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knuckles
01-01-09, 22:28
I found this site accidentally while googling my symptoms - I think I might be suffering from health anxiety - here's my story:

On Nov 5th while driving out of state with my wife I began to have difficulty breathing and my heart began to race. It became more and more difficult to breath and my heart began to beat faster. I started to black out and had to abrubtly pull to the side. I got out and tried tp catch my breath but could not - my wife quickly drove to the nearest emergency room. After many tests they told me I had acid reflux, my potassium was low and I was dehydrated. I had never had any problems like these before so it was a shock to me. They also mentioned panic attack to me. I have never had any panic attacks in my life so that seemed strange to me. After that incident, I began to worry about my heart health - heart disease runs in my family. I went to my doctor and was cleared of any heart issues - I had EKG, EBCT, blood work etc. but he put me on medication for acid reflux. I had a series of crazy symptoms I attributed to this medication - dizzines, tired, felt disconnected from my body if that makes sense, many aches and pains. I went back to the doctor and they changed my medication. The doc also mentioned I should consider seeking counseling for PTSD. I returned from a year in Iraq Jul 08. I went to a counselor for PTSD even though I felt I was not suffering from it. Meanwhile, I developed a constant gnawing feeling under my right rib cage and strange pains in my right leg that seem to float around from my calf to my upper thigh. I found a small bump on my right calf but the doc said it was a calcification. I started looking things up on google and became convinced I had pancreatic cancer, or cancer in my leg that has spread somehow. The counselor tells me this is from PTSD and concern over an early demise as a result of it. I'm struggling - these symptoms all seem so real and everyday I imagine a new possibility of what could be wrong. I've never had issues like this and these pains are all so real and consume my whole day.
Thanks for reading my story,
Knuckles

Cathy V
01-01-09, 22:59
Hi Knuckles. Just wanted to answer your post so you don't feel so alone with your anxieties. It might be late now for some of the european/uk members to reply but im sure people will catch up with you on this at some point. I havent ever suffered from PTSD but alot of the other members suffer with this too and im sure will be along with some advice for you when they can. I do suffer with general anxiety disorder and can relate with some of your symptoms. However, PTSD involves more I believe, such as flash-backs etc? and in this im not much use to you, but the breathlessness you feel and the panic are classic anxiety symptoms.

Please try not to worry at this point, although i know its very hard to live with for you. Keep reading and posting and chatting to other members and in time you will begin to understand it all and feel better about things.

Hang in there...you're not alone
Cathy V xxxx

knuckles
02-01-09, 05:04
Cathy,
Thanks for the support.

knuckles
02-01-09, 23:46
I was hoping by telling myself that my symptoms were in my head they would magically be gone. I'm dissapointed because I still have the feeling under my ribs on the right side and the right leg pain - although diminished they are still nagging at me. It's like these feelings consume my thoughts and I can't shake them. I'm struggling to understand all this - I've never had problems like this before.

knuckles
03-01-09, 21:54
I could sure use some words of wisdom on my concerns.

Knuckles

daisy76
03-01-09, 22:08
Hi

I am so sorry you feel like this. I to do not know much about PTSD but i have had anxiety for many years,2008 being my worst ever.

I can relate to the pains you mention, i was convinced tha my pains were not anxiety as the docs kept saying.

Are your pains like a dull aching, pulling type pain? Mine were and after many tests and desperation to keep referring me on, i was diagnosed with fibromyalgia - this is common to start with a trauma which would add up with your time in iraq. I am not saying this is what it is, but i hope you will take reassurance that there are people on here with many experiences and one may match yours.

Take care

Karen xxxxx

rainstorm
03-01-09, 22:08
It does sound like the results of PTSD. Sometimes, your brain can be so stressed out, it expresses its woe with the nervous system, and aches and pains can be quite common. Also, this would seem to tie in to your feelings of dissociation or out-of-body, which aren't likely to come from an acid-reflux medication...they'd be more common side effects with an anti-depressant. With constant high levels of stress, your brain will do anything in it's power to "tune these feelings out", and this includes becoming dissociated, which kind of feels like you're watching a movie of your own life happening in real time.

Out of curiosity, do you remember the name of the acid reflux medication your doctor prescribed?

knuckles
03-01-09, 22:36
I was originally on 40mg of Nexium, but I was switched to 20mg of Prilosec