strange pinches in my lungs every now and then... scares the living **** out of me!

I do however, completely understand the worrying about worrying part.

I had to quit my job because of this. I had to drop out of school and become homeschooled because of this. I worry SO MUCH that I can't sleep, even when I'm drugged up on three extra strength sleeping pills. As soon as I quit my job, the anxiety and sleeplessness began to leave... and the same thing with school.

In the beginning of my job I was fine, but the more I did it.. the more i had to be asleep at a certain time and be awake at a certain time and to KNOW people relied on ME... the more stressed I became.

To this day I don't even know where to begin to try to describe the stress and pains I felt, but right now, looking back... I am so happy I'm not feeling it right now. (I have no job and no place to be in the mornings! thats why!)

I hope one day I'll get to the bottom of this.

Know the world in yourself, never look for yourself in the world.

[sadie]

Thanks all who have replied.... I really appreciate it.

Hope your all feeling ok too.



sadie